Where to go from Messina

[ladocevita]

Been to Taormina and Castelmola and Messina before . Any suggestions on a day trip are welcome. We like DIY. 

[ladocevita]

Is the hop on hop off there any good ?

[jkrelph]

Following this... Would like some suggestions... We will be there in August

 

[euro cruiser]

How about Mt. Etna?

[euro cruiser]

Some info on Mt. Etna:  Mount Etna | Visit Sicily official page

[steamboats]

Here´s what you can see in Messina itself - but we did a lot of walking that day.

 

steamboats

[edinburgher]

We also prefer to DIY our port times, but on our third Messina port call, (and on a Sunday) we opted for a shorex which was called something like "Godfather Villages".  Despite having little interest in the Godfather films themselves, we read that each of the village stops included panoramic drives and it wasn't a route we could DIY so we booked as it was the easiest way to explore the area away from Taormina and Messina.. 

 

We really really enjoyed that shorex with stunning views and quite pretty mountaintop villages we could explore on our own.  I would suggest you look at something similar either through the cruiseline or as a private tour, perhaps sharing the cost with others from your RC. We ourselves would not consider a rental car due to the narrow, mountainous roads which go up to great heights but others might like that idea..

Edited July 14, 2022 by edinburgher

[cruisemom42]

Unfortunately, due to Messina's location at the very NE corner of Sicily, it's not a very good jumping off point for explorations as many of Sicily's other historic sites (except Taormina) are not really close enough to do on a daytrip from a cruise ship. Although with a private driver you could get to Siracusa in about an hour and 45 minutes, and that is certainly worth a visit IF you have a full day.

 

[ladocevita]

14 hours ago, euro cruiser said:

How about Mt. Etna?

Can we do this on our own? Any specific route we should take from the port ? Do not want to be climbing it lol 

Edited July 14, 2022 by ladocevita

[euro cruiser]

You'd need a car to get to Etna, it's about a 90 minute drive.  Maybe you can find some others on your roll call interested in splitting the cost?

 

I found it fascinating.  You can take a chair lift part way up and stomp around, and there are lava rock piles all around Rifugio Sapienza (the end of the driving road and location of the chair lift) that you can climb on.

[grimpil]

On 7/13/2022 at 8:07 PM, ladocevita said:

Is the hop on hop off there any good ?

Reviews on trip advisor are horrible... that was my plan until i saw them

[Maverick!]

Gole dell'Alcantara (Alcantara Gorges) could be interesting.

Or Giardini Naxos and the Sicilian Blue Grotto.

Edited July 23, 2022 by Maverick!