This guide is for you if you are staying in Taormina, Catania or somewhere on the coast between them, and you want Mount Etna and Taormina in the same day. It covers what to decide before you book: how high you want to go on the volcano, what the mountain does to the plan, what to wear, whether the bus is an option, and who in your group will enjoy the day.
Decide how high you want to go
This is the choice that shapes the morning. There are three levels, and each needs something different.
- The Silvestri craters, at about 1,900 metres. Extinct side craters you can walk around and into. Everyone on the day gets here, and you need nothing but good shoes and a warm layer.
- The upper stations, up to 2,800 metres. The cable car runs from its lower station at 1,920 metres to 2,500 metres. From there, 4x4 buses carry you on to 2,800 metres in summer, and tracked snow vehicles do the same stretch in winter. The cable car is not included in our price.
- The summit craters, around 3,000 metres and above. Only with licensed alpine or volcanological guides, and only when the volcano allows it. We can book the guides as part of the day.
Tell us which level you are after when you book. The higher you go, the more of the morning the mountain takes, and the shorter lunch becomes.
When to go, and what the volcano decides
Etna runs on its own calendar as much as on the seasons. Access near the summit is set by local ordinances that follow the volcano's alert level. When the zone around the active craters is open, the ordinances have allowed in only groups with licensed guides, with a limit on numbers per guide, helmets and mountain clothing; check the one in force for your date. If the regional civil protection or the national volcano institute raises the alert to the next phase, that zone closes to everyone. At the highest phase, everything above 2,500 metres in the summit area closes. These changes apply automatically, the moment the bulletin is issued.
So a summit walk booked weeks ahead can still be off on the morning itself. That is why our day starts on the mountain early, and why we adjust the morning on the day rather than the night before. The Silvestri craters sit well below the 2,500-metre line those rules use.
The temperature gap between the coast and the mountain is the other thing to plan around. It can be 20 degrees colder on Etna than in Taormina, so a hot day on the beach says little about the craters. In winter, tracked snow vehicles replace the buses above 2,500 metres.
Taormina has its own busy weeks. Mid-August, around the Ferragosto holiday on the 15th, is the peak of the summer there. The Greek theatre is also a working venue, home to the Taormina Film Fest and to summer concerts. Concerts need days of set-up, and the park does not publish a calendar of those closures. If the theatre is the reason you are going, check the park's notices for your date.
How the day fits together
Eight hours, from 07:00 to about 15:00. The morning belongs to the volcano: about an hour and a half of driving up to the Silvestri craters, a walk among them, and then the cable car and the 4x4 buses if you want to go higher. Lunch at a winery on the slopes at around midday breaks the day in two. Lunch and the tasting are not included, and nor is the theatre in Taormina.
The afternoon is shorter. You reach Taormina at about 13:30, with time for the theatre and a walk along Corso Umberto. Then you can be taken back to your hotel, or dropped at Isola Bella below the town and make your own way from there.
Isola Bella is a nature reserve, declared in 1998. A strip of sand and pebbles joins it to the shore, and that strip only shows at low tide. It has been closed for months at a time before, so check that it is open before you choose it as your drop. From the bay, a cable car runs back up to Taormina.
Because the car is yours, the order can move. If you would rather keep the winery for last, or skip the higher stations and give Taormina more time, say so on the morning.
The bus, or a driver
You can reach the south side of Etna by public bus. AST runs a service from Catania up to Rifugio Sapienza, near the cable car. Its summer timetable has had one departure in the morning and one return in the late afternoon, and the climb takes about two hours. It does not run on some holidays, so check the current timetable.
It works if the mountain is all you want that day. With one bus up and one down, you spend the whole day on Etna, and Taormina has to wait for another day. You also cannot move the plan if cloud sits on the summit or access changes.
The private day puts the volcano, a winery and Taormina into eight hours, with pick-up at your door. Fuel, tolls and parking are included. The price depends on the size of your group; see it on the tour page.
What to book and what to bring
If you want to go above the upper stations, the summit guides are the thing to arrange ahead. Ask us when you book and we include them in the day. They check your equipment before you set off and can lend a helmet if you do not have one.
The theatre in Taormina does not need a booking. The cable car, the theatre, lunch and the tasting are paid on the day, as none of them is included.
Bring:
- A warm jacket and closed shoes, even in August.
- Layers you can take off again for the afternoon on the coast.
- A card or some cash for the cable car, lunch, the tasting and the theatre.
- Shoes you do not mind getting wet if you plan to walk out to Isola Bella, where the beach is sand and pebbles.
Who it suits, and who should think twice
It suits couples and families who want the volcano and a town in one day without managing buses. The Silvestri craters are an easy walk, and the cable car operator describes the 4x4 stretch above it as suitable for families, older visitors and people with disabilities.
- You have a cruise ship to catch. We collect from ships in Messina and Catania. Message us with the ship and the date, and we will price it.
- The summit walk is the only thing you care about. Then plan two possible dates, because the volcano may close the top on one of them.
- You are staying in Palermo. This day starts on the east coast. Our Palermo, Monreale and Cefalù tour starts from your door instead, and our guide to private tours in Sicily compares the two.
- You are more than 16. Two vehicles travel together on one booking.
Questions people ask
What happens if Etna is erupting?
Access near the summit changes with the volcano's activity, and the rules close zones automatically. We change the morning on the day to what is open, and the winery and Taormina are not affected by the alert levels.
Can we skip the winery?
Yes. Lunch is not included, so you can eat in Taormina instead and arrive there earlier.
What if we change our plans?
Cancel up to 24 hours before pick-up and you are refunded in full. See our cancellation page.
Booking the day
Decide how high you want to go, pack for two climates, and keep an eye on the volcano in the days before. The stops, the times and what is included are on the Mount Etna and Taormina private day tour page, where you choose the size of your group and book.
