Taormina has been famous since the Grand Tour. Goethe came in 1787 and was overwhelmed. D.H. Lawrence lived here and wrote. Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams, Elizabeth Taylor — they all came for the same thing: a Greek theater (3rd century BC) perched on a cliff 200m above the sea with Mount Etna's snow-capped, smoking summit as its backdrop. It is the most spectacular setting for a theater in the world. The town itself — Corso Umberto running through medieval gates, Baroque churches, bougainvillea cascading from balconies, views at every turn — is pure Mediterranean postcard. Below, Isola Bella (a tiny island connected to the shore by a sand spit) sits in a turquoise bay reachable by cable car. Taormina is touristy, expensive by Sicilian standards, and worth every minute.
Plan my Taormina trip →Teatro Antico di Taormina: The second-largest ancient theater in Sicily (after Syracuse). Built by the Greeks (3rd century BC), rebuilt by the Romans (who added the brick stage building). 109m diameter. The VIEW is the point — you sit in the cavea and see Etna through the ruined stage wall, with the Ionian Sea below and the Calabrian coast in the distance. Tickets: €13. Hours: 9am-sunset. Best time: Late afternoon for the golden light on Etna. Summer performances (Taormina Arte Festival, June-September): Opera, concerts, film screenings IN the theater — watching a performance here at sunset is peak Sicily. Tickets: €25-80 (taormina-arte.com). Corso Umberto: The pedestrian main street — 400m from Porta Messina to Porta Catania, passing Piazza IX Aprile (the terrace with the checkerboard floor and the killer view), the Gothic Palazzo Corvaja, churches, gelaterias, ceramic shops. Giardini della Villa Comunale: A Victorian garden (created by a Scottish lady, Florence Trevelyan, in the 1890s) with weird pagoda-like follies and panoramic views. Free.
Isola Bella: The "pearl of the Ionian" — a tiny island in a turquoise bay connected to the shore by a narrow sand/pebble spit. The cable car (funivia) runs from Via Pirandello (Taormina center) down to Mazzarò bay (3min, €3 each way, every 15min). Isola Bella is a 5min walk south along the beach from the cable car station. Beach: Pebble, clear water, stunning setting. The free beach is the narrow spit between the shore and the island. Beach clubs: €15-30/day for sunbed + umbrella. Lido Mazzarò: The main beach below the cable car — equipped, €10-20/day. Excellent snorkeling around the rocks. Giardini Naxos: 5km south (bus 15min) — a long sandy beach, cheaper and more local than Taormina's beaches. Named after the first Greek colony in Sicily (735 BC).
Warning: Corso Umberto's tourist restaurants are mediocre and overpriced (€15-20 for pasta, €20-30 for fish). Better options: Trattoria da Nino (Via Luigi Pirandello 37): Sicilian classics, family-run, terrace with view, €25-35/person — one of the few honest restaurants in the centro. Pizzeria Villa Zuccaro (Via Luigi Pirandello 5): Great pizza, €8-12, local crowd. Al Duomo (Piazza Duomo): The upscale choice — creative Sicilian, beautiful piazza setting, €40-60/person. Gelato: Bam Bar (Via Di Giovanni 45) — famous for its granita (almond, pistachio, mulberry). The Godfather connection: The Bar Vitelli scene in The Godfather (1972) was filmed in Savoca, a village 20min south of Taormina — the bar still exists, with photos of Al Pacino. Day trip or combine with a Catania run.
How many days: 1 day for the theater + town + beach. 2 days to relax properly. 3 days as a base for Etna + Catania excursions. Getting there: Taormina-Giardini train station is at sea level, below the town — bus (€2, 10min uphill) or taxi (€15) to centro. From Catania: train 50min-1h (€4-6). From Catania airport: bus Etna Trasporti (1h15, €8). Where to stay: Taormina centro: €80-200/night (summer). Giardini Naxos: €50-100 (beach, cheaper). Mazzarò: €100-250 (closest to the sea). Budget tip: Visit as a day trip from Catania (base there, €30-60/night) and take the train. Best time: May-June or September-October (warm but not the August crush/prices). Combine with: Catania (1h), Etna (organized tours from Taormina €45-70), Syracuse (2h south), the Alcantara Gorge (30min, swim between volcanic rock walls). Sicily East vs West → · Best time Sicily →