Catania to Taormina by private car
Taormina sits on a terrace 200 metres above the Ionian Sea, with Mount Etna on one side and the bay of Isola Bella below. Getting from Catania to Taormina by private car takes about 50 minutes for the 59 km from Catania Airport, most of it on the coastal motorway, with the last few kilometres climbing in bends up to the old town.
There is a good direct bus, and it is the budget choice. It stops at the bus terminal below the centre, though, and takes 80 to 90 minutes. A private car goes from arrivals to your hotel entrance, or as close as the town's pedestrian streets allow, and the price is for the whole car, so a family or a group of friends shares it.
Taormina is also a base for Etna, the Alcantara gorges and day trips to Syracuse. Visiting the mainland too? See our Naples to Amalfi transfer for the other great Italian coast.
| Pickup | Catania Fontanarossa Airport (CTA) |
|---|---|
| Drop-off | Any hotel, villa or address in Taormina |
| Distance | About 59 km by road |
| Journey time | 50 min – 1h 10min, depending on traffic |
| Best for | Coast & luxury |
| Busiest season | May–October |
| Availability | 24/7, including late-night and early-morning flights |
The drive from CTA to Taormina
From the airport, your driver takes the Catania ring road north to the A18 Catania–Messina motorway. The motorway runs between the lava slopes of Etna and the sea, past Acireale and Giarre, with views of the volcano on the left almost the whole way. It is a toll road; the tolls are part of your price.
The A18 passes through a tunnel beneath Taormina itself. Your driver leaves at the Taormina exit and climbs the switchback road from the coast to the old town, about ten minutes of hairpins with Isola Bella opening up below. For hotels in Mazzarò and Giardini Naxos, the car stays at sea level instead.
In normal traffic the drive takes 50 minutes to an hour. On summer weekends and during festival evenings, the climb into Taormina and the area around the car parks can be slow, so allow up to 70 minutes.
Schematic, not to scale. Route line © OpenStreetMap contributors
Pickup · 0 min
Catania Fontanarossa Airport (CTA)
Your driver meets you in arrivals and loads the luggage.
About 25 min · 22 km
Acireale
A baroque town on the lava cliffs, about halfway. The motorway skirts it on the inland side.
About 40 min · 50 km
Giardini Naxos
The motorway exit for Taormina, by the bay where the Greeks founded their first Sicilian colony.
Arrival · 50 min – 1h 10min · 59 km
Taormina
Drop-off at your hotel, or at Porta Messina or Porta Catania for hotels on the pedestrian Corso.
CTA to Taormina: one fixed price for the whole car
Free quote, nothing to pay now. Cancel free up to 48 hours before pickup.
Meeting your driver at Catania Airport
Most flights use Terminal A, with arrivals on the ground floor. The road directly outside arrivals is closed to private cars, so your driver waits for you in the arrivals area with a sign showing your name and walks you to the car.
Arrivals at Catania are on the ground floor of Terminal A. The road outside is closed to private cars, so your driver waits for you in the arrivals area with a name sign and walks you to the car. We track your flight, adjust to delays at no extra cost and give you 60 minutes of free waiting from your actual landing.
Leaving Taormina, your driver collects you from your hotel or the nearest gate and waits up to 15 minutes from the agreed time. In summer, give yourself extra time for the descent from the old town.
Arriving here for somewhere else? See every Catania Airport transfer we run.
Where we drop off in Taormina and the coast below
Taormina’s main street, Corso Umberto, is pedestrian, and the old town has controlled-access lanes that hotel guests can use on arrival. Tell us your hotel and we plan the closest drop-off: many hotels are on roads the car can reach, and the rest are a short walk from one of the two old town gates.
Taormina old town
Hotels between Porta Messina and Porta Catania, on and around Corso Umberto. Door to door where the road allows, otherwise at the nearest gate.
Via Pirandello and the upper town
Hotels on the road up from Mazzarò, near the bus terminal and the cable car station.
Mazzarò and Isola Bella
Beach hotels at sea level below Taormina, linked to the town by the cable car.
