How to spend a day in Noto in Sicily

So many places to see, so little time, right? If you’re staying in Syracuse, Avola, Ragusa or even Catania, is a day trip to Noto worth it? I think so! Read on to find out how to spend a day in Noto and why it’s worth visiting.

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How to get to Noto

I’ve visited Noto twice on day trips during different holidays. The first time we were staying in Avola, which is about a 20 minute drive away. The second time we visited we were staying in Ortigia, which is about a 35 minute drive away. If you’re in Catania, it’s just over an hour’s drive.

If you haven’t hired a car for your holiday in Sicily, there are regular Interbus buses from Catania to Noto which take about 1 hour and 30 minutes, or if you’re in Syracuse (It’s Siracusa in Italian), it takes just under an hour. Or if you prefer, Get your Guide has a number of tours that will pick you up, such as this full day tour from Catania to Syracuse, Ortigia, and Noto, which includes brunch.

If you’re driving to Noto, there is a car park on Via Cavour or you can find free parking on Via Napoli, but you’ll need to walk about 7 minutes or so to the Royal Gate, which was built in 1838 and marks the entrance of the city.

Why you should visit Noto

If you’re looking for a city with jaw-dropping, ornate architecture, that’s Noto! The city, like most cities in Sicily, has a fascinating and varied history. It’s also a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Noto has been under Greek, Roman, Norman and Arab rule throughout its history, before falling to Christian rule in the 10th century. A devastating earthquake in 1693 sadly destroyed the city, as well as about 70 nearby villages and towns. It was then rebuilt in 1703 in the Baroque style of the day, about 10 km away from the original city.

Noto really is an exceptional example of Baroque architecture. It is everywhere you look! And for me personally, the Baroque period is one of my favourites.

How to spend a day in Noto

How you want to spend your day in Noto is of course up to you but here are my recommendations.

Buy a Museo Diffuso ticket to explore the churches

For just €10, the Museo Diffuso ticket gives you entry to five different churches in Noto – the Basilica Cattedrale di San Nicolo, Basilica del SS Salvatore, Chiesa di Montevergini, Chiesa di San Domenica and Chiesa di San Carlo. You can purchase it in any of the above mentioned churches and when you visit, they cross that church off the ticket.

I feel like you can’t visit Noto and not go inside the Basilica Cattedrale di San Nicolo (Noto Cathedral). It’s one of the most recognised buildings in the whole of Sicily. Construction began in 1693 after the earthquake and took 10 years to complete. The dome is fairly new as the original dome collapsed in 1993 and had to be rebuilt. One of the features of the cathedral is its sweeping steps leading up to it.

Inside Noto Cathedral is pretty spectacular. The paintings above the altar are just beautiful and the stained glass windows in the dome are stunning. There’s also a 16th century urn with the remains of the patron saint of Noto.

I will admit that we only went into 3 of the 5 churches included in the ticket. If you can’t visit them all, one I really recommend visiting is Chiesa di San Domenico. It’s really beautiful on the outside but it’s what’s inside that is intriguing.

You don’t actually need a ticket to go into Chiesa di San Domenico, but you do need the ticket to see the crypt with the ‘sitting strainer’. Located below where parishioners would sit for Mass would be corpses sitting on seats, that had a hole in them. Essentially as the body would decompose, the fluids would be ‘strained’ out and only the skeleton would be left. Fascinating if not a bit gruesome.

Take in panoramic views of Noto

A number of the churches have rooftops with panoramic views over the city. Some of them are included in the Museo Diffuso ticket, such as Chiesa di San Carlo where you can get a fabulous view of the Cathedral and the Basilica del SS Salvatore.

The first church we visited, Chiesa Santa Chiara, isn’t included in the €10 ticket but is definitely worth the small entry fee for the stunning panoramic views of Noto Cathedral. When we visited there were a number of artworks in the piazza made from coloured sand, and we had an amazing view of them!

Admire the ‘painted’ stairs

Noto has a few painted stairs, although look closely and they’re not actually painted! When you walk along the main street, just look up and you’ll spot some. But if you’d rather know exactly where they are, head to Via Fratelli Bandiera and Via Cavour.

Ortigia artist Carlo Coniglio has been the designer of the painted stairs for the last few years. We saw his work in 2021 and in 2024. As you can see, the print is on the edges of the stairs so you get different perspectives when you walk up.

Enjoy a delicious lunch

There are lots of restaurants in Noto so you’ll be spoiled for choice when it comes to dining. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Sabbinirica Bistrot, which caught our eye as we liked the look of it and it had outside tables. The food was delicious and decently priced – our orecchiette with broccoli was €14 and it was a big portion. We had a great meal at Sabbinirica Bistrot and would highly recommend it if you’re looking for a more sophisticated dining experience.

Visit a museum

Noto has a number of museums, such as the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Civic Museum, the Museum of the Sea, the Cathedral Museum – and more. If you only have a day in Noto, it probably wouldn’t be possible to visit them all so choose one or two – or stay a couple of nights and visit them all!

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