Visit Taormina and Castelmola on this tour from Messina. During a quick stop in the village of Castelmola, admire a view of the surrounding Sicilian landscape, including Mt Etna. Then head to Taormina to see sights like Isola Bella and the Greek Theatre. Browse local shops or bars, if you wish, and take a walk along Corso Umberto.

Castelmola and Taormina tour from Messina
Enjoy views and pretty sights in Castelmola
Stroll down the Corso Umberto in Taormina
Admire Isola Bella just off the Sicily shore
Purchase Sicilian specialties in Taormina's shops and eateries

What's Included

Transport by air-conditioned bus
Professional guide
Live commentary on board

Food and drinks
Gratuities
Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
Entrance ticket to the Greek Roman theatre

Departure & Return

This operator has two meet-up options available. You can either meet at the departure point below or select a location for pick-up.

Departure Point

Messina Cruise Terminal - Terminal Crociere
Via Vittorio Emanuele II, 47, 98122 Messina ME, Italy
FOR THE CRUISE SHIP PASSENGERS: Tour departure time is 30 minutes after ship arrival except for ships arriving at 7:00 AM. Ships arriving at 7:00 AM will always have a tour departure time of 8:30 AM Local Time The guide will meet you inside of the port, on the left side of the ship.
Via I Settembre, 110
Via I Settembre, 110, 98122 Messina ME, Italy
FOR THE GUESTS THAT ARE NOT CRUISE SHIP PASSENGERS: The meeting point at our office DISCOVER MESSINA SICILY, located in Via I Settembre, 110.
Porto di Giardini Naxos
Via Schisò, 98035 Giardini Naxos ME, Italy
The travellers will meet the guide in front of the small three columns temple, located in front of the port of Giardini Naxos.

Pickup Details

MESSINA PORT
GIARDINI NAXOS PORT

Return Details

This activity will end right where it started.

Please Note

THE PICKUP TIME IS SETTLED 30 MINUTES AFTER THE DISEMBARKATION. Example: if your ship arrives at 8:00 AM the pickup time will be 8:30 AM; if the ship arrives at 9:00 AM the pickup time will be 9:30 AM, and so on.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Infant seats available
Children must be accompanied by an adult
May be operated by a multilingual guide
Minimum number of 4 people per tour applies. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough total passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund’
Infant meals not included

Cellular number required
Departure times are set according to arrival of cruise ships
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 35 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

about cancellations.

Frequently Asked Questions

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.

Q:What is the policy on face masks and attendee health during Taormina and Castelmola Tour from Messina?

A:The policies on face masks and attendee health are:

Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas

Q:What is the policy on sanitization during Taormina and Castelmola Tour from Messina?

A:The policies on sanitization are:

Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
Gear/equipment sanitized between use
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized

Q:What is the social distancing policy during Taormina and Castelmola Tour from Messina?

A:The policy on social distancing is:

Social distancing enforced throughout experience

Q:What measures are being taken to ensure staff health & safety during Taormina and Castelmola Tour from Messina?

A:The policies on staff health & safety are:

Guides required to regularly wash hands
Regular temperature checks for staff

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5

99 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 99 reviews

Sicily at its best.

samuel_F, Jul 2022

Katerina was a fantastic tour guide. Experienced and knowledgeable. She made our tour exceptional. Antonio was a great driver. Nice choice of locations to explore.

Look no further!

Jane_H, Jul 2022

If you are looking for a friendly, informative, small group tour with a great guide, this is the one for you! Our superb guide Katya gave us a wonderful insight into the history and culture of these two lovely places but also of Sicily too. She was there immediately opposite the gangway as we got off the ship, nothing was too much trouble and we felt we were well looked after. Excellent value for money.

2 travelers found this review helpful

Beautiful tour and best guide

Liz_V, Jun 2022

We toured Taormina and Castelmola with Katia this week. From the minute we got on the bus until we stepped back into our cruise terminal, Katia was sharing her passion for Sicily and it’s culture. She took great measures to make sure everyone got to see things they were interested in and her knowledge of architecture and history was incredible. A tour with Katia is money well spent!

Response from Host, Jun 2022

Dear Liz, I am grateful for your appreciation and thrilled that you enjoyed your experience with me. I would be pleased to have the opportunity to see you again in Sicily and remember that we are at your disposal if you search for suggestions and places to visit! Greetings to your family also and a special hug for Caroline (by the way, she told me you will definitely return to Sicily!) Warmest regards Katia :)

Great guide...

Jayant_R, Jun 2022

Great guide Taormina is a beautiful city. The guide was informative. I liked the fact that we had the ability to leave the tour and then meet up with the guide at a designated spot

Beautiful Taormina!

TRACY_V, Jun 2022

The town of Taormina is just fanatic! I could see myself making a trip there every year to just soak in the beauty, do some light shopping, and eating!!! The tour host was difficult to understand, and I am usually pretty good with understanding accented English. I felt like she was bored, so I was bored by her talking. She chose not to tell us anything else when we were returning from Taormina.

Response from Host, Jun 2022

Thank you Tracy for your feedback. Your opinion will help us to improve the quality of our services.

Highly Enjoyable

Alex_G, Jun 2022

We enjoyed this tour very much. Our guide was so sweet and so friendly! She was an absolute gem, a beautiful person. That goes a long way during a tour like this. She knew all the secret spots and was extremely knowledgeable. Recommended

Almond wine at the top of the world.

Anonymous, Jun 2022

Our guide Mariarita suggested we try the Almond wine & Almond cake it was marvelous just like our tour. Mt Etna was erupting it was wonderful views amazing. Lots of walking up & down but so worth the trip. Mariarita was so wonderful beautiful guide we send our love. 👍😘♥️

Great tour and great tour operator!

