Taking the train from Messina to Taormina - How easy and reliable is it?

First, identify what train you'll be taking. Is it a Trenitalia regional train? Once you look at a sample schedule, you'll get a feel for how long it takes, how many stops, etc. September is still too far off, I believe, to get a current schedule but you can see one for, say next week. I've taken trains and buses in southeast Sicily and they were reliable, except on Sundays when they don't run (or nowhere as often). Aside from the schedule constraints, taking the train is easy. The ticketing machines are straightforward and the regional trains don't require any reservations. But don't expect a regional train to be fast because it serves all local stops, so it's definitely not a high speed experience. The train station in Taormina is at the bottom of the hill where the city is, so you'll have to hop a bus or taxi (it's a steep hill and no shoulder to walk on that I recall). Good luck!

Thanks for this answer as I'm wondering about the same thing as probably next April we'll be doing the same thing, but we'll have started by taking the train on the ferry across the Straits of Messina after coming down on the train through Calabria. Have always wanted to do that. Do you know if it's the same train line. I gotta think I'll be in the right station at least!

It's been awhile (2009) but did the same exact thing you're planning. It's an easy walk to the train station from where our boat docked (this could, of course, vary.) When searching for trains online (here's a link to the trenitalia website), the stations you want are Messina Centrale and Taormina-Giardini. On the day you go, buy both tickets (to and from Taormina) at Messina Centrale, as the Taormina station was unmanned and the ticket machine not working when we were there (again, that was 9 years ago and things could have changed, but better safe than sorry.) There is a bus that will take you from Taormina-Giardini up the hill to Taormina proper. I think we bought tickets on board, but the memory's a bit hazy on that point. There will probably be other people on your train doing just what you are doing, so you can always see what they do for bus tickets and copy them. All the trains on this run are Regionales (some are the slightly quicker Regionale Veloce, same price) so the ticket you purchase will be good for any train on that route. Enjoy...Taormina is a beautiful place.

Rob,
All trains in Sicily are Regional trains, there are no high speed (freccia) trains, as there are in mainland Italy, so it takes longer to travel from point A to point B.

You can certainly take the train from Messina (Messina Centrale) to Taormina but keep in mind that the train station (Taormina-Giardini) is not in Taormina but in Naxos, below the town- about 3 miles away.
You may check train schedules on Trenitalia.com

You can take the Interbus from the train station up to the bus terminal (large parking lot) on Via Pirandello (near Porta Messina) and near the funivia that takes you down to Naxos Giardini (beach)

On the Interbus website you can check bus schedules by selecting the following:

• Partenza/Departure: GIARDINI NAXOS
• Arrivo/Arrival: TAORMINA
• Make sure you check the tiny box that reads "Ho letto e accetto le condizioni..." (I've read the terms & conditions...) before clicking on the "Cerca/Search" bar.
• Once you see the bus schedule, click on the blue icon with an "i" (next to departure) to see the bus route.
• As you can see, the bus starts in various places, but you'll need to see what time it arrives at "Station FS" (train station),
• Likewise, check the arrival time for "Via Pirandello - Bus Terminal"
• Check bus schedules in reverse (Taormina to Giardini Naxos), to make sure there are buses running when you need to get back to the train station.

Your other option is to take the Interbus from Messina to Taormina, and that way you won't have to deal with the train.
I've not taken this route, but according to the Interbus website, the bus departs from "Piazza Della Repubblica" in Messina.
Check Google Maps for locations. Piazza della Repubblica appears to be across from the train station (Messina Centrale)

Keep in mind that the last Interbus, back to Messina, departs Taormina at 15:40 ( 3:40PM). (I used September 4 for this example)

You can buy tickets from the bus driver.

You'll need to figure out how long it will take to travel by bus vs. train, and make sure you'll be back on the ship before it departs ;-)

Disclosure:
I've not taken the Interbus or the train from Messina to Taormina, but
I did take the train from Siracusa to Messina (where I changed trains to Milazzo), then in reverse when I traveled to Acireale.

