TAORMINA
EXCURSIONS
Taormina is the ideal base from where to start daily excursion to discover all important sights of Sicily. De Luxe buses with multilingual guides will make your trip an unforgettable one. There are various bus-operators in Taormina so that you can reach.
Reservations can be done through your hotel reception. Taormina friends club, recommends organized excursions with a guide and offers different types of excursions by jeep too, departing directly from your hotel in Taormina.
Taormina Excursions. Is possible excursions on old vintage cars, like the classic fiat 500, or on piaggio apecar with a very romantic vintage look, whit departing from your hotel in Taormina.
Below, continuing your reading, You will find some of the most beautiful excursions, such as the Etna volcano, Siracura, Agrigento, the Aeolian islands and Castelmola. Many other excursions are possible, and You can always ask We for advice!
Enjoy the best… explores and live!
Taormina Excursions
ETNA VOLCANO
The Etna with its 3350 meters of altitude and its diameter of over 40 kilometers, is the highest active volcano in Europe and is in continuous mutation due to its frequent eruptions, which can last from a few days to several years.
The volcano, World Site of interesting by UNESCO, is formed by four craters, the central Crater (the oldest of the summit craters), the new Mouth (formed in 1968), the North-East Crater (formed in 1911), and finally the South-East crater ( the youngest, formed in 1971) which in recent years has risen considerably thanks to the numerous strombolian eruptions.
It is possible to reach Etna from Taormina either with your own car or with organized excursions. There is no public transport from Taormina that goes directly to the volcano.
You can reach the South side of Etna (Rifugio Sapienza) in about an hour. To get there, take the A18 motorway towards Catania and exit at Giarre. From here, go past the villages of Santa Venerina, Zafferana Etnea and follow the signs for Etna. From Rifugio Sapienza starts the famous Etna cable car that leads up to 2600 meters of altitude.
To get to the northern side of Etna (Piano Provenzana), it takes about 45 minutes taking the A18 motorway towards Catania and then taking the Fiumefreddo di Sicilia exit. From here continue towards Linguaglossa and then take the mareneve road following the signs for Etna Nord. The Piano Provenzana station is immersed in a large pine forest with a splendid view of the Ionian Sea.
The best way to discover Etna from Taormina in all its beauty and complexity is to take guided hikes. A prepared guide and lover of his land is indeed necessary to fully understand the history, the landscape and every single aspect of the volcano.
Taormina friends club recommends organized excursions with a guide and offers different types of excursions by jeep departing directly from your hotel in Taormina.
Taormina Excursions
SYRACUSE
Syracuse is almost 120 km from Taormina. You can easily reach Syracuse by car in about an hour and a half by taking the A18 towards Catania and then continuing on the E45. It is also possible to go to Syracuse by public transport such as train or bus.
Syracuse rises on the south-eastern coast of Sicily, at the mouth of the Anapo and Ciane rivers. For several centuries Syracuse was one of the most powerful and important Greek colonies in the world and for this reason Cicero described it as “the largest and most beautiful of all Greek cities”.
A must see in Syracuse is the entire historic center full of Baroque-style buildings located on the island of Ortigia. Walking through Ortigia you can admire the splendid Piazza Duomo, which overlooks the Cathedral of Syracuse dedicated to Saint Lucia, the Palazzo Beneventano del Bosco and the Palazzo del Senato.
Continuing the walk you will come across the Fountain of Arethusa, a freshwater spring that forms a natural pool with papyrus plants. The Temple of Apollo and the Castle of Maniace are also noteworthy.
The visit also includes the Archaeological Park of Neapolis where the Greek Theater (the largest in Sicily) stands, the Roman Amphitheater, the Latomies, the Altar of Hieron II and the caves carved into the rock like the Ear of Dionysus and the tomb of Archimedes.
Syracuse World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Taormina friends club recommends organized excursions with a guide and offers different types of excursions starting directly from your hotel in Taormina.
Taormina Excursions
AGRIGENTO
Agrigento is definitely a stop not to be missed during your trip to Sicily. In its millenary history it has changed as many as 4 names: κράγας for the Greeks, Agrigentum for the Romans, Gergentper for the Arabs; Girgenti for the Normans. Only during the fascist period, in 1929, it definitively took the name of Agrigento.
The famous Valley of the Temples,World Heritage Site by UNESCO, archaeological site dating back to the Hellenistic period. Among the monuments stands the Temple of Concord, built around 430 BC, the Temple of Juno (450-440 BC) and the Temple of Hercules (510 BC).
Unfortunately, Agrigento is not easily reachable from Taormina by public transport. You can also reach Agrigento with your rental car in about 2 and a half hours on the road.
Instead of one-day guided tours, you can easily visit Agrigento. Taormina friends club recommends excursions with organized guides and offers different types of personalized excursions and departures directly from your hotel in Taormina.
Taormina Excursions
AEOLIAN ISLANDS
The Aeolian Islands have been called the “seven pearls of the Mediterranean“. In fact, the archipelago is undoubtedly a jewel of the Mediterranean, full of charm and myths. Active volcanoes, crystal clear waters and black sand beaches make this archipelago unique.
Panarea is the smallest but also the worldliest and frequented by young people.
Vulcano is famous for its hot muds. Lipari is the largest and most populous island.
Salina was the set of the famous film by Massimo Troisi “Il Postino”.
Stromboli, the ever-active volcano made it possible to see splendid lava flows every evening.
Alicudi and Filicudi are the oldest but also the most pristine.
Aeolian, World Site of interesting by UNESCO. To reach the Aeolian Islands from Taormina you must first head to Milazzo with your rental car and then from there take a ferry that will take you to the island you prefer. Alternatively, you can visit the archipelago with guided tours.
Taormina friends club recommends organized excursions with a guide and offers different types of excursions starting directly from your hotel in Taormina.
Taormina Excursions
CASTELMOLA
Castelmola is a small village situated at a height of 550m, perched right behind Taormina.
From Taormina it is easily reachable by car from the S.P. 10 in just over 10 minutes, or by bus with the interbus company departing from the Taormina bus terminal. Alternatively you can get to Taormina on foot by trekking through beautiful scenery in about 45 minutes.
From several points you can enjoy a beautiful view of Mount Etna and the beaches of the Ionian thing. The square of Sant’Antonino is the entrance square of the village. To the right of the square there is a stairway, whose access is made up of the ancient entrance arch to the city, which leads to the ruins of the Saracen castle in which sections of the sixteenth-century walls are preserved and from where there is a beautiful view of the Venere mountains and Ziretto.
Among the monuments to visit of are surely the Church of San Giorgio and the Cathedral Church dedicated to San Nicola di Bari, located in Piazza Duomo. In this square we find one of the cult places of Sicily or the Bar Turrisi, famous for a rather particular characteristic: everything that is found inside this bar, built on 4 levels, is phallic in shape to celebrate virility and fertility man.
Tasting of the local almond wine is also a must! Taormina friends club recommends organized excursions with a guide and offers different types of excursions starting directly from your hotel in Taormina.
.
