One Day in Taormina Itinerary: How to Spend 24h in Taormina

If you have only one day in Taormina, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered! I personally did Taormina in one day and it was enough to do all the best things Taormina has to offer. I even managed to go to Savoca where Godfather was filmed, so at the end of this blog I will share alternative options for your one day in Taormina, so you can plan your itinerary how it suits you best.

✅ If you’re looking for a custom travel plan, find out more about my personalised itinerary service here.

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📖 Planning a trip to Sicily? Check my Sicily 10 Days Road Trip: Ultimate Sicily Itinerary blog post.

How to Get to Taormina

Unfortunately there are no direct flights to Taormina, so the closest city to get to is Catania. Catania Airport is only about 66 km (41 miles) from Taormina, which is approximately a 50 min drive. Below are a few options on how to get to Taormina from Catania.

✅ Check the flight prices here.

By Car

My personal advice is to rent a car and drive yourself. I did a 10 days road trip through Sicily and it was the best thing ever! The roads are pretty good in Sicily, they are wide and the traffic is not that bad. Also, it’s very easy to find a parking space and usually doesn’t cost much.

By Bus

You can easily get to Taormina with Interbus. The drive will take you around 85 minutes, the bus goes very often (approximately every 15 minutes) and it is one of the cheapest options.

By Train

Pretty much the same price as the bus is the Trenitalia train. The train goes every 30 minutes to an hour and the ride takes about an hour, so it’s slightly faster than the bus.

By Private and/or Shared Transfer

If you’re travelling with a larger group of people or simply want to have more comfort and reach Taormina as fast as you can without renting a car and driving yourself, then private transfer is the best option for you. It is also the most expensive one, but if you’re travelling with someone else, then you can just split the costs.

A cheaper and alternative option is to hire a shared transfer.

How to Get around Taormina

Taormina is a pretty walkable town and there’s no need to use any public transportation while being there.

📖 Check my 12 Best Things to Do in Taormina, Sicily blog post.

Where to Stay in Taormina

The best is to stay in Taormina Old Town or close to Isola Bella Beach.

📖 For more details, check these Taormina hotels blog posts:

– 11 Best 5 Star Hotels in Taormina You’ll Love
– Top 9 Taormina Hotels on the Beach for Every Budget
– Top 12 Most Instagrammable Hotels in Taormina for Your Feed

When to Visit Taormina

Even though you can visit Taormina all year round, I personally think the summer time is the best time to visit! Taormina’s just the ultimate summer destination!

The Ionian Sea is just there and therefore there are many beautiful beaches in Taormina, including the Isola Bella, which is the most famous and what many consider the best beach in Taormina. And trust me, when you see the colour of that sea and million sparkles, you’d want to dip in. Average temperature in summer is 32 celsius (90 F), but it can go as high as 48 celsius (119 F)!, and as low as 19 C (66) F, which are ofc. extremes that happen on rare occasions.

Most people prefer the months of April to June and September to October because the temperatures are higher, but it is still not that busy.

During the winter months you can expect temperatures to drop below 10 degrees celsius (50 F) which is pretty cold. Also, I read from so many people how many restaurants don’t even work during the winter months nor some hotels/apartments.

📖 Read my Sicily During Christmas: A Complete Travel Guide blog post.

Is One Day in Taormina Enough

I know we are all limited with time and budget and sometimes we can’t spend days, weeks or months at the location. While 2 days in Taormina would be ideal, you can do A LOT with only one day in Taormina!

Taormina has a population of only 10,000 people, so it’s actually a pretty small town. Most sights are one next to the other, so if planned properly, you can cover all the best places in Taormina in one day, and you can even squeeze in one half-day trip if you’d like to.

So, yes, one day in Taormina is enough for your first time visit.

One Day in Taormina Itinerary

For your one day in Taormina, you will check the main sights. If you have enough time, I will also mention alternative things to do as well as easy day trips you can do from Taormina.

I was able to checkthemain attractions in Taormina, visit Savoca where Godfather was filmed and even finish a day at the beach – and all in one day!

✅ I recommend this best rated walking tour of Taormina with a local guide.

BamBar

Start your day with breakfast at the most famous breakfast place in Taormina – BamBar.

It’s particularly popular for its granita, just bear in mind that because of its popularity it can be quite busy there and you might queue before you get your table!

Corso Umberto

Corso Umberto is the most popular and main street of Taormina. The street follows the route of the ancient Consolare Valeria, the main thoroughfare in the original Greco-Roman settlements.

I also call it the heart of Taormina because it’s the liveliest street.

Here you will find many different shops selling everything you can imagine: from souvenirs to Dior luxury bags!

Don’t forget to look up – there are so many beautiful houses with cute balconies.

💡P. S. Try to find the tiniest street intersecting with Corso Umberto and see if you can fit in!

Piazza IX Aprile

As you walk down Corso Umberto street, at the very end of it, you will reach Piazza IX Aprile, the most beautiful and famous square of Taormina.

It’s called Piazza IX Aprile because apparently on that day the masses got to the square to announce that Garibaldi landed in Marsala to begin his conquest of Sicily, which will ultimately end with the unification of Sicily with the rest of Italy.

