About 2km — a 20 to 25 minute walk down Corso Gelone, or a five-minute drive or taxi. Local buses also run the route regularly from Foro Siracusano.
Discover Local Siracusa: What to Do Around Mercure Siracusa Prometeo
At Mercure, we believe you shouldn't need a guidebook to feel like you belong somewhere. That's the idea behind Discover Local: since 1973, every Mercure hotel has been built around its neighbourhood, not just dropped into it — from the décor on the walls to the flavours on the menu. Step into any Mercure and our teams are on hand with the kind of tips you won't find in a guidebook: the market stall locals queue for, the bar where nobody speaks English, the walk that skips the crowds. They live here. They know. Discover Local isn't a generic city guide — it's a short, honest list of the restaurants, markets and neighbourhoods our own hotel teams actually recommend to guests, updated as the city changes around us. Below, you'll find our picks for Siracusa, an interactive map to help you find your way, and answers to the questions travellers ask us most. So — where will Discover Local take you?
Siracusa in 5 picks
Piazza del Duomo, by lamplight
The cathedral was built straight into a fifth-century-BC Doric temple to Athena — you can still see the fluted columns embedded in the outer wall on Via Minerva. Go around 9pm when the piazza empties out and the floodlights turn the limestone gold; that's when locals actually sit at the café tables instead of tourists.
Ortigia's morning market
Tucked behind Via Trento, the fish and produce stalls open at 7am and wind down by early afternoon, closed Sundays. Stop at Caseificio Borderi for an overstuffed sandwich built while you watch, and look for the stand shucking oysters for a euro apiece with a plastic cup of prosecco thrown in.
Fonte Aretusa
A freshwater spring bubbling up meters from the sea, ringed with papyrus plants that grow almost nowhere else in Europe outside Egypt. It's a five-minute walk from the market and a good spot to sit on the wall with a granita before the afternoon heat sets in.
Parco Archeologico della Neapolis
The Greek Theater, the Ear of Dionysius cave, and the Roman amphitheater are all inside one site a short walk from the hotel. Arrive at opening, 8:30am in summer — by 11am the limestone quarry paths have zero shade and the tour buses arrive.
Castello Maniace
A squat Norman fortress at the very tip of Ortigia's peninsula, with the Ionian Sea on three sides. It's less crowded than the Duomo end of the island, and the walk down Via Capodieci to get there passes some of the best-preserved baroque palazzo façades in town.
FAQ
Stalls open around 7am and start closing by early afternoon. It's closed on Sundays, so plan a Saturday visit if you want the full spread of fish, produce, and cheese vendors.
Yes — Mercure Siracusa Prometeo is directly opposite the Neapolis Archaeological Park, so the Greek Theater, the Ear of Dionysius, and the Roman amphitheater are all within a two-minute walk.
Where to sleep
See Mercure hotels in Siracusa, all within reach of these picks.