Taormina
How to Get Around Taormina
Getting Around
The old town is pedestrian and best walked; the Corso Umberto is closed to traffic and everything of interest is off it.
Do not drive into town. Access is restricted, the streets are narrow and steep, and parking is in two multi-storey garages at Lumbi and Porta Catania with a shuttle bus up. Leaving the car below and taking the bus is easier.
By train: the Taormina-Giardini station is at sea level, with buses and taxis up the hill. The line runs along the coast from Messina and Catania and is scenic.
The cable car runs from the town down to Mazzarò and the beaches every quarter of an hour or so, and is the quickest way to the water.
Buses connect Giardini Naxos, Castelmola and Catania airport.
The town is steep. Between the Corso and the beaches there is a great deal of stair.
Connections from Taormina
How easily, and at what cost, can you combine the region’s main destinations?
| Route | Best option | One-way time | Travel Smart take |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taormina and Palermo | Train | ~3 hr 30 min typical, not a timetable | Better as a separate stay than a day trip. |
| Taormina and Syracuse | Train | ~1 hr 45 min typical, not a timetable | Possible in a day, but it takes most of one. |
Cost compares the options for each route rather than quoting a fare: inexpensive means the price is not a factor in planning, moderate cost means a real line in the budget, and the expensive option is one worth weighing against the alternative. Fares change from year to year; the ranking between them does not.