Motor yacht charter in Taormina anchors a group below one of the most theatrically positioned towns in Sicily, with the Greek theatre on the clifftop above, Mount Etna on the northern horizon and the Strait of Messina a short passage to the north. Taormina has been a point of arrival for travellers by sea for two thousand years and remains one of the most rewarding stops on the east coast of Sicily.
The Italy fleet carries around 36 motor yachts from 30 to over 60 metres, well matched to the east Sicilian coast. Taormina provides a natural base for a charter that takes in the Aeolian Islands to the north, Syracuse and the baroque south and the beaches of the Ionian coast below Etna. Most yachts anchor in the bay below Giardini Naxos and tender ashore for the cable car or the walk up to Taormina itself.
Base rates for a motor charter in Taormina run from approximately 50,000 euros per week for a 30-metre yacht to 200,000 euros for the largest 60-metre vessels. The advance provisioning allowance of around 30 percent covers fuel, provisioning and marina fees. May, June and September offer the best conditions on the Ionian coast, with the Tramontana and Etesian winds filling in reliably and the anchorages far less crowded than in July and August.
A Taormina motor circuit covers the bay at Giardini Naxos, the black beaches below Etna at Acireale, the harbour at Syracuse for the Ortygia peninsula and baroque churches, and a crossing to the Aeolian Islands for Panarea, Lipari and Stromboli.
