10 best things to do in Taormina
Taormina is one of my favourite cities in Sicily. It is actually known as the most luxurious place to go on the whole island. The city itself is built on a cliff overlooking the Ionian Sea and it is also very close to Mount Etna. Because it is so popular, there are lots and lots of things to do in Taormina.
I have been here twice already and I also have family in Italy, so they have recommended quite a few hidden places in the town. So if you are looking at what to see in Taormina, I hope you enjoy this guide.
There are many things to do in Taormina, here are the top ones:
1. Museo Siciliano di Arte e Tradizioni Popolari
So I will start off with a bit of history. There is the Museo Siciliano di Arte e Tradizioni Popolari. This is a small museum in an old church on the west side of the Corso Umberto, just up the hill. From here you will see lots of rooms that have objects from the 17th and 20th centuries.
You also find a lot of embroidery, sculptures, and portraits. It is quite a cool little thing to do if you have a bit of time in Taormina. Best of all, last time I checked, it actually has free entry, so well worth a visit.
They are open from Tuesday to Friday in the morning and in the evening until 7pm. I would go just before breakfast, just after lunch, or in the evening if you are walking around the quarter.
2. Greek Theatre of Taormina
Next up is the Greek Theatre of Taormina. This was an ancient theatre built in the 3rd century. It was made for performances and musicals. However, during Roman times, it was used for gladiator battles and games. Now the theatre is no longer used for those kinds of things, but it is used for the annual arts festival, and it fits around 10,000 people.
When I went there was a huge line and I had to wait about 45 minutes to get in, so I would advise going in the morning and booking a ticket in advance. What I loved was the history, but it just looks fantastic. You get a view of the ocean, also of Mount Etna, and you can walk around.
I would recommend getting a guide or taking the audio tour because there is not much explaining there. The tickets last time I checked were €14 and this is probably at the top of my list for the best things to do in Taormina.
3. Take the Cable Car down to the Isola Bella
Next up is the cable car down to Isola bella. Isola bella is a small island at the bottom of Taormina and it is known for the scenes of the White Lotus. The cable car takes you from the Taormina centre to the bottom. When I went, the ticket was about €3 and it was one of my favourite things to do because the views going down are just incredible.
It takes about 10 minutes and it also saves your legs, so you can go and walk down to Isola bella and down to the beach. However, walking takes about half an hour, so if you are with people who cannot walk so well, you will want to take the cable car up and down.
A little bit more on Isola bella. It used to be part of a private property that was gifted to the town by King Ferdinand I. Then it was bought by Florence Trevelyan in 1890. Eventually they went bankrupt and the region of Sicily won it at auction, which is pretty cool.
Now it has been turned into a nature reserve. You can see all the people walking over or sunbathing around there in my pictures below.
Quick tip: there is a bar at the bottom of the cable car. I remember having a few limoncello shots, bumping into friends and having such a good time.
4. Mount Etna a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Next up is Mount Etna. I love going here. I have been up to Mount Etna twice now, and it is one of my favourite things to do near Taormina. What I love is that it is different every time. It has quite a few eruptions, and every time I have been there, it has had an eruption, and it grows.
To get there, it is about an hour away from Catania or from Taormina. You can take the cable car up to 2,500 metres, which is awesome. One thing to note is that the cable car costs about €50, and then a local tour which is what I took, was €78. These prices may have changed.
What I did was get a tour from the hotel, which paid for everything, including transportation. However, you do not have to do it that way. Some of my friends actually took a car. But the scenery, the pictures do not even do it justice. It is just absolutely incredible being on a volcano with the excitement that it might actually erupt.
Climbing Mt Etna was one of the best things to do in Taormina because of the history, views and also meeting my best friend who came running down the volcano to see me.
5. Visit the Cathedral of Taormina
Now going to something a little bit less dangerous, the Cathedral of Taormina. This is in the Piazza Duomo. It is a Roman Gothic building and it was built in the 13th century and it looks a little bit more like a fortress.
