About this tour
A 5–6 hour private tour from Messina combining coastal scenery and historic Sicilian architecture. You'll visit Isola Bella, take an optional boat excursion to the Blue Grotto, then explore Taormina's winding medieval lanes lined with artisan shops and ceramics studios. Your driver doubles as guide, commentary included, and can arrange lunch at a local trattoria. Two hours of driving brackets the experience, leaving you three to four hours on the ground to dawdle and shop.
Highlights
- Isola Bella: sheltered cove with turquoise shallows
- Optional Blue Grotto boat ride from the island
- Taormina's ancient Greek-Roman street grid
- Local ceramics and boutique shopping
- Driver arranges lunch at family-run restaurants
What to expect
You'll be collected and driven roughly an hour to Isola Bella, where you decide whether to board a boat for the Blue Grotto or simply swim and sunbathe. Then it's on to Taormina's steep, narrow alleyways where tourism and living locals coexist. Expect to stop, browse, climb small steps, and pause for views down to the Ionian Sea. Shops push ceramics and linen; your driver can reserve a table nearby if hunger strikes. The return drive takes a further hour.
Good to know
Round-trip transport accounts for roughly two hours. Minimum five travellers, maximum twenty. Bring comfortable shoes for Taormina's cobbles and steps. Boat rides and meals are optional and cost extra. Bottled water supplied. Infants welcome with prams; car seats available.
Tour sold and operated by Viator via Viator. Descriptions on this page are original BugBitten summaries written by our team — not copied from the operator. Prices and availability are confirmed at checkout.