Sicilia Travel Forum

1st holiday in taormina
Posted: Sun September 16, 2007 01:49 PM UTC

me my wife and my little girl are traveling to taormina in th middle of may 2008, i would appreciate any feed back of what type of weather to expect and whether or not most things will be open, any information would be gratefully recieved.

lauramichael

1 reply

Visa debit
Posted: Sun September 16, 2007 01:42 PM UTC

Hi,
I have a visa debit card, is that useable in Sicily and are there many visa useable ATMs and where are they?
Thanks.

Superhans

2 replies

Is Taormina TOO touristy?
Posted: Sun September 16, 2007 12:23 PM UTC

Hello,

I wonder if someone with experience of Sicily can help me as I am a novice. In October we are spending a week in Puglia then driving down to Sicily and had planned to stay in a villa In Taormina as it looks beautiful in the pictures. We haven't paid for the villa yet though so we can still change our minds.

The more reviews I read about Taormina the more nervous I am. We don't want to feel like part of a herd of tourists getting ripped off at every transaction. Is it possible to have an authentic experience of Sicily in this place or would we be better off staying in a different area? Neither of us have been to Sicily before and we don't know anyone who has been there to ask advice from.

We would like somewhere quite lively and interesting but that doesn't feel like a theme park. Is Taormina the wrong place for us? We are flying out of Catania so would like to stay in the East.

Any advice VERY welcome! :)

Thanks.

celinelatrine

4 replies

November mini-trip
Posted: Fri September 14, 2007 06:55 PM UTC

We are planning three days (only!) in Taormina in early November. How is the weather the first week in November - warm enough to eat out at lunch time? We are new to Taormina - please provide the top things to do/see on a three day trip in or near Taormina. And where shall we eat outside with a view? Many thanks.

deekaybee

1 reply

Isola Stromboli

Current status of Stromboli activity
Posted: Thu September 13, 2007 10:07 PM UTC

Can anyone tell me the current status of the Strombolian activity at the moment. Is there daily eruptions and lava flowing to the sea currently?

jpt_tan

1 reply

Messina

Rental - Drop off in Messina or Taormina
Posted: Thu September 13, 2007 09:39 PM UTC

We will be three days in Taormina with a rental car before going to Messina to catch an overnight ferry to Salerno. We are wondering whether to drop off our rental car in Taormina and take a bus to Messina or drop off our rental car in Messina. Does anybody know if the rental drop-off is close to the port. Please let me know. Thanks.

RBIRDFL

4 replies

Palermo Visit-Pay for driving tour or not??
Posted: Sun September 9, 2007 06:35 PM UTC

Hi, We will be visiting Palermo in early Oct. by cruise ship. We will only be in port from 7am-5pm. We are trying to decide whether to be cheap and try to see the city on our own (as well as Monreale, Mt. Pellegrino)or to hire a driver. We were quoted $139 per person to see Cattedrale Di Palermo,Quattro Canti,Piazza della Vergogna,Catacome dei Cappucccini,Capella Palatina,Palazzo dei Normanni, lunch by the Mondello Sea,old Chiostro in Monreale, Mt.Pellegrino, and Santa Rosalia Church. My questions are #1. Is this a feasible itenerary? Can all this be done easily in one day or is the tour company being overly optimistic? #2. Is it worth the $139/person to do this? Would we be better off trying to find our way around ourselves?? We want to be able to see as much as possible so I am leaning towards hiring the driver but want others advice before I book it. Thanks so very much. Diane

dianedean

2 replies

Safety around the port
Posted: Sat September 8, 2007 03:31 PM UTC

We will be arriving in Palermo port mid Oct. at 6:30 AM from Naples.
Since we cannot drop our luggage, two rollaboards, until 9 am, we thought we would have a coffee and then walk the 20 minutes to our B&B.
Is this safe. The B&B is directly down Via Emerico Amari.

tbalfanz

4 replies

hostels
Posted: Fri September 7, 2007 05:04 PM UTC

Hi,
What are the hostels in Palermo like?? I've never stayed in a hostel and was wondering about price, privacy, location and if i neeed some kind of membership card....
Thanks.

