Messina to Taormina

[Etobicoke Cruiser]

We will be in Messina on a Wednesday this August. Although many say the bus is better to take to Taormina than the train, the buses don't appear to be as frequent and take longer than the train. Is it really difficult to get a bus from Taormina-Giardini train station to Taormina?

 

Also, wondered if the cable car connecting Mazzeo and Taormina was an option. This would mean getting off the train in Letojanni (one stop before) and then getting to Mazzeo. Would that be more difficult?

 

Appreciate everyone's input. I recognize a Taxi would be easy, but certainly more expensive.

[hubofhockey]

I am facing a similar decision to Taormina, but from the port of Catania and looked at a couple of alternatives. The first was the cruise line transfer in an "on your own" day. Ours was $52 round trip, but we would only get 3 hours of actual time in Taormina. If you figure in an hour for lunch, that's not really a lot of time. We have been to Taormina before so we might take that option. However, I would choose train over bus if we don't take that transfer. I see from Messina, the bus is 105 minutes each way. That's close to 3.5 hours of your day on a bus. The train is about an hour each way. From Messina, it looks like you have a 9:05 am and a 10:15 to choose from. Good luck and have fun.