Mazzarò Bay
Isola Bella Marine Reserve
Spisone Beach
Giardini Naxos
Letojanni
Ride the cable car down to Mazzarò beach
Watch a performance at the ancient Greek theatre
Browse the boutiques along Corso Umberto
Snorkel the coves around Isola Bella
Day-trip to the clifftop village of Castelmola
Piazza IX Aprile
Corvaja Palace
Villa Comunale gardens
Castelmola
Naxos Archaeological Museum, Giardini Naxos
May, June and September give the most reliable weather, with the Ionian Sea warm enough for swimming from late spring through to October. July and August bring the heaviest crowds to Corso Umberto and the ancient theatre, along with the highest prices for anchoring near Mazzarò and Isola Bella, so booking a shoulder-season charter makes it considerably easier to enjoy the town without the crush of day-trippers arriving by coach from Catania and Messina.
Catania Fontanarossa Airport (CTA) is the closest major gateway, roughly 50 kilometres south of Taormina and about 45 minutes to an hour away by road depending on traffic through Catania itself. Messina’s smaller airport lies further north but has far fewer scheduled flights, so most charter guests route through Catania regardless of which direction they plan to cruise once aboard.
Mazzarò Bay, directly below the town and linked to it by cable car, is the most convenient anchorage, though it can be crowded with day boats in peak season. Isola Bella’s marine reserve offers clearer water a short distance further south, while Giardini Naxos, in the wider bay just beyond, gives a calmer overnight option with easier access to restaurants ashore than the steep clifftop town itself allows.
A day and a half is enough to see the ancient theatre, walk Corso Umberto and swim at Isola Bella, making Taormina a natural stop within a wider eastern Sicily itinerary rather than a destination in its own right. Many charters pair it with Syracuse, Catania and the Aeolian Islands over a week to ten days, using Taormina’s central position on the Ionian coast as a convenient midpoint between the two.
The beach and sand path to Isola Bella are free to walk, but the island has been a protected reserve since 1990, when the Region of Sicily bought it and placed it under the WWF’s care before management passed to a University of Catania research centre. A small fee of around five euros covers the garden and museum inside the former villa, and the path can partly submerge in rough weather, so it’s worth checking conditions before crossing on foot.
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