Superhans

5 replies

Catania and Mtn Etna
Posted: Tue September 4, 2007 10:44 PM UTC

Hi,

I am planning to spend 3 days in Sicilia before travelling to Rome. I am from London. I will fly to Catania. I would like to visit at least one good beach and also make a trip to Etna - as far up as it is reasonably safe to go. Would appreciate any advice from Catanians. Also does anyone know of a reputable motorcycle hire outfit - I have only a UK motorcycle licence. Or would it be better to use local buses / trains?? Anyone want to be my guide?

All the best,
Baltic

baltic_2005

4 replies

Staying in Sicily for 2 nights
Posted: Mon September 3, 2007 08:22 AM UTC

I will be staying in Sicily for 2 night after visting rome and naples.
There so many places in sicily to see and stay at. Where do you recommend we stay and see for our short stay?

star1204

1 reply

Name of store on Corso Umberto
Posted: Sun September 2, 2007 10:37 PM UTC

Need the name of the porcelian (white) store on Corso Umberto that has the old metal cart carriage in front.

gbaumbach

1 reply

Messina to Taormina
Posted: Wed August 29, 2007 08:04 PM UTC

We are arriving in Messina by cruise ship on Oct. 29th from 8 AM to 6 PM. Our questions:
1. Is it possible to walk from the port to the nearest train or bus station?
2. Is it recommended that we try for both Taormina & Mt. Etna?
3. Is the cruise ships tour the best alternative to do both?
We would like to avoid the prohibitive pricing of the cruise ship tours it at all possible. Thanks to all for any information. [One of us speaks Italian]

ProfBob

6 replies

Catania

Closing Times
Posted: Tue August 28, 2007 10:18 PM UTC

What time do most shops in Via Etnea close?
How far is Via Etnea from the sheraton hotel??

Hugoleon

1 reply

Site to see in one day stop on a cruise ship
Posted: Sat August 25, 2007 04:14 AM UTC

Hi My husband, teenage son and I will be stopping in Palermo for one day in October on a RC cruise. I need to know what there is to see and how to get around the city of Palermo. Is the port right in the city or do we have to find a way to get from port to the city? What form of public transportation do they have and what is the going price?
Any help would be greatly appreciated

sammyk

2 replies

Catania

venice to catania
Posted: Fri August 24, 2007 03:56 AM UTC

my flight from venice to catania has been cancelled. other than driving, is there a train from venice to catania or some other form of travel?

HelenWillis

3 replies

Hop on Hop Off Bus
Posted: Wed August 22, 2007 03:56 PM UTC

I will be in Palermo for one day off of a cruise. Is the hop on hop off bus worth it or is Palermo easily toured on foot? Also is Monreale a don't misss sight? What is the best way to get there from the port? Thanks!

belocina1

1 reply

Ferries to Ustica
Posted: Sat August 18, 2007 07:51 PM UTC

Hi, I will be in Sicilia for 2 weeks in September and plan to spend a night in Ustica. I will have a hire car and wondered where I'll be able to park it safely at Palermo port. I have also read somewhere that there are ferries to Ustica from Terrasini which would be preferable if they exist. However I can't find any information on either the Siremar or Ustica Lines websites. Does anyone have any information plese?

Thanks in advance, Helen

helenjones

11 replies

Nudism In Golfo di Castellamare/Ragusa
Posted: Fri August 17, 2007 09:57 AM UTC

Hey,

I'll be in Sicily in September for two weeks and I love visiting nudist beaches. However, I have been told that they are not so common as in Spain. Are there any in the Golfo di Castellamare and Ragusa areas?

gracias

Felipe

Felipe1967

4 replies

Cefalu and Etna
Posted: Fri August 10, 2007 10:03 PM UTC

My partner and I arrive in Palermo on the 13th of October (Saturday evening) and leave on the 19th (Firday morning).

There are lots of places we'd like to go to. However, we have decided not to hire a car.

We would like to visit Cefalu for a couple of days and would also like to see Etna.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to a second location which would be both suitable for visiting the area around Etna and allow us to make it back to Palermo for our flight!

Village, town, sea or countryside - any suggestions welcome!

