Etna and Taormina Tour from Messina

This tour was great. Walked around the Mt. Etna area and saw the flows and devastation. Lots of time in Taormina for sighting, food and shopping.

Our driver/guide Antonella was so kind, knowledgable and articulate. We learned so much on this excursion. She shared info not only on Mt. Etna, but of Sicily, the food, the culture and life around the volcano. There's a quick bathroom stop enroute and enough time on the Mt. to explore. In the gift shop they provide a sampling of various honeys and liquors. This was definitely a 5 star experience!

Mt. Etna’s volcanic lava flows are impressive and worth seeing. Unfortunately, we walked for only 20 minutes on the trail over the lava flows before our guide decided that we should go back. When we got back to the trailhead, we visited a shop that offered samples of pesto sauces, honey, and liqueurs. That plus time to walk around added up to 30 minutes, which was longer than we spent walking on the side of Mt. Etna. Then we went to Taormina, where we had two hours to walk on our own along a street with churches, historic sites, and many, many tourist shops and restaurants. Every town we have been to on our cruise has had a tourist shopping section like it. We were hoping to see more of the volcano, since that was what attracted us to this excursion in the first place.

We had a wonderful experience with Carmelo and Giovanni. I was expecting a rudimentary experience with the usual facts and figures about an active volcano. However, to my great pleasure we were treated to an experience that was anything but “rudimentary.” It was intimate and personal. Giovanni provided a smooth and comfortable ride up and down the mountain for which we are very grateful. Carmelo delivered the details of his local and personal love affair with Mt Etna. His passion was rivaled only by his knowledge of that fascinating earthly treasure. After listening to and enjoying his every word for a couple hours, I was astonished to learn that he DID NOT have a Doctoral Degree in Geology or Seismology!! I would have bet the house. His friendly and engaging manner only served as the “cherry on top” of this rare treat of an adventure. I highly recommend this tour but NOT without these two fine men as your leaders. Bravu assai!

Antonella was an excellent guide. You could tell that Sicily was very special to her. She used time on the bus to give us a lot of interesting information. Mt. Etna was the highlight of the tour. She explained a lot about the eruptions and showed us an amazing video of last August’s eruption. We then went to Taormina to experience a different side of Sicily.

+2

Great tour with a fabulous guide Pepe and driver Rosie. Very easy pick up from our cruise ship and we were returned in plenty of time so no stress! The guide gave us lots of interesting information and facts about Etna and Sicily in general. We were also given tips of where to get the best traditional food in Taormina. The tour was a good balance of guides at Etna and free time in Taormina.

+1

Would have liked a little more time in the towns.

Excellent group tour to Mt. Etna and Taormina. Sicily is such a beautiful place and Carmelo, our tour guide, was phenomenal. He is super knowledgeable of the area and made it educational but fun! I highly recommend this company. Especially loved the recommendation he gave us for the coolest bakery in Taormina for the best cannoli.

We loved this tour. Carmelo was knowledgeable and fun. He kept is moving, provided insights and gave us a few unexpected surprises to enhance thr trip. We had sufficient time at Mt Etna and in Taormina. We had a great time a d highly recommend this trip.

This was an excellent tour, if you are coming to Messina on a cruise trip, it was very easy. The guides are there waiting for you at the port entrance with your names on a board, before they guide you to your bus. We did the Etna and Taorimina tour, Antoaella was fantastic, she was very knowledgeable about the area we visited and very accommodating to our needs. Giuseppe was a great driver, driving us safely up the mountain roads to mount Etna. Here we learnt a bit about the past volcanic eruptions and also got the chance to taste some Sicilian delicacies and try some very strong liquor! We had 2 hours 15 mins in Taorimina to explore, we went to the Greek amphitheater and there was still time for a wander down the streets and a pizza and wine stop. All in all a great day, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Discover Messina if I was visiting here.