Messina Sicily

[tdtanc]

Can anyone give me some straightforward advice on what I should or should not do in this port of call? Looking at just doing a ship transfer to Taormina vs a company called sicilywithmario. Anyone used this company or have any thoughts in general. Heard the mountain takes a long time to get to.

 

Thanks in advance.

Edited November 13, 2016 by tdtanc

[steamboats]

I´ve been to Messina twice. The main tours are going to Taormina and Mount Etna.

 

The first time we´ve been there we had a private tour booked with Sicilytours. We went to Mount Etna (lower level) and then Taormina. Great tour! I didn´t take too many photos on that trip, but check here.

 

In late September we´ve been to Messina as a last minute replacement port for Syacuse. So we just got off on our own. Lots of people trying to sell you HoHo buses, mini train, horse drawn carriages tours. We skipped them all and went to the cathedral. We also made our way up to the two churches on the upper level of the city (Cristo Re and Santuario di Montalto). We walked back down and walked through the city. By noon we returned to the cathedral for the clocktower show (lots of moving figurines). We finished our walk with climbing up the clocktower. You can see photos here. It´s been a lot of walking.

 

This year there were only two tours offered by the ship: Mount Etna top of the mountain including the Jeep tour or Taormina. As we´ve seen both (o.k. we only went to the lower level of Mount Etna) we opted to walk on our own.

 

steamboats

[Hlitner]

Our thought is that going to Taormina is a terrific option whether you do this on your own (rental car, train/bus, private car/driver, etc) or on an excursion (including cruise line transfer). Keep in mind that many of the shops in Taormina close for the afternoon "siesta" which means you want to do shopping/browsing before 1 and think about having lunch a bit late. Another place to visit is Castelmola....which is close to Taormina but somewhat difficult to get to....unless you have access to a car. There is a bus that runs between Taormina and Castelmola....but its a bit of a slow way of getting to and from....unless you have a full day in Taormina and head to Castelmola early (which means you lose out on much of the time that the shops are open in Taormina.

 

We would also explain (before we get flamed) that not all shops/boutiques in Taormina close during the afternoon. But we are talking about at least half (or more) of the decent boutiques and shops....so plan accordingly.

 

And finally, we would be remiss not to mention the word "Cannoli" which really goes hand in hand with Taormina. It has been written that some of the best Cannoli's in the world...are made in Taormina. We will leave it to others to recommend where to buy this treat....and whether the ones made in Taormina are any better then what you can get in most decent Italian restaurants around the world.

Hank

Edited November 13, 2016 by Hlitner

[tdtanc]

Great info. I'm usually so geared towards doing private or ships tours didn't really consider that the port is close enough to actually walk into the town of messina. Sounds like that is what you are saying. I will look at a map now.

 

Its the other two cities I would need to get to.

 

The problem with private tours is that to get the cost savings you have to fill up the van which means you have to rely on people from cruise critic to commit. I may have to go with a ships transfer on this one just to make sure I get to Taormina and Castelmola. Trying to organize early as I have all these greek ports to look at as well.

 

Todd

[MeHeartCruising]

Great info. I'm usually so geared towards doing private or ships tours didn't really consider that the port is close enough to actually walk into the town of messina. Sounds like that is what you are saying. I will look at a map now.

 

Its the other two cities I would need to get to.

 

The problem with private tours is that to get the cost savings you have to fill up the van which means you have to rely on people from cruise critic to commit. I may have to go with a ships transfer on this one just to make sure I get to Taormina and Castelmola. Trying to organize early as I have all these greek ports to look at as well.

 

Todd

 

In Messina, your ship will dock right in the center portion of the city. You walk across the street from your ship and you are then free to roam the city. Very easy. Search for Via Vittorio Emanuele II in Messina on Google Maps. Your ship will dock along side that street, protected by the small hook of the land you can see on the map.

 

I like walking around Taormina a lot. The views of Mt. Etna from the Greek Theatre are worth it alone (weather/clouds permitting). It might be one place where using the cruise line's "Taormina On Your Own" excursion is a good choice. I've done that. It takes the hassle out of arranging transportation. It also gives you a nice amount of time to explore Taormina on your own. However, the one I went on, did not provide a way to see Castelmola.

 

Here is a link to my pictures of Messina, which will help you see how the ship docks in the city: https://flic.kr/s/aHskpocTtY

 

Here is a link to my pictures of Taormina, when I did the "On Your Own" excursion: https://flic.kr/s/aHskq4jLD8

Edited November 13, 2016 by MeHeartCruising

[tdtanc]

Fabulous pictures. I looked at every single one. I am going to take your advice and book that excursion through the cruise ship. I need to move on to the planning of other ports.

 

Thank you so much.

[elliebird]

Are there buses available to take to Taormina from Messina if you do not

take the ships excursion?

[rlfisi02]

I am looking for a cruise that ends in Messina Sicily, does anyone know if one available

[sippican]

FWIW, some companies have an option to do a tour share.

We had a fantastic tour of Sicily with Romeinlimo (one of five this last cruise), and they do offer tour sharing.

http://www.sharingtoursinitaly.com

They are top-rated on TripAdvisor.

 

I would urge you to reconsider and not abandon the benefits of small group, flexibility, lower cost and higher quality for the sake of the convenince of a ship's tour. If you are like us, this is probbly a once in a lifetime trip well worth the effort of making sure your port experiences are topnotch.

[apeller]

Can anyone give me some straightforward advice on what I should or should not do in this port of call? Looking at just doing a ship transfer to Taormina vs a company called sicilywithmario. Anyone used this company or have any thoughts in general. Heard the mountain takes a long time to get to.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

I am leaving for the Mediterranean on Sunday, I hate ships tours because they are overpriced and crowded. I booked an 8 person van with Mario (who I researched and has great reviews on Trip Advisor ). and posted it on my roll call. I posted it on my roll call and the van filled up immediately. In fact our roll call now has 4 vans touring with Mario that I know about. We are doing a few stops on the way to Taormina plus more time there than the ships tour for a lot less money (€50 vs $69). I cannot recommend this company because we haven't used them yet, just telling you what some of us are doing.

Edited June 24, 2017 by apeller

[TeeRick]

I am leaving for the Mediterranean on Sunday, I hate ships tours because they are overpriced and crowded. I booked an 8 person van with Mario (who I researched and has great reviews on Trip Advisor ). and posted it on my roll call. I posted it on my roll call and the van filled up immediately. In fact our roll call now has 4 vans touring with Mario that I know about. We are doing a few stops on the way to Taormina plus more time there than the ships tour for a lot less money (€50 vs $69). I cannot recommend this company because we haven't used them yet, just telling you what some of us are doing.

 

We used Sicily With Mario last week when our Celebrity ship stopped in Messina. We had 8 adults and the 10-seat Mercedes van was quite roomy. We went to Taormina and asked for 3 hours on our own. Then we went to Castelmola for lunch and then back to Messina for final cannolis before being dropped off at the ship. This was about 7 hours total for 500 euro plus tip. This was an exceptional experience and highly recommend them.

[edinburgher]

rlfisi02

 

I think MSC do round trip Messina. Try "googling" the internet for any others.

[need2cruise]

Any suggestions regarding taking ferry over to reggio calabria

[IamJo]

We are doing a Sicilian cooking class with a chef at a restaurant in Taormina. Would have preferred to do it in Palermo but it's too far. It's through Viator and it looks awesome!

 

 

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