Last Updated on May 25, 2026 by Laura
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Taormina is one of those places that, once you arrive, makes you want to stay put forever. And trust me, I understand the feeling. I grew up just half an hour away in Catania, and Taormina was often our default destination for a day out. But here’s the thing that most travel guides won’t tell you: as beautiful as Taormina is, it’s also one of the best bases in all of Sicily for a various day trips.
Eastern Sicily is extraordinary. Within a two-hour radius of Taormina, you have an active volcano that erupted as recently as 2025, Greek theatres that have been standing for over 2,500 years, medieval villages frozen in time, gorges carved from volcanic rock, and two UNESCO World Heritage Sites. If you stay in Taormina for more than one day without venturing out, you are, I’m sorry to say, missing the point.
This guide is my honest, Sicilian insider’s take on the best day trips you can do from Taormina. I’ve been to all of these places more times than I can count. I’ll tell you which ones are truly worth the journey, how long each one takes, and how to make the most of your time, whether you’re travelling by car, public transport, or organised tour.
Before You Start: Practical Notes for Day Tripping from Taormina
A few things worth knowing before we dive in.
- Car vs. public transport vs. tour. Some of these day trips are very easily done by public transport (Catania, Giardini Naxos, Alcantara). Others are nearly impossible without a car (Savoca, Forza d’Agrò, some parts of Etna). For destinations where a car is essential but you don’t have one, I’ve included organised tour options throughout.
- Start early. This is Sicily. In summer, temperatures regularly reach 35–38°C by midday, and tourist sites fill up fast. I cannot stress this enough: whatever day trip you’re doing, try to leave Taormina by 8–9am at the latest.
- Interbus is your friend. The Interbus company connects Taormina to Catania, Messina, Giardini Naxos, and several other destinations. It’s reliable, cheap, and the coaches are air-conditioned. You can check schedules and buy tickets on their website.
- Don’t try to do two destinations in one day. I’ve seen countless tourists try to squeeze Mount Etna and Catania into a single day. Don’t. Each destination on this list deserves your full, unhurried attention.
Best day trips from Taormina
Isola Bella — The Perfect Half Day by the Sea
Distance from Taormina: 5 minutes by cable car / 10 minutes by car
Time needed: Half day (morning) or full day
Best for: Beach lovers, swimmers, families
Difficulty: Easy
Let’s start with the one that’s practically an extension of Taormina itself. Isola Bella, literally “Beautiful Island”, sits at the foot of the Taormina cliff, connected to the mainland by a thin strip of pebbled beach that appears and disappears depending on the tide. It’s one of the most photographed spots in all of Sicily, and it absolutely lives up to the hype.
My family used to come here every summer without fail. My typical day growing up looked like this: park near the coast early in the morning (before the crowds), spend the morning at the beach, then walk up to Taormina for the afternoon unmissable gelato. It’s still the formula I recommend to everyone.
Isola Bella was bought in the 19th century by Florence Trevelyan, the same British noblewoman who created Taormina’s Villa Comunale, and transformed into a botanical garden. The island is now part of the Archaeological Park of Naxos-Taormina, and you can visit the small nature museum and gardens for €4. It’s worth it even if just for the views back toward the coast.
Things to do at Isola Bella
Beyond swimming and sunbathing, you can rent one of the little red boats on the shore for a tour of the coast and the famous Grotta Azzurra (Blue Cave). These excursions typically cost €15–25 per person. There is also new boat tour with aperitivo that can be booked that looks very nice!
If you’re a certified diver (PADI), the underwater area around Isola Bella is exceptional, the Nike Diving Centre operates in the area and offers dives to see ancient Roman columns at around 24 metres depth, lost from a shipwreck over 2,000 years ago.
Insider Tips
Get there before 10 am in summer. The thin strip of land connecting the island fills up fast and becomes chaotic by late morning. If you arrive early, you get your spot. Otherwise, consider staying on the mainland side where there’s generally more space.
