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Frequently Asked Questions
• Are these "fully guided" tours?
• Where's Piazza Politeama?
• Do you do shore excursions?
• Do you offer personalized (private) tours?
• Do you do walking tours of Palermo?
• What prices are there for children and seniors?
• How much is a euro (€) worth?
• What's the refund policy for cancellations?
• Do you do tours around Sicily - the whole island?
• Can I have details about your company?
• How do I contact you?

• Are these "fully guided" tours?
Terms such as "guided" and "escorted" do not enjoy universal definitions so we'll explain this in simple terms, avoiding tourism jargon and the arcane (and ever-evolving) complexities of Italian law. If there are more than eight persons in your tour you'll have a licensed tour guide who travels with you or you'll be met by a local "site" guide at the more important sites of historical interest. If there are fewer than eight persons in your group you'll have a driver-guide. In practice, the difference is that the driver guides cannot lecture clients within certain archeological or historical areas while the other guides can, so a driver-guide will explain the history of the sites before you enter.

• Where exactly is Piazza Politeama, the pick-up point?
It's shown here with Google Maps.

• Do you do shore excursions?
Our tours are quite similar to "shore excursions." The real differences are that we don't pack fifty cruise passengers into a bus and that we don't pick you up at the Port of Palermo. Our main pick-up point at Piazza Politeama near the corner of Via Libertà is a short ten-minute walk from the Port of Palermo. If your cruise ship arrives early enough, and permits passengers to disembark before 8 AM, you could easily join one of our day tours. Bear in mind, however, that you'd have to be at Politeama by 8:15. Some cruise ship arrivals would facilitate this, while others do not. There is also the possibility of a ship's late arrival. If you're arriving on a cruise ship, you may wish to consider a private excursion or a private, personalized walking tour.

• Do you offer personalized (private) tours?
Yes. These are described on the Palermo excursions page on our partner site, Best of Sicily.

• Do you do walking tours of Palermo?
By definition, this is a lengthy or highly personalized private tour around Palermo on foot at your own pace, perhaps with a visit to Monreale (which is on a hill overlooking the city) by taxi or bus. We don't offer walking tours per se. In general, it's easier to arrange such a service with a guide directly. For walking tours of Palermo we highly recommend the services of a team of highly competent Palermo guides.

• What prices are there for children and seniors?
Prices for children, and conditions related to these rates, are described at purchase conditions (below). We offer no special prices for seniors (over 65) but participants over 65 or under 18 may be entitled to reduced admission prices at some sites (see"admission fees" below).

• How much is a euro (€) worth?
Consult our favorite currency converter for current exchange rates. The euro (€) is the official currency of Italy, Germany, Austria, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Greece, France, Malta and several other countries of the European Union.

• What's the refund policy for cancellations?
This is explained under "cancellations and refunds" below.

• Do you do tours around Sicily?
Yes, and they're described on our Sicily tours page.

• Can I have details about your company?
Yes. The legal details are indicated under "legal stuff" below. Please note that we're an actual tour operator and licensed as such. This means that we fully meet the legal standards for operational norms, things like insurance and, of course, taxes.

• How do I contact you?
Perhaps the most important question of all. Here are our contact details.

Purchase Conditions

All of our tours are prepaid.

What is included:

• All ground transportation as per itinerary;
• Meals and Wine Tasting when clearly specified;
• Taxes.

What is not included:

• Beverages and meals not specified;
• Gratuities and Tips;
• Travel Insurance;
• Admission fees. (The price of these tours does not include the Admission Fees at historical and archeological sites. If you are over 65 or under 18 years old and you have a European Union or British Commonwealth passport, certain admission fees may be waived if you display your passport upon entering the sites, specifically at Segesta.)

Cancellations and refunds (prices in euros):

• 50% of total reservation will be refunded up to 3 days before start date.

• All but €25.00 will be refunded for cancellation at least 15 (fifteen) days before start date.

• No refund for a "late" cancellation within (48 hours) of if participants fail to appear for beginning of the tour.

• Rates for children apply when accompanied by at least 2 (two) adults. If there is only one child with one adult the child's price is the full adult rate.

Important to know:

The tours-excursions are operated:

- with a driver-guide up to 7 participants;

- with a driver & tour escort (when clearly specified) from 8 participants;

- sometimes with a driver and local guide (when clearly specified) from 8 participants.

The driver-guide is not a local "site" guide. Local guides are the only professionals, with a regional license, permitted to conduct visits and tours in all sites and museums within a city. By law, a driver-guide cannot accompany you inside certain areas.

These tours are operated by Tradizione Turismo Tour Operator by Chat & Tour is located at Via G. Sirtori 25 in Palermo, Italy. We operate under the names Tradizione Turismo, Best of Sicily and Sicily Concierge.

LEGAL STUFF: Tradizione Turismo by Chat & Tour, Via Generale Sirtori 25, 90145 - Palermo, Italy. Full Travel Agency Licence Number: 996/VII/Tur-Sicily • IATA Tids 96 27583 0 • VAT (Partita IVA): IT04943140824 • ASTA Member Number: 900166379 • Site Member: ID 9310610 • NTA Member: TID 034 250. Other trade names: Best of Sicily Travel Guide, Sicily Concierge.

Contact

To reserve contact us at tours@bestofsicily.com indicating "Palermo excursion" in the subject line, or by phone at +39 091 626 9685, or fax +39 091 380 9900. From the United States or Canada you may also contact us by Skype at 718-473-0803. (Please remember that there's a six-hour time difference between Central European Time here in Italy and American Eastern Time in Toronto and New York.) Or... you can pay online with a credit card (under "Notes" please indicate the tour, start date and number of participants). Full payment is required when you reserve.

We look forward to seeing you in Sicily!

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