I also took an Interbus from Acireale to Taormina (day trip only- thus roundtrip) and the bus stopped (both times) right outside of the Taormina- Giardini's train station. You may want to ask the driver to notify you when you arrive to the train station.

Just wondering...What time does the ship dock on the port, and what time do you have to be back on the ship?

Enjoy!

Answer for Jay...

Hi Jay!
When riding the train from Siracusa to Milazzo (with a change in Messina) last month, I met a woman who was traveling to Naples.
She boarded the train in Catania and sat on the seat across from me. We ended up talking for most of the journey, and she explained that the journey to Naples was 7.5 hours long! She told me that the train gets onto a ferry to cross the strait of Messina, then the train is reconnected and the whole process takes about an hour.
Once on the ferry, you can get out of the train and enjoy the views of the deep blue sea.

Here's a blog I found going across the strait of Messina on a train in a boat

It sounds like a fun experience but probably not fun when you have such a long trek!

Back atcha Priscilla!

Oddly, the time it supposedly takes does not dissuade me in the least. I'll just have to allow time to do it. And the video looks fascinating...

We'd be coming down after 2 nights in Maratea (in Basilicata but on the western coast), which looks absolutely captivating BTW. Schedules show a 2.5 hour train ride (with 1 change in Paola) from there to Villa San Giovanni at the base of Calabria, where the train 'boards' the ferry for the trip across the Straits of Messina. If the transit/docking/whatever takes 1 or 2 hours or however long at Messina, so be it. This is southern Italy, where time and schedules stretch like a continuum.

We visited Taormina as our first stop on first trip to Europe 8 years ago and a more exotic-looking place I couldn't have chosen. We've wanted to return ever since to reconnect with some friends from that trip. Hope we can make it happen, along with seeing other parts of the island.

Message for Priscilla

Thank you for all the specific details you provided on your reply to my post. Having this detail makes it very easy for me to make the necessary decisions.

In answer to your question - our ship arrives in port at 8am and departs at 6pm.

I will want to make sure that I return to the ship no later than 4pm. However, my thought was that I would probably only be in Taormina for 2-3 hours. I think that will give me plenty of time to take all the necessary steps to find the train station and purchase the tickets in Messina, find transportation to Taormina from the Taormina-Giardini train station, as well as return from Taormina to the Messina Centrale train station.

Do you know how far out the online train and bus schedules are current? Just wondering when I can check those schedules to make sure I am using the correct bus/train connections to make my way back to Messina on time.

Thanks!

Rob,

Do you know how far out the online train and bus schedules are current? Just wondering when I can check those schedules to make sure I am using the correct bus/train connections to make my way back to Messina on time.

Train schedules are usually available 120 days in advance, so just plug in your date on the Trenitalia website and you'll see all the available trains traveling your route.

Do the same on Interbus.it for the bus schedules.
You'll just need to coordinating the train arrival with the bus departure.

There appear to be frequent buses running from the train station to Taormina and back, so that should work out well.

A word of warning.... Taormina is very popular and thus very crowded!
You'll definitely want to walk up to the ancient Greek theater for the most amazing scenery of the coast below.
You may be tempted by the many shops along the way, but I'd suggest you go to the theater first, then walk along Corso Umberto to the Duomo (cathedral).

If you only plan to be there for 2-3 hours, you may not have time to go down to the beach because you'll need to take the cable car down.

I spent 4 hours in Taormina when I visited as a day trip last month.
I wanted to see Isolla Bella, so I took the cable car down, walked to the beach, ate my picnic lunch, got a delicious granita and walked back. I had to wait for the cable car and felt very rush as I didn't want to miss the last bus back to Acireale (15:40).

At the bus terminal (large parking lot with small ticket booth), you'll need to ask which bus goes down to the train station.
I presume the bus will say Giardini Naxos on the window, but I noticed some of the buses didn't have a sign.
I had to ask where my bus was because there were many blue "Interbus" buses parked.