If you want comfort, rent a sun bed at one of the lidi (private beach clubs) on the shore. Yes, they’re expensive. But in summer heat, a parasol and a sun bed are priceless.
How to get there
Cable car from Taormina: every 15 minutes, €3 one way / €10 day ticket. By car via the SP10: 10 minutes. There’s also a steep staircase connecting Taormina to the beach on foot, lovely going down, genuinely punishing on the way back up in summer heat.
Castelmola — The Village That Watches Over Taormina
Distance from Taormina: 16 minutes by car / 47 minutes on foot
Time needed: 2–3 hours
Best for: Views, photography, a slower pace
Difficulty: Easy by car; steep on foot
If Taormina is beautiful, Castelmola is the place that makes even Taormina feel a little crowded. Perched above Taormina on an even higher rock, the mola, hence the name, this tiny medieval village is listed among the most beautiful villages in Italy, and it absolutely deserves that title.
Castelmola’s origins are Greek. Its old name was Mylai, and its history has always been intertwined with Taormina below. From the village, you can see everything: the Ionian Sea, the coastline stretching south toward Catania, Mount Etna, and Taormina in miniature far below you. The views from Piazza Sant’Antonio are among the best I have seen anywhere in Sicily, and I say this as someone who has been to most of the island.
What to visit in Castelmola
The ruins of the medieval Mola castle are the main attraction, they’re atmospheric rather than intact, but the walk to them is worth it. The church of St. Nicola di Bari is charming, with an elegant Baroque interior. And Piazza Sant’Antonio is where you should stop for a drink and simply take in the view.
If you visit during December, don’t miss a hot chocolate at the historic Antico Caffè S. Giorgio. It’s been there for over a century and the almond wine (vino di mandorla) they serve is a Castelmola speciality. It’s sweet, slightly syrupy, and very easy to drink too much of.
Insider tips
The road connecting Taormina to Castelmola is genuinely winding and gets very foggy in winter, take it carefully. You can’t drive into the village itself; leave your car in the public parking just outside. In summer, Castelmola is lovely in the late afternoon when the light turns golden and most day-trippers have already left.
How to get there
By car via the SP10: 16 minutes. By Interbus from Taormina bus station: approximately 15 minutes, about €5 return. On foot: 47 minutes uphill (2.6 km), doable in cooler months, heroic in summer.
Giardini Naxos — Where Greek Sicily Began
Distance from Taormina: 18 minutes by car / 20 minutes by Interbus
Time needed: Half day to full day
Best for: History lovers, beach seekers, those who want a quieter alternative to Taormina’s beaches
Difficulty: Very easy
Giardini Naxos holds a special place in Sicilian history: it was the very first Greek colony established in Sicily, founded in 734 BC. Long before Taormina was anything, Naxos (as it was then known) was already a thriving Greek settlement. Now it’s a relaxed coastal town with a lovely promenade, clear water, and far fewer tourists than Taormina.
The Archaeological Park of Naxos is worth visiting if ancient history is your thing, you can see the original Greek walls and the remains of the city that started it all. The Castle of Schisò and the Nike of Kalkis are also there. But honestly? Many people come to Giardini Naxos simply because the beaches are better and bigger than Isola Bella, the restaurants are cheaper and more local-feeling, and you can stroll the seafront promenade in peace.
Insider tips
If you’re staying in Taormina and want a beach day without the Isola Bella crowds, Giardini Naxos is your answer. The seafront is lined with café bars and gelaterie that are significantly less expensive than anything you’ll find on Corso Umberto in Taormina.
How to get there
By car via the SS114: 18 minutes. By Interbus from Taormina: approximately 20 minutes, about €3 one way. The train stops at Giardini/Taormina station, this is actually closer to Giardini than to Taormina itself.
