Our Norwegian Cruise Ship stopped in Messina, Italy. Messina seemed to be too big of a city for us, so we decided to visit the charming town of Taormina instead.

We walked from the ship to the train station, Messina Centrale. It was only about a 15 minute walk from the port. It wasn’t hard to find either. We just used the walking directions on my phone. I recommend looking up the train schedule the night before so you can time your train. The trains to Taormina only ran about every 45 minutes. We just missed the train, so had to wait the 45 minutes for the next one. The train station was very nice though. We sat in a very cute and inexpensive cafe. We had coffee, orange juice, and croissants that were absolutely delicious. The orange juice was FRESH SQUEEZED RIGHT IN FRONT OF US! 😁😁

The train ride was worth the price of about $5 euros per person. You get to enjoy the scenery the whole way which was relaxing and beautiful.

Once we arrived at our stop for Taormina, we had to take a bus from the train station to the town. The bus stop was right outside of the train station and easy to find. Just ask someone if you don’t see it. The bus ride was beautiful too! It was only about $2 a person.

The bus let us off right in Taormina. We had a great time exploring the city. It was truly charming! The shops, cafes, streets, buildings, and people made it an incredible place to visit. We had gelato and Margherita pizza.

After a great day exploring Taormina, we took the bus back to the train station and the train back to Messina. We took our time walking around and exploring Messina a little before getting back in the ship. It was a GREAT day!

I highly recommend seeing Taormina on your own from Messina. We paid around $30 total for trains and busses to get there. The cruise ship wanted $150 a person for an excursion there, but then you’re on their schedule!🤪

Mykonos, Greece – a one day cruise port visit on your own