Questions about Taormina, Sicily

[jruth4]

We are stopping in Taormina on the July 14, 2207 cruise from Istanbul to Venice, and I have some questions. Someone told me that the medieval town is far from the port. For those of you who have visited this port, I would like to tap into your collective knowledge..... How did you get to town? Are their taxi's at the port, or does Oceania provide buses to town? Is it worthwhile taking a taxi &/or guide to some of the area around? The town itself I think is walkable, and could be done by ourselves. Are there taxi or guides that you have used and recommend? Thanks for any information.

 

-Judith

[Rosslyn]

Hi Judith,

 

Taomina is certainly a distance from the port. Taxis are always waiting at the ports of call and we also saw many taxis waiting in Taomina itself which were for hire. There are excursions with the boat that go to Taomina. In Taomina, you don't need a guide as long as you've done your homework and remember to see the Greek Theatre which is spectacular. Another place of interest is a small village called Castelmole which is a bit higher up than Taomina with spectacular views of Mt Etna and the countryside as well as a very interesting tavern which is worth seeing! When we were there they were renovating the castle itself and we couldn't see it, so can't comment there. I would certainly go to Castelmole as well. We had our own guide who we hired independently but cant remember the company, it may have been Sicily Life.

[wripro]

Does Oceania dock at Taormina itself or in Messina? If it's Taormina it's very close, but if it's Messina it's quite a ways and you need to allow the time for going back and forth. Still, you'll have enough time to enjoy this beautiful spot.

[Rosslyn]

Sorry, your cruise docks in Taomina - I had assumed it was Messina. So you are very close.

[Kiwifruit]

Hi Judith,

 

The Oceania ships anchor off the port of Naxos which is directly below Taormina (which is a hillside village) and tenders are used to drop passengers off at the jetty in Naxos where we found plenty of taxis waiting. This is one port which is very easy to do on your own at a fraction of the cost of the cruise excursions and you the retain flexibility to come and go as you want although I suggest you head off early as it does get crowded up there in summer. Can't remember exact cost of taxi but think it was about Euro 20 in each direction and takes about 15-20 minutes. You will find that in both directions there is no shortage of fellow passengers doing the same thing and who are more than happy to share taxi with you if you want to share cost. As discussed by earlier post, there is certainly no need to have a guide as it is a relatively small place where you just wander the streets and take in the wonderful views and ambience and the Greek theatre is very well signposted (make sure you do not miss Greek theatre as views are spectacular and you will get great photos of your ship in the harbour ;-)

 

Have a great cruise.

 

Cheers,

 

Kiwifruit

[orchestrapal]

Our May cruise docked at Messina, no tender involved, a 15 minute taxi ride to Taomina. If you enjoy very interesting architecture Messina is worth walking around for an hour or so.:)

[Benita]

If you are tendering in Naxos, and there is a long taxi line, the local bus stops along the coast and will drop you off at the entrance to Taormina. You do not need a guide once you are up there - the entrance to the Greek theater (which is well worth seeing) is right by the bus stop and once you leave there, if you walk down the main road, after a block or two, you will see a store with an statue of an ice cream cone out front - probably the best gelato we have ever had.

[jfb128]

We did a private tour in Taormina called the Godfather tour. They took us to the picturesque town of Savoca where part of the "Godfather" was filmed. We visited Bar Vitelli and our guide got them to open the church where Appolonia adn Michael Corleone were married. Coppola has an estate there and the scenery is beautiful. We later went to Taormina as well as some other towns. I believe the tour lasted about six hours.

[twscott1961]

jfb128,

 

Do you remember the name of the tour co., that you used, and how to contact them? My DH would love that tour. Thanks

[alf1052]

We were in Taormina on foot. THe port is right there. Perhaps Oceania is docking further away. City is pretty. Not much to do. If you have time take a tour to Agrigento. Etna is not worth the time. Sicily is wonderful. Try the local wines.

[jfb128]

To TWScott1961

 

Sorry for the delay but the tour was called the Godfather tour and we combined it with another tour of Taormina itself. I believe we used sicily tours. That way we could go to Castlemola and Taormina itself including a visit on our own to the Greek theatre.

[lahore]

Hey JFB128

 

I am also very interested in a 'Godfather' Tour - and we have obtained two prices from local companies; both breathakingly expensive (in Aussie dollars anyway - in excess of AUD$300 for car and guide). Maybe that's the cost in Sicily: I sort of felt like I had already had a mafia experience without even going :cool: . Could I ask approximately what you paid out? If it's that expensive I think we'll have to fuhgedaboudit.

[Cheesi]

Twscott1961 and Lahore - We were on the tour with JFB128. The company used was Sicily for Life. I second his endorsement. We enjoyed our day and felt we saw quite a bit. I checked my old e-mail folder and unfortunately I didn't keep the info on how much the tour cost. As with everything else, I'm sure it has gone up since our trip in 9/06. The only consolation I can offer on the cost is to remember it's per car, not per person, and you get to control how long you spend doing what.

[jfb128]

Thanks Cheesi for stepping in on the Godfather tour. We had three couples and the price was reasonable as I recall. (I also did not keep the pricing information.)

 

 

http://www.sicilylife.com --I believe was the web site

[lahore]

Thanks very much everyone. Appreciate it.

[twscott1961]

Thanks so much for the info. I will check into it.

[Florida cruisee]

We were there a couple of weeks ago and would highly recommend the restaurant Gambero Rosso, down a little alley. There were very few foreign tourists in the restaurant. The food is fabulous and not as expensive as other restaurants in Taormina, most of which are very costly. It is family owned. The daughters of the owner are exceedingly personable. See if you can get a table where one of them would be overseeing your lunch. Our waiter was a stiff but the daughter pitched in a made our lunch an event.

[wripro]

Florida cruisee,

 

Gambero Rosso sounds great. Any chance you could be more specific about its location. Is the alley off a main street? thanks.

[Fetchpeople]

If you google Gambero Rosso, Taormina, you'll find the restaurant's review and its general location.

[wripro]

Thanks Fetchpeople.

[caprita]

Jruth4: We'll be on the same cruise (6 adults) and are planning private shore excursions in most of the docking places (with a private van and driver) -- including in Taormina, where we are thinking of doing Taormina, Castelano and Godfather country. We'll also be getting a minivan for a full day tour in Rhodes and a few other places. We're a good group (a family of 4 -- 2 parents, 2 college age girls at Stanford -- and 2 adult female friends of the family). You're welcome to join us on any of our excursions (along with others) and to split the cost and hopefully share in the fun. Let me know if that interests you.