In the summer, it is possible to take boat trips to the iconic landmarks of Syracuse or a tour of the Porto Grande on a motor boat equipped with a glass bottom to observe the seabed below. Boats depart from the Marina (Foro Vittorio Emanuele) or from Via dei Mille, in Ortigia.

This is the most popular beach for those who want to enjoy the sea of Syracuse. It can be reached by bus lines 21, 22 and 24, or by car. 
The reception desk at the Algilà Ortigia Charme Hotel and at the Antico Hotel Roma 1880 is available to provide further information.

The Ciane and Anapo Rivers of Syracuse.

A single mouth connects two rivers, the Ciane (from a Greek word meaning "blue-green") and the Anapo. For some time it seemed that the first name was ironic, because of the risk that industrialization posed to the survival of these waterways. An excessive consumption of freshwater to meet the needs of industry had, in fact, caused them to refill with sea water, making the rivers brackish.

This can be particularly disastrous for the very element for which this river complex is famous: its papyrus vegetation, unique in all of Western Europe. According to recent study of DNA performed at Syracuse’s Papyrus Museum, this papyrus, a plant common to North Africa, was imported during the late Greek age, and now it represents the only place in Europe where it flourished as a wild plant.
This river plant was valuable because working its pith produced the ancient equivalent of paper, the very papyrus from which the word "paper" in many European languages (paper, papel, papier...) derives its name.

An erudite Syracusan managed, in the 18th century, to rediscover the secret of "papyrus" production, which has continued since then in Syracuse both for scholarship and for the production of souvenirs. The Syracusan practitioners reached such a level of competence that the Papyrus Museum of Syracuse is entrusted with the restoration of precious and fragile ancient Egyptian papyri.

In the 19th century, a visit to the papyrus plants was considered a must for every tourist, equivalent in importance to the Greek and Roman monuments, the Quarries, or the Duomo.  Tourists drifted in rowboats between plants as high as six meters, which rose, and continue to rise, directly from the water, enjoying "North African" nature within the Sicilian landscape.

All of this seriously threatened to disappear. First, during the reclamation of the late 19th century (during which they drained the "marshes" in which the double river tended to mire), they eliminated almost all reservoirs of slowly running water that the papyrus prefers, leaving in their place a faster moving stream in which river reeds thrive better. Then, especially after the war, the rise of salt water, as stated previously, seemed to provide the final blow.  The patches of papyrus were yellowing and emaciated and seemed destined to disappear.

Fortunately, the worst has been averted in extremis (also thanks to the citizens of Syracuse and the associations that long fought to save the area) both by the establishment in 1984 of the "Ciane River Nature Reserve - Saline di Siracusa" and because the excessive salinity of the water. This high salt content rendered the water unfit even for industries, so willingly or not,  they were forced to stop pumping it.
Today tourists can travel by boat along these rivers in which the papyrus plants have recovered splendidly, so much so that a section of the river appears as a “tunnel” of papyrus foliage, a truly unique setting to behold in Europe.

Both Hotel Algilà and Hotel Roma offer their guests bicycles for free to get around the city or to reach the beach riding on two wheels.  Those with small children can also be accommodated using the bicycle seats provided.  

The reception desk at the Algilà Ortigia Charme Hotel and the Antico Hotel Roma 1880 is available to provide further information.

During the summer (between mid-June and mid-September) at prices agreed upon between the City and the Cooperative of boatmen of the port of Syracuse, motorboats ferry groups across the Porto Grande o the beaches of Punta del Pero and Isola Maddalena, in the bathing area of Syracuse. This shuttle departs from Zanagora Pier, which is located just a few hundred meters from the Algilà Ortigia Charme Hotel: it is easily reached by foot on the opposite side of the island.

Lastly, for those who wish to make trips by car and do not have a car of their own, it is possible to speak to the reception desk at the Hotel Algilà about renting one.  
Remember, however, that during the tourist season the ancient streets of Ortigia are, in good measure, pedestrian zones. Hotel Algilà, however, is located along a road that is not closed to traffic, and has convenient parking in the square opposite the hotel.

The Algilà Ortigia Charme Hotel is situated along the seafront in the historic center of Syracuse, in a good location, within easy reach of all major tourist attractions in Syracuse.

Atop the seaside stand the six apartments of Residenza Alfeo, also managed by Algilà Ortigia Charme Hotel. They are housed in a renovated, ancient fishermen's building, dating from the 18th century, and they offer all modern comfort. They are particularly convenient for a family with children as well for anyone looking for complete independence.