Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Train -- You can make rail connections on the Messina line south. It's possible to board a train in Rome for the 8-hour trip to Messina, where you connect on to Taormina. Call tel. 892021 for schedules. There are 19 trains a day from both Messina and Catania; trips from either town take 1 to 1 1/2 hours and cost 3.60€ ($4.70) one-way. The Sicilian Gothic train station for Taormina/Giardini-Naxos is a mile from the heart of the resort, below the town. Buses run uphill from the station daily from 9am to 9pm, every 15 to 45 minutes (schedules vary throughout the year); a one-way ticket costs 1.50€ ($1.95). You can also take a taxi for 10€ ($13) and up.

By Bus -- You can also take the train as far as Messina and then hop a Taormina-bound bus. There are 15 a day, taking 1 1/2 hours and costing 5€ ($6.50) one-way. For details, call Interbus (tel. 0942-625301).

By Car -- From Messina, head south on A18. From Catania, continue north on A18. Lumbi Parking, Contrada Lumbi, is signposted off the Taormina Nord Autostrada junction; there's another garage at Mazzarò Parking, on Via Nazionale in Mazzarò, in the vicinity of the cable-car station off the coastal road. For 24-hour parking, count on paying 14€ to 16€ ($18-$21).

Visitor Information

The tourist office is in the Palazzo Corvaja, Piazza Santa Caterina (tel. 0942-23243); open Monday to Saturday 8:30am to 2pm and 4 to 7pm. Here you can get a free map, hotel listings, bus and rail timetables, and a schedule of summer cultural events staged at the Greek Amphitheater.

Special Events

The Greek Amphitheater offers theatrical performances from July to September. Churches and other venues are the setting for a festival of classical music from May to September. Each summer, an international film festival is held in the amphitheater. Check with the tourist office for exact dates.

Getting Around

Within the heart of Taormina, use your trusty feet to get about. If you're venturing off on day excursions, a network of buses goes to such places as Giardini-Naxos and Mount Etna.

The more distant parts of Taormina are linked by minibus, which leaves from the terminal at Via Luigi Pirandello in town and costs .50€ (65¢) for a one-way ticket. Most visitors use the minibus that goes from the terminal to Madonna della Rocca, since it passes most of the major hotels. Service is daily 8am to 7:05pm.

Taxi ranks are found at Piazza Vittorio Emanuele and at Piazza San Pancrazio. These are used primarily if you're leaving the heart of Taormina and venturing into its hinterlands. A typical fare -- say, from the center of Taormina to Madonna della Rocca -- is 10€ ($13).

Many visitors prefer to rent a car in Taormina and explore at their leisure. A good local company is Auto Europa (tel. 800-334440); reservations should be made in advance in high season. The Taormina office is at Via Apollo Arcageta 4 (tel. 0942-21252). Vehicles rent for 34€ to 53€ ($44-$69) per day with unlimited mileage. Cars can be picked up in one Sicilian location and returned to another if you plan to explore beyond Taormina, perhaps taking a trip south to Syracuse and Agrigento.

Cable cars from Taormina run to the beaches below at Mazzarò, next to the Mazzarò car park. Service is daily 8am to 1am in summer, until 6pm in winter. A round-trip ticket costs 3.50€ ($4.55).

If you prefer to get around by moped, Jet Car, Via Nazionale 8 (tel. 0942-56190), rents scooters for 35€ ($46) per day. It's open year-round daily 8am to noon and 4 to 8pm.