Villa Fiorita
A small boutique hotel by the cable car, with a garden pool and a sea-view terrace, handy for Mazzarò and Isola Bella.
Check dates: Villa FioritaSicily's most glamorous resort, a cliff-top town between the sea and Mount Etna.
Go in April to June and September to October.
- Province
- Messina
- People
- 11,000
Its ancient Greek theatre frames the smoking volcano in its open arch and stages a summer festival, while below, the islet of Isola Bella sits in a cove on its pebble tombolo.
Where to stay in Taormina
Hotel Villa Belvedere
A hotel with a palm-fringed pool and many rooms overlooking Naxos Bay and Mount Etna, a short walk from Taormina's Corso Umberto.
Check dates: Hotel Villa BelvedereGrand Hotel Timeo
A nineteenth-century grand hotel directly below the Greek Theatre, with Etna views from its terraces and a long history of artist and writer guests.
Check dates: Grand Hotel TimeoNH Collection Taormina
A town hotel a short walk from Corso Umberto, with a rooftop terrace and infinity pool looking over the bay.
Check dates: NH Collection Taormina
Other places to stay
Atlantis Bay
A waterfront hotel on the Baia delle Sirene below Taormina, with sea-facing rooms, a seafront pool and a sunbathing platform on the bay.
Mazzarò Sea Palace
A seafront hotel in Mazzarò bay with a private beach, a spa and six suites with private pools, close to Isola Bella.
Search any of these on Booking.com by name, or browse the rooms in Taormina.
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Where to eat in Taormina
Breakfast here is granita, lemon or almond, with a brioche col tuppo for dipping. Ask for half almond, half coffee if you cannot choose.
For dinner
Liola Osteria and Bar
Small, family-run and just outside Porta Messina. Order the linguine Liolà with prawns, orange and pistachio, the plate regulars recommend.
Closed Wednesdays
For lunch
Porta Messina (opens in a new tab)
An easy central lunch of seafood linguine, or a wood-fired pizza if the day calls for it, from a kitchen open all day.
One big night
Vineria Modì (opens in a new tab)
A quiet lane in the old centre and a cellar of over 1,600 labels. Start with the red prawn antipasto and let the wine lead.
More tables
La Romana
A pizzeria on Via Cappuccini for thin-crust pizza and Roman dishes such as supplì, with a terrace that also serves Sicilian classics.
Pizzeria
Restaurant @ Villa Carlotta
A rooftop restaurant at a villa hotel with wide views from Etna to the Calabrian coast, serving Sicilian dishes such as seafood and lamb.
Trattoria
Osteria Pizzeria Le Tre Vie
A casual osteria and pizzeria near Porta Catania with a terrace over the hills, for Sicilian grills such as lamb chops and mixed fish.
Pizzeria
St. George by Heinz Beck
Creative contemporary cooking in an early twentieth-century villa hotel, with a palm-framed terrace looking over the Strait of Messina.
Two Michelin stars
La Capinera
Creative Sicilian tasting menus, including fresh pasta buttons with veal ragù and red prawn tagliolini, on a terrace with a view in Spisone.
One Michelin star
Otto Geleng
A bougainvillea-covered terrace at Grand Hotel Timeo, for fish, meat or vegetable tasting menus with views of Taormina, the bay and Etna.
One Michelin star
Other places to eat
Principe Cerami (opens in a new tab)
Contemporary Sicilian cooking in a former monastery that is now a grand hotel, with garden and sea views, for a romantic dinner.
One Michelin star
When to visit Taormina
Average highs and lows across the year.
What to see first
Ancient Theatre of Taormina
Taormina's clifftop Greek theatre, rebuilt by the Romans, its stage open to Etna and the sea.
Read the guideWhere next
Syracuse
About 85 km as the crow flies. Greek theatre, Ortigia island, Archimedes.
The Syracuse guideHotels in Syracuse opens in a new tab
Booking through these links may earn Italia Magnifica a commission, at no cost to you.
Booking through these links may earn Italia Magnifica a commission, at no cost to you.
