Taormina and the Blue Grotto

Had a fantastic excursion today with Andrea (driver), Andrea and Anna (Guides) and Antonio, our captain. From the clean, comfortable bus, to the amazing boat tour in the bays of Naxos and Isola Bella. The Blue Grotto was unforgettable and the swimming/snorkelling with colourful fish was a plus. The town of Taormina was lovey and great for shopping.

Loved how our guide, Sara, was so enthusiastic and engaged. You can tell that she loves what she does. The added touch of treats and bottled water were so nice. The "captain" of the boat was also kind and generous. Swimming in the blue grotto was amazing! We will be back in June 2023 and will do this excursion again!!!

We had an amazing time with Mariarita as our guide. Highlights were being able to jump and swim into the sea near the Blue Grotto, and getting some amazing photos in Taormina. Mariarita was very helpful in explaining everything while also being cognizant of the time to get back on the ship.

Very much enjoyed the ease of transfers and the beautiful views from the water. The guide and the boat captain were great! It was a very nice day!

We LOVED our day in Taormina. Mariarita was an awesome guide and gave us lots of history about the areas as we drove yo Taormina. Once we got to Taormina, we got on a boat with Antonio who has lived there since birth. So he had lots of interesting information to share with us. We also had time to jump off the boat and swim for a while. I can’t describe how beautiful the city is from the ocean and how beautiful the blue grotto is. Then we had 2 hours by ourselves in Taormina. It is a beautiful city with beautiful churches. I can’t say enough good things about this tour! My teenagers even enjoyed it.

My family, including our 2 teens, had an amazing time on this tour!! Mariarita was an excellent guide and explained so many things as we drove to Taormina. We had yummy snacks on the bus and delicious fruit on the boat. Seeing Taormina from the water is a sight you need to see! Antonio was our boat guide and he had so much information to share with us. He was born in Taormina and hasn’t left. We found a delicious pizza place to eat at in Taormina