DIY Taormina ?

[Karysa]

We have many excursions booked for our June cruise and are looking to do a couple of DIY days. Would getting a taxi at the port in Messina to go to Taormina be easy? Would a return taxi from Taormina be something that we could get when we are ready to return? We really are hoping to just wing it for the day but would consider a booked excursion with free time in Taormina if getting transportation on the day would be problematic. We are not interested in taking a train or bus, just a taxi. Thanks for any help that you can offer.

[marazul]

@Karysa

There are plenty of taxis available at both places. However, it is a 40 mile drive and it could cost you about 70-80 euros each way.  The driver has to return, so they might charge you extra.  You have to find a willing driver and negotiate the price.  

Most ships offer a transportation only transfer to Taormina, or a walking tour with free time.

Edited December 29, 2023 by marazul

[MeHeartCruising]

To me, Taormina is one of those locations where the ships' "Taormina on your Own" excursions make sense.  It really is a town you just want to walk around at your own pace and soak it in.  No need for a tour or guide.  But getting there using public transporation/taxi is not all that easy or inexpensive.   Let the ship's bus get you there and back, but enjoy the time while there doing whatever you want.  I've done this twice with no regrets.

[Hlitner]

We will echo much of what Marazul posted.  Enjoying Taormina, on your own, is easy as the tourist part of town is essentially two streets (which you must cover on foot).  The problem is getting to an from Taormina.  We will sometimes rent a car and simply drive ourselves since it makes it easy for us to also drive up to Castello di Mola, where we sometimes go to just enjoy some cappuccino and the view.  If your cruise offers a reasonably priced bus transfer, that is certainly a very good option.  If you can put together a small group (try using the CC Roll Call) you can arrange, online, to hire a private car/driver.  Marazul talks about finding a willing driver (just off the ship) but that is hit/miss.  If you are going to depend on that idea we would suggest trying to be among the earliest crowd off the ship since it is first come/first serve for any taxis that will be waiting near the ship.

 

It is also possible to get to Taormina with public transit (bus or train).  The train does not go up to Taormina, so you need a taxi (or bus) from the train station.  There is also a cable car, but that is a bit complicated and you would probably need to find a taxi to get you between the train station and cable car.  I am not sure if there is a local bus that connects to the cable car station from the train station.

 

Keep in mind that many of the decent shops/boutiques in Taormina, do close in the afternoon (usually around 1pm) and do not re-open until about 4-5.  Also be aware that Taormina is well known as having terrific cannoli so this is something to have in many of the restaurants/cafes.  We suggest that if folks get to Taormina in the morning, they first spend their time walking the main street and browsing the shops.  You can later walk over to the Greek Theater (which is open when the shops are closed) and also enjoy a nice lunch during the time when many shops are closed.  Afternoon closings are still pretty common in many parts of Italy and Spain and those of us who spend time in these countries quickly learn how to best deal with the strange shop hours.  

 

Hank

[Karysa]

Thanks for the replies. We have been to Taormina on a ship excursion in the past. We would rather just go via taxi. Getting off the ship and getting a taxi and not gathering in the theatre and marching to a bus basically just for transportation and having a set time to leave, are precisely the reasons that we would rather just taxi there and back on our own. I’m hoping that others who have done a DIY trip via taxi at a busy time of year will share their experiences.

[marazul]

Hi @Hlitner, the OP only asked about taxis, so that is all I answered.  The OP wants to be free to decide on the spot how long they stay. That doesn't work well with prearranged transportation or a tour, but it does work with renting a car as you said.

(And Happy New Year!)

 

@Karysa - We have stayed in Taormina and driven to Taormina.  We have also taken taxis there, but our ship tenders to Giardini Naxos, just down the cliff from Taormina.  There are plenty of taxis available at Taormina.  The issue is the distance to Messina, not finding a taxi.  As I said, the main pitfall using taxis is finding a willing driver and negotiating the price.  

 

Another pitfall is that once you are up in Taormina hiring a taxi to get back to the port, the drivers might really overcharge taking advantage of your situation.  You have no other choice to get back and they know it.  It may not happen, but it certainly could.

