Messina to Taormina

[toneman01]

We are cruising on the Reflection in May and we're wondering if we should take a cruise transfer to Taormina or if we can just get a taxi to the Taormina? If we do take a taxi how easy is it to get a taxi back to the ship?

 

 

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[jenZ]

I have read on these forums that it is easy to get a taxi at the port. One poster rented for a round trip and recommended to negotiate a certain number of hours along with the fee as they would have liked to have spent more time walking around. They stopped at more than one town. The drive time is close to 3 hours and is part of the charm of the trip. They recommended negotiating for 5 hours minimum. I don't recall the fee but it is less expensive than the private driver tours. Enjoy your cruise and visit to Taormina!

 

 

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[toneman01]

Thank you Jen!

 

 

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[carraizo99]

Hi, You can do this very ease on your own. Take the train to bus stop at Taormina and the bus to the town. The trip takes about 45 mins.

[b_cruise]

I booked a mini bus Posted on my roll call. It was great. I can post the company if you like. It was sicilytaxi but I can get the email

[les37b]

Taormina is very easy to DIY. Make sure to visit the Ancient Theater – one of the most outstanding ruins in Italy. A fantastic site!

 

By DIY do you mean catch a local bus / train, or book a private car and driver?

 

Im still pondering on what to do for the best getting from Messina.

[laurelgrove]

Has anyone negotiated a taxi recently from Messina to Taormina, if so how much was the rountrip approximately. There are 4 of us and would like to be dropped off in Castelmona and picked up in Taormina. Probably 6 hours total. Do we need to arrange the taxi ahead or we can we plan to just get one when we get off the ship? Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[jspqld]

I have docked at Messina 3 times. There are always plenty of cabs waiting at the port trying to negotiate various trips & most usually sell at the same price point. On the last trip 4 of us jumped in one of these cabs & did a half day trip to Taormina. It was under 50euro each & the driver was great. He stopped here and there for some great photo ops & he waited for us while we walked around the town on our own for about 3 hours, & gave us a few good tips at the time also.

[leesataxprep]

Do you think it would still be under 50 Euro per person if there were only 2 people?

[les37b]

Do you think it would still be under 50 Euro per person if there were only 2 people?

 

 

No. They are negotiating with you a price for their vehicle and a driver. Its of no real concern how many passengers you have, as long as they earn what they require for their services.

 

Would you expect to pay 1/4 of a fare if you travelled alone? The fare above was €200. That's how much the fare was, not the pro rata rate gained by sharing. Hope that makes sense.

 

On my cruise, we used a tour company who for a day trip for up to 8 persons are charging us €320 Euros...... So €40 on a pro rata basis. They usually charge €395 per 8 seater, but we got enough to fill 2..... And then booked a further one at the same €320 rate. (we are 26 august carnival vista)

Look up tourofsicily.com and email them telling them you've seen on cruisecritic they've charged 320 for the godfather / taormina tour.

 

Good luck.

 

PS if you dock in Messina on a weekday, as suggested above, the train is an easy option. I was there in March... Think it was €16 for the round trip then at the other end, we paid €15 (total) for a taxi up to the town. (you wouldn't want to walk it!) Someone I work with said he though there was a cable car.... But I have to say I never saw it. We have booked private transport for the next visit purely because we are there on a sunday and using the train doesn't work as the timetable is thinned.

Edited July 22, 2016 by les37b