Travel tips Taormina – Sights in Sicily

I arrived in Taormina a little frozen. That same morning I had been up on Mount Etna, wrapped against those frosty temperatures at altitude, and the day before I had been exploring Catania, so by the time our shuttle turned towards the coast and I sat down to a long lunch with the sea glittering below me, I was more than ready for sunshine. I had seen photos of this town beforehand and quietly hoped they would live up to themselves. They did, and then some.

Getting into Taormina is a small adventure in itself. The shuttle could not drive up into the old town, so we parked in the multi-storey car park at the edge of it and took a lift all the way up to the seventh floor, which opens straight out onto the edge of the historic centre. It reminded me of the funny little people-mover I once rode in Serfaus. One moment you are in a concrete car park, the next you step out into a bright, tidy, impossibly pretty hill town of around eleven thousand people. My first word for Taormina was klein, gemütlich, niedlich — small, cosy, downright cute.

The ancient theatre and that view to Etna

If you only have time for one thing in Taormina, make it the Teatro Antico, the Greek theatre that clings to the hillside above the town. It is the image everyone has of Sicily and it earns every bit of the hype. You climb up through the old stone tiers, turn around, and the whole stage frames the Bay of Naxos below with the snow-dusted cone of Etna rising behind it. I had just come down from that volcano, so standing here and seeing it from a distance, glowing in the afternoon light, felt like the two halves of my trip clicking together.

What I love is that this is not a dead monument. In summer the theatre comes alive with the Taormina Film Festival — locals will tell you it is second only to Venice — and with open-air concerts under the stars. Artists like Elton John and James Blunt have played here, and I can only imagine what it must be to hear live music with Etna as your backdrop. I came in the quiet low season, with hardly a tourist in sight, which has its own magic: you get the tiers almost to yourself and can sit a while, undisturbed, taking it all in.

Strolling the Corso Umberto

Taormina is made for wandering, and the spine of all that wandering is the Corso Umberto, the pedestrian street that runs the length of the old town from gate to gate. The first thing that surprised me was the ground underfoot: not the ankle-twisting cobbles I had braced myself for, but smooth tiled squares and paving. Apart from a few gentle slopes, I happily walked the whole thing in heels — not something I can say about every Italian hill town.

The Corso is a proper parade of elegant boutiques — I spotted Armani among the fashion names — interspersed with little piazzas that open suddenly to the sea. The grandest of these is Piazza IX Aprile, with its black-and-white chequered floor and a terrace that looks straight out over the water; it is the classic spot to pause for a coffee and watch the town go by. And the gelato. There seems to be an ice-cream shop on nearly every corner, which as far as I am concerned is exactly how a town should be organised. Do as the Sicilians do and try a granita with a soft brioche in the morning — it is practically breakfast here.

What struck me most was how clean and cared-for everything felt. The streets are swept, the façades are painted in warm, bright colours, and even in low season the place had a composed, confident air. This is a town used to welcoming discerning travellers, and it shows.

The public gardens

When the lanes start to feel busy, the Villa Comunale — Taormina’s public gardens, also known as the Parco Duca di Cesarò — is the loveliest place to catch your breath. It is a terraced ribbon of green laid out along the hillside, full of flowering shrubs, shaded benches and quirky little brick follies built by the English aristocrat who created it. The real draw is the view: you look out over the coastline and the sea far below, with Etna off to the side. I would happily have spent an hour here with a book. If you are travelling with children or simply want somewhere peaceful to sit after all that strolling, this is it.

Isola Bella and the cable car

Taormina sits high on its ridge, but the sea is right there below you, and the easiest way down is the cable car that drops from the edge of town to the shore in just a few minutes. It saves your legs an awful lot of climbing and the ride itself gives you a sweeping view of the bay.

At the bottom you reach Isola Bella, the tiny island nature reserve joined to the mainland by a thin spit of pebbles that appears and disappears with the tide. It is one of the prettiest corners of the whole coast — a jumble of greenery and rock sitting in startlingly clear water. The beaches here are pebbly rather than sandy, so pack suitable shoes, but the swimming and the setting more than make up for it. Even if you do not fancy the water, it is worth going down just to look back up at Taormina from sea level.

