Arriving -- If you plan to arrive by air, the most convenient airport for Taormina is Catania's Fontanarossa airport, which has numerous connections to mainland Italy and major European cities. Nine daily buses operated by Etna Transporti run up the coast from there to Taormina, stopping in downtown Catania (trip time: about 1 1/2 hours; tickets about 5€ one-way).
If you’re arriving by car, the A18 highway connects with Messina from the north (45 min.; take Taormina exit) and Catania from the south (50 min.; exit at Giardini Naxos and follow signs up hill to Taormina). If your hotel offers parking, get very clear instructions about how to arrive—Taormina is a mind-boggling maze of tiny one-way streets and hairpin turns. Otherwise, take advantage of the large public parking garages just outside the old town, both clearly signposted with blue “P”s on all roads that approach Taormina. On the north side of town, Parking Lumbi (tel. 0942/24345) charges 14€ per day (16€ per day in Aug) and has a free shuttle from the garage to the Porta Messina gate of Taormina proper. On the south end of town, the multilevel garage Parking Porta Catania (tel. 0942/620-196; 15€ per day/17€ in Aug) has the advantage of being practically in town, just 100m/328 ft. from the Porta Catania city gate. Down by the beach at Mazzarò, in the vicinity of the lower cable-car station, is Parking Mazzarò (14€ per day, 16€ in Aug).
Taormina is well served by buses from the rest of Sicily, usually connecting through Catania (visit www.etnatrasporti.it for schedules). Taormina's bus station is on Via Pirandello, near Porta Messina, on the north end of town. Trains to Taormina run on a line between Messina and Catania, each between 40 minutes and 1 1/2 hours away, depending on the speed of your train. See www.trenitalia.com; tel. 89/2021 for schedules; service on Sundays is infrequent. Taormina's train station is shared with the seaside town of Giardini-Naxos, so it’s 1.6km (1 mile) away from town—you’ll have to take a bus up the hill to Taormina (infrequently from 9am–9pm; 2€ one-way), or a taxi (about 15€).
Visitor Information -- The tourist office is in Palazzo Corvaja, Piazza Santa Caterina (tel. 0942/23243 or 0942/24941; Mon–Thurs 8:30am–2pm and 4–7pm; Fri 8:30am–2pm). Here you can get a free map, hotel listings, bus and rail timetables, and a schedule of summer cultural events staged at the Teatro Greco (Greek Theater).
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
