What to do in Messina (Sicily) ?

[Psalm23]

We will have a day in Messina (Sicily) in June on RCL. I am having difficulty finding info on good excursions. There is not a link for Sicily here on Cruise Critic. Any ideas? We are a family of 4 (2 teenagers), not into the group tours. Thanks for your input!

[Hlitner]

If you do a search of this forum you will find quite a few posts on the topic. A majority of passengers in Messina choose to take an excursion (or hire a taxi, rent a car, etc) to go to the cliff-top resort town of Taormina. If you want a real budget day it is possible to walk off the ship explore Messina on foot. It is a pretty large city without a lot to interest most tourists although we do think they have an amazing clock.

Hank

[Andym]

I agree with Hank about the clock tower. Go behind the building alongside where the ship docks and look for the Via San Giacomo on your right , only a couple of hundred yards. The clock tower is at the top of the street in the square.
And as it says on Trip advisor, be there at noon.

Trip Advisor
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g187889-d533647-Reviews-Bell_Tower_and_Astronomical_Clock_Orologio_Astrono mico-Messina_Sicily.html

[Fblack]

The big show at the clock is noon. You can also walk up the hill to the Cathedral for great views.

[anniversay/grad trip]

We will have a day in Messina (Sicily) in June on RCL. I am having difficulty finding info on good excursions. There is not a link for Sicily here on Cruise Critic. Any ideas? We are a family of 4 (2 teenagers), not into the group tours. Thanks for your input!

If you are not interested in the clock and prefer something a little bit more scenic, I am told that Taormina is the place to visit while docked in Messina. We will be there in a couple of weeks and we have rented a car for the day for our party of 4. Cost was good at 70euros for the day (inclusive). Taormina is a walking town, so the car will not get alot of use but, for the transfer alone it is cheaper than taking the ships "Taormina on your own" and we can see a few sights on the way to and from. We have chosen a couple of possibilities for a scenic lunch spot and look forward to wandering this quaint town and relaxing with an authentic Sicilian lunch. My DH is Sicilian so, we will be able to chose something to our liking (and being able to speak the language is always a plus)...we took our then 18yo triplets on our first med cruise last year and they had a wonderful time (I will caution that there is soooo much history to be seen, that sometimes it is a bit overwhelming for them) so mixing it up in between (perhaps adding a beach day) seems to work. Feel free to ask any questions you may have pertaining to a med cruise with teenagers and I would be happy to offer our experiences....

[DanManBob]

If you are not interested in the clock and prefer something a little bit more scenic, I am told that Taormina is the place to visit while docked in Messina. We will be there in a couple of weeks and we have rented a car for the day for our party of 4. Cost was good at 70euros for the day (inclusive). Taormina is a walking town, so the car will not get alot of use but, for the transfer alone it is cheaper than taking the ships "Taormina on your own" and we can see a few sights on the way to and from. We have chosen a couple of possibilities for a scenic lunch spot and look forward to wandering this quaint town and relaxing with an authentic Sicilian lunch. My DH is Sicilian so, we will be able to chose something to our liking (and being able to speak the language is always a plus)...we took our then 18yo triplets on our first med cruise last year and they had a wonderful time (I will caution that there is soooo much history to be seen, that sometimes it is a bit overwhelming for them) so mixing it up in between (perhaps adding a beach day) seems to work. Feel free to ask any questions you may have pertaining to a med cruise with teenagers and I would be happy to offer our experiences....

from whom did you rent a car? we might be interested in doing the same thing....

[anniversay/grad trip]

from whom did you rent a car? we might be interested in doing the same thing....

We rented from Hertz. They are located at Via Vittorio Emanuele II, Messina (which I am told is a 3 minute walk from the port). We rented a Ford wagon which is considered midsized. They take your CC information but do not charge you until you arrive (unless you are a no show)

[DanManBob]

Thank you.

[Psalm23]

Thank you for the info. We will look into renting a car and going to Taormina. have a great time on your cruise!

[Softball20]

If you are not interested in the clock and prefer something a little bit more scenic, I am told that Taormina is the place to visit while docked in Messina. We will be there in a couple of weeks and we have rented a car for the day for our party of 4. Cost was good at 70euros for the day (inclusive). Taormina is a walking town, so the car will not get alot of use but, for the transfer alone it is cheaper than taking the ships "Taormina on your own" and we can see a few sights on the way to and from. We have chosen a couple of possibilities for a scenic lunch spot and look forward to wandering this quaint town and relaxing with an authentic Sicilian lunch. My DH is Sicilian so, we will be able to chose something to our liking (and being able to speak the language is always a plus)...we took our then 18yo triplets on our first med cruise last year and they had a wonderful time (I will caution that there is soooo much history to be seen, that sometimes it is a bit overwhelming for them) so mixing it up in between (perhaps adding a beach day) seems to work. Feel free to ask any questions you may have pertaining to a med cruise with teenagers and I would be happy to offer our experiences....

I'd love to know where you've chosen for your lunch in Taormina. We will be there as well, and I'm always looking for good (not touristy) restaurant recommendations.

[Roadtripster]

If you want to stay in Messina, it is an easy town to walk yourself. OR take the double decker sight seeing bus around town. We walked ourselves as we were only docked a few hours.

When you get off the ship, cross the tram tracks toward the city. Once you get to the main street, take a right and you will see a fabulous gelato shop on the corner and a couple shops past that on the same side, is a yummy pizza place. Make sure to stop at both places!!