Thanks :-)

italofrancais

8 replies

Giardini Naxos

About Giardini
Posted: Wed August 8, 2007 09:42 AM UTC

I am going to Giardini Naxos in 2 weeks from now and I was wondering if anyone can tell me something about prices of food and drink, is Recanati far away from the centre of Giardini, is there a cable car from Giardini to Taormina, are the buses frequent and on time, trains,... anything will help me.
Thanks in advance

jecko

3 replies

How much is a taxi Mondello beach? Also, any recommended restaurants?
Posted: Mon August 6, 2007 05:49 PM UTC

Hi everyone,

I am off for a short holiday in Palermo later this week.

I'm staying at Zed & Momo guesthouse - has anyone stayed here before? What is it like and what's the area like?

Also, i'm wondering how much a taxi from Zed and Momo (Via La Farina, 11 , Palermo 90141) to the beach would be?

And how easily it would be to make this journey by bus?

Are there any must-visit restaurants or bars near Zed and Momo?

Any other recommendations and information about the area I am staying in would be great.

Thanks so much.

Kirsty

kirstymckie

1 reply

Catania

catania
Posted: Sun August 5, 2007 09:36 AM UTC

I am planning to go for a day to catania. I already went to Taormina and Etna so taught of doing something different. I would like to know what nice beaches are there and where can I find the aqua park?

vallmtmt

7 replies

Isola di Pantelleria

What Airlines fly to Panelleria Island
Posted: Thu August 2, 2007 10:13 PM UTC

I noticed that a comment was describing the view as they flew into the island. What airline flys to Pantelleria Island from the main land of Italy and out of what city? Also are there flights from Sicily to Panelleria Island. Is there a website for these airlines that we can check schedules and fares?

Looking forward to an answer.

Pashul

2 replies

Messina-Taormina
Posted: Tue July 31, 2007 04:20 AM UTC

My cruise comes into messina at 12:00 and departs at 6:00pm I am trying to see if There is a bus system between the 2 places or a taxi etc also the distance between. If possible i would like to stop for a few moments at a village called savoca somewhere between but It isnt a must. thnx in advance for your time..David:)

rogueshollow.ca

2 replies

NEED advice
Posted: Sat July 28, 2007 03:27 PM UTC

hello to everybody!
i'll stay in palermo for 1-2 days in August.
Tell me plz WHICH MOSt IMPORTANT PLACES i have to visit, except cathedrals, churches( i thing i've seen it enough )

igi99ksu

4 replies

Trapani and Taormina
Posted: Thu July 26, 2007 04:40 PM UTC

Since ryanair have started doing flights from dublin, it is possible to get to Trapani cheap enough.

Myself and my girlfriend are interested in going in sept, but have heard that Taormina is a great place to go, but its on the otherside of the island. Is it realistic to travel from trapani to taromina via car/bus/train? Would it be worthwhile staying in trapani for a week - are there any tours (wine or other) nearby? Is car hire essential?

Hopefully someone can provide some advice.

Kind Regards.

sterankin

6 replies

Around Sicily
Posted: Wed July 25, 2007 07:02 AM UTC

Hi!

We are going exactly in one month to Sicily and will be travelling there around. That means that we arrive to Catania, then go to Sirakusa, then Agrigento, Trapani, Cefalú and finally Catania again and flight home. The whole trip takes 16 days and actually all the hotels are booked. Now the main question is how to get from one place to another? I looked at recommended Interbuss but there are not all routes there (e.g. I didn´t find routes to/from Agrigento and Cefalú). Are there any other bus-companies which makes such trips? And how much approximately will cost each piece of way? What do you think about Italians driving?:-) Our coach (who actually is Sicilian) doesn´t recommend us to drive there at all:-)
And also if you could recommend any special places to visit in those cities we will be (of course, Etna from Catania and some islands from Trapani are already booked:-)
Thank you for any information/tips!

Koshka_ru

10 replies

Messina

Travel from mainland Italy to Sicily
Posted: Fri July 20, 2007 11:17 PM UTC

I will be travelling by car from the italian mainland and sicily for the first time how and where do I get across. are there ferrys if s where do they leave from and how often. Do you need to schedule ahead?
Thanks in advance Joenblasi1

joenblasi1

2 replies

Where are the best bars/clubs in Palermo?
Posted: Wed July 18, 2007 08:14 PM UTC

People

I'm in Palermo for a few nights next week and need your tips on the best bars and nightclubs in town. Any ideas? And if you have a top restaurant that would be good too!

Thanks!

Jonathan

JonathanLee

4 replies