Transportation
There are two airports that you can fly into to get to Taormina:
Catania Airport (CTA)
• 45 mins – 1 hour via car
• ~1 hour via train
Palermo Airport (PMO)
• 3.5 hours via car
• 4 – 5 hours via train
Both options have connecting flights from most major airports in Europe that can be accessed with direct flights from the US (i.e. Rome, Milan, Paris, London, Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna, Amsterdam), though neither currently offer direct flights to/from the US. Unless you plan to travel in the eastern part of Sicily before/after the wedding, Catania is recommended, as it is the closer of the two options.
The train station in Taormina, Taormina-Giardini, is located next to the beach beneath the main town area, with cabs easily accessible to the town center. If you plan to travel throughout Sicily before/after the wedding, it can be a good idea to rent a car depending on where you’d like to go, as some of the smaller towns are not connected to the train line. However, many of the main attractions such as Palermo, Catania, Siracusa, and Cefalu are all accessible by train.
Car
There are several taxi companies in Taormina and Catania that you can find online to book a private car in advance (rates usually 80-120EUR one-way depending on size of party). There are also taxis on-site at the airport. The drive is about 45-50 mins to Taormina.
Bus
The bus will take you from the airport right to the main town of Taormina and can be booked easily on Omio or other booking sites, or in person. There is generally one that runs at least every hour during the day, sometimes more frequently. The main operators are Etna Transporti and Interbus. The advantage of the bus over the train is it takes you right into the town, whereas the train station is a bit father. It takes about 1hr 20min from the airport and a one-way ticket is 7EUR. There are several bus stations in the Taormina area, so be sure to book a ticket into the main town station, which is the Terminal Interbus on Via Luigi Pirandello.
Train
The main TrenItalia train line operates the route and can be booked easily on Omio or other booking sites, or in person. The train will leave from the Catania Fontanarossa AIrport station (~10 min walk from terminal) and arrive at the Taormina-Giardini station right outside of town. Note, this will require a ~10-15 min cab ride into town, as the station is beneath the main town area, but there are generally always cabs waiting there at the station, or you can pre-arrange. There are trains that leave just about every hour most days and depending on the time take about 1hr - 1hr30min. A one-way ticket costs about $9. You can book tickets same-day in person or in advance.
We recommend booking flights at least 3-6 months in advance in order to get the best price. If you are planning to use points/miles, one good option to check is point.me, which lets you see available reward booking options based on your itinerary.
It may also be cheaper or easier to book a direct flight into a major hub (i.e. Rome) and then book a separate flight from there into Catania for later that day or a couple days later, particularly if you plan to spend some time elsewhere in Europe before/after the wedding. If you need any assistance or recommendations with flight options, feel free to reach out to us and we are happy to provide input.