TAORMINA, SICILY TRAVEL GUIDE

I have been dreaming of visiting Sicily, and I’m so glad we finally got to visit Taormina, Sicily, this summer. I absolutely fell in love with the charming town and can’t wait to go back to explore the rest of the island. Below is my travel guide to Taormina, featuring my favorite restaurants, things to do, and places to stay.

The best time to visit is May to September! We planned our trip relatively late, so many of the hotels were already sold out. We visited the first week of September, and it was perfect. The weather was in the 80s, and it was not overly crowded to me. We spent 4 nights in Taormina, and I could have easily stayed one more night! Taormina is super kid-friendly, and we were able to use the stroller when we were exploring the town, but I do recommend using a baby carrier when visiting sites and going down to the beach if you’re staying in town.

We spent four nights in Positano and flew from Naples to Catania Airport. It was an easy flight, about an hour. We had our hotel schedule a pick-up for us, and that was 150 euros. Since we only stayed in town, we did not need a car at all and did not use any taxis during the trip.

PLACES TO STAY IN TAORMINA

There are mainly two areas to stay in Taormina. Either in the main down or by the beaches. I really loved visiting the beaches, but loved staying in town, especially with a baby with us. It was really convenient and easy to just walk around the town for meals and shopping. Staying in Mazzaro by the beach, you will need to use the cable car to get to town, about a 15-minute ride. The hotels here are also absolutely beautiful and have their own private beaches, which can be worth it.

HOTELS IN TOWN

PALAZZO VECCHIO

We stayed at Palazzo Vecchio for four nights and we loved it! It’s a boutique hotel located right in the center of town and just a 3-minute walk to the Four Seasons Hotel. The hotel has a gorgeous rooftop called the Blue Sky Bar, it has a beautiful view of Mount Etna, and I highly recommend going here for sunset. Each floor of the hotel has its own theme, and we were on the Moroccan floor. We were in the Sea View Deluxe Junior Suite room, and it was super spacious with a gorgeous view!

FOUR SEASONS SAN DOMENICO PALACE

The San Domenico Palace Four Seasons Hotel is iconic, and it is where White Lotus was filmed. It’s definitely a splurge, and I would love to experience this hotel one day. We went for lunch and wish we had reservations at their Michelin-starred restaurant too. Highly recommend at least visiting the property for lunch or dinner at one of their 3 restaurants.

GRAND HOTEL TIMEO

Another hotel I would love to experience is the Grand Hotel Timeo! This property is gorgeous, and I had the best meal here. Absolutely recommend making reservations for dinner at sunset. The property is one of two Belmond hotels in Taormina. This is located in the town and right next to the Greek Theatre ruins. They also offer free shuttles for guests to the private beach club of the other property, Villa San’Andrea.

HOTELS IN MAZZARO

VILLA SAN’ANDREA

Villa San’Andrea is the other Belmond property located right on the beach with Ionian Sea Views. It has a private beach club.

UNA HOTEL CAPOTAORMINA

UNA Hotel Capotaormina is where I would have stayed if we were to be by the beach! It has a gorgeous cliffside pool and cave beach club. This hotel was also featured in White Lotus.

ATLANTIS BAY

Atlantis Bay is built into a cliffside overlooking the Bay of Mermaids. It’s a waterfront hotel with 76 rooms and looks gorgeous!

THINGS TO DO IN TAORMINA

Isola Bella Beach is my favorite beach! Take the cable car down from town, and it’s a 10-15 minute walk. The water was incredible and calm. It was quite rocky, so I recommend water shoes. There is a public area and also a beach club area with beach chairs.

Lido La Pigna was an easy access right at the bottom of the cable car. The beach here is more sandy, and you will need to rent one of the beach chairs.

Vila Communale di Taormina is a gorgeous public garden. I highly recommend walking around here and don’t miss the views of Mount Etna. It’s especially gorgeous during golden hour.

The Ancient Greek Theatre was built in the third century BC! It’s not that big so you can see it within 15 minutes.

Corso Umberto is the main road in the center of town. It has all the shops and restaurants and a beautiful church.

Mount Etna Wineries or go hiking. We did not have time to do this since it takes an hour to get to the wineries, but we would love to do this next time we’re back.

TAORMINA RESTAURANTS

Timeo Restaurant was my favorite restaurant! The food and the view is absolutely beautiful. Highly recommend and make reservations in advance!

Blue Sky Bar for an amazing sunset with views of Mount Etna. Located inside the Palazzo Vecchio hotel.

Louis Vuitton Le Bar is also another rooftop worth visiting for sunset. The drinks and food were great!

Michelin Starred Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Principe Cerami or Anciovi their seafood restaurant. We dined at their Italian restaurant Rosso. It was quite small and it was located by the bar/piano area that you may have seen in White Lotus.

Wunderbar Caffe is a great spot with a nice view in the center of town. It looks quite touristy, but it was pretty good!

Bam Bam Bar for the granita and brioche! We tried the latte, Nutella, and strawberry; my favorite was the strawberry. I think it’s best to try the fruit-flavored granitas.

La Napoletana has such a cute outdoor seating area, and the pizza was great! I also heard Villa Zuccaro is great for pizza, too.

Dolce & Gabbana Bar is cute! I always love visiting designer store cafes, and this was a great spot for breakfast before heading to the beach.

Laboratorio Pasticceria Roberto had the most amazing cannoli! I don’t typically like cannoli, but this was made fresh, and the cream and bread were so good! You won’t see them on display since they make it fresh; you have to ask them! I also was recommended to try these, but we didn’t have a chance: Pasticceria Minotauro, and La Pignolata Guinness.

Rosticceria Da Cristina for the arancini! It’s also right next to Bam Bam Bar

Trattoria Tiramisu was recommended to me, and to order the Pennette di Mimmo. It was absolutely delicious! One of the best pastas I had in Italy!

Osteria da Rita is the top-rated restaurant in Taormina, and everyone says it’s worth the wait! We did not get to try it, as I heard the wait is usually 2 hours if you’re willing to wait!

I hope this post helps with planning your trip! I already want to go back and explore the entire island!