Sicily - Taormina

This is a most beautiful little town. We docked in Catania, which is a large interesting town, but would require a taxi to reach.

We took the Godfather tour which was a really nice trip. I would highly recommend visiting this very picturesque little town.

Ditto.

It is a beautiful and charming town.

We like to get there early in the morning before it gets too crowded.

After several visits to this area, in 2014 we did a The Godfather Tour. I was second guessing myself as to whether or not it would be too touristy but we loved the small towns that we visited on this tour and the beautiful views from the towns and other areas that we toured.

Keith

We will be docking in Messina next month. If you had to choose between the Godfather tour and Taormina, which one as they are 2 separate tours for us. We will have seen alot of ruins before this stop.

I am a believer that when you do a Mediterranean Cruise that sometimes people book too many full day tours.

If you are looking for a leisurely day than visiting Taormina is nice as you can stroll the town and just take in all of it and the people and stop for lunch. You really don't need a formal tour for the town as it is a walking town with several streets closed to traffic.

If I had a lot of tours planned during the cruise I would probably go with Taormina.

Keith

We have enjoyed Taormina on a few visits, but one should keep in mind that many of the stores do close during the afternoon...so time your visit accordingly. We also would recommend nearby Castelmola which is a less touristy place with amazing views.

Hank

We did the Godfather tour from the port of Messina with Sicily Life and really enjoyed it. We ended up in Taormina and felt we had enough time there. It was a good day.

We did both on a taxi ride from Messina to Taormina in 2012 and had a nice visit at both places. We hired the taxi at the port.

Is there a beach close by?

Is there a beach close by?

You can take the cable ride down from Taormina to the beach. There are several private beaches where you can rent a lounge and an umbrella or just have lunch and enjoy the views.

We did both on a taxi ride from Messina to Taormina in 2012 and had a nice visit at both places. We hired the taxi at the port.

We will be in the Med in May and stop in Messina. We thought about a ship tour to Taormina as it seems quite a distance. Will be in port from noon till 8pm, may be better to stick with ship tour?

Thanks.

If going to the beach from Messina, it makes no sense to even go to Taormina. Even if you wanted to go to one of the beaches in that area it makes a lot more sense (and saves money) to simply take the train from Messina. But there are other beaches a lot closer to Messina such as the very popular Ganzirri.

Hank

Ditto.

 

It is a beautiful and charming town.

 

We like to get there early in the morning before it gets too crowded.

 

After several visits to this area, in 2014 we did a The Godfather Tour. I was second guessing myself as to whether or not it would be too touristy but we loved the small towns that we visited on this tour and the beautiful views from the towns and other areas that we toured.

 

Keith

Keith, contact Micheal at Sicily4you, we were able to "do" Savoca (godfather), Taormina and Castelmola without being rushed. Wonderful tour, highlight of our trip for sure

We used sicilytaxi and I booked a mini van for 16 of us, then posted on roll call. Filled it up and it was very cheap. They basically provided transport from port and back to Taoromina. One of my favorites!!

We will be in the Med in May and stop in Messina. We thought about a ship tour to Taormina as it seems quite a distance. Will be in port from noon till 8pm, may be better to stick with ship tour?

Thanks.

Sorry, I did not check back on this thread until today.

For an 8-hour day, I think you should be fine even if you do it on your own. The drive is about an hour each way and with a couple of hours there it should work. I am not sure how the hours affect your time there though as far as stores opening hours, etc. as Hank mentioned. Our taxi tour lasted for about 5 hours, including Taormina and Savoca (Godfather Country). We made the mistake of not negotiating for specific time for the day when we hired the taxi, which cut short of our time in town. If you are doing this, make sure you negotiate the length of time and not only the places to stop.

Our day here.

Sorry, I did not check back on this thread until today.

For an 8-hour day, I think you should be fine even if you do it on your own. The drive is about an hour each way and with a couple of hours there it should work. I am not sure how the hours affect your time there though as far as stores opening hours, etc. as Hank mentioned. Our taxi tour lasted for about 5 hours, including Taormina and Savoca (Godfather Country). We made the mistake of not negotiating for specific time for the day when we hired the taxi, which cut short of our time in town. If you are doing this, make sure you negotiate the length of time and not only the places to stop.

Our day here.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and blog pictures. We'll be in Messina in May.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and blog pictures. We'll be in Messina in May.

You are most welcome! Have a wonderful trip!:)