John_M, Jun 2022

We really enjoyed this tour. Our ship arrived a bit later than originally planned, so we had a little confusion to meet up with our tour. Once we started, everything went well. We transferred to a smaller shuttle to get closer to Castelmola, which is very small and high in the hills near Taormina. Not many tours make it to this town and we had it mostly to ourselves for a nice walk and tasting limoncello. We then went back down to Taormina, a very nice town as well. We had plenty of time to walk around, sample some local food, and shop for gifts. Overall, we had a great time on the tour, and our tour operators were very nice and accommodated all of our needs. Just being able to visit Castelmola was a highlight of the visit!

Great Alternative to the Cruise Tours

Rick_G, May 2022

Very nice tour of Messina area. The depth of the tour and tour price were better than what was being offered by the cruise. Wish we could have had about 30 minutes at the beach instead of just driving by. Good tour and good tour guide.

Beautiful Sicily

Amar_S, May 2022

Tanya Sabrina and Allan were wonderful guides and driver. Very knowledgeable and polite. I would highly recommend this tour.

Day in Messina

Eini_D, May 2022

Guide was excelllent. Knowledgeable and gave us plenty of free time. Driver was very good. Only 8 of us in the group...perfect.

Response from Host, May 2022

Dear Eini We are grateful for your appreciation and we thank you for sharing it with us.

Sicily

Kathy_A, Apr 2022

Katie was a great tour guide- highly recommend this tour to these two beautiful towns in Sicily! Great pizza and Canoli’s!

Response from Host, Apr 2022

Thank you very much for your kind words. It was such an honor describing our island to you, even if the time available was not so long. I hope that Sicily will become one of your favorite destinations for the next trips. Warm regards from the island of sun! Katia

Great Tour, Great Tour Guide

Lori_P, Jan 2020

Haven 't been to Sicily before but Katia, our tour guide, made it a great first time experience. Most tour guides are silent most of the time but she provided insights on the history of Sicily, facts about places we travelled through, provided a half hour walking tour of Taromina plus provided plenty of time for a personal walking tour (and told us the best Canoli shop) and provided information on the way up, and within, Castelmola. I usually fall asleep on bus trips but this one I stayed awake the whole time. Would do it again. I am afraid of heights and the bus trip up the narrow two lane roads was uncomfortable but worth it once you got to the top.

Response from Host, Jan 2020

I am really happy that you enjoyed our experience and I am pleased and glad to know that your first time in Sicily was memorable: it is a great satisfaction for me and the entire DISCOVER MESSINA SICILY group. Hope to have the opportunity to meet you again, maybe guiding you to the discovery of other unique places among our beautiful Sicily! Kindest regarding Katia

Shopping excursion

Yliana W, Sep 2019

Disappointed, hour plus on a bus to be taken to a shopping area. Yes there is castle and culture but the biggest highlight is the shopping - NOT what I wanted to do for 3 hours, then bus ride to Castelmola - again another castle and smaller version of shopping. We got so to see the area and were given great information by tourguide - but this was truly a shopping tour - not what I thought or wanted.

Response from Host, Sep 2019

Dear Yliana Thank you for your review and for sharing your impressions with us. We would be glad to suggest you, in the future, more sites in Sicily where we assure you a rich cultural and historical heritage, even though Taormina is not less. Hope to have you back on our island, soon!

Great tours of two historic towns

Helen_K, May 2019

Great cruse excursion from Messina's port. Pick up and tour was well organized. The bus ride up the mountains along winding two lane roads (with cars parked on sides) was an adventure in itself. Castelmola was a small mountaintop village with narrow walkways and a interesting church - but nothing special. Taormina was quite busy when we arrived (May 1st holiday weekend). Their cathedral & ancient Greek/Roman theater was worth the visit. We had enough time to have lunch & visit both after our guided tour. Great value compared to the cruise ship's cost for this excursion.

1 traveler found this review helpful

Taormina and Castelmola Tour

tjdehaan44, Oct 2018

Very nice tour and we enjoy the entire trip. Great sites to see and enjoyable bus trip to get to the sites.Highly recommend.

NiceDay Trip from Messina

Stephen_A, Oct 2018

Well orchestrated pickup at the ship pier with a small bus. Sabrina was a great guide giving us just enough of both Castelmola and Taormina and then free time to explore. Both are fantastic sites to visit.

Great tour. Had a bit of trouble tuning...

Steven L, Aug 2018

Great tour. Had a bit of trouble tuning my 70 year old ears into the guide's Italian accent.

I've rated this tour just one star...

barbara m, Aug 2018

I've rated this tour just one star chiefly due to the horrible tour director I had on 7/27/18 while cruising on the NCL Spirit. The director's name is Debora, and she had an assistant named Elisa. There were 17 in our group, and although one couple understood English but their native tongue is Italian, Elisa proceeded to translate everything into Italian. This was not the tour I expected bilingual. Debora's bird-like high-pitched voice, in combination with her thick Italian accent, made it difficult to grasp all of what she was saying. In addition, she spoke directly to only the 3 or 4 people who were closest to her,. She didn't wait for the entire group to reach her within hearing distance. Then, she spoke while walking, with her back to the group. She is horrible. Taormina and Castelmola are lovely towns and we might have enjoyed this tour much more had we not drawn the short straw, and been assigned to the van with Debora and Elisa! So if you do take this tour, I'd suggest you strongly ensure that these women are not your tour directors,

A really good excursion. Chiara was...

Lesley_W, Jul 2018

A really good excursion. Chiara was our guide and she was excellent. A few nice little extras in the coach. Well worth doing. A steep flight of steps to get over so not really good for any disabled clients. Wanted to put a review on trip advisor but couldnt get to do it.

...

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Product code: 23689P4

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Taormina and Castelmola Tour from Messina

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