Giardini Naxos and Letojanni
Seafront towns south and north of Taormina, with flat, easy drop-offs and a long beach.
Castelmola
The hilltop village above Taormina, on a narrow road with views down to the coast.
When to book your Taormina transfer
Taormina's season runs from Easter to October and is busiest from June to September, when the old town fills with day visitors by late morning. The Taormina Film Festival is held in the ancient Greek theatre each summer, usually around late June or early July, along with concerts and other evening events. On those nights the roads up to the town are at their busiest.
Etna is active, and from time to time an ash cloud closes Catania Airport, usually for hours rather than days. In 2026 there were closures in August and September, with flights diverted to Palermo, Trapani and Comiso. If your flight is diverted, message us straight away and we will help you rearrange the transfer; under our policy a pickup at a different airport is a new booking.
In winter Taormina is quiet and mild, many beach hotels close, and the town is at its most pleasant for walking.
Private transfer vs other ways to reach Taormina
| Option | Door to door | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Private transfer | 50 min – 1h 10min | Straight to your door, fixed price per vehicle, driver waiting in arrivals. |
| Direct airport bus | 80–90 minutes | Frequent coaches run from the airport bus terminal straight to Taormina, about every 20 to 30 minutes in summer and less often in winter. It stops below the old town on Via Pirandello. |
| Train + local bus | 1½–2 hours | A shuttle to the airport station, a train to Taormina-Giardini at sea level, then a local bus up the hill. Two changes with luggage. |
| Rental car | 50–70 minutes plus parking | Straightforward on the motorway, but the old town is mostly closed to cars and you will park in Lumbi or Porta Catania car parks, which fill up in summer. |
Skip the changes: door to door to Taormina
Free quote, nothing to pay now. Cancel free up to 48 hours before pickup.
Vehicles, prices and what's included
You pay one fixed price for the vehicle, not per seat, quoted for your date and group before you book. Tolls, fuel and parking are in the price, and so is waiting time: 60 minutes from your actual landing, or 15 minutes at a hotel or address pickup.
| Vehicle | Passengers | Luggage | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard sedan | Up to 3 passengers | 2–3 suitcases | Couples and solo travellers |
| Executive sedan | Up to 3 passengers | 2–3 suitcases | Mercedes E-Class or similar |
| Minivan | Up to 7 passengers | 6–7 suitcases | Families and golf or ski bags |
| Minibus | 8–16 passengers | One suitcase each | Groups, weddings, events |
Exact models vary by local partner. Tell us about oversized luggage, golf bags, skis or strollers and we will size the vehicle to fit.
Not included: waiting beyond the free time, and stops or detours added on the day. Planned stops are fine: ask for them with your quote and they are priced in. Tipping is up to you.
Who the Taormina transfer suits
Couples and honeymooners
No bus terminal or car park climb on arrival. You are dropped at the gate or the hotel door and walk into town with the sea below you.
Families
Child seats fitted before pickup, and flat drop-offs at the beach hotels in Mazzarò and Giardini Naxos.
Weddings
Taormina and Castelmola are popular wedding venues. Minibuses run for guest arrivals, and one quote covers several flights.
Travellers planning day trips
Keep the same company for Etna, Syracuse or Noto. We quote day trips and onward transfers as well as the airport run.
Plan the rest of your Taormina stay
- Visit the Greek theatre early in the morning or late in the afternoon. The light over Etna is best then, and the tour groups have left.
- Use the cable car between Mazzarò and the upper town rather than walking the steep road with beach bags.
- Book an Etna excursion with a licensed guide if you want to go near the summit craters; access to the highest areas is restricted.
- Syracuse and the island of Ortigia make a fine day trip or a second base. Ask us for a Taormina to Ortigia quote.
- Restaurants on the Corso and in Castelmola fill up on summer evenings. Book a table for your first night before you land.
- Seeing more of Italy on the same trip? We run transfers such as Fiumicino to Rome and Naples Airport to Sorrento.
- For your flight home from Catania, leave Taormina about three hours before departure, and earlier if Etna has been active and you want time in hand.