The Alcantara Gorge — Sicily’s Most Dramatic Natural Wonder
Distance from Taormina: 34 minutes by car
Time needed: Half day
Best for: Nature lovers, adventurers, those who want to escape the heat
Difficulty: Easy to moderate depending on chosen activity
The Alcantara Gorge (Gole dell’Alcantara) is one of those places that stops you in your tracks. The river has carved its way through walls of basaltic rock, formed by volcanic eruptions some 8,000 years ago, creating a natural canyon of extraordinary prismatic shapes, up to 25 metres high on either side. The colours alone are remarkable: dark volcanic black against the vivid green of the river water.
I first went to the Alcantara Gorge as a teenager and it genuinely felt like stepping into another world. It still does.
What to do at the Alcantara Gorge
You can simply walk along the canyon and admire the formations, the entrance is straightforward and there’s a scenic path. But if you want more, the gorge offers water trekking (walking through the river itself), body rafting, and regular rafting, all with authorised guides. Fair warning: the water is absolutely freezing even in August. I mean it. Bring waterproof shoes to protect your feet from the sharp volcanic rock if you plan to wade in.
More adventurous activities like body rafting should always be done with a professional operator. Check the park’s official website at parcoalcantara.it for current itineraries and authorised operators.
If you want to do rafting, these are the best tours:
Insider tips
Go in the morning before the heat peaks. The canyon itself provides shade, which makes it one of the most pleasant places to be on a hot Sicilian summer day. The Interbus runs a seasonal coach service directly to the gorge from Taormina bus station in summer, check current schedules before your visit.
How to get there
By car: 34 minutes via the SS114 to SS185 (some tolls apply). By Interbus: seasonal summer service from Taormina bus station, about €4–5 and worth it if you don’t want to drive those mountain roads.
Mount Etna — You Cannot Leave Sicily Without This
Distance from Taormina: 45–60 minutes by car to the main access point at Rifugio Sapienza
Time needed: Full day
Best for: Everyone. Seriously, everyone.
Difficulty: Easy to strenuous, depending on how high you go
Best time: Spring and autumn; early morning in summer
Mount Etna is Europe’s highest and most active volcano. It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And from Taormina, you can see it every single day, smoking quietly on the horizon, occasionally putting on a more dramatic show. Its most recent significant eruption was in June 2025.
I am Sicilian and lived with Etna my whole life. I still find it completely and utterly awe-inspiring every time I go near it.
The standard approach for most visitors is from the south side, via Rifugio Sapienza at around 1,900 metres. From there, you can take a cable car up to approximately 2,500 metres, then either walk or take a 4×4 shuttle higher still. The summit craters sit above 3,300 metres. Even if you go no further than the cable car station, the landscape is extraordinary, a moonscape of solidified lava, with the sea visible far below on a clear day.
Should you go with a tour or independently?
This is the question I get asked most about Etna. My honest answer: if you want to access the higher craters (above 2,500m), go with a licensed guide. The terrain is uneven, the weather changes without warning, and it’s genuinely easy to get disoriented. For the lower areas around Rifugio Sapienza, you can go independently, it’s well signposted.
For a guided experience, the Etna Winery Tours that combine a morning on the volcano with an afternoon at one of the cantina on the lower slopes have become deservedly popular. The combination of volcanic landscapes in the morning and elegant wines made from grapes grown on volcanic soil in the afternoon is very Sicilian in the best possible way.
Other tours that are recommended for Mt Etna:
What to wear
Even in summer, take a windproof jacket. At 2,500 metres with wind, it can be cold. Wear proper walking shoes, not sandals. The volcanic rock is sharp and the ground is uneven. A note on this. Don’t pay attention to Sicilians hiking mount Etna (including me LOL), most of them don’t wear appropriate clothing and shoes. Indeed, we hike that mountain since very young age (my first hike there was at 6 years old), so we feel overly confident.
