How to get to Taormina from Catania Airport.
Updated October 2026. Taormina has no airport of its own: the nearest is Catania Airport (Fontanarossa), about 64 km away, about 57 minutes by car in normal traffic. There are four ways up to Taormina. The direct Etna Trasporti and Interbus coach leaves from the airport's Terminal Bus and stops at the Via Pirandello bus terminal, just below the centre, in about 1 hour 25-30 minutes, on a 7.00 EUR ticket: on the timetable of 21 October 2026 there are 35 departures, from 07:15 to 21:45, but from 1 November 2026 there are only 22 on weekdays and the last one leaves at 19:45. The train stops at Taormina-Giardini station, by the sea, and from there you need another bus up to the town. Taxis wait at the arrivals exit, with no official fixed fare to Taormina. With a private transfer from La Sicilia Tour, your driver meets you in the arrivals hall with a name sign and takes you to your hotel where traffic rules allow, otherwise to the nearest point, agreed beforehand: 130 EUR by Standard Sedan for 1-3 people, 180 EUR by Standard Van for up to 8, per vehicle. Below: the four options side by side and what a car can reach in Taormina.
Catania Airport to Taormina: the four options
| Option | Price | Time and timetable | Where it drops you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Etna Trasporti / Interbus coach | 7.00 EUR per person, 14.00 EUR return | about 1 hour 25-30 minutes; 35 departures from 07:15 to 21:45 (timetable of 21 October 2026) | Via Pirandello bus terminal, about 600 metres from Porta Messina |
| The same coach from 1 November 2026 | 7.00 EUR per person | 22 departures on weekdays, from 07:15 to 19:45 | Via Pirandello bus terminal |
| Train to Taormina-Giardini | 6.50 EUR, then a bus up: Taormina Link 2.00 EUR or Interbus 1.10 EUR | 47 minutes to 1 hour 20 on direct trains, plus the ride up | The station by the sea, about 4 kilometres below Taormina |
| Taxi from arrivals | no official fixed fare to Taormina: metered, or a price agreed before you set off | depends on traffic | The address you give, where traffic rules allow |
| La Sicilia Tour, private transfer | fixed price per vehicle: Standard Sedan 130 EUR, Standard Van for up to 8 180 EUR | about 57 minutes, no changes, at any hour | Your hotel, where traffic rules allow |
The direct coach to Taormina
The coach to Taormina leaves from the airport's Terminal Bus, in the area of the former P2 car park, where the stops moved on 10 December 2025. Etna Trasporti and Interbus run it together: on the timetable of 21 October 2026 there are 35 departures, from 07:15 to 21:45, and the trip takes about 1 hour 25-30 minutes. A ticket costs 7.00 EUR, or 14.00 EUR return. You get off at the Via Pirandello terminal, about 600 metres from Porta Messina and about 300 metres from the Greek theatre. If you travel light and your hotel is close to the terminal, it is the simplest choice. From there, though, you carry on on foot, often uphill with your suitcases, and the coach leaves on time: if your flight is late, you wait for the next departure.
Catania AirportFrom 1 November 2026: fewer coaches
The winter timetable has fewer departures. From 1 November 2026, on weekdays, the coaches from the airport to Taormina drop to 22, from 07:15 to 19:45; on Sunday 1 November there are 21. The same coaches also stop at Giardini Naxos, on a 6.00 EUR ticket and in about 1 hour 15 minutes. After the last evening departure there is no other coach to Taormina or Giardini, and no coach waits for a delayed flight. If your flight lands after 19:00, check the timetable before you travel. A private transfer leaves when you arrive, because the driver follows the actual landing time. Pickups from 19:30 to 7:00 carry a 50 % night supplement, already included in the price the form shows you, so there is nothing extra to pay at the end.
Airport → TaorminaThe train to Taormina-Giardini
Catania Aeroporto Fontanarossa station is about 600 metres from the terminal, linked by an AMTS shuttle bus every 10 minutes for 1.00 EUR. From there regional trains run to Taormina-Giardini station: for 21 October 2026 Trenitalia offers 16 direct trains and 5 with a change, taking 47 minutes to 1 hour 20 on the direct ones, on a 6.50 EUR ticket. The station is by the sea, though, about 4 kilometres below the town: to get up to Taormina you need another bus, the ASM Taormina Link at 2.00 EUR or Interbus at 1.10 EUR. With suitcases that makes three different vehicles. If you are staying in Giardini Naxos the station is handier, as it lies about 1.5 kilometres from the town centre.
Giardini NaxosTaormina on foot: where the car stops
Taormina's centre is explored on foot. Corso Umberto, the main street, is pedestrian and closed by bollards below Porta Messina and Porta Catania, the two town gates. Cars stay outside: the town council lists the Porta Catania car park, on five floors with room for up to 650 cars, and the Lumbi car park, with 850 spaces and a shuttle to Porta Messina. Camera-controlled ZTL gates have been announced several times, but we found no confirmation that they are working. That is why a transfer takes you to your hotel where traffic rules allow, otherwise to the nearest point, agreed beforehand. Put the name and address of your hotel in the form: before the trip we confirm where the car will stop and how far you will have to walk.
