Tindari or Taormina excursion from Messina

My original thought was to do a Mount Etna and Taormina excursion when in Messina. I talked to a friend recently and they visited Tindari on a land tour of Sicily and they loved it. I see Celebrity is offering a Tindari excursion.

I am soliciting comments on which town is more interesting to see, Tindari or Taormina.

Also is it possible to do a Mt Etna and Tindari tour on your own?

Is it possible to do a Tindari and Taormina tour on your own?

I was a former geology major so active volcanos are an interest to me. But I have been to Hawaii and have seen Vesuvius along with several active volcanos in the Carribean. So maybe viewing Etna from afar is more practical for such a short port stay. Any comments are greatly appreciated. Thank you.

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Taormina is far more interesting than Tindari. Tindari has a huge church up on a hill and some Greco-Roman ruins - amphitheater and temple. They do not compare to the Greek theater in Taormina. Stick to your original plan. (In my own rating system, I would give Tindari one star and Taormina 5 stars. :D)

And yes, you could rent a car and drive to both Taormina and Tindari. There are a couple of mountain roads that would do. Or you could drive along the shore around the peninsula. The mountain roads would get you almost to the base of Etna. But that is a lot of driving. Try plotting the routes on Google map and take a good look at the roads.

I still would stick to your original plan and save Tindari for another trip - maybe a driving vacation in Sicily?

Taormina is far more interesting than Tindari. Tindari has a huge church up on a hill and some Greco-Roman ruins - amphitheater and temple. They do not compare to the Greek theater in Taormina. Stick to your original plan. (In my own rating system, I would give Tindari one star and Taormina 5 stars. :D)

 

And yes, you could rent a car and drive to both Taormina and Tindari. There are a couple of mountain roads that would do. Or you could drive along the shore around the peninsula. The mountain roads would get you almost to the base of Etna. But that is a lot of driving. Try plotting the routes on Google map and take a good look at the roads.

 

I still would stick to your original plan and save Tindari for another trip - maybe a driving vacation in Sicily?

It would be a mistake IMO to go to Sicily and not visit Taormina. Also the town above Taormina is called Castelmola. Most people don't know about it but definitely check it out!

It would be a mistake IMO to go to Sicily and not visit Taormina. Also the town above Taormina is called Castelmola. Most people don't know about it but definitely check it out!

We are definately going to Taormina. Is Castelmola walkable from Taormina? I assume taxis are available as well. How much time would you devote to Castelmola without compromising sufficient time in Taormina?

I do not want to rent a car. I still need to determine the most efficient/cost effective way to get from Messina to Taormina. Any comments on that jaunt are appreciated.

Castelmola is definitely not walking distance to Taormina unless you are a mountain goat. It is not that far in distance, but it is straight up the mountain in very winding roads. It is well worth one hour to walk the town and go up to the castle. There are taxis in Taormina that will take you there and wait for you. No idea how much they would charge.

With what you want to do and given the fact that you do not want to rent a car, you need to look at excursions. There are a number of local companies that will do this in addition to ship's excursions. (Maybe you can share a private tour with others.) This would be the most efficient way, but maybe not the most cost effective. Yes, there is public transport, but you would spend too much time doing that. This would be cost effective, but not at all efficient.