On this tour you'll cross the Strait of Messina by ferry and explore the island that's virtually a country in itself – Sicily. And while the drive is long, some trips are worth it. This trip gives you the perfect introduction to Taormina, with around four hours of free time to explore.

It all begins with a journey through some spectacular scenery. Travelling along untouched areas of the Calabrian countryside, you'll take in wow-factor panoramas between mountain and sea before crossing the strait to Sicily. Hit dry land and we'll head to Taormina where there's free time to explore the historic monuments and hilltop vistas.

A must-see is the ancient Greek theatre – perched atop cliffs over the Med, you can see Mount Etna lurking on the horizon. You'll also have a chance to shop on the quaint high-street and do some exploring on your own.

This is a special experience with a well educated guide of many languages giving lots of information x it’s a crazy long day with a window of exploring for 3 hours in a beautiful city of Sicily….we felt guide told us lots of information but did switch off on journey .. a perfect solution for myself and.Husband …. a map … of city .. with top tips of tourist information and given time of day … where to eat .

Marine was a brilliant guide. Really enjoyed Sicily, a little too many tourists. Wasn't very impressed with some of the locals resturanteers. They ignored you or just had a very disinterested attitude. It had just finished raining and one of the restaurants wanted to put a few of us in the open and we waited 5mins for chairs to be wiped dry but they were to busy talking amongst themselves so we left. We did eventually find a lovely little cafe and enjoyed our lunch

The trip was not what we was told it was going to be. The guide spoke in different languages which in each language it was poor. The guide was not very informative and we all on the coach never learned anything, this was down to the poor translation of all languages. The trip was far to long with added coach journeys that we didn't expect. Very disappointed with Tui for the first time, the money we spent was our hard earned money which didn't warrant the trip. Very ket down by Tui !

Love the town. A lot of time on the coach both sides of the straight

We loved the trip, the views to the ferry port were beautiful. Maxine told us lots of interesting information and despite us being the only English people, she made sure we did not miss out. It was a lot of travelling but worth it, the ferry was great too. Taormina itself was stunning and we definitely would like to return. My only suggestion for improvement, would be let us know the order of drop off hotels before the ferry as if we realised we'd be last we could have got food there.

The tour guide Maxine was excellent

Why you’ll love this…

See northeast Sicily
Free time in Taormina
Enjoy stunning Sicilian vistas

Important to know

Just so you know, this tour may last up to 12 hours due to the travel distance. Please expect a long day.
Admissions not included
Food and drinks not included
Bring suitable footwear
Subject to weather conditions
Please note that all times are approximate and subject to change

Cancellation policy

Receive a 100% refund if you cancel up to 2 days before the experience begins.

What’s included

Transport
Ferry ticket
Guide

Booking fee

Good news! No extra fees are applied to this booking.

Pickup points

To see which pickup points are available, check under availability & prices.

Provider

TUI ITALIA S.R.L.

What people say about this experience

4/5

All reviews are verified

Based on 92 reviews

Review categories

Value for money

3.9/5

Service

4.2/5

Safety

4.2/5

Staff

4.2/5

All ratings (92)

5 stars (38)

41%

4 stars (29)

32%

3 stars (18)

20%

2 stars (6)

1 star (1)

C
Clive Powell
Travelled as a couple
4 October 2025
2.6
United Kingdom
This is a special experience with a well educated guide of many languages giving lots of information x it’s a crazy long day with a window of exploring for 3 hours in a beautiful city of Sicily….we felt guide told us lots of information but did switch off on journey .. a perfect solution for myself and.Husband …. a map … of city .. with top tips of tourist information and given time of day … where to eat .
J
Janet Barnett
Travelled with family
4 October 2025
4.6
United Kingdom
Marine was a brilliant guide. Really enjoyed Sicily, a little too many tourists. Wasn't very impressed with some of the locals resturanteers. They ignored you or just had a very disinterested attitude. It had just finished raining and one of the restaurants wanted to put a few of us in the open and we waited 5mins for chairs to be wiped dry but they were to busy talking amongst themselves so we left. We did eventually find a lovely little cafe and enjoyed our lunch
D
Danny Binder
Travelled as a couple
16 August 2025
1
United Kingdom
The trip was not what we was told it was going to be. The guide spoke in different languages which in each language it was poor. The guide was not very informative and we all on the coach never learned anything, this was down to the poor translation of all languages. The trip was far to long with added coach journeys that we didn't expect. Very disappointed with Tui for the first time, the money we spent was our hard earned money which didn't warrant the trip. Very ket down by Tui !
G
Gaz
Travelled as a couple
16 August 2025
3.8
United Kingdom
Love the town. A lot of time on the coach both sides of the straight
K
Kate and Dave
Travelled as a couple
2 August 2025
4.6
United Kingdom
We loved the trip, the views to the ferry port were beautiful. Maxine told us lots of interesting information and despite us being the only English people, she made sure we did not miss out. It was a lot of travelling but worth it, the ferry was great too. Taormina itself was stunning and we definitely would like to return. My only suggestion for improvement, would be let us know the order of drop off hotels before the ferry as if we realised we'd be last we could have got food there.
R
Richard from Dorset
Travelled with family
26 July 2025
5
United Kingdom
The tour guide Maxine was excellent