Benedictine Monastery and old town: Catania with a guide
Updated October 18, 2026 · 5 min read
Book the guided tour of the Benedictine Monastery for €10 and add one of the walking tours of the old town for €12 to €25. The monastery tour is the best value in this list: 75 minutes, 4.7 stars from 637 reviews, and it takes you into areas that are not normally open to visitors. The walking tours cover what is outside; the monastery covers what is inside.
The monastery: what the €10 buys
The Benedictine Monastery of San Nicolò l’Arena is described on its booking page as one of the largest monasteries in Europe. The tour is guided in English, lasts 75 minutes and includes access to the monastery, with parts that are not normally accessible. The page also says you skip the ticket line and that the tour is wheelchair accessible.
The description names what you see: the two cloisters, the Garden of the Novices, the 18th-century kitchens, the monumental staircase, and a 16th-century cellar that is now the library of the Department of Humanities. You can also see a Roman house under a modern mezzanine used by students as part of the library. The restoration of the complex is credited to the architect Giancarlo De Carlo, and the page notes that the work lasted more than 30 years.
The meeting point is the info point in the courtyard on the right, just past the main gate on Piazza Dante. Baggage storage at the meeting point is included.
One review is worth passing on, from a visitor who loved the tour. This is not a visit to a working church where monks live. The monastery now belongs to the university, so classes are in session and students are everywhere. Go for the architecture and the history, not for a quiet cloister.
If English is not your first language, the page says written translations in French or Spanish can be provided.
The walking tours of the old town
Three guided walks cover the centre, and a fourth tour goes underneath it. The differences between the walks are about language and stops.
| Tour | Price | Length | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| City Highlights Walking Tour | €12 | 2 hours | 4.7 stars, 720 reviews |
| Heart of the City guided walking tour | €20 | 2 hours | 4.7 stars, 932 reviews |
| Catania Highlights Walking Tour with a guide | €25 | 2 hours | 4.5 stars, 166 reviews |
| Underground Catania tickets and guided tour | €25 | 2.5 to 3 hours | 4.7 stars, 739 reviews |
The first three overlap a great deal. All of them name Piazza Duomo with the cathedral, the fish market, Ursino Castle, Via Crociferi and Piazza Università. The cheapest, at €12, is offered in Italian and English and is wheelchair accessible according to its page.
The most reviewed of the three, at €20, is in English. The page says you look inside the cathedral and stop outside Ursino Castle, which is the only medieval monument that survived the earthquake of 1693. It is held rain or shine and needs at least four participants in total, so it may be cancelled the day before if the minimum is not reached. No entrance fees are paid because the tour takes place outside the attractions, and the page says the guide’s explanations will help you decide what to visit on your own afterwards.
The €25 walk is the one that lists the Monastery of San Nicolò l’Arena among its sights, and it is offered in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish, with a private group available. Its rating of 4.5 is the lowest of the four, from fewer reviews. If you want a language other than English or Italian, it is the one to look at.
The underground tour
The underground tour is a different thing from the others. It takes you below the city, to an ancient Roman monument, a prehistoric lava cave, the Amenano river in a cave and a late Baroque church, with entry tickets to four underground sites and a descent to 15 metres. It lasts 2.5 to 3 hours and is bilingual in Italian and English, which one reviewer found slightly tiring.
The page lists who it is not for: people with mobility impairments, people with claustrophobia, wheelchair users, people with motion sickness and people over 127 kg. The steps are few but can be irregular. If you fall in one of those groups, take one of the walking tours instead.
Which combination
One free day, first time in Catania: the Monastery plus a walking tour of the centre. If the fish market matters to you, book the walk for the morning: the street food tour’s page notes that the fish market is closed in the evening.
On a budget: the €12 walk and the €10 monastery come to €22 for both.
You want a language other than English: the €25 walk, or the €12 walk if Italian will do.
You have used up the obvious sights: the underground tour.
Most of all you want to eat: a street food tour does the old town and the food in one go.
The other guided options are listed on the Catania city tours page.
