Taxi to Taormina?

[Looking for Sunshine]

We are arriving in Messina on a Saturday where they close the car rental agencies (Hetrz & Avis) at 1 PM with no after hours drop off.

 

I was wondering how much it would be for a taxi to Taormina & back? And do you think that they'll be plenty around when it's time to go back?

 

Our ship will be docked from 7:00-5:00 and I think that they are only allowing us about 4 hrs there and charging us $55 per person for a transportation fee!

My husband is afraid of the train/bus thing fearing a potential missing the train or breakdown of the train scenario.

 

So unless we bite the bullet and take the ship's tour....the taxi is the only other option he's comfortable with.

[Hlitner]

Wow. Actually, I often rent cars in ports, and its unusual that they will not allow after hours drops. I would certainly check to see if Europcar has a convenient location and will allow drops (they have been good to us in other ports). As to the taxi, I do not know the exact cost, but it will not be cheap. Its a pretty long drive (more than 25 miles) and taxis in Italy are not cheap (gas costs about $5 per gallon). An alternative plan would be to simply take the train from Messina. You will still need to use the bus, taxi, or cable car from the Taormina end up to the city, but the cost will be a lot less than the tour or even a rental car. I would not be worried about missing the ship because you have a full day. Besides, all the decent shops in Taormini do close around 2pm for the siesta, so you will probably not be upset about heading back to Messina in mid-afternoon. If, for some unforseen reason, you missed a train or were running late, your backup plan would be to grab a taxi back from Taormina.

 

Hank

[Looking for Sunshine]

Thanks Hank! You are treasure trove of info! BTW, I decided to rent a car in Cannes and visit Eze & St Paul de Vence. With a stop at Villa de Ephrusi de Rothschild in between if time allows!

 

Tell your wife...thanks for looking out for me...I promise I will spend some good wine sipping people watching time in!