Taormina
A Greek theatre on a terrace above the Ionian Sea, Etna smoking on the skyline, a cable car down to the coves, and Catania an hour away.
- Arrival
- Catania Fontanarossa · CTA
- To the town
- About 60 minutes from Catania airport by car
- Private jets
- Catania, with handling and slots arranged ahead
- Best time
- May to September
The city
A town on a ledge above the sea.
Taormina keeps to its hillside. The Greek theatre looks across the water to Etna, the hotels of the Grand Tour still stand along the slope, and a cable car runs down to Mazzarò and the beaches below.
The season runs from May to September, with days of 21 to 28 °C and very little rain in June and July. By late summer the sea reaches 26 °C. October stays mild, but it is also the wettest month of the year.
Arriving
Catania, then the coast road north.
Catania Fontanarossa, about 65 km south, is the airport for Taormina. The drive up the coast takes fifty minutes to an hour.
- Nice 1 h 35
- Vienna 1 h 50
- Abu Dhabi 5 h 30
- Miami 11 h 35 long-range jet
- São Paulo 12 h 25 long-range jet
When to go
May to September.
From May to September the days run from 21 to 28 °C, and June and July bring almost no rain. The Ionian Sea is warmest in August and September, at 25 to 26 °C. Rain returns in October and lasts through the winter.
- 11° J 95 15°
- 12° F 74 14°
- 13° M 66 14°
- 16° A 48 15°
- 21° M 34 18°
- 25° J 15 22°
- 28° J 15 25°
- 28° A 23 26°
- 25° S 52 25°
- 20° O 102 22°
- 16° N 82 19°
- 13° D 100 17°
What to see and do
Days in and around Taormina.
-
Landmark
The Greek theatre
Cut into the hill above the town, with the sea and Etna framed behind the stage.
-
Landmark
Isola Bella
A small island tied to the shore by a strip of pebbles, in the bay below the cable car.
-
Landmark
Etna
The volcano fills the view to the south-west, with vineyards and lava fields on its slopes.
-
Culture
Parco Archeologico di Naxos
Founded in 734 BC, Naxos was the first Greek colony in Sicily, and its walls, street grid and museum lie on the bay below Taormina.
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Nature
Gole dell'Alcantara
The Alcantara river runs cold and clear between black, prism shaped lava walls, and the paths along the gorge stay open all year.
-
Golf
Il Picciolo Golf Club
Laid out in 1989 on the slopes of the volcano near Castiglione di Sicilia, this 18 hole course plays to a par of 72.
-
Opera & music
Teatro Massimo Bellini
Catania's opera house, inaugurated in 1890 with about 1,200 seats, stages opera, ballet, symphonic and chamber seasons and can be toured with a guide.
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Nature
Villa Comunale Florence Trevelyan Gardens
Florence Trevelyan built the stone and brick follies of these gardens above Isola Bella and left the land to the town on her death in 1907.
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Food & wine
Tenuta delle Terre Nere
Since 2002 this Randazzo estate has made wines from the contrade of Calderara, Guardiola and Feudo di Mezzo, with tastings by reservation on weekdays.
Official site
Where to stay
Grand Tour houses on the hill.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- San Domenico Palace, A Four Seasons Hotel A fourteenth-century Dominican convent, where some rooms are the monks' former cells and the gardens hold an infinity pool.
- Grand Hotel Timeo, A Belmond Hotel Opened in 1873 against the walls of the Greek theatre, and a stop for Oscar Wilde and D.H. Lawrence.
- Villa Sant'Andrea, A Belmond Hotel An English family's seaside villa of 1919, down on the water, with its own beach club.
- The Ashbee Hotel Twenty-four rooms in a villa drawn in 1907 by the Arts and Crafts architect C.R. Ashbee, a few steps from the theatre.
Where to dine
Starred tables from the town to Etna.
From the MICHELIN Guide 2026, shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these restaurants.
- St. George by Heinz Beck Two Michelin stars Creative €€€€ The Ashbee Hotel, Taormina
- Otto Geleng One Michelin star Mediterranean €€€€ Grand Hotel Timeo, Taormina
- Principe Cerami One Michelin star Modern €€€€ San Domenico Palace, Taormina
- Zash One Michelin star Creative €€€€ Archi
- Vineria Modì One Michelin star Italian Contemporary €€€ Taormina
- La Capinera One Michelin star Sicilian €€€ Taormina
- Shalai One Michelin star Sicilian €€€ Linguaglossa, on Etna
Elsewhere in Italy
More reasons to come.
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Rome
The Colosseum, the Pantheon, and the Vatican across the Tiber.
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Milan
The Last Supper, the roof of the Duomo, and the fashion weeks.
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Venice
Palazzi on the Grand Canal, and the islands of the lagoon.
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Florence
The Uffizi, the Duomo, and the Chianti hills to the south.
- San Marino (Republic) A republic of its own on Mount Titano, some forty minutes by road from Rimini airport.
-
Como
Villas and gardens along the lake, an hour north of Milan.
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Amalfi
Positano, Ravello and the coast road, with Capri offshore.
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Porto Cervo
Yachts, the Piazzetta, and the beaches of north-east Sardinia.
Flying to Taormina?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.