Taormina - On Your Own or Guided Tour?

[fishinglady]

Sailing on Navigator on August 24th. We're wanting to go to Taormina, and are looking at either the ship's guided tour or the "Taormina on Your Own". The "on your own" is an hour and a half longer, so more time for browsing, eating, etc., which sounds nice, but will we miss not having a guide?

[Keith1010]

We have been there (different cruise lines) and visited this port on our own. In my opinion, this is one that you can easily do on your own, without a guide.

 

Keith

[Keith1010]

We have been there (different cruise line) and visited this port on our own. In my opinion, this is one that you can easily do on your own, without a guide.

 

Keith

[seapenarth]

Sailing on Navigator on August 24th. We're wanting to go to Taormina, and are looking at either the ship's guided tour or the "Taormina on Your Own". The "on your own" is an hour and a half longer, so more time for browsing, eating, etc., which sounds nice, but will we miss not having a guide?

 

It`s easy on your own. One main street with plenty of churches , shops and restaurants and the Roman historic area not far off. :)

[palos]

You can definitel do this on your own. It is just a pretty town with shops that you can easily walk. Also there is a gondola you can take for 5E round trip that takes you down to a nice beach. The beach is not sandy -just little pebbles. That is your typical Med beach. THey cahrge for chairs and use of the beach. I think you can go to the left of the area and get on for free with no chairs.

 

We arranged a tour bus for 53 people on cruise critic it was 12E per person. That is the ceapest and easiest way to get there. Check out the train schedules .I don't think they run that frequently, dependng on the day. It is one hour and cheaper by an arranged air conditioned bus. Carnival's tour for Taormina on your own was $69 per person!!

[seapenarth]

You can definitel do this on your own. It is just a pretty town with shops that you can easily walk. Also there is a gondola you can take for 5E round trip that takes you down to a nice beach. The beach is not sandy -just little pebbles. That is your typical Med beach. THey cahrge for chairs and use of the beach. I think you can go to the left of the area and get on for free with no chairs.

 

We arranged a tour bus for 53 people on cruise critic it was 12E per person. That is the ceapest and easiest way to get there. Check out the train schedules .I don't think they run that frequently, dependng on the day. It is one hour and cheaper by an arranged air conditioned bus. Carnival's tour for Taormina on your own was $69 per person!!

 

If you are on a cruise ship that tenders into dock below Taormina ship`s shuttle takes you to town for nothing. About 20 minute ride.:)

[travelite]

We dock in Messina @ 7 a.m. and sail away @ 2 p.m. Messina is 27 miles from Taormina. It seems with the train or bus there will be time wasted waiting for either. I understand it takes an hour or more to go the 27 miles using public transportation. I usually try DIY, but with this time frame, I guestion that choice. Would it be to our advantage to arrange a private shared tour using our RollCall?

[voyager70]

Sailing on Navigator on August 24th. We're wanting to go to Taormina, and are looking at either the ship's guided tour or the "Taormina on Your Own". The "on your own" is an hour and a half longer, so more time for browsing, eating, etc., which sounds nice, but will we miss not having a guide?

 

We recently returned from the same sailing on Navigator. Being our first time in Taormina, we did the ship's guided tour. We LOVED Taormina and the tour was very nice, but I agree with the others that it's a wonderful place just to explore on your own. You really don't need a guide. It's a charming and beautiful town. Enjoy!

[taxatty]

We dock in Messina @ 7 a.m. and sail away @ 2 p.m. Messina is 27 miles from Taormina. It seems with the train or bus there will be time wasted waiting for either. I understand it takes an hour or more to go the 27 miles using public transportation. I usually try DIY, but with this time frame, I guestion that choice. Would it be to our advantage to arrange a private shared tour using our RollCall?

I would agree with you--we did this trip by train/bus, and it was easy, but you're on a tight schedule, and the Messina train station is about a 15 minute walk from the cruise pier--more wasted time if you do that. Unless you can time the train/bus combo perfectly, consider sharing a driver--as stated, a guided tour isn't needed--the only real thing to see in Taormina other than pleasant streets and shopping is the Greek Amphitheater--a must-see with a geat view of Mt. Etna. The trip to get there along the coast is also quite scenic (at least it was by train).

 

Les

[Jade13]

Get a group together and hire a driver for the transfer. We did HAL's "tour" and it was the worst cruise excursion ever. We just did it for the transfer but we had to wait for the guide for the entrance ticket to the theater. Our bus was the first there and last to leave. By the time she got to the theater, there was only 45 minutes left to walk around town.

[tom_uk]

The 'On your own' tours work well - I've done two at Taormina with Celebrity. You'll get driven to Taormina, walked up into the town by a guide, told when to meet back again at the end, and after that you're on your own. Doing the ship's tour removes all the worry about getting back in time.

 

In August, it could be good being there in the morning. My last visit was a roasting hot, humid day just over a year ago in the afternoon, and long before the alloted time was over, most people had wilted and were simply sitting in patches of shade.

[travelite]

We are not considering the ship's tour. We're looking at a private shared tour for 8, guide is included....Messina; Castelmola; Taormina (some free time); Greco-Roman Theater; return to Messina.....price per person $60. What do you think? How's the price? Should we just take a taxi to and from Taormina and skip the rest?

[seapenarth]

We dock in Messina @ 7 a.m. and sail away @ 2 p.m. Messina is 27 miles from Taormina. It seems with the train or bus there will be time wasted waiting for either. I understand it takes an hour or more to go the 27 miles using public transportation. I usually try DIY, but with this time frame, I guestion that choice. Would it be to our advantage to arrange a private shared tour using our RollCall?

 

You will not want to stay in Messina. Not one of the finest stops in the Med.:(

[travelite]

Tom, Your web site is great....very interesting reading.

[rwiseman714]

We did Taormina and Greek Theater tour (Carnival) and I would recommend doing it yourself. We were so rushed to get back to the bus after leaving the Greek Theater that we had no time to shop in Taormina, which I think was my favorite town on our tour of Europe. What a great place to shop and eat!

[hylasgirl]

After reading about the taxi situation I wonder... Is it possible to just take a taxi into Taormina and then find one to come back to Messina? I really am not a ship excursion person, and after reading some reviews about private guides (which I normally do) it seems that this town is easy to wander on your own, and I would rather save the 550 euros for a private tour for another stop. Can anyone tell me just how easy the train situation is, does it go right into Taormina? Or can you just hire a taxi for the ride there and back and not play the waiting game with them??

 

Thanks for any input... I am not interested in the "On your own" tours.