Insider tips
Book your cable car ticket in advance in summer, the queues can be very long. If you want photographs of Etna erupting at night, Taormina itself is actually one of the best places to watch: from the Ancient Theatre, the visual of Etna active in the background is extraordinary and something I’ve been lucky enough to see several times.
How to get there
By car: take the A18 motorway toward Catania, then follow signs to Zafferana Etnea and Rifugio Sapienza. Allow 45–60 minutes from Taormina. Organised tours depart from Taormina daily during the tourist season, these are the easiest option if you don’t have a car, and many include hotel pickup.
Catania — The Underrated Sicilian beauty
Distance from Taormina: 50 minutes by car / 1 hour 10 minutes by Interbus
Time needed: Full day
Best for: Culture, food, authentic Sicilian city life
Difficulty: Very easy
I grew up in Catania. My parents still live there. So when I say this, I say it with all my Sicilian heart: Catania is massively, unfairly underrated as a tourist destination.
It’s not as pretty as Taormina. But it has something Taormina can never quite have: real, breathing, chaotic, extraordinary Sicilian life. The Pescheria (fish market) in the morning is one of the most intense sensory experiences Sicily offers, vendors shouting in dialect, swordfish the size of a small child laid out on the ice, the smell of the sea mixing with lemon and brine. It’s loud, it’s colourful, and it’s absolutely genuine.
What to visit in Catania
The Piazza del Duomo with its famous elephant fountain (Catania’s symbol) is beautiful. The Cathedral of Sant’Agata is worth visiting for its Baroque interior. The Roman amphitheatre on Piazza Stesicoro, an entire Roman ruin buried right in the middle of the city, still manages to surprise people. Via Etnea, the main street, runs straight as an arrow toward the volcano and on a clear day you can see Etna framed perfectly at the end of it.
For food: Catania is one of the best cities in Sicily to eat in. The street food around the Pescheria is outstanding: fresh arancini, stigghiola, cavureddu, cartoccio di fritto. If you want to sit down for lunch, the Piazza Teatro Massimo area has some reliable, non-touristy restaurants.
I’ve written a full guide to Catania that goes into much more detail: you can find it here.
Some nice organised tours in Catania:
Insider tips
The Pescheria market runs in the mornings only (roughly 7am–1pm on weekdays), go early for the full experience. Catania gets extremely hot in summer, so a midday stop in a café for a granita al limone is not optional, it’s survival.
How to get there
By car: A18 motorway, about 50 minutes. By Interbus from Taormina bus station: coaches run regularly throughout the day, about 1 hour 10 minutes, €4–6 return. If you are travelling by train: from Giardini/Taormina station to Catania Centrale, approximately 45 minutes.
Savoca and Forza d’Agrò — The Real Corleone Villages
Distance from Taormina: 25–30 minutes by car
Time needed: Half day
Best for: Godfather fans, medieval village lovers, photographers
Difficulty: Easy by car; no public transport option
I need to be honest with you about something. Even if you have never watched The Godfather, Savoca and Forza d’Agrò are worth visiting. They are two of the most atmospheric, preserved medieval villages in eastern Sicily, perched high on hills above the Ionian coast, seemingly untouched by the last several centuries.
That said: if you have watched The Godfather, these villages will make you feel like you’re walking inside the film.
Francis Ford Coppola filmed the Sicilian sequences of The Godfather in these two villages. In Savoca, you’ll find Bar Vitelli, the bar where Michael Corleone asked Apollonia’s father for her hand in marriage, still owned by the same family, still serving lemon granita, still decorated with original photographs and memorabilia from the filming. The Church of San Nicolò, where Michael and Apollonia’s wedding was filmed, stands on a high point above the village. You can walk down the same narrow alleyway that Al Pacino walked down after the wedding. It’s genuinely strange, and wonderful, in equal measure.