 

You could rent a car which you don't seem to be interested in.  If money is no object, you could have an open booking with a transfer or taxi company where you pay them by the hour to wait for you until you feel like getting back. So this is a situation where it may not pay to be spontaneous.  It would be more practical to prebook private transportation or take the ship's bus, both with a set time to leave.  I really doubt you will find anyone who has done the taxi thing you want on a cruise stop.  Good luck.

 

[Karysa]

Thank you Hank,

 

I would honestly think that this is a perfect port for catching a taxi back and forth to Taormina as that seems like where many people go during their time in port. We are not interested in renting a car and would do a booked excursion with free time in Taormina first as we are looking for an easier DIY day without the need to find parking and a gas station to fill up before returning to port. 

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, Karysa said:

Thank you Hank,

 

I would honestly think that this is a perfect port for catching a taxi back and forth to Taormina as that seems like where many people go during their time in port. We are not interested in renting a car and would do a booked excursion with free time in Taormina first as we are looking for an easier DIY day without the need to find parking and a gas station to fill up before returning to port. 

Getting a taxi to Taormina should not be a problem.  However, finding a return taxi is something with which I would be concerned, and you might want to heed Marazul's warning.  Although I am not a fan of cruise line excursions/transfers, we would suggest taking a good look at what will be offered by your ship in terms of a "Taormina on Your Own" transfer.  

 

In defense of the taxis, consider that it is more than 30 miles between the Messina port and Taormina.  In most cases, a taxi would need to make the return trip...empty.  

 

Hank

[Karysa]

Thanks for the replies. I found a private operator that offered a longer excursion than those of the cruise company so I booked with them. The idea of the taxi was to make it a more go with the flow day but I gathered from reading the replies that the likely hood that it would end up being a carefree day was going to be slim so I decided to go with a tour. Thanks again for the help. I am really looking forward to the day now that it’s all set so that’s certainly worth something.

[llarsen]

On 1/4/2024 at 3:02 PM, Karysa said:

Thanks for the replies. I found a private operator that offered a longer excursion than those of the cruise company so I booked with them. The idea of the taxi was to make it a more go with the flow day but I gathered from reading the replies that the likely hood that it would end up being a carefree day was going to be slim so I decided to go with a tour. Thanks again for the help. I am really looking forward to the day now that it’s all set so that’s certainly worth something.

Hi Karysa, We will be in Messina in September and like you, hoped to just do our own thing getting there and returning when we wanted. Transportation was a problem. 

I was wondering if you can share the name or link for the private tour operator with me?

Thank you!

[Sageblue47]

We are going to be in port at Messina from 8am to 6pm. I think we will therefore have plenty of time to do a bus or train to Taormina. However, I’ve found a 5.5-hour transport excursion, which would make things easy, though more expensive ($50pp). My question is whether folks think ~3.5 hours in Taormina is sufficient to soak up the scenery, get a cannoli, and visit the teatro. I suppose we can always train back if we would like another hour, but I would appreciate your opinion if you’ve spent a half-day in Taormina. Thanks!

[marazul]

41 minutes ago, Sageblue47 said:

We are going to be in port at Messina from 8am to 6pm. I think we will therefore have plenty of time to do a bus or train to Taormina. However, I’ve found a 5.5-hour transport excursion, which would make things easy, though more expensive ($50pp). My question is whether folks think ~3.5 hours in Taormina is sufficient to soak up the scenery, get a cannoli, and visit the teatro. I suppose we can always train back if we would like another hour, but I would appreciate your opinion if you’ve spent a half-day in Taormina. Thanks!

It is plenty of time unless you want to have lunch at a restaurant. 

[kohanfam]

2 hours ago, Sageblue47 said:

We are going to be in port at Messina from 8am to 6pm. I think we will therefore have plenty of time to do a bus or train to Taormina. However, I’ve found a 5.5-hour transport excursion, which would make things easy, though more expensive ($50pp). My question is whether folks think ~3.5 hours in Taormina is sufficient to soak up the scenery, get a cannoli, and visit the teatro. I suppose we can always train back if we would like another hour, but I would appreciate your opinion if you’ve spent a half-day in Taormina. Thanks!

Could you please share the name of transport excursion.

[Sageblue47]

8 minutes ago, kohanfam said:

Could you please share the name of transport excursion.

It was on Venture Ashore, and it is called “Taormina Shared Return Transfer.” I would want to verify that it’s to and from Taormina, since the language is a little odd. NCL has a “Taormina On Your Own” excursion that is basically what this is, but an hour less and $20 more, which is why we were looking for alternatives.

[erby2283]

Not directed to the OP as she only wanted transport but if anyone was looking for a tour operator…
 

We’ve been looking at booking this tour. Prices were not bad. Includes a 9 hour tour with transportation from the ship, to Mount Etna, then Taormina and then back to ship. May use them in Naples too. https://www.joebananalimos.net/cruise-port-tour/etna-and-taormina

[kohanfam]

10 hours ago, Sageblue47 said:

It was on Venture Ashore, and it is called “Taormina Shared Return Transfer.” I would want to verify that it’s to and from Taormina, since the language is a little odd. NCL has a “Taormina On Your Own” excursion that is basically what this is, but an hour less and $20 more, which is why we were looking for alternatives.

 

10 hours ago, Sageblue47 said:

It was on Venture Ashore, and it is called “Taormina Shared Return Transfer.” I would want to verify that it’s to and from Taormina, since the language is a little odd. NCL has a “Taormina On Your Own” excursion that is basically what this is, but an hour less and $20 more, which is why we were looking for alternatives.

Please look at reviews for Venture Ashore.  They were not good

[Karysa]

12 hours ago, Sageblue47 said:

We are going to be in port at Messina from 8am to 6pm. I think we will therefore have plenty of time to do a bus or train to Taormina. However, I’ve found a 5.5-hour transport excursion, which would make things easy, though more expensive ($50pp). My question is whether folks think ~3.5 hours in Taormina is sufficient to soak up the scenery, get a cannoli, and visit the teatro. I suppose we can always train back if we would like another hour, but I would appreciate your opinion if you’ve spent a half-day in Taormina. Thanks!

Yes 3.5 hours would be enough to see Taormina in the way that you described. I would suggest that over the bus or train due to the extra travel time. 

[Karysa]

On 1/6/2024 at 10:58 AM, llarsen said:

Hi Karysa, We will be in Messina in September and like you, hoped to just do our own thing getting there and returning when we wanted. Transportation was a problem. 

I was wondering if you can share the name or link for the private tour operator with me?

Thank you!

We are using Shore Excursions Group. We are in Messina from 8-6 and chose the excursion that covers a tour in Castelmola, a visit to the open theatre and free time in Taormina. The tour lasts 7 hours. We have used this company in the past and have always been satisfied.

[marazul]

13 hours ago, Sageblue47 said:

It was on Venture Ashore, and it is called “Taormina Shared Return Transfer.” I would want to verify that it’s to and from Taormina, since the language is a little odd. NCL has a “Taormina On Your Own” excursion that is basically what this is, but an hour less and $20 more, which is why we were looking for alternatives.

The description is about Taormina.  A bit hyperbolic, but all about Taormina.

[BubbaBoat]

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.

[Hlitner]

I cannot help with the return as we always had a rental car.  But Taormina is not like Cinque Terre.  Taormina seems to handle crowds quite well.  The situation in Cinque Terre is a true shame and made much worse by the use of La Spezia as a cruise port.  

[Gem9739]

Hi. I'd be really interested to hear about people's experiences of hiring a car (or 3 😁). We have a group of 11 so private transportation and cruise trips are really expensive! We have however driven extensively in Europe (we are from the UK) including hire cars in France and Italy. In particular where did you hire from? How far from port? Struggling with Google as it keeps giving me companies based on mainland Italy!

Thanks

Edited April 3 by Gem9739

[marazul]

2 hours ago, Gem9739 said:

Struggling with Google as it keeps giving me companies based on mainland Italy!

They are probably national companies that have rental offices in Sicily. Just check them out.