TaorminaMazzarò, Isola Bella and Castelmola
Not everyone stays on the Corso. Below the town, by the sea, are the hotels of Mazzarò and Isola Bella, linked to Via Pirandello by a cable car: according to the local press, since 1 August 2026 it costs 8.00 EUR one way and 15.00 EUR return, with a cabin every 15 minutes and hours that change with the season. Above Taormina, about 6 kilometres away, is Castelmola, the village on the rock. From the airport to Mazzarò it is about 62 km, about 54 minutes, at a fixed price of 130 EUR by Standard Sedan; to Castelmola it is about 1 h 05, at 130 EUR. By public transport you need one more ride from the Via Pirandello terminal to reach the sea or the hill.
All routesPrivate transfer: from arrivals to Taormina
With La Sicilia Tour it is a single trip. Put your flight number in the form and the driver follows the real landing time: you are met in the Terminal A arrivals hall with a name sign. Once the bags are loaded, you take the A18 Catania-Messina motorway: about 64 km, about 57 minutes. The price is fixed per vehicle, not per person: 130 EUR by Standard Sedan, shown in the form before you book. If you also book the return from Taormina to the airport, the return trip is 10 % off. To Giardini Naxos the fixed price is 140 EUR, in about 55 minutes. Arriving by ship in Messina? From the port to Taormina it is about 52 minutes.
Messina portWhat does a transfer from Catania Airport to Taormina cost?
From Catania Airport to Taormina a transfer with La Sicilia Tour costs 130 EUR by Standard Sedan, 150 EUR by Comfort Sedan, 180 EUR by Standard Van and 200 EUR by Premium Van. Sedans carry 1-3 people, the Standard Van up to 8 and the Premium Van up to 7. It is a fixed price per vehicle: shown in the form before you book and locked at booking. It covers the vehicle with its driver, fuel and, for each person, one suitcase and one hand bag; an extra suitcase is added in the form, as are child seats, on request. For pickups from 19:30 to 7:00 the 50 % night supplement is already included in the price shown. The return trip, if you book it together with the outward one, is 10 % off. You choose how to pay in the form, and you can cancel free of charge up to 120 hours before the transfer.
If Etna closes Catania Airport
When Etna sends up ash, flights at Catania Airport can be suspended. In 2026, according to the press, this happened on 5 and 6 July, from 8 to 15 August, the longest closure, and on 14 and 15 September. On those days some flights were diverted to other airports, Comiso among them, which SAC runs together with Catania. From Comiso to Taormina it is about 146 km, about 2 h 20 by car, and no public bus from Comiso Airport appears to be running; from Palermo Airport it is about 291 km. If your flight is moved, write to us as soon as you know, with the new airport and the new time: a transfer from another airport has its own fixed price, shown in the form. We cannot promise a ride in every situation, but we will tell you straight away what can be done.
A private driver to Taormina with La Sicilia Tour
La Sicilia Tour is a private driver service (NCC) based in Acireale, between Catania and Taormina: transfers from Catania and Palermo airports, from the ports and the stations to the whole of Sicily, and day tours with a driver. Only your group travels in the vehicle: a sedan for 1-3 people or a van for up to 8, and two vans for groups of up to 27 or a coach for up to 27. Our drivers speak English. To book less than a day ahead, or with a question, call or send a WhatsApp message to +39 392 177 4905.
- A fixed price per vehicle, shown in the form and locked at booking: no meter running
- The driver follows your flight and meets you in arrivals with a name sign
- You are taken to your hotel where traffic rules allow, otherwise to the nearest point, agreed beforehand
- The 50 % night supplement from 19:30 to 7:00 is already included; the return trip is 10 % off
- Book online at any hour, at least 1 day ahead; free cancellation up to 120 hours before
From the airport to Taormina, no changes
The coach drops you at the terminal, the train by the sea: with a driver you reach your hotel in about 57 minutes, where traffic rules allow.
Frequently asked questions
In brief
How do I get from Catania Airport to Taormina by public transport?
Take the direct Etna Trasporti / Interbus coach: 7.00 EUR, about 1 hour 25-30 minutes to the Via Pirandello terminal. On the timetable of 21 October 2026 the last one leaves at 21:45; from 1 November, on weekdays, at 19:45.
How much is a private transfer from Catania Airport to Taormina?
130 EUR by Standard Sedan for 1-3 people and 180 EUR by Standard Van for up to 8, per vehicle, luggage included. You see the fixed price in the form before you book.
How long does it take from Catania Airport to Taormina?
About 57 minutes by car, over about 64 km, longer in heavy traffic. The direct coach takes about 1 hour 25-30 minutes, the train at least 47 minutes plus the ride up from the station.
Book your private driver
Pick your start and your destination: the form shows a fixed price per vehicle before you book and locks it at booking.
