Park at Porta Giunone and the walk starts downhill, straight into the 2 km path of the Valley of the Temples. The temples of Concordia and Hercules rise from olive groves, with modern Agrigento above. That scene pulls most visitors here, but the best things to do in Agrigento go past the Greek ruins. The old town hides Baroque palaces and a cathedral with a 17th-century letter of the devil. In 2025 Agrigento served as the Italian Capital of Culture, and on summer evenings locals gather on San Leone beach for an aperitif.
- Best time
- February-March for the Almond Blossom Festival
- Where to stay
- Via Atenea, north of the train station
- Perfect for
- History travelers and first-timers
- Don't miss
- Valley of the Temples
Things I'd tell a friend
A few notes from my own Agrigento days that don't fit in a list.
Stay a night if you can
If your plan is only the Valley of the Temples, a day trip works. But the site takes most of the day. Give yourself one night and you also get the old town, the nuns' pistachio couscous, and an aperitif on San Leone beach at sunset.
Source · Checked this myself
Let the local bus do the work
Trains from Palermo to Agrigento cost €9 and take 2 hours. Once in Agrigento, TUA lines 1, 2, and 3 head to the temples from Piazza Rosselli, about 500 meters from the station. A local bus ticket runs €1.70.
Source · Rode it more than once
The garden beats the midday sun
The Valley walk is 2 km long. Kolymbetra Garden has 300 plant species, a small summer bar, and space for a picnic. It makes a sensible pause before the climb back to the city.
Source · My favorite pause
Valley of the Temples
The reason most people come to Agrigento, and the one site you can't skip.
- UNESCO site with the best-preserved Greek temples outside Greece
- 2 km walking path through olive groves
- Temple of Concordia is the most complete ruin
- Ancient walls of Akragas ran 12 km around the city
Valley of the Temples is a UNESCO site and home to the best-preserved Greek temples outside Greece. The ancient city of Akragas stood here, a grand Mediterranean city with 300,000 inhabitants that once rivaled Syracuse and Carthage. The ruins sit 3 km below modern Agrigento. Don't expect a valley, though. The site is actually a plateau.
Local buses leave from Piazza Rosselli
TUA lines 1, 2, and 3 run between Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples from Piazza Rosselli, about 500 meters from the railway station. Local bus tickets cost €1.70.
Plan for a 2 km walk
The main pathway is 2 km long and the site lies 3 km below the city. If you park at Porta Giunone, you walk downhill, then can return on the small electric shuttle for €3.
Temple parking caps at €5
Parking lots sit at Porta V and Porta Giunone. The fee is €2 for the first hour, €1 for the second, then €0.50 per hour after that, with a daily maximum of €5.
Park at Porta Giunone and the 2 km path walks downhill for you.
These options put you close to the site or make the drive in easy.
Colleverde Park Hotel
- Private Parking
- Free Wifi
- Family rooms
- Non-smoking rooms
- Fitness center
- Airport shuttle
- 24-hour front desk
- Facilities for disabled guests
- Bar
- Very Good Breakfast
Villa Athena Resort
- Outdoor swimming pool
- Free parking
- Free Wifi
- Spa and wellness center
- 2 restaurants
- Family rooms
- Non-smoking rooms
- Tea/Coffee Maker in All Rooms
- Bar
- Very Good Breakfast
We earn a commission on bookings through these links. The picks are mine, and that doesn't change them.
Old Town of Agrigento
The concrete seen from the temples gives way to alleys, palace balconies, and a cathedral with a strange secret.
- Pedestrian Via Atenea lined with bars, restaurants, and shops
- Palaces from the 18th and 19th centuries with ornate balconies
- Cathedral of Saint Gerlando holds the letter of the devil
- Scalinata degli Artisti painted staircase on Via Neve
The Agrigento old town settles on a hill above the ruins. Its main street, Via Atenea, is pedestrian, lined with bars, restaurants, and shops. Tiny alleys branch off in every direction, and among them you'll find 18th and 19th-century noble palaces with ornate balconies and old churches.
Hunt for the painted staircase
Scalinata degli Artisti sits on Via Neve, off Via Atenea. It's covered in murals and drawings, with each step written in a different language.
The cathedral hides a strange manuscript
In the 11th-century Cathedral of Saint Gerlando you can see a Roman sarcophagus, a painted wooden ceiling, and the manuscript letter of the devil from the 17th century.
Inside the cathedral, look for the 17th-century letter of the devil.
Look for stays on or around Via Atenea, where the old center is walkable.
Hotel Della Valle
- Outdoor swimming pool
- Free parking
- Free Wifi
- Spa and wellness center
- 2 restaurants
- Family rooms
- Non-smoking rooms
- Airport shuttle
- Bar
- Very Good Breakfast
Hotel Costazzurra Museum & Spa
- Outdoor swimming pool
- Free parking
- Spa and wellness center
- Free Wifi
- Family rooms
- Restaurant
- Non-smoking rooms
- Bar
- Private beach area
- Good Breakfast
We earn a commission on bookings through these links. The picks are mine, and that doesn't change them.
Pietro Griffo Archaeological Museum
This museum collects the treasures pulled from the temples and the land around them.
- Just north of the Valley of the Temples
- Finds from the valley and the surrounding area
- Colossal Telamon statue once supported the Temple of Zeus
- Pairs well with the temples in the afternoon
The Pietro Griffo Archaeological Museum sits just north of the Valley of the Temples. A visit here fills in the rest of the picture after the ruins. The collection gathers finds from the valley and the surrounding area, including the colossal statue called Telamon, which once supported the Temple of Zeus.