Do come back and let us know how it all worked out for you!

Enjoy!

P.S.
I presume you can also take a taxi to/from the train station, but I can't help you with that since I didn't see any taxis waiting near the bus station. (You may want to post this as a separate question)

One more thing... I like to check my walking route on Google Maps and actually "see" where I'm going by placing the tiny yellow person on the map!

Hi Jay,

I hope Rob doesn't mind that we hijacked his thread! ; )

I'd also like to experience the whole process of riding on the train, on a ferry!
I hope you plan to write a trip report upon your return as I'd like to visit that part of Italy on my next trip.

Ciao!

Message for Priscilla

Thank you again for answering my post with such kindness and great detail. All of the information you shared is so very helpful to me. Since you clearly are so well aware of the transportation options from Messina to Taormina can you answer one additional question for me?

How easy is it to communicate in English with Trinitalia and Interbus employees (ticket agents, bus drivers, etc.) with questions I might have about routes, schedule times, payment methods, etc.? I do not speak any Italian, and it appears that I more than likely will need to ask these kind of questions.

Oh and by the way I do not feel that you and Jay "hijacked" my thread. The communication between all of us involved transportation in Sicily, and I'm glad that your experience there can benefit several of us in different ways.

Rob--

My times in Taormina were 8 years ago, three nights in mid-October with the weather humid and cloudy with tropical showers & fog. As I found out later on after I had had more experience on the mainland, in comparison it was positively ancient, very Mediterranean-feeling, so different than Italy. How 'bout a bust of Mussolini made from Mt. Etna lava?

Yes, you have the main drag of the town, Corso Umberto, which is probably the only flat street in town. Facing the Messina gate (archway), turn left and you're climbing, turn right and you're descending. With only 3 hours, it's going to be tough to even get a flavor of Taormina, but first you have to get there. From town, that train station at Taormina/Giardini looks miles away. I'd try and catch a taxi--hopefully right there, so as not to waste time. The Teatro Greco is fabulous, made even more spectacular by the backdrop of the Ionian Sea. That you have to see, if nothing else.

We took a half-day tour with a still-existing company called Sicily Life, the Godfather Tour. Sounds way touristy, I know, but the knowledgeable driver took us up the winding mountain roads to the medieval towns of Savoca, Forza D'Agro and Castelmola, where we saw many of the backdrops from the movie, and actually had a granita at Bar Vitelli, where Michael Corleone got 'hit by the thunderbolt', for those familiar with the film. Also saw, in the eerie fog, some catacombs where the heads of Savoca politics and economics from hundreds of years past were mummified, dressed up, painted and stood upright in alcoves. So bizarre!

I know you're on a tight schedule, Rob. Just drink it all in, it's like nothing else.

Tourists (the English in particular) have been going to Taormina for quite some time. The folks there are accustomed to dealing with non-Italian speakers. That doesn't mean everyone speaks English. Bus-company personnel, in my experience, are often monolingual. But ways are found to communicate. If all else fails, I hold out a handful of coins to the bus driver or the museum cashier and he/she chooses the right amount. (I would not try that techique with the waiter in a touristy restaurant.)

For being sure you're on the right bus, say the destination you want in a questioning tone. If it's not the correct bus, the driver will shoo you away. If there's still confusion, probably one of the other riders will speak English and step in to help you out. It's a good idea always to verify bus destinations even if there's a destiation p!acard on the bus showing the name of your destination. Every now and then a driver forgets to change the placard, or there may be two places with very similar names.

Clarifying the return schedule is a bit trickier than comfirming the destination of a bus. Schedules are usually posted near the bus stop or (if you're boarding at a station) on the departure platform--but not always. For trains, look for the yellow "Partenze" poster in the train station. For both buses and trains it is critical to pay attention to the day of the week and holidays, because departures will be coded to indicate on which days they run. I always travel with a little notebook. When a transportation schedule is mission-critical, I can block-print what I think is correct, add a question mark, and show it to a ticket seller or bus driver for confirmation Something like this:

GIARDINI-NAXOS -> MESSINA 14:30?

