Ship shore excursion from Messina, Italy to Taormina

[jerrib]

NCL is offering a "Taormina on Your Own" tour out of Messina.  Wondering if anyone has done this tour and can comment.  Thanks.

[MAC220251]

I have not done the tour but we did stay a few days at a hotel in Taormina.  Everything was very walkable but we are also walkers, about 5 miles daily, and are used to hills.  If hills are a concern, it might not work for you.

[Treasure Hunter]

I have done both on your own and a walking guided tour with Princess. If you’ve never been , take a guided tour. Taormina is very beautiful and there are many special views. Especially the Roman Amphitheater. If you’ve been before , have lunch at an outdoor cafe and visit the galleries and shops. It is hilly but not terribly difficult to walk if you are able.

[jerrib]

Thanks for both your comments on the town.  Did either of you take the NCL tour?  The description online states that you will have 4 hrs. on your own in Taormina, yet when you click on the details it says 2 hrs, which doesn't make sense as the total time for the tour is 6 hrs.
Also, maybe someone has experience with tour operators outside of the cruise line for this trip from Messina?  Thanks.

[Treasure Hunter]

No, I’ve been to Taormina twice with Princess but the bus left from another port. And once with Tauck ( tour of Sicily) where we stayed in the town . It’s one of my favorite places. Be sure to get the pastry with the delicious cream filling. Does NCL give a guided walking tour? I’d hate for you to miss anything like the view from the gardens and some of the back alleys that you might not find. We generally take cruise excursions as I’m a nervous nelly about being left behind. Once in Patagonia our bus broke down in the desert . The ship waited two hours for us because it was their excursion and then refunded our money. 

[TrumpyNor]

On 2/21/2022 at 8:13 PM, jerrib said:

NCL is offering a "Taormina on Your Own" tour out of Messina.  Wondering if anyone has done this tour and can comment.  Thanks.

When is your cruise? I am also interested in finding out if the time "on our own" in Taormina on this tour is 4 hours or 2 hours. If four hours, I will book it and if only two hours then I will skip it. Our cruise is not until August, so if you find some facts about the time you actually get "on your own, I would appreciate it if you post it here.

Thank you!

[Treasure Hunter]

[HarpHarp]

We used these folks
https://www.sicilylife.com/sicily-tours

The Godfather tour was outstanding

[jerrib]

Thanks all.  I just sent off an inquiry to sicilylife for more info.

[lorif]

Things are changed of course, but we used http://www.sicilywithmario.com/   for a tour, and it was great.