I'm planning a trip to Sicily in September and I am thinking of ending in Taormina for a few days. I am concerned that it will be crowds and souvenir stores. Any thoughts about this? Will it be beach weather around Sept 20? Any suggestions for alternatives?

There will be crowds--both Italian and foreign-- especially on weekends.

You should still be able to swim.

Let us know more about what you are looking for and we can give alternatives.

Taormina is one of my favorite places on earth. Yes, it's touristy. That's part of its charm. It provides a nice contrast to the rest of Sicily, which I also loved.

It's very touristy but also very beautiful, with fabulous views of the sea and lush foliage. And upscale stores. Cruises bring people during the day, but you could be at the beach. I think Sept. 20 should be OK for swimming, weather vagaries permitting.

As for alternatives, that's a problem. Do you fly out of Catania?

The main street is lined with high-end shops and, particularly during the day, it is filled with tourists. But it is much quieter in the evening and you can escape the crowds during the day by turning into one of the side streets. There is a reason why so many go to Taormina - it is beautiful!

We were there shortly after Easter this year. We really liked it but there were not tons of tourists this time of the year. As mentioned there are many high-end shops. We're glad we were not visiting in the summer, we imagined how crowded and hot it must be. I think by the time you go in September, it shouldn't be uncomfortably crowded. Swimming should be no problem, we even saw some people swimming while we were there (temps were probably in the high 60's which to me is too cold!)

As in every area of life we all have our opinions.

In answer to the original - yes it is far too touristy. When you throw cruise parties of 1000 plus the effect in simply awful. It has a stunning setting and the view of Etna is like no other. However, once the number of tourists of added it is simply dire. There are some "posh" shops but there is an lot of tat. Thankfully we didn't stay there - the hotel that would have been happy to take 300 euros plus off us (can't remember the name but next to the roman ruins) had a huge stretch of burger vans and fake Gucci belt stalls leading up to the doors. It was like Africa.

The swimming is not good as the beaches are very overcrowded and compared with say Sardina, don't even register on the stunning scale of 1 to 10.

In short for us it was an average let down of a day trip.

Go to Sircusa.

Yes it's touristy. But also very beautiful. I loved it despite the crowds and I was there in July. My hotel was 85€ for a double so not more than any place else. Look at my trip report and link to photos and decide for yourself. http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-and-switz.cfm

But as for whether you should include it - where else do you plan to go in Sicily? If you are not planning on Siracusa then you might do that instead - also beautiful but a little less touristy. But if you are already including Siracusa in your itinerary and need somewhere else for a few days then certainly go to Taormina .

Taormina-way too touristy in my opinion.Now with all of the cruise ships it is obnoxious. There are way too many other cities in Sicily that would get my vote instead!

I was in Taormina in October and the streets at night were still elbow to elbow - which is fine with me as i rather like these people-watching places

and nothing can obscure the mesmerizing vision of Mount Etna in the distance - but yes Taormina is a tourist place on the par with the Cinque Terre towns, Portofino, Bellagio, Sirmione, etc.

What about staying in Acireale? That town should have good views of Etna.

I loved Taormina, despite its tourist traffic - it was simply one of the most beautiful towms in Sicily. And the beach at Isola Bella was gorgeous. We really enjoyed having lunch at one of the cafes on the beach and renting an umbrella and lounge chairs for a lazy afternoon nap and swim.

We absolutely loved Taormina. The views from everywhere are spectacular. We were there in mid September. The weather was great and people were still swimming. It is touristy on the main street but there are lots of places to go to get away from the crowds. We spent three days there and found it a great place to relax after a week in Sicily including Palermo, Monreale, Agrigente, Siracusa and Piazza Amerina. There is a reason lots of tourists visit. It is beautiful and the views can't be beat.

Way too touristy for me. I'm sorry I stayed there. I would have daytripped in to see the Greek theater, which is worth wading your way through the tourist tat and throngs to see, but that's it. If I ever have a reason to go back, I would stay above the town in Castelmola.

Since I have a related question, I'll ask: If one were to visit Taormina for only an afternoon, what should be the high points, besides the Greek theater? We have decided to stay in Siracusa after landing in Sicily, for several nights, instead of Taormina in August.

As a tourist, we loved Taormina. Besides the Greek theater, just being in this old town ands walking the streets was inspiring. Then there are the views. Beautiful and someday hope to return.

The OP stated she was considering staying there "a few days", maybe she could just start out in Taormina for a couple of nights to ease into Sicily. It would be a shame to miss it altogether, but several days may be too much. We stayed in Giardini-Naxos down at the beach and that was much more low-key and affordable than staying in Taormina proper.

I believe there are trips you can take from Siracusa to see Mt. Atena and stop in Taormina. When we stayed in Taormina, we went on The Godfather tour. Since it was not tourist season, we had the guide all to ourselves. We visited towns around Taormina - Savoca, Forza d'Agro where scenes were shot for the movie. It was a good tour. Besides the Godfather stuff, we were shown other places of interest in these towns such as the churches and the mummies in Savoca.

In answer to EdEdwards' question, the public gardens are pleasant, lusher than usual in Italy, with Taormina's great views, and not so very visited. Although I wonder about August. When you daytrip to touristy places at the height of the high season, they're not going to be at their best during the day.

Markrosy had a bad experience that soured him on Sicily -- to the point that he didn't notice he was staying adjacent to the Greek theater rather than Roman ruins.

Of course it depends on what you like. If you're shopper you might want longer in Taormina than I would. I thought two nights were one too many - yes, there are good views, and yes, there is a Greek theater, and yes, the gardens are pretty, but you don't need several days. I was much happier in Siracusa (click on my name for my Sicily TR).