Last time I was there it was free to enter. What I loved is you will often see quite a lot of weddings. A lot of people get married here because it is just a beautiful view outside the cathedral and also inside. It is quite large inside, and there are quite a few paintings in there.
When I was going up and down the Corso Umberto, I saw quite a few weddings on my trip. Very close to the cathedral, I also saw this Sicilian-style car that was for the wedding, which I thought was awesome for them to drive around in after. You will see these cars around Taormina.
6. Secret viewpoints and what to see in Taormina
One of my other favourite things is checking out the views, so I am going to tell you about some secret viewpoints. If you go to the east of Taormina going towards the cable car on Via Luigi Pirandello, if you like walking do this.
If you keep walking all the way down there is a ledge called Belvedere di Pirandello. You can get some of the most incredible pictures of the ocean and Taormina. As you can see in my pictures below you have Isola bella to the left and then the ocean. The first picture is just absolutely incredible. You can just sit there, have some snacks, and relax. One of my favourite things if you are thinking about what to do in Taormina.
Adress: Via Luigi Pirandello, 83-85, 98039 Taormina ME, Italy
Just slightly to the left is the actual walk and the stairs down to the beach. It is a really nice walk in the morning. Also there are prickly pears if, an italian fruit to try going down.
It gets really hot during the day, especially during summer, so I would recommend doing this walk early in the morning. If you are going back up I would take the cable car or walk up early so you avoid the sun, or wear a hat. I also have another viewpoint a bit below in this blog.
7. Eat at Taormina’s restaurants
Next up is eating. Taormina has some of the best restaurants in Sicily and because it is based on the coast you get a lot of seafood, but they also have a lot of upscale restaurants as well.
I have a whole blog on the best restaurants in Taormina, but I will mention Trattoria Da Nino. This was actually on the way down from that walk I mentioned above. I did the walk many times but once was at lunchtime and we went for lunch after coming up from the walk and it was absolutely delicious.
Also in Taormina, you can get quite a lot of cannolis, so make sure to check out my guide because it is one of the awesome things to do in Taormina.
8. Taormina’s beaches.
Next up are the beaches. There are a couple of beaches. There is Spiaggia di Isola bella, which is where I spent most of my time. What I loved about it was that it is a very protected beach. It is a pebbly beach and you need pebble shoes if you want to go here because it is pebbly and you do not want to cut yourself. I have done that before.
You will see people just bringing their towels and sitting on the rocks. It can get quite busy on the rocks so make sure to go early if you are going down to the beach. But the ocean is just beautiful inside and there is a very light current.
My friends and I just relaxed there. Also, if you have snorkel gear, you can go snorkelling here. Isolabella Beach is awesome. You can also check out our guide on the best beaches in Sicily if you want more options around the island.
You have also got Spiaggia di Mazzarò, which is just north of Isolabella beach. Again this one is a lot more pebbly as well but it is just another location to go. If you are staying at one of the hotels in Taormina, some of them have private beach spaces there so you can grab a lounger.
Because it is a lot larger it is easier to find a spot there. I personally liked being with the people, enjoying the view of Isola bella and all the diving. So I enjoyed the Isola bella beach.
Mazzaro beach address: 98039 Mazzaro' Metropolitan City of Messina, Italy
Isola Bella beach address: Isola Bella, Via Nazionale, 109, 98039 Taormina ME, Italy
9. Chiesa Madonna della Rocca
Next up, if you are wondering what else to see in Taormina and you like walking, there is the Chiesa Madonna della Rocca. This is on the northwest part of town and it involves a lot of walking. I would probably do this one in the morning. This is a church carved into the rock on the mountain that was built in the 11th century.
Just be warned, you do have to climb 120 metres with about 500 steps. The view is incredible, and I would also recommend going in the evening during sunset because of the views you get from the top of Taormina. It is infused into the rock, so it is really interesting and a cool thing to do in Taormina.
10. Corso Umberto
Am I saving the best to last? I am not sure, but this was an incredibly cool thing to do in Taormina and that is walk along the Corso Umberto.
This is the main strip of Taormina, and I must have walked it probably about 50 times because I was seeing friends and going to all the bars and restaurants when I was there. What I really loved was the atmosphere.