Forza d’Agrò, a few minutes up the road, is smaller and even quieter than Savoca. It was used to represent the streets of Corleone in The Godfather Part II. Panoramic views over the Ionian coast. Medieval architecture everywhere. Barely any tourists outside of organised tour groups.
Recommended guided tours:
Insider tips
Sit down at Bar Vitelli and order a lemon granita. It’s not expensive, it’s delicious, and you’ll feel like you’re in the film. The bar fills up quickly when tour groups arrive, so go early if you’re driving yourself. Savoca itself is very small, you can explore the whole village in about 90 minutes. Add Forza d’Agrò for another hour and that makes a perfect half day.
How to get there
By car, Savoca is about 25–30 minutes from Taormina via the SP15: follow signs toward Santa Teresa di Riva and then Savoca. There is no reliable public transport. If you don’t have a car, organised Godfather tours depart from Taormina daily, usually as a half-day excursion. These are well-organised, very popular, and offer good value. GetYourGuide has several options at reasonable prices.
Messina — A City That Rebuilt Itself from the Rubble
Distance from Taormina: 50 minutes by car / 1 hour by Interbus
Time needed: 3–4 hours
Best for: Those who want to understand modern Sicilian history; a half-day addition to another trip
Difficulty: Very easy
Messina is the closest major city to Taormina and is, in my honest opinion, significantly less interesting as a tourist destination than Catania, but it has its reasons to visit, particularly if you’re interested in history.
The city was almost entirely destroyed by the catastrophic earthquake of 1908, one of the most destructive in European history, which killed more than 75,000 people. What you see in Messina today is almost entirely the result of reconstruction. The Cathedral (Duomo) is a faithful modern reproduction of its medieval original and has an impressive astronomical clock, said to be one of the most complex mechanical clocks in the world, that performs a spectacular animated display at noon. The Regional Museum (Museo Regionale) has an outstanding collection including two magnificent Caravaggio paintings that he created during his time in Sicily.
Messina is worth a half day if you’re combining it with the ferry crossing to Reggio Calabria on the mainland, or if you want to understand the earthquake’s legacy in the urban fabric of eastern Sicily. As a standalone full-day destination from Taormina, I’d choose Catania or Syracuse instead.
How to get there
If you are travelling car: 50 minutes via the A18 motorway. By Interbus from Taormina bus station: approximately 1 hour, €4–6 return. By train: straightforward and regular service.
Best Day Trips from Taormina: At a Glance
| Destination | Drive Time | Ideal Duration | Best For | Car Needed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isola Bella | 5–10 min | Half day | Beach & swimming | No (cable car) |
| Castelmola | 16 min | 2–3 hours | Views & medieval village | No (bus) |
| Giardini Naxos | 18 min | Half day | History & beach | No (bus) |
| Alcantara Gorge | 34 min | Half day | Nature & adventure | Recommended |
| Mount Etna | 45–60 min | Full day | Volcano & wine | Recommended |
| Catania | 50 min | Full day | City life & food | No (bus/train) |
| Savoca & Forza d’Agrò | 25–30 min | Half day | Godfather & medieval villages | Yes / Tour |
| Messina | 50 min | 3–4 hours | History & half day | No (bus/train) |
My Personal Ranking: If You Only Have Time for Two or Three
I know that’s a lot of options. If you’re short on time and need to choose, here’s my honest Sicilian ranking:
Number one, without question: Mount Etna. You are in the shadow of this volcano. You can see it from your hotel window. Go to it.
Number two: Catania. It is the most sicilian city you can visit on this side of the island. It’s the best place for street food and full of incredible historical sights.
Number three: Savoca and Forza d’Agrò. Even if you don’t care about The Godfather, these villages are extraordinary. And if you do care about The Godfather, you’ll understand why I could have put this at number one.
Everything else on this list is a bonus. Sicily rewards every minute you give it.
Plan Your Trip to Sicily
If you’re building a wider Sicily itinerary around your time in Taormina, here are the guides I’ve written that might help:
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