The best time to visit Taormina
Spring and early autumn suit Taormina; summer is hot and packed, and in winter some stops shorten or close.
- Best
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Cable car
- summer 8.00–1.30
- Castle
- daily 10.00–19.30 (May–Oct)
The best time to go is Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct. The month decides here both the heat and what is open: the cable car, the castle and Isola Bella all keep summer and winter hours.
If you only pick one month — September. Temperature is the mean over the whole day (not the daily high), and a rainy day has at least 1 mm of rain; averages for 2021–2024.
September is the compromise: the July and August crowds are gone.
Long hours
July and August are hot and packed. The castle is open daily 10.00–19.30 (May–Oct); shorter outside season, and the cable car in summer runs past midnight: summer 8.00–1.30, winter 8.00–20.00, every 15 min. The Villa Comunale in summer is open until midnight.
Shorter hours
In winter the cable car runs until 20.00, and so does the Villa Comunale. Isola Bella is closed to visitors in November and December, so pick another month for it.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
When is the best time to visit Taormina?
Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct.
Is Isola Bella open in winter?
Not entirely: in November and December it is closed to visitors, and in the other months the hours are summer 9–19.45 (ticket office until 19.00); closed to visitors in Nov–Dec.
How late does the cable car to Mazzarò run?
In summer until after midnight, in winter until 20.00: summer 8.00–1.30, winter 8.00–20.00, every 15 min.
Ready for Taormina?
Where to next
Beaches in Taormina
→Mazzarò by cable car, Isola Bella on foot from there, Spisone further along the coast — and all three are…
Catania · 45 km
→Black Baroque built from lava stone, a fish market behind the cathedral and a volcano at the end of the main street.
How well does Taormina suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
Front row for the next trip
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