It is incredible during the summer. So if you do not like crowds I would probably avoid it during the summer or go early in the morning. It did not actually get crowded until about 11, 12 o'clock. So I would advise going in the morning if you do not like crowds, but in the evening, it is so amazing to go through.
One of the hotels in Taormina that we stayed at was right in the centre. The street was quite pebbly and we actually destroyed our suitcase there, which is actually quite funny looking back at it. You can see in the picture below the view we had, and it was really quite nice. In the evening, there are some really cool viewpoints, and you can see the sunset.
Shopping in Taormina
What I really loved was the shopping in Taormina. Taormina has a lot of high-end shops like Louis Vuitton but also lots of other boutique shops. I spent quite a lot of money in Taormina.
What I remember most was these handmade shoes when I was walking through the Corso Umberto. I should have bought them. I have never seen such nice handmade shoes. So next time I come back to Taormina this will be first on my list of things to do in Taormina, to go back to that handmade shoe shop.
I will put the address here in case you want to go and check them out. But if you think it is a little bit expensive, who cares? Just do it anyway if you are on holiday. They dont have a website but here is the address: Corso Umberto, 226, 98039 Taormina ME, Italy
2nd viewpoint
Getting back to that viewpoint, which is really nice, it is right opposite the Chiesa di San Giuseppe. This is another church where you will see a lot of weddings and a lot of Sicilian dancing after the wedding as well. But the viewpoint is just absolutely fantastic. So make sure you move out of the way when the bride and groom take their pictures because they probably paid a lot to get married there.
Was it the best thing to do in Taormina? I am not sure because there was just so much to see in Taormina, but it is definitely up there. Walking up the Corso Umberto, running into friends and family and just chatting. It will probably take you between one and two hours to walk up there because you will just want to check out all the shops.
I hope you enjoyed my guide on the best things to do in Taormina. If you have been to Taormina yourself and you have seen or done other things, please let me know so I can share this with our readers. Drop a comment in the box below.
Best things to do in Taormina FAQ's
What to do in Taormina in one day
To be honest, it is difficult because there are so many things to do. I would say if you have time, head over to the beach for a couple of hours at least in the morning. Take the walk down from the town, go check out that viewpoint I talked about earlier, and go to the beach.
Then at lunchtime, go for lunch and take the cable car up because you have got to get those views. Visit the Cathedral of Taormina, check out the views, and try to get to the Greek Theatre of Taormina in the afternoon. Then walk through the Corso Umberto.
That would be my recommendation. It really depends on whether you are staying at the bottom near Isolabella or up at the top.
Things to do in Taormina at night
In terms of things to do in Taormina at night it would definitely be walking through the Corso Umberto. If you can get there in time go check out the theatre. But just enjoy the vibe on the Corso and go to that lookout I talked about and enjoy a nice meal.
Things to do in Taormina with kids
In terms of things to do in Taormina with kids, I would definitely say go to the beach. Go to the Isola Bella beach, but make sure everyone is wearing pebble shoes because you do not want them to get hurt.
You can take kids to the Greek Theatre, if you have young kids with a pram, it is not very pram-friendly at the Greek Theatre. You could also go to Mount Etna. I actually visited Mount Etna as a child and I still remember it, so that was a really cool thing to do with the kids in Taormina. Then check out the views and take some nice pictures.
Free things to do in Taormina
In terms of free things to do in Taormina, walking the Corso Umberto is free if you do not get tempted into spending all your money at the boutique shops.
There is the Chiesa Madonna della Rocca if you feel like a walk, but this will puff you out if you are not into walking uphill. The Cathedral of Taormina is free to enter, just make sure not to go in when there is a wedding happening, because that happens quite often and you do not want to interrupt someone's vows.
You can go check out the Museo Siciliano di Arte e Tradizioni Popolari, which is free, last time I checked. Heading over to the beaches in Sicily and specifically Taormina's beaches is also free, but if you do want a lounger, there will be a cost. We stayed at a hotel where this was included free of charge, which saved us a few euros.