Ragusa: a baroque hill town in wine country
Updated October 2026
A baroque hill town in the Cerasuolo di Vittoria wine country.
Ragusa at a glance
- Best time
- April to May, October to November
- Price level
- affordable
- Getting around
- a car is practically essential
- Best for
- food, wine, history and art
- The catch
- Steep: Ragusa Ibla is stairs in every direction. You need a car.
When to go
Temperatures are average daily highs in °F and °C (WeatherSpark). Ratings are our own. $ = cheapest, $$$ = most expensive. 🔥 = heat, ★ = big event.
Who Ragusa is for
Ragusa is excellent for couples who want baroque towns and good food. It works for families and solo travelers with a car. It’s steep, with stairs and slopes everywhere, so skip it if walking is hard for you.
When to go
The best months are April, May, October and November. March, June and September are good too. The weakest are July and August.
Getting around
Trains run from Ragusa to Syracuse in about two hours, but only a few a day, and some don’t run on holidays. To tour the baroque towns and beaches, a car is practically essential.
What Ragusa costs
On a budget, about $95 to $120 per person per day. In comfort or luxury, about $330 to $335. The lower number is the quiet season, the higher one peak season.
Includes your stay, food, activities and local transport, not flights. Converted at about $1.10 per euro. Estimates only.
Flights from the US and Canada
Fly into: Catania (CTA) or Comiso (CIY). Typical economy fares per person, round trip, with a connection. Canadian fares are in Canadian dollars. Not live prices, so always check before you book.
What Ragusa does best
Its strengths: food and restaurants, wine, and history and art.
Day trips
With a car, Ragusa makes a good base for southeast Sicily’s baroque towns and beaches.
A baroque town, and grainy chocolate made the old way.
We haven’t been here ourselves, so this is based on other travelers’ reports.
A baroque town of honey-gold stone.
We haven’t been here ourselves, so this is based on other travelers’ reports.
A small fishing village and beach where the TV series Inspector Montalbano was filmed. There isn’t much to do in the village itself, but the inspector’s house sits in the best spot right on the beach, and it’s now a guesthouse. Nearby is Enzo a Mare, the restaurant where Montalbano eats in the series. It was closed when we visited, and a storm badly damaged it in early 2026, so check before you go.
A small fishing village around an old tuna factory square.
We haven’t been here ourselves, so this is based on other travelers’ reports.
The old town of Ortigia.
We haven’t been here ourselves, so this is based on other travelers’ reports.
Where to eat
Breakfast and brunch
Lunch
Dinner
We picked these places from Google ratings and reviews in October 2026, and we haven’t eaten at all of them. Many Italian restaurants take reservations on WhatsApp, and a reservation only counts once they reply. The Map link opens the restaurant in Google Maps, where you’ll also find a booking button if they take online reservations. Opening hours change, so check before you go.
Food and wine
Sicily on a plate: a typical four-course menu, and the wine to go with each.
Cook it at home. Our English recipes for this menu, with US and metric measurements and a shopping list you can print.
Get the recipesGolf
The former Donnafugata Golf near Ragusa is being rebuilt as the new Costa Ragusa resort. The first course is due to open in April 2027 and the second in fall 2027. Until then, the nearest course is Picciolo Etna Golf on the slopes of Etna.
Shopping
- Modica chocolate: the neighboring town’s famous grainy chocolate, sold in Ragusa too.
Plan it
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