Day trips: Castelmola and Etna

Taormina makes a wonderful base, and two excursions stand out. The first is Castelmola, the even tinier village perched on the summit directly above the town. From up there the panorama over Taormina, the coast and Etna is, if anything, more dramatic than from the town itself, and the little square at the top is a charming place to pause.

The second is Etna, which I did the other way round — I climbed the volcano in the morning and arrived in Taormina afterwards. Whichever order you choose, do both. Up on Etna the air is cold and the landscape turns to black lava fields and steaming vents; down in Taormina you are back among lemon trees and sea breezes within the hour. Seeing Sicily’s great volcano up close and then watching it glow on the horizon from the theatre is the kind of contrast that stays with you.

Where to stay: the Grandhotel Timeo

Taormina is unapologetically a town for travellers who like a little luxury — five-star and four-star hotels abound. The name everyone mentions is the Grandhotel Timeo, which is connected to the ancient theatre by its own private passage and scores comfortably above 9.5 out of 10 on the hotel portals. I have my eye on it for a fuller feature of its own. For the kind of slow, pampered days Taormina invites, I kept thinking of how relaxed I had felt at places like the Four Seasons in Milan — this is a town that rewards taking it easy.

Practical tips for visiting Taormina

A few things I wish I had known, and some I was glad I did:

• Arrival: cars and shuttles cannot enter the historic centre. Park in the multi-storey car park on the edge of town and take the lift up into the old town — it drops you right at the entrance.
• On foot: the centre is entirely walkable and the paving is smooth, so even heels are fine on the flat stretches. Save serious footwear for the pebble beach and the climb up to the theatre.
• When to go: I visited in the low season and loved having the place so quiet. July is a different animal — the film festival turns Taormina into a jet-set hub, so expect crowds, buzz and higher prices if you come then.
• Down to the sea: take the cable car rather than walking; it is quick and the view is worth it.
• Combine it: pair Taormina with an Etna excursion and, if you have longer, a swing through the rest of the island.

Taormina crept up on me. By the end of the day I was already planning outfits for photos in its sunlit streets and thinking, quite sincerely, ich komme wirklich gerne zurück — I would truly love to come back. If you are putting a Sicily trip together, I have written up more of the island too: my wander through Syracuse and Noto, a day on Lipari in the Aeolian Islands, and my full Sicily top ten to help you plan the rest.

Frequently asked questions

How do you get into Taormina’s old town by car?

You cannot drive right into the historic centre. The usual approach is to leave your car or shuttle in the multi-storey car park at the edge of town and take the lift up — it opens directly onto the entrance to the old town, so you step out of the car park and straight into the lanes.

Can you walk around Taormina in heels?

For the most part, yes. I was pleasantly surprised to find smooth tiled paving rather than rough cobbles along the Corso Umberto, so apart from a few gentle slopes and the climb up to the theatre, the centre is comfortable in heels. Keep sturdier shoes for the pebble beach at Isola Bella.

What is the Teatro Antico in Taormina?

It is the ancient Greek theatre set into the hillside above the town, and Taormina’s signature sight. You look out over the Bay of Naxos with Mount Etna behind the stage. In summer it hosts the Taormina Film Festival and open-air concerts — performers such as Elton John and James Blunt have appeared here.

How do you get down to Isola Bella and the beach?

The easiest way is the cable car, which runs from the edge of town down to the shore in just a few minutes and saves a long walk. At the bottom you reach Isola Bella, a small island nature reserve linked to a pebble beach — bring water shoes, as it is not sandy.

When is the best time to visit Taormina?

It depends on what you want. I came in the low season and had the town almost to myself, which was blissfully quiet. July brings the film festival and a glamorous, lively atmosphere, but also the biggest crowds. Spring and autumn are a good middle ground of warm weather and manageable numbers.