Today we know that Garibaldi actually came to Sicily one month later, but the locals wanted to keep that name because it was when they received the news.

Surely, the name behind the square has an interesting history, but the best thing about it are the views.

Because Taormina is on the hill, Piazza IX Aprile is at the very edge of it, so amazing views are guaranteed! On one side you will have great views of Mount Etna, and on the other one gorgeous views of the Ionian sea!

📖 Read my Best Farm Stays in Sicily Perfect for Agritourism blog post.

Chiesa di San Giuseppe

You will find the little church on the square too, called Chiesa di San Giuseppe.

It’s very pretty and free to visit, so make sure to make a quick stop there. The views are great from the church too.

Piazza del Duomo

Piazza del Duomo is the main square in Taormina whose main site is the 15th century cathedral.

Unfortunately the cathedral was closed when I was there, so I am not sure what it looks like inside, but it’s very cute from the outside.

The most beautiful part of the square is the baroque Fountain of Piazza Duomo. It’s called 4 Fountains because of the 4 small columns supporting basins which are located at the corners of the central basin.

There are 4 mythological ponies that overlook the basins and from whose mouths fountain water flows. The central part consists of two basins and above this is Minotaur, half human and half horse, which is the emblem of the city of Taormina.

Teatro Antico di Taormina

Taormina’s history dates back from Ancient Greece when they established their first colony on Sicily in 734 BC. called Magna Graecia.

Dionysius I of Syracuse destroyed nearby Naxos in 403 BC. He ordered Sicels, an Indo-European tribe who inhabited eastern Sicily, to build a new settlement on the nearby Mount Taurus which gradually grew up into the city of Tauromenium. It was later conquered by Romans in 263 BC.

Therefore the best and oldest sight in Taormina is the Ancient Theatre of Taormina which was built by Greeks in the 3rd century BC. The theatre was later expanded during Roman times in the 2nd century AD.

The theatre could seat 10,000 people and is the 2nd biggest theatre in Sicily, after Syracuse.

✅ It’s better to buy your tickets online than waiting in the long line (we have actually bought it online WHILE queuing, which saved us a lot of time!).

What’s cool about the Greek Theatre is that the concerts are still being held there, so double check if something interesting is happening during your visit.

💡FUN FACT: The theatre was also used as a filming location for the popular TV series White Lotus and in Woody Allen’s movie Mighty Aphrodite.

Villa Comunale di Taormina

Villa Comunale are beautiful public gardens built in the mid-19th century by Lady Florence Trevelyan.

Lady Florence was exiled from England on accusations that she was having an affair with Queen Victoria’s firstborn son Edward VII.

When Lady Florence got to Taormina, she married a wealthy-man and mayor Salvatore Cacciola. Together they built these gorgeous gardens now open to the public.

Savoca: Godfather Filming Location

Savoca is a small, beautiful village of 1700 population. It is 21 km (13 miles) away from Taormina, so the drive there will take around 40 minutes. The village is popular because it was used as a filming location for Godfather 1!

✅ I recommend this best rated Godfather Guided Tour.

If you’re renting a car and already know a lot about the Sicilian Mafia and Godfather, then you can also do this on your own.

I managed to visit both Taormina and Savoca in one day, so it’s pretty doable!

📖 Check my Savoca, Sicily: A Godfather Filming Locations Guide blog post for more.

Isola Bella

If you’re visiting during the summer months, I highly recommend you enjoy the Ionian Sea in Taormina. The water is so beautiful and so refreshing!

Isola Bella Beach is the most famous and the best beach in Taormina. It is a nature reserve, administered by the Italian branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature.

You can reach Isola Bella with the cable car from Taormina city centre.

✅ This Boat Tour with Aperitif is a great way of spending a couple of hours at the Ionian Sea exploring the Bay of Giardini Naxos and swimming at Isola Bella.

Or, if you’d like to end your day with the beautiful sunset at the sea, then this Sunset Tour at Isola Bella is a perfect way to do that.

Additionally, I’m also recommending Mamma Mia Beach, which is a black volcanic beach between Taormina & Savoca.

📖 Read my 8 Best Beaches in Sicily You Have to Visit blog post.

Recommended Restaurants

Il Baccanale not only makes great pasta, but it is also on the more affordable side! In general, Sicily is more budget-friendly than the rest of Italy, especially the north, but as Taormina is the most popular town there, the prices are about 30% higher than in other places in Sicily.

I also recommend Osteria da Rita (dal 1991). It’s a very popular restaurant with amazing Google reviews! Just a heads up that you might wait to get your table, but it is totally worth it!

Is Taormina worth Visiting

Taormina will definitely be the busiest place in Sicily because it’s been a popular tourist destination since the 19th century!

Therefore, it will also be the most expensive place in Sicily. However, it is often nicknamed the Pearl of the Ionian Sea, and trust me, for a reason!

It is such a beautiful Mediterranean town with lots of history from the Ancient Greeks to Romans, Arabs, Normans and Bourbons who all left a huge remark and cultural heritage in Taormina.

So, yes, Taormina is very much worth visiting.

✅ If you’re looking for a custom travel plan, find out more about my personalised itinerary service here.

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