Taormina Discovery Guide
Getting around Taormina the Smart Way
Taormina sits on a terrace of Monte Tauro about two hundred metres above the Ionian Sea, and its ancient theatre is built so that the ruined stage frames Etna and the bay behind it. Goethe wrote about that view in 1787 and it has been the reason people come ever since.
The friction is the price and the crowds. This is the most expensive town in Sicily and in July and August the Corso moves at a shuffle, which is not what most people picture when they picture a Sicilian hill town.
Come in May or October instead, stay two nights rather than one, and use it as a base: Etna is an hour away, the beaches are directly below by cable car, and Italy has few places where a Greek theatre, a volcano and a swimmable sea sit this close together.
How to Experience Taormina
The theatre, early
The Teatro Antico opens in the morning and is worth being there for. The light is better, the coach parties have not arrived, and the view through the stage wall to Etna is the thing you came for.
Walk the Corso
From the Porta Messina to the Porta Catania is about a kilometre, through Piazza IX Aprile with its terrace over the bay. Palazzo Corvaja, the Badia Vecchia and the cathedral are all on or just off it.
The gardens
Villa Comunale, laid out by Florence Trevelyan, for the follies, the planting and a view along the coast with almost nobody in it.
Down to the water
The cable car drops to Mazzarò in a few minutes. Isola Bella is a short walk from the bottom station.
Etna
Day excursions leave from the town and reach the higher craters by bus and cable car.
Castelmola
The village above, for the walk up and the almond wine.
Where to Find Authentic Cultural and Historical Character
Taormina is a Sicilian town that has spent a century and a half in the company of foreigners, and it wears that lightly.
Used to visitors
Tourism here is not a recent arrival that displaced something else; it has been the town's business since the 1800s, and the result is a place that is comfortable with outsiders in a way that newer resorts often are not. Service is professional, English is widely spoken, and nobody is surprised to see you.
And still Sicilian
Underneath, the rhythms are local: a long pause in the afternoon, dinner late, and a passeggiata along the Corso in the evening that is as much for residents as for visitors. The surrounding villages — Castelmola, Mola, the hamlets on the slope — are ordinary working places.
Expensive, and aware of it
Taormina knows what it costs and does not apologise for it. The town is small, the terrace it sits on cannot be extended, and demand does the rest.
Travel Profile
- Best Known For The Greek theatre with Etna behind it • A resort since the Grand Tour • Isola Bella and the coves below • Base for Etna and the east coast
- Travel Styles Cultural tourism • Archaeology • Romantic getaways • Beach holidays • Day trips
- Travel Environments Coast • Historic cities • Volcanic landscapes
- Getting Around Coastal rail to Taormina-Giardini at sea level, with buses up to the town; cable car down to Mazzarò and the beaches; buses to Catania airport, Giardini Naxos and Castelmola
Responsible Travel Tips
Taormina is small and heavily visited. Eleven thousand residents receive a very large number of day visitors, and in high summer the Corso is at capacity. Coming in May or October, or staying overnight rather than arriving by coach for three hours, spreads the load and is a better visit.
Isola Bella is a nature reserve. Keep to the marked route, do not take pebbles or plants, and note that the shingle bar to the island is covered at times.
Stay below and spend above, or the reverse — either way, Giardini Naxos, Letojanni and Castelmola all have businesses that benefit from visitors who do not confine themselves to the Corso.
On Etna, use authorised guides for the summit area, stay on the marked tracks, and take your rubbish off the mountain.
Water is scarce in a Sicilian summer; the town asks for restraint.
When to Visit Taormina
May and October are the best months: warm, uncrowded, everything open, and the sea usable at both ends.
April and early June are close behind, with flowering gardens in spring and long light by June.
July and August are hot, very busy and at their most expensive, with the Corso crowded through the evening. This is also the heart of the theatre season, so it is the trade-off: the best programme and the worst crowds.
Late June and July bring the film festival to the ancient theatre.
November to March is mild, quiet and much cheaper, with some hotels and beach establishments closed. The town is at its most liveable, and the winter light on Etna is the best of the year.
Travel Cost Levels in Taormina
What a visitor actually pays in Taormina
Taormina is the most expensive town in Sicily and prices move sharply with the season — a room in August can cost three times what it costs in November. Staying in Giardini Naxos or Letojanni and coming up by bus is how most people manage it.