Coach & Minibus Hire in Italy

Taormina, Etna and the Ionian Coast by Minibus

Taormina sits high above the sea with Etna on the skyline, and getting a small group up there calmly is half the pleasure. The town keeps buses outside its centre, so the day turns on knowing where the vehicle parks and how the shuttle links it to the Corso.

Parking at Lumbi or Porta Pasquale

Tourist buses may not enter or stop in the limited-traffic zone of the old town. Under a town council decision of July 2023 they use the municipal parks instead: Lumbi, on the town's north side, has roughly 40 bus bays and never closes, and Porta Pasquale is the other. Porta Catania, to the south, takes only brief stops.

From Lumbi, a shuttle leaves about every quarter of an hour for Piazza San Pancrazio, by Porta Messina at the head of Corso Umberto. Build the shuttle into your pick-up times, especially before an evening concert or a dinner booking.

Sprinter minibus cabin
Sprinter minibus cabin

A day in town

Corso Umberto runs on foot from Porta Messina to Porta Catania, with the belvedere of Piazza IX Aprile halfway along. The Teatro Antico looks across to Etna and the sea and hosts concerts in summer. Below the town, a cable car drops to Mazzarò for the walk to Isola Bella, and the hill village of Castelmola is about ten minutes up the road.

The road up twists through hairpins, so the route to the parks is planned around the vehicle's size.

Flying in to Taormina

Stops worth making in Taormina

  • Gole dell'Alcantara — Basalt river gorge in the Alcantara valley
  • Mount Etna — Active volcano; coaches reach the Rifugio Sapienza (south side) and Piano Provenzana (north side); higher up, access depends on volcanic activity
  • Castelmola — Hill village above Taormina
  • Isola Bella — Small island nature reserve in the bay below the town, reached by the cable car to Mazzarò and a walk
  • Corso Umberto and Piazza IX Aprile — Pedestrian main street from Porta Messina to Porta Catania, with the belvedere square
  • Teatro Antico di Taormina — Greek-Roman theatre with views of Etna and the sea; also a summer venue for concerts and the film festival

Easy pickup points

  • Castelmola
  • Letojanni
  • Giardini Naxos
  • Mazzarò and Isola Bella (below the town)
  • Taormina town (Corso Umberto)

Etna from the south or the north

On the south side, the road climbs above Nicolosi to the Rifugio Sapienza, where the Etna cable car starts, about 1 h 20 min from Taormina. Piano Provenzana, high over Linguaglossa on the north slope, takes about 1 h 10 min. Further up, how far visitors may go is decided by mayoral ordinances and civil protection, and it shifts as the volcano does; beyond certain altitudes, only authorised volcanological or alpine guides may take people.

Pack warm layers and proper shoes even in August: it is a different climate up there.

Gorges, villages and the south-east

The Alcantara gorge and the village of Savoca are each about 35 minutes away. Siracusa and Ortigia take about 1 h 55 min, and baroque Noto about 2 h 15 min, so pair them as one long day or split them across two.

What travellers ask us

Which airport do we fly into?

Catania. From there it is around 65 km to Piazza IX Aprile, mostly along the A18 motorway, so plan on about 1 h 10 min.

Is there a station near Taormina?

Taormina-Giardini is on the coast below the town, on the Messina to Catania line. Giardini Naxos, with many hotels, is about 15 minutes by road from the centre.

Can we walk to the summit craters of Etna?

Not freely. The upper slopes open and close with volcanic activity, and past certain heights a group needs authorised guides. Ask about guided options when you plan the day.

More trips we arrange

Other vehicles with a driver