Shore Excursion from Messima

[Auscruisers]

Hi everyone, we are arriving in to Messima at 12.00p.m. and departing at 8.00p.m. We were wondering if anyone has had a similar time frame and what shore tours to Taormina might be available to suit. Preferably we do not want to do the ship's tours as they are only 4 hour tours and we are wanting to spend a little bit more time in Taormina. Any help re tour companies, etc. would be much appreciated. Thanks

Carol

[Hlitner]

Hi everyone, we are arriving in to Messima at 12.00p.m. and departing at 8.00p.m. We were wondering if anyone has had a similar time frame and what shore tours to Taormina might be available to suit. Preferably we do not want to do the ship's tours as they are only 4 hour tours and we are wanting to spend a little bit more time in Taormina. Any help re tour companies, etc. would be much appreciated. Thanks

Carol

 

If you want a "tour" and do not want to use the ship's...then you need to arrange your own private tour (or get together with others on the CC Roll Call). It is also possible to rent a car and drive yourself to Taormina, take a regional bus (from the bus station) if the schedule works, or use a combination train/taxi or train/bus. You might also want to be aware that many of the decent boutiques/shops will close during the afternoon (this is the norm in much of Italy). But there are plenty of open "touristy" shops, restaurants, and the Greco-Roman Amphitheater that are open during afternoon hours.

 

Hank

Edited September 7, 2014 by Hlitner

[Denverite]

If you are looking for a tour company, there are several. I checked out tour recommendations on trip advisor and we chose Tour of Sicily. We were also in port at 12 Noon. We chose to go to Savoca and then to Taormina. I loved Savoca. We visited Bar Vitelli (of Godfather fame) and the church at the top of the hill. Lovely small town with no tour buses. We had plenty of time in Taormina and I have to say that it was not my favorite, but that is just my opinion. It is very "touristy" with many shops up and down the pedestrian street. We did have very good cannolis there. The ruins in Taormina are very close to the pedestrian street if you want to visit them.

 

Three minute video of what we did:

[ama]

We used a private tour - Sicily Life and had a wonderful time. If you are only interested in Taormina - you may consider just hiring a taxi or using the ship's shuttle. I recall our ship offering a tour that was basically a ride to Taormina and back (you explore on your own).