Hotels in Augusta

Augusta

Augusta occupies a narrow peninsula in the Province of Syracuse on Sicily's eastern coast, connected to the mainland by a short causeway over the Ionian Sea. Frederick II founded the city in 1232 and raised the Castello Svevo that still anchors the old-town waterfront. The 17th-century Cathedral of Sant'Agata faces the main piazza a short walk inland, and the baroque streetscape of the island centre has changed little in outline since the post-1693 earthquake rebuild.

The city draws two distinct types of visitor. Archaeology travellers come for Megara Hyblaea, a Greek colony established in 728 BC whose excavated agora and museum sit just north of the industrial zone. Business travellers arrive for Augusta's deep-water port, one of the largest petroleum-handling terminals in the Mediterranean, which supports a substantial local economy and a steady demand for mid-range accommodation. Syracuse, 20 km to the south, provides the region's main Greek theatre, Ortygia island, and Neapolis Archaeological Park, all reachable in under 30 minutes by car.

Catania Fontanarossa Airport lies approximately 50 km north via the A18 motorway, making Augusta a practical overnight stop between Catania and Syracuse. Train services on the Catania–Syracuse line stop at Augusta station on the mainland side of the causeway.