Making the most of Giardini Naxos
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Ships anchor in Giardini Bay, then tender passengers to the dock; Taormina is about 20 minutes away.
Giardini Naxos has wonderful beaches and many water-sports operators beside the dock offering scuba and snorkeling trips. The beachfront is lined with restaurants, bars, gelaterias and cafes.
Taormina, set enticingly on the northern hillside, is the natural choice from Giardini-Naxos. It is walkable, but many stairways do not suit everyone; the service departs from Recanati bus station and costs €1, or €2.50 return. A further bus climbs from Taormina to worthwhile Castelmola. Below, beautiful Isolabella is a small island usually joined to the coast by a beach strip, depending on the tide.
Ships often provide shuttles, either free or for a charge.
Taxis wait by the dock and usually charge about 30 euros each way for six people; they are often quicker and easier. Agree the fare before entering the cab.
The Taormina–Giardini Train Station, which serves both towns, is on the seafront 1 mile south downhill from the town centre.
Bring a printable map along.
Taormina offers beautiful views over Giardini Naxos bay and Mt. Etna, the Greek Amphitheater and Corso Umberto.
On Sicily’s east coast, Taormina is a charming hillside town and a principal island resort. It can be hot, busy and crowded with Italian tourists in July and August, but is more pleasant and slightly quieter for the rest of the year. It is a place for shopping, strolling and people-watching.
Cruise ships tender at Giardini Naxos, where many package tourists stay in the nearby beach resorts on the coastline 3 km south of Taormina.
Teatro Greco is an impressive open-air, mainly Roman(!), theatre with sweeping coastal and Mount Etna views. Also see the Torre dell’Orogio clock tower.
Getting around
Many agencies run Mount Etna day trips. You cannot walk all the way to the top without a guide, and possibly not even then depending on eruptive activity, though the lava flows are impressive. At over 3000m, it can be cold in summer, and the summit is frequently cloud-covered, so wear warm clothing.
Food and shopping
Souvenir shops are plentiful. They generally open 9:00am – 1:00pm and 4:00pm – 8:00pm Monday through Saturday, with many closed on Monday morning. Corso Umberto is Taormina’s main shopping street; popular handicrafts include embroidery, ceramics, wrought-iron and jewelry, notably coral and obsidian, a black volcanic glass. Most tourist orientated stores take major credit cards.
Limoncello, a sweet lemon alcoholic drink served chilled after a meal, is refreshing and widely sold.
Money
Currency: Euro.
Staying connected
Italian is the language.
Emergency number: 112.
Opening Hours and
Opening Hours and Holidays: Italian shops and businesses normally open Monday to Saturday around 8am to 1pm, then about 4pm to 7pm. Many close Saturday afternoons and Monday mornings, and southern days may start and finish an hour later.
Some northern businesses use a 9am-5pm schedule to help international dealings. Traditionally, all but bars and restaurants close Sunday, although most towns have a morning pasticceria and Sunday opening is increasingly common in major cities and tourist areas.
Italian holidays include New Year’s Day on January 1 and Epiphany on January 6; Pasquetta (Easter Monday); Liberation Day on April 25; Labour Day on May 1; Ferragosto, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on August 15; Ognissanti (All Souls Day) on November 1; Immaccolata, the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on December 8; and Natale (Christmas) on December 25.