Folks who don't speak English often seem very relieved to be asked for help in this manner. They are not so happy when I butcher their geographical names to the degree that they just don't know what I'm asking.

How easy is it to communicate in English with Trinitalia and Interbus
employees (ticket agents, bus drivers, etc.) with questions I might
have about routes, schedule times, payment methods, etc.? I do not
speak any Italian, and it appears that I more than likely will need to
ask these kind of questions.

I think it's worth learning a few simple phrases in Italian before you go, or simply writing down what you mean (use military time when referring to time). In worst case, you can even download a translation app (Google translate, etc) if you really need a backup. But it's unlikely that you'll need that much help to be honest. It's not worth worrying about too much. The schedules are posted and you can look them up ahead of time. If you give the ticket office a 20 EUR bill, they'll give you the change. Buses are very cheap. Trains have easy-to-use machines but they may be unmanned, you can use credit cards in the machine. I wouldn't expect train or bus personnel to speak English, especially if they're older. Many Sicilians don't. I had a bus driver in Catania speak with me only in Italian (I can understand it and speak it moderately) and I didn't see anyone speaking English in the ticket booths. having said that, Taormina is super touristy so you should have no issues there. Keep in mind that lots of other tourists manage this process, and I'm sure you'll be fine. Good luck!

Rob,
I took multiple buses and some trains on my recent trip to Sicily and my experience is that very few ticket agents, and bus drivers, speak English.
I speak Spanish and some Italian and managed to get by.

When buying tickets, I’d first greet the agent with “buongiorno” or “buon pomeriggio” followed by “parla Inglese?”
If the agent spoke English they’d say, “yes”, or “a little”. If the answer was, “no”, I’d continue in Italian.

You basically need to know how to order tickets. You may consider writing down, ahead of time, what you need and just hand it over to the agent.

• Two tickets to Taormina-Giardini, please = due biglietti per Taormina, per favore.
• one way = solo andata, or round trip = andata e ritorno

If buying round trip, the agent will ask you what time you want to return (train only).

You can check train and bus schedules in advance and print them or write down the ones you’re most likely to take.
You can also take a screenshot of the schedules (on your cell phone) and save it to photos.
That’s what I did on my trip and it made it easy for me to access the bus or train schedules quickly.

In terms of paying for tickets, you can pay with credit card or cash at the train and bus station, however, the bus drivers only take cash (they carry a box of coins for change).

Make sure you validate your train ticket(s) (date/time stamp) in the validating ticket machine prior to boarding the train.

Hope this helps!

Message to Everyone
My thanks to everyone who have responded to this thread. Your comments have been extremely helpful, and I am sure they will prove useful to me. Grazie! Grazie!! Grazie!!!

Hi I just would like to know pls, so I think that we will be taking the train from messina to Taormina Giardini and then we take the bus to take us to the centre of Taormina. do we need to take another bus to take us around Taormina then, or we can go everywhere by walk? we are coming in september and the ship arrive at 11am and leave at 20:00. I thought maybe we can go near mt etna, the greek theatre and other places of interest. or is there a hop on hop off in Taormina? or it will get very expensive then? thanks

do we need to take another bus to take us around Taormina then, or we
can go everywhere by walk?

No, Taormina is very small. You can walk all of it easily. The main drag is fully pedestrianized and less than 1 mile end-to-end (from one town gate to the opposite one). There is a funicular that will lead you down to the beach below (Isola Bella).
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Porta+Catania,+Corso+Umberto,+98039+Taormina+ME,+Italy/Porta+Messina/

The only place I can imagine taking a bus is Castlemola which overlooks Taormina and is way up the hill.