Pair it with the garden
A route that works well is the temples first, Kolymbetra Garden before heading up, then the museum after that.
Consider a combined ticket
Combined tickets are available that include neighboring attractions like the Kolymbetra Garden and the Archaeological Museum.
Don't rush past the Telamon; it once held up the Temple of Zeus.
Base yourself in the center and the museum is an easy stop before heading back to town.
La Dolce Vita - Luxury House
- Parking
- Free Wifi
- Non-smoking rooms
- Terrace
- Tea/Coffee Maker in All Rooms
Alloggio Della Posta Vecchia
- Parking
- Free Wifi
- Family rooms
- Non-smoking rooms
- Tea/Coffee Maker in All Rooms
We earn a commission on bookings through these links. The picks are mine, and that doesn't change them.
Giardino della Kolymbetra
A green hollow below the temples, filled with citrus, concerts, and quiet corners.
- 300 species of plants, including rare citrus varieties
- Dug by Carthaginian slaves in 480 BC for the city's water supply
- Picnic-friendly garden with a small summer bar
- Summer evenings host concerts among the trees
The Giardino della Kolymbetra feels like a different world after the stone ruins. Greek historian Diodorus wrote that the valley was dug by Carthaginian slaves in 480 BC to keep water flowing to the city. In the Middle Ages, the old water system turned it into a lush garden.
Visit right after the temples
The garden sits within the valley area, so it fits naturally between the temple walk and the climb back to the city.
A garden created by an ancient reservoir
Carthaginian slaves dug the valley in 480 BC for water, and the medieval water system later made it a garden.
Pack a picnic
You can bring a picnic, which is useful since the temples take most of the day.
Bring a picnic and stay for the summer evening concerts.
Stay in town and the garden is a short drive or bus ride below the city.
Hotel Foresteria Baglio Della Luna
- Free parking
- Free Wifi
- Restaurant
- Non-smoking rooms
- Room service
- Bar
- Excellent Breakfast
B&B Kolymbetra
- Parking
- Free Wifi
- Family rooms
- Non-smoking rooms
- Very Good Breakfast
We earn a commission on bookings through these links. The picks are mine, and that doesn't change them.
Monastero di Santo Spirito
A medieval convent that guards a sweet secret behind its stucco walls.
- Cistercian convent founded in 1290
- Stucco artworks by Giacomo Serpotta
- Sweet pistachio couscous made by the nuns
- Legend ties the recipe to Tunisian women in the 13th century
The Monastero di Santo Spirito is a Cistercian convent founded in 1290. Inside, you'll find stucco artworks by Giacomo Serpotta and a quiet cloister. But the main draw for most visitors is the pistachio couscous made by the nuns.
It's a sweet couscous
The mouthwatering pistachio couscous is sweet, not savory, and it comes from a recipe the nuns learned in the 13th century.
Save room for convent desserts
Alongside the couscous, the nuns make desserts with pistachios and almonds. Go easy at lunch before you arrive.
Order the pistachio couscous even if you think couscous should be savory.
A central stay puts the monastery within walking distance of the old town.
Le Terrazze Di Pirandello
- Free parking
- Free Wifi
- Family rooms
- Non-smoking rooms
- Airport shuttle
- Terrace
- Room service
- Tea/Coffee Maker in All Rooms
- Wonderful Breakfast
B&B Salotto Di Athena
- Parking
- Basic free Wifi (9 Mbps)
- Non-smoking rooms
- Exceptional Breakfast
We earn a commission on bookings through these links. The picks are mine, and that doesn't change them.
Scala dei Turchi
A white staircase-shaped cliff that drops into the sea 15 km west of town.
- Rock formation shaped like a giant staircase
- Named after Arab pirates wrongly called Turks
- 10-minute walk from the road to the beach
- Climbing is no longer allowed
The Scala dei Turchi is one of the strangest sights along this coast. The rock forms the shape of a giant staircase, and it got its name because Arab pirates, wrongly called Turks in Sicily, took shelter here during storms.
You can't climb the cliff anymore
Climbing is no longer allowed. The move now is to enjoy it from the beach on the right-hand side or from the viewpoint along the road.
15 km west of Agrigento
The cliff lies 15 km west of Agrigento, near Realmonte. There's a panoramic viewpoint along the road, and it's about a 10-minute walk down to the beach.
Arrive early for parking
The practical advice is simple: arrive early to be sure of a parking spot.
Come early if you want a parking spot without hunting.
What are the best things to do in Agrigento?
Start at the Valley of the Temples, then add the old town, the Pietro Griffo Archaeological Museum, and the Giardino della Kolymbetra. Casa Pirandello and the Monastero di Santo Spirito fit in easily if you stay the night.
Can you do a Valley of the Temples day trip from Palermo?
Yes. Trains from Palermo to Agrigento run regularly from 6 am to 8 pm, cost €9, and take 2 hours. The bus costs €12 and takes around 2.5 hours. Once in Agrigento, local buses from Piazza Rosselli cover the last stretch to the temples.
Is one day in Agrigento enough?
Only if you skip the old town. A tour of the Valley of the Temples takes nearly the whole day. Staying one night at least lets you see the old center and the museum, and it gives you time for an aperitif at San Leone.
Why is Scala dei Turchi called the Stair of the Turks?
The rock forms a giant staircase shape. Arab pirates, who in Sicily were incorrectly called Turks, sheltered here during storms, so the name stuck.
What is the pistachio couscous at Monastero di Santo Spirito?
It's a sweet couscous made by the nuns of the 1290 convent. Legend says African women from Tunisia passed the recipe to the nuns in the 13th century.
