Has anyone been to Taormina, Sicily - how is it ? When should we go ? any other help will be appreaciated - Thanks

Have you read anything at all about Taormina? February to May would be good, I would think. I was there in early May and it was a bit crowded already.

I cannot find out much about it - I was told by someone at a coffee shop just talking that it was the most beautiful place in the world - prettier than Capri or Les Baux and that I definitely need to go there - that's all I know !

I had never even heard of it before a cruise stopover there in 1998. It was very touristy, but also one of the most beautiful places that I've ever seen. It was my first and last cruise, because I prefer independent travel, primarily in Asia. I looked at booking an apartment there this year before deciding to stay on the Amalfi Coast, but it was tempting. Enjoy!!

If you do a google search of Taormina you will find pictures and information galore.

It is not easy to get to.

ekscrunchy,

I was there in early April and it was already crowded. I think the cruise ships just pour people in there year-round.

I think the optimum time to go to Sicily in the last two weeks in May.

Oooops! I actually meant to type that the best time to go is the last two weeks in APRIL.

Its a beautiful place but unfortunately crawling with tourists (cruise ship stops and regular types).If you want to visit Sicily, then spend a day or two there but get out into the "real Sicily" without all the tacky tourist hotels and shops-ie. Siracusa(Ortigia),Trapani, Segesta,etc.

We went to Taormina for 3 nights,18 months ago. It was beautiful and yes lots of tourists,but no different to other parts of Sicily. We stayed at pensione svizzera,great view.Taormina is worth going to if you are going around Sicily. It is different than Capri,you cant compare the two.

Well it's in every single guide book to Sicily so I don't underdstand why you can't find infornation on it. I agree with the others who say it's very beautiful, but also very heavily touristed (for Sicily). I am very glad I went there, if I had to pick the most beautiful place in Sicily then Taormina would be it - but I'm also very glad I saw a lot of the rest of Sicily. Definitly do not agree with the statement that it's just like the rest of Sicily because I don't think it is. I agree with everything dutyfree said except I don't think the hotels and shops were tacky - there were certainly ALOT of them, but they weren't tacky in my opinion. We stayed at a great place (Villa Greta) which was quite economical but not at all tacky, the there were tons of more upscale hotels.

Can't understand the comment about it being hard to get to - it was easier than most places in Sicily. How come there are soooo many tourists there if it's hard to get to.

Here are some photos of Taormina, the first one is the view from our hotel room:
www.pbase.com/annforcier/image/47922974
www.pbase.com/annforcier/image/47922999

isabel,

Perhaps if you take a cruise it is easy to get to Sicily, but otherwise there are no direct flights from the US to southern Sicily (and even direct flights to Palermo are hard to come by). You have to fly to a major Italian City first, and then catch a flight to either Palermo or Catania, or take a very long train ride or else a ferry that only operates in summer months.

Once inside Sicily, transportation options without a car are not great. In contrast with most Italian vacations, where you can take direct flights to Venice, Firenze, Roma or Napoli, or make easy train/bus/ferry connections to the Cinque Terre or the Amalfi or Capri, Taormina is not as easy to include in a travel itinerary for an American tourist as most of the rest of Italy, unless they are on a package tour.

I should add that I believe it is possible to fly to Palermo via London and perhaps other major European cities. I don't think it is possible to fly to Catania, which is the closest airport to Taormina in Sicily.

nessundorma - we flew from NY to Palermo with just a quick change in Rome. Very easy. As far as I know you can't fly non-stop to Florence or Naples from the US so it's no different from those cities or many other destinations. It certainly isn't complicated. We did rent a car, which is clearly the "best" way to get around Sicily as public transportation is not that great. But what I was talking about is that it's certainly as easy to get to Taormia as say Siracuse, and for that matter most "secondary" towns/cities in Europe. Obviously not quite as easy as London, Paris or Rome but hardly difficult.

You can fly to Catania directly and cheaply from numerous European cities, including London:
http://tinyurl.com/osdzk

Thanks ISABEL - the pictures were wonderful !! I'll do more research but I'm sure it's on my list of must sees !

Sure. Taormina's as easy to get to as Siracusa.

Taormina is a very beautiful place, but it has been a "tourist town" for CENTURIES, so is always either crowded or very very crowded with tourists. Like most of Sicily, it has many layers of history from the various cultures that have occupied it. It's geographic setting is beautiful. From the Greco-Roman theater has a spectacular view of Mt. Etna.

It's hard to imagine not being able to find information about Taormina. There's so much written about it. Where did you look.

Isabel -- beautiful photos. I started looking at your other galleries too but am saving the rest for another day.

I agree, those photographs are absolutely beautiful. You have captured the warmth of Taormina, which I loved. I visited in an October and it wasn't very crowded, just mostly during the Passiagiata with the locals. To me it is a beautiful, vibrant city and I would return in a flash. I stayed at San Dominico Palace which was lovely, our room had a domed ceiling, french doors to a veranda, beautiful views, etc. I would recommend it.

Isabel-I meant to say that there are alot of tourist shops and hotels that cater to the hordes of bus/tour crowds that descend on the town.My husband and I were there last April and we had unbelievable problems just walking through the main streets and down to the beach due to the massive crowds in the town.When the cruise ship landed on one of our days there,it was impossible to take any pictures of the theatre without 10 people in the picture. Whereas it is a beautiful town-I cannot even begin to think how horrible it would be to be there in the summer months.One of the wonderful things about Sicily is that it has not been taken over YET by the throngs of American tourists that you see in Tuscany and other popular parts of Italy.

You can fly DIRECT from JFK to Palermo on EUROFLY airlines...we did!