Took a hop on hop off with Tourist Service Catania. We stopped at Aci Castello, and when we went back to the bus stop, there were over 50 people waiting, and some were in a very bad mood, as to wait for more than an hour in the sun is no joke. Seems that this company is used to telling customers a bus will arrive in 10 minutes. It spoilt our short cruise stay in Catania, as then we were in no mood to stop in Catania for shopping or looking around. I might as well had taken a bus to Aci Trezza, as all I did was go to Aci Castello, walk to Aci Trezza, and than wait for over an hour in the sun to get back to the ship. I think this company should be investigated.

I complained to "Tourist Dream" about an awful, over-priced, badly managed tour of theirs to Syracuse, Ortigia, and Noto (I have separately reviewed this on Tripadvisor). They did not respond. I wrote again, including an Italian language version and still I had no reply. I then decided to write to the tourist bureau of the Commune of Catania, in which "Tourist Dream" has several outlets. The reply I got, after two, attempts was insulting. I was told it was nothing to do with them, and - in a rude tone - that I should not email them again. They clearly do not accept any complaints or responsibility. This soured my holiday experience, which was otherwise excellent. I will not be visiting Catania again!

At each stop, the driver gave virtually no information on arrival other than the time for departure. We were left to find our own way and guess where to go and what was available. The worst thing was at the last stop, Noto. We were dropped by the roadside and told to go back to that spot for collection at a specified time. The town was very busy and hugely crowded because there was a procession underway. This prevented us getting beyond the market/car park. The procession was so long and slow-moving that we could not get into the town beyond the car park and market in the time available. We were prevented from seeing the architecture and buildings because we could not get through the dense crowds – we tried, but it was dangerously and oppressively crowded, particularly considering our age and stature. While it was an experience to see the procession this was not the purpose of the visit. We should have been told that we would not be able to get into the town and experience what is printed in the brochure. To go to Noto just to visit a small market is not what we paid for. And the disappointment did not stop there. We waited at a busy and bustling roadside for more than an hour over the time we were told to get to the departure point before the coach arrived – and had to get on the coach in the middle of the road in heavy traffic. The driver knew the traffic was busy and should have left from his parking place to the pick-up point early enough to be on time, not over one hour late. We had no apology whatsoever. Waiting in the heat for that time was dreadful customer service. I am 85 years old and the wait – in such heat, with the nearby café closed – was very distressing for me.

Overpriced for what it was, considering you then have to pay 16,50€ entrance for the neapolis and 20€ for the boat trip (which was the best part but we saw it advertised elsewhere for 10€). We were left with very little time in Ortigia which was a shame as that was the main reason we took the trip. The driver drove way too fast, mostly over 140km/h and ignored requests from other passengers to slow down. If you want to kill yourself then fine, but if your job involves being responsible for the safety of paying passengers, then you need to respect that. Save your money and take the train, cheaper and safer.

Our family tour to Taormina was great. We took the van and we really enjoyed it. The conditions of the van were great 👍🏻. Our guide Kiran was so patient , helpful and friendly. We definitely recommend your services especially with Kiran guidance. It was a trip to be remembered. Thank you Kiran!

The tour was great. Even though the tour was 80 minutes we spent almost 2 hours because the driver was very kind to wait for us to take photos. Also the guy in the photo below explained us the whole tour before buying the ticket. He was very kind, helpful and friendly.

Really lovely and peaple helped show us which way to go loads to see ,can be a little expensive but worth it Do go and see as much of Catania as you can you will love it.

Alfio was our wonderful tour guide for our trip to Taormina, etc. Alfio was friendly, professional and a very safe driver. We missed the bus tour option and he was available to drive our family in a van up into the beautiful mt top town of Taormina. Highly recommended going to see a different side of Sicily. We had lunch at a restaurant sitting outside that over looked the ocean and Mt. Edna, the weather was beautiful it was fantastic. Alfio took pictures of us with the beautiful backdrop of mt Edna. He would also stop and point of scenic viewpoints we might’ve otherwise missed. I recommend also the steps with the stations of the cross to the top of Taormina. We came across it by chance and even my teenagers noted how beautiful it was. Taking a second tour today with this company to Syracuse on our last day in Sicily. These tours made our trip extra memorable. Thank you. Xx

Good experience, fascinating places to visit, but seemed rushed. Not enough to time to explore and no time for lunch. I would recommend highly , but be prepared with snacks and water.

Terrible. The driver indicated that the bus would remain at the stop for 10 minutes. I confirmed this with the driver and indicated that I would be back. Arrived in 8 minutes and he had left. Stranded in a small town outside of Catania. Buses are 1 hour apart.

Do not take this tour with Tourist Service. We took a bus panorama open top tour. It is not a regular hoho bus. It takes not the route you pay for. And on top of this it stops at a random stop in the back of town and the driver says: I take a 40 min break now and leaves us sitting in a hot bus. Doesn’t speak English so we were stuck. It is like a nightmare. Take the yellow bus, not the red one!

Have done quite a few of these type all over Italy with various similar companies. This was by far the worst. The buses were old and dirty and a lot of the audio points didn’t work. Also the actual audio on the bus loudspeaker - in Italian, was quite loud and made it difficult to hear the commentary in your chosen language. It made three stops of ten mins each at the Sheraton, Acitrezza and Acicastello. It was fine to pass a few hours but honestly not the best one we’ve done.

This is basically a hop on and no hop off except at two locations along the way. It stops to let you off at Aci Costello and Ascitrezza. They only drive by all the others without stopping unless there is traffic or lights. I planned to get off at one stop and i had to request the driver to let us off. Even without letting us off, I expected the bus to stop ling enough to see and take couple of shots, this did not happen. Hindsight, i am better off taking the local bus. It is more frequent and cheaper.

I want to thank the staff for the excellent service and assistance I recently received during the short time that I was in the area. They stored my luggage for the day, and gave me a lot of helpful travel information and suggestions on activities to do during my stay. I ended up taking their Hop On Hop Off tour, which was very interesting and the driver was also very helpful. Thank you so much!

I am quite surprised there are so many negative reviews. The night before the trip I looked at the leaflet and only then did I realise it was an open top bus. Today was 42 degrees so this massively worried me as travelling with a 2 year old and 6 year old. Anyway, turned out to be fine as they put a roof on for shade! Yay! The bus journey was smooth. Driver was lovely… he doubled and triple checked we had everyone before we left Etna and one lady was a late returner! We stopped twice on route to Etna for pictures and for a drink/wee stop. The only reason I give 4 stars not 5 is that it is only when we arrived that we realised once there for a 3 hour stop ultimately you do need to purchase some sort of add on tour. The cable car is 50 euros per person, the cable car mini bus tour was 87 euros a person and then the Etna train tour is 10 euros each. I am gonna be honest with 2 kids we did go budget and I am actually glad we did as the train tour got a thumbs up from both kids and us but once I had paid the 95 euros for the bus I hadn’t expected to then have to pay lots more. Overall we had a super day and I would recommend the trip. Commentary in all languages on bus too and free headphones to listen.