KimberlyC Posted July 7 #1 Share Posted July 7 Our group of 3 adult couples will be in Messina on September 11th (a Wednesday) and I see there are a few rental car companies close to port that should be open during the week. I’m comfortable renting a car in Corfu, but iffy renting one or 2 cars in Messina. We have no idea if we want to go to Taormina or Etna etc yet, so booking a private tour at this point seems premature. I definitely don’t want to do the ships tours because being herded like cattle onto a bus is not my idea of a good time. Has anybody rented a car at the Port of Messina for a day? How crazy is driving in Sicily, really? How hard is it to find parking in places like Toarmina or Casteloma? Is this a bad idea and should we just hire a private driver? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Host Kat Posted July 7 #2 Share Posted July 7 25 minutes ago, KimberlyC said: Our group of 3 adult couples will be in Messina on September 11th (a Wednesday) and I see there are a few rental car companies close to port that should be open during the week. I’m comfortable renting a car in Corfu, but iffy renting one or 2 cars in Messina. We have no idea if we want to go to Taormina or Etna etc yet, so booking a private tour at this point seems premature. I definitely don’t want to do the ships tours because being herded like cattle onto a bus is not my idea of a good time. Has anybody rented a car at the Port of Messina for a day? How crazy is driving in Sicily, really? How hard is it to find parking in places like Toarmina or Casteloma? Is this a bad idea and should we just hire a private driver? Thanks! Hello @KimberlyC and thank you for your new thread on the Ask s Cruise Question forum! However, it is the forum for general questions regarding cruising. Your inquiry is off topic there since it concerns a specific port of call. To help you out your new thread has been moved to the Ports of Call - Italy Ports forum where it will be on topic. The Cruise Critic website and message boards are both great resources for new as well as experienced cruisers and we are so glad you are posting! Please feel free to browse the Cruise Critic Community categories list of the various forums. I suggest you put the link to the page in your Favorites for quick & easy access in the future. Please read a few threads in the different forums to get a feel for what each forum is about. Make sure you read any pinned threads (aka stickies) on the top of the first page of threads in most forums. You will find very important instructions or information there. I also suggest you use the Follow feature on any new threads you start or any other threads or forums where you are interested in the new replies. That way you will not have to go looking to see if there are new posts because they will come l👀king for you as notifications! If you need information on how to do it, please click here: How to: Follow Topics & Forums (Subscribed Threads/Forums Info) and here: How To: Change Email Settings/Unsubscribe: Notification Settings I sincerely hope this will be helpful and glad to have you aboard Cruise Critic! Happy sails, Host Kat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Hlitner Posted July 7 #3 Share Posted July 7 I have rented in Messina and also many other parts of Italy, where we have driven more than 10,000 miles over many years. Driving in Sicily is not really a problam, especially when you have a working smartphone with a working map program. But you would certainly want to have an itinerary. The last time we rented in Messina, DW and first drove to Castelmola, which was a very sleepy empty town (at that time) where we stopped for coffee, a view of Mt Etna (in the distance) and some browsing of a few local shops. We then drove down to Taormina where we spent most of the day before returning to Messina. Keep in mind that, technically, the driver should have a valid International Drivers Permit (available at any AAA location) although it is unlikely anyone will ask to see that document. Also beware that a majority of rental vehicles (in Italy) have a manual shift (stick shift). If you must have an automatic, make sure to reserve well in advance, and be prepared to pay extra. Hank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsn55 Posted July 7 #4 Share Posted July 7 (edited) For six adults, check out a driver with a van. Probably not a whole lot more expensive than renting 2-3 'cars'. Just a thought. Our party of two adults did a Med Cruise last October and hired drivers for the day in Marseille and Catania. Made it clear that we didn't need a 'real guide', just someone who knew the area and could communicate in English. We had a reason to splurge (limo and driver about $700 plus tip, a little less in Catania), and it was a real eye-opener for the sheer convenience and comfort. The drivers both turned out to be very knowledgeable and delighted to just drive two happy people around. We both got SO MUCH out of those days because we were able to fully absorb what we were seeing ... and stop wherever we wished. I just handed the driver a list of the 'sights' we'd like to see, told him we wanted to stop somewhere quick for lunch (no bad food in France or Italy!) , and what time we wanted to be back to the ship. It was heaven. Edited July 7 by jsn55 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimberlyC Posted July 24 Author #5 Share Posted July 24 On 7/7/2024 at 7:07 PM, jsn55 said: For six adults, check out a driver with a van. Probably not a whole lot more expensive than renting 2-3 'cars'. Just a thought. Our party of two adults did a Med Cruise last October and hired drivers for the day in Marseille and Catania. Made it clear that we didn't need a 'real guide', just someone who knew the area and could communicate in English. We had a reason to splurge (limo and driver about $700 plus tip, a little less in Catania), and it was a real eye-opener for the sheer convenience and comfort. The drivers both turned out to be very knowledgeable and delighted to just drive two happy people around. We both got SO MUCH out of those days because we were able to fully absorb what we were seeing ... and stop wherever we wished. I just handed the driver a list of the 'sights' we'd like to see, told him we wanted to stop somewhere quick for lunch (no bad food in France or Italy!) , and what time we wanted to be back to the ship. It was heaven. Thank you for the advice. I agree private tours are usually the best way to go. I will never do another ship tour ever again since I was once herded like cattle onto a bus in Naples, Italy after enjoying private tours in Rome and Florence. The experiences were night and day. For Messina, we ended up hiring a tour guide/driver with a van who will also arrange for us to go via small boat to Isola Bella for 900€. It was half that without the 2 hour boat portion but we decided the boat tour sounded like a great addition. We will leave driving ourselves to Corfu which is so small it will be hard to get lost. I’ve never driven abroad before but 2 of my companions have. We were able to reserve a convertible rental car for the 4 of us who are comfortable with that while the other couple chose a private tour. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimberlyC Posted July 24 Author #6 Share Posted July 24 On 7/7/2024 at 6:16 PM, Hlitner said: I have rented in Messina and also many other parts of Italy, where we have driven more than 10,000 miles over many years. Driving in Sicily is not really a problam, especially when you have a working smartphone with a working map program. But you would certainly want to have an itinerary. The last time we rented in Messina, DW and first drove to Castelmola, which was a very sleepy empty town (at that time) where we stopped for coffee, a view of Mt Etna (in the distance) and some browsing of a few local shops. We then drove down to Taormina where we spent most of the day before returning to Messina. Keep in mind that, technically, the driver should have a valid International Drivers Permit (available at any AAA location) although it is unlikely anyone will ask to see that document. Also beware that a majority of rental vehicles (in Italy) have a manual shift (stick shift). If you must have an automatic, make sure to reserve well in advance, and be prepared to pay extra. Hank Thank you for the advice. We opted for a private tour in Sicily, but reserved an automatic convertible in Corfu for the 4 of us who prefer that option. Only half our group can drive a manual and sadly I never learned to do so. I’m heading to AAA to get my international driver’s license just in case. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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