Bumping this up with a new twist. We, too, would like to visit Taormina. We want to take the train. Booking one way from Messina Centrale to Taormina Centrale gets us to the heart of town by having a booked spot on the bus from the Taormina train station. However, when we tried to get a proper return, there wasn't a good option utilizing the bus/train option. We either had to leave too early and not get sufficient time in the village, or too late and watch our ship sail away without us.
Looking at a one-way return, there are plenty of departures leaving Taormina station that get us to Messina in time. So, it appears that the crux is getting from Taormina central to the Taormina train station. Are taxis readily available to take us from the central village of Taormina to the station? If so, do you have any idea about the cost? The train and bus combo to Taormina is just 6,30 PP. The return train is just 5,50PP. It's pretty cheap ...depending on the taxi, that is.
Also, I do not know what to expect. Is Taormina anything like Cinque Terre? We were at the five tiny villages 18 months ago, and it was worse than Disneyland. It was a major turnoff due to the flood of cruisers visiting the little towns all at once. I'm sure the villages are other worldly after say 4p but otherwise it's a humanitarian crisis. Thanks for the help.