Selinunte Wine Tour from Palermo: Greek Ruins & Tastings

One day, two thousand years: from ancient temples to the wines that made Sicily famous

A private wine tour from Palermo combines a guided visit to Selinunte's archaeological park (one of Europe's most extensive Greek ruins) with a tasting and light lunch at a local winery in the surrounding wine region. A local guide leads just you and your travel partner by luxury Mercedes through Sicilian countryside, vineyards and olive plantations. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included. The tour runs roughly seven to eight hours.

Step-by-step itinerary

Wine tour and Selinunte visit

• Meet guide at hotel
• Drive 1.5h through Sicilian Tuscany
• Visit Selinunte archeological park
• Visit local winery and have light lunch
• Drive back to hotel

The experience

The day starts at your hotel, where your guide and driver meet you for the drive south through what locals call "Sicilian Tuscany": a landscape of vineyards and olive groves that opens toward the Gulf of Castellammare. The route takes about ninety minutes, and the guide narrates the terrain as you move through it. By mid-morning you're at Selinunte, the archaeological park that sprawls across one of the Mediterranean's most important ancient sites. In the 5th century BC it rivaled Syracuse. The Greeks built temples here that still stand, and the city was never rebuilt over in modern times, so the ruins sit in their original landscape rather than buried under a town. Your guide walks you through the excavated sections (the temples, the remnants of the ancient city), and the scale of what you're standing in front of becomes clear only when you're there.

After Selinunte, you head to a local winery embedded in the same wine-producing region. The tasting is built around the grapes grown nearby (the varieties that made this corner of Sicily known for wine), and a light lunch of local products. This is where the day shifts from history to the living landscape that surrounds it. The winery sits in a setting the operator describes as charming and unique, and the tasting gives you the chance to understand what the region produces rather than just pass through it. By afternoon, the drive back to your hotel follows the same route in reverse, and you arrive with the day still ahead of you.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off by luxury Mercedes.
• private guided tour through Selinunte's archaeological park with a local English-speaking guide.
• visit and wine tasting at a local winery in the wine-producing region.
• bottled water throughout the day.

Before you book

Days and timesTuesday to SundayDeparts at 08:30

Book up to21h before

AgesAdult (16 to 80 years) · Under 16: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsNo refund if you cancel.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

ConfirmationConfirmation within 48 h

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Moderate physical effort

Operated by Mimmo Sicily Tours

Is this one for you?The full day, roughly seven to eight hours, is structured around two stops, so you're not rushing between them or spending hours in a vehicle. If you want to see both ancient ruins and taste local wine without building the itinerary yourself, the fixed route and private guide handle the logistics. If your schedule is tight or you prefer to explore just one of these, a shorter activity elsewhere in Palermo might suit you better.

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Top questions

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. No refund if you cancel.

What exactly is there to see at Selinunte?

Selinunte is an archaeological park holding several Greek temples, sections of the excavated ancient city, and the landscape where they stand: one of Europe's most extensive ancient sites and among the most important in the Mediterranean. The ruins date to the 5th century BC, when Selinunte was second only to Syracuse in power, and the site has never been built over in modern times, so the temples and city remain in their original setting rather than under a modern town.

How long does the drive from Palermo take?

The drive south from Palermo to Selinunte takes about an hour and a half, passing through vineyards and olive plantations and opening toward the Gulf of Castellammare. The return drive in the afternoon follows the same route.

What happens at the winery?

At the local winery you taste wines produced in the region (the grapes and varieties grown in the surrounding area) paired with a light lunch of typical local products. The winery sits in a charming setting within the wine-producing region itself, so you're tasting where the grapes grow.

Is this tour just for wine lovers?

No. The tour combines archaeology and wine equally: you spend the morning at the Greek ruins of Selinunte and the afternoon at a winery. If you're interested in ancient history, Sicilian countryside or local food and wine, the day has something for you.

Who drives and guides the tour?

A local guide leads the tour and drives you in a luxury Mercedes from your hotel. It's a private tour (just you and your travel partner), so the guide can adjust the pace and focus to what interests you.

What's included in the price?

Hotel pickup and drop-off; private transport by luxury Mercedes; a private guided tour inside Selinunte's archaeological park; a visit and tasting at the local winery; and bottled water. Light lunch at the winery is not included in the base price.