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Choose this Etna tour and Taormina from Messina Sicily and experience the volcanic nature of the huge Mount Etna and the fancy atmosphere of Taormina.
This is one of our most popular tours from Messina port and city centre, so it is suitable even if you are travelling on a cruise ship. On our way from Messina to Etna, we will go through many ancient villages located on the volcano slopes and during the journey you will get an idea about the fertility of the volcanic soil: lush vegetation made by vineyards, citrus and fruits trees are grown everywhere!
The first stop of the Etna tour is at Rifugio Sapienza, at 1.900 meters above sea level, and here you will enjoy 1.30 h visiting the “Silvestri Craters”, surrounded by the black colour of the lava stone and the blue of the sky. Before reaching Taormina we will have a stop at the Gold of Gods, a local factory on Etna slopes, where to taste Sicilian products such as honey and much more.
After having explored the beauty of Mt. Etna, in the second part of this Sicily day trip, you will visit the elegant town of Taormina, the so-called “Pearl of the Mediterranean”, recently used as set for the White Lotus Sicily locations. Here you can decide to have a stroll in Corso Umberto with our guide or to enjoy your free time by yourself visiting the Greek theatre, the oldest churches and monuments, high fashion shops, restaurants, pizzerias, and pastry shops to taste the legendary Sicilian food.
The Etna tour and Taormina from Messina Sicily starts from Messina Cruise Port or from Travel Agency Discover Messina Sicily, located in the city center of Messina. On request, departure from your accommodation located in Messina area.
We are going to have a panoramic tour of the city. We will see the famous statue of the Virgin
Mary of the Letter, the Fountain of Neptune, the St. Francis Church and the Palace of Culture.
The first stop of the Etna tour and Taormina is to Rifugio Sapienza at 1.900 meters above sea level. Here you will have 1.30 h to explore the landscape, walking on the edge of the Silvestri craters, among lava stone and admiring beautiful views. At the end of the visit, we will have a stop at the Gold of Gods, a local factory where to taste a great variety of delicious Sicilian products, especially honey.
You will spend the second part of the day tour in Taormina. The town is known for its magical dolce vita atmosphere. Here you will be surprised by the nice view of the bay of Giardini Naxos and have a guided walking tour in the main street Corso Umberto, Catania and Messina Gates, April IX Square, the Cathedral of Taormina, Corvaja Palace.
The Etna tour and Taormina will end to Messina Sicily starting point. We share a goodbye, hoping to meet our guests back in Sicily soon
If you book this excursion as private for a group of maximum 6 people, you will be comfortably transported by our luxury car. Please, contact us and we will be happy to provide you with further information.
Very Interesting and Informative
Great small group tour led by very knowledgeable guide (I can’t remember his name). We avoided all major bus stops and attractions and had interesting and informative ramble on a quiet but spectacular part of Mt. Etna.
Easy pick up from cruise and returned to Ship.
Very satisfied customer
Great value for money, Tour guide excellent and took the time to answer any questions and was very
patient and thoughtful. 100% recommend booking this tour with these people.
Mount Etna /Taormina,great time
Great experience, Sara our guide is the best , professional and friendly, very knowledgeable and
accommodating everyone, she made our experience great
Excellent Guide and Tour
Our guide, Sara, pointed out many highlights on our drive from the ship to Mt. Etna. We drove in a small van with 2 other couples, Sara, and the driver. Her descriptions (of course in her excellent English) were very interesting, including several delightful stories of historical events and how certain structures developed over time. One example was the house on an island that was built in complete harmony with the island ecosystems – rock formations, trees, plants, birds, etc.
Throughout the tour, Sara enhanced her descriptions with photos, artist renderings, or maps displayed on her iPad or a travel book that we all could see. That really helped me gain a clear understanding of her descriptions.
On reaching the Mt. Etna surroundings, Sara gave detailed and very interesting explanations of the eruption mechanism, the volcanic formations and some history of the eruptions over the years that destroyed certain villages and left craters and lava behind. She led us on hikes to higher points where we could see more craters and smaller volcanoes connected to the main “furnace” in Mt. Etna, and how these smaller offshoot volcanoes were the most dangerous due to their proximity to villages. She also explained how the lava prevented any vegetation growth for over 100 years, and therefore why some areas had vegetation and others, from more recent eruptions like the one in 2002, had none.
We then left Mt. Etna for Taormina. Again Sara pointed out the many highlights and descriptions of the village life and culture as we passed through to our destination.
On arriving in Taormina, Sara led us to the public gardens sponsored by Lady Florence and showed us her statue dedicated to her efforts to enhance culture and help the poorer citizens of Taormina over the many years of her life living there. Sara also told the story of how Florence, originally in the Court of Queen Victoria as a Noblewoman, came to leave England and discovered Taormina, how she loved Taormina and decided to settle there, and that she was beloved by the citizens.
The remaining hours of the tour we were free to explore shops and restaurants in Taormina, visit the Greek theatre, and finally meet our driver and Sara for the trip back to our ship.
Overall the tour was just excellent. Sara displayed a detailed knowledge of every place we encountered, told us interesting stories of people and places, and willingly answered any questions we had. She was energetic, bright and cheerful, and smiling throughout.
Fabulous day in Sicily!!
12 of us were on a cruise and wanted to experience the most we could wihile docked in Messina and this tour did not disappoint at all. We were greeted by our super friendly tour guide, Sara with a big smile as soon as we stepped off the ship. We boarded a very clean bus and headed for Mt. Etna. Sara was very informative and spent lots of time answering our questions about Sicily and all things Italian. Once we arrived at the volcano there were shops, food and bathroom facilities. You have the option to climb to one of the highest points which many in our group decided to do. After our time at the volcano we stopped at a local store to sample all the wonderful olive oils, honey and wine of the area. We all purchased several of the flavored olive oils as they were amazing!! We then headed to Taormina and this was one of the highlights of the tour. This charming town had amazing views, beautiful public gardens, fantastic shopping and terrific restaurants. Definitely get a canoli while there, Sara recommended a wonderful place to.have one and it was so delicious! We wished we could have stayed here over night as there was so much to see and enjoy. If you take this tour please request Sara and you will be sure to enjoy your day on this beautiful island!