Taormina or Messina When We Visit Sicily?

[MalibuCA]

We will be anchored in Taormina next May from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., when we cruise the Mediterranean on the Crystal Serenity. This will be our first visit to Sicily. I have read many postings on Cruise Critic indicating what a fabulous town Taormina happens to be. However, my travel agent has suggested we take a full-day private tour with both a guide and driver to Messina. Let me add that this tour is extremely pricey. If Messina is a "don't miss" town, then I am not opposed to taking the private tour there. However, I've had trouble even locating Messina in my guide books! I know that ships often anchor there instead of Taormina, but I've yet to find much else about it. I turned to YouTube to watch videos of both Taormina and Messina to try and compare the two and figure out where to spend our day. Taormina looks fabulous! It seems so charming with magnificent views of the bay, wonderful little shops and outdoor cafes, incredible people-watching, history with the Teatro Greco, the list seems endless. A visit to Taormina looks to me like the most perfect day - similar to Santorini (which we love!), but intermixed with the flavors of Italy! When I looked at Messina videos, I mostly saw a plaza with a beautiful church, very cool astronomical clock/bell tower and a lovely fountain. That's all I could find. For the price of this private tour, I'm concluding that: 1) there's not enough for us to do for a full day tour to Messina, 2) we are anchored in Taormina - so why not go to Taormina? and 3) Taormina looks like a wonderful, relaxing picturesque day - the kind we love and never get to do often enough. That said, I ask all of you: Am I "missing the boat" on this? Is there more to Messina that I haven't seen? If yes, please describe your experience in Messina. Or should I go with my gut instinct and visit Taormina?

 

Assuming we choose Taormina, is Taormina extremely walkable to all of the sights? is it compact, or is it necessary to have transportation between sights? We are very able walkers, but we're not looking to hike miles between sights.

 

My last question: Does Crystal doesn't offer a shuttle from the tender dock up to Taormina, are there many taxis available when more than one ship is in Taormina?

 

Thanks so much!

 

Shelley

[ROCruiser]

Spending a day in Messina? Most people would do it reverse if they have a chance since most ships dock in Messina. Taormina is much more interesting than Messina, JMHO.

[texancruzer]

Well, if it were me I would get a new travel agent...... :eek:

Seems to me he/she is looking for a percentage of the tour price.....

 

Not all, but a good percentage of the people who dock in Messina head to Taormina for the day. We did. Castelmola first then Taormina........

[WAPilot]

Spending a day in Messina? Most people would do it reverse if they have a chance since most ships dock in Messina. Taormina is much more interesting than Messina, JMHO.

 

Our ship called at Messina a few weeks ago & we took a taxi to Taormina based on advice from friends & thought it most delightful & worthwhile.

 

I cannot make any comments about Messina apart from saying in my subjective opinion the area we saw on the way from the port to Taormina in the taxi did not seem to be particularly attractive or interesting.

 

Similar comments can be made about Catania - both Messina & Catania are primarily used to access Taormina, Mount Etna & 'Godfather' Country.

[Hlitner]

We could speculate that your travel agent gets a very nice commission on that expensive tour. As others have said, the norm for first-time cruisers in this region is to visit Taormina. In fact, most of the cruise ships dock in Messina and a majority of their passengers take tours or go on their own to Taormina. Messina is a large city with some nice neighborhoods, a great clock tower, and normal city shopping. Taormina is a charming town with excellent shopping, good food, wonderful views of the coast, and a well-preserved Greco-Roman Amphitheater.

 

Hank

[mydreamvacation]

Well, if it were me I would get a new travel agent...... :eek:

Seems to me he/she is looking for a percentage of the tour price.....

 

Not all, but a good percentage of the people who dock in Messina head to Taormina for the day. We did. Castelmola first then Taormina........

 

LOL that is the first thing I thought Texancruzer.

I have been to Sicily over 50 times, in fact I will be arriving there in a week. Messina holds nothing of interest to me- Taormina is a love town with great food and shops, you can visit the Greek Theater if you wish. Isola Bella right below it has beautiful water (although the beach is all rock so you need water shoes) There are many interesting things in the area including Etna (and a lovely winery and honey farm right below it) Castlemola which is above Taormina has beautiful views and a very interesting if not risqué Turristi Bar.

[pcvtmom]

Our ship docked in Messina, but we took the train to Taormina! From my research, that's what most people do...certainly not the reverse. Taormina is a quaint, picturesque town. You should find lots to do in that area.

[petaid]

We took the "Taormina on your Own" morning bus tour from Celebrity last Sept.

The cost was less than $50/p. It was a last minute decision, but we're glad we made the right one. There was a tour guide who took us to the entrance and then met us at the departure time. We were given enough time to roam on our own. Took a lot of pictures with Mt. Etna on the background... lots of shops, eateries, churches, beautiful garden area on that site. There's also a Greek theater/remains of it, but we had to pay 8 euros/p (US citizens are not exempt). The views from the theater side were also awesome! After returning to Messina where our ship was docked, we took a walk outside, crossed the street and visited the nice Cathedral and Plaza. We felt we saw enough on our own during our port stop in Messina.

[edeneyes]

Definitely Taormina and Castelmola over Messina.