Taormina Italy

You don’t need a guide to walk around a town with one main shopping street, lots of tourists. There is an ancient Greek theater, 3 c. BC, adjacent to town. You just need transportation to this town that sits way up high. There is a gondola that goes down to beach areas. Honestly this is the only place we didn’t like in Sicily due to crowds. Touristy. You only need transportation from the ship to this town way up high, twisting roads, not a guided tour! I hope your cruise lets you see more of Sicily.

Thank you

I took the Rick Steves' tour of Sicily several years ago when it started in Taormina. I came a couple days early as I usually do. I loved Taormina. I agree with the previous post you don't need a tour guide there. I just walked around each day, enjoyed the view and one day went to the little village above it. I did take the gondola down to the beach one day. The main site is the Greek theater. There probably weren't as many tourists then. I loved it.

Taormina isn’t the same as it was back in the 70s before cruise ships and mass tourism. If you go when no cruise ships are in port, it’s still nice for a day. When the ships are in, it’s nothing but wall to wall tourists.

As an FYI, all those places that sell granita, food, etc., where no price is listed, will charge whatever price they want depending on if ships are in port. One day the vendor wanted 2€ for a granita, and the same vendor wanted 3€ the next day. The same thing happened in Erice and I’m sure happens everywhere.

I'm don't know anything about where your ship will dock, but in addition to the cable car from Mazzaro up to Taormina, there's also bus service from the Taormina Giardini train station, which is located below Taormina in the town of Giarfini Naxos. In 2015 one could simply pay the bus driver. The fare wasn't posted anywhere, so practically every passenger had to ask what the fare was and find the right coins (Italy!). By now, it's possible you can just tap a credit card.

If conditions in Taormina are too crowded to be enjoyable, you might consider the city of Acireale, which was recommended to me by a Sicilian I met elsewhere on the island. I didn't have time to go there, but the photos on the internet are promising. Trains run from Giardini Naxos at least hourly. Travel time varies from about 25 to 50 minutes. The fare on nearly all trains is just €4.60 each way. You can also buy a ticket to or from Taormina Centro, which includes the bus between the Taormina Guardini train station and the town of Taormina. The cost of a Taormina Centro-Acireale ticket is €5.70 on most trains.

The distance between Giardini Naxos and Acireale is less than 25 miles, so a taxi wouldn't be crazy expensive if you had, say, three passengers. I suspect (on the basis of no experience whatsoever) a taxi from or to Taormina itself might be considerably more expensive. Taormina is very, very expensive compared to the rest of Sicily.

We were in Sicily last September. We were reluctant to go to Taormina due to the negative, “too touristy”, reviews but also loved it! The town is beautiful, pedestrianized and easy to navigate on your own. The people are nice, food is delicious and the Greek theater (especially the views!) is awesome. If you happen to stumble upon La Locanda Dei Mori, a small eatery with outdoor only seating, the pistachio bruschetta and burrata salad are amazing.

PS - In terms of cost, again last September, we did not find Taormina any more expensive than elsewhere in Sicily. In fact, our accommodation there was less expensive than most on our two-week trip but we don’t travel “fancy”. Cost, other than transport to/from the port, is not likely to be an issue for you. Enjoy your day trip!

Well I guess I am not the usual as I went to Taormina and thought it should have been left off the tour schedule. To me it was nothing but high priced shopping. If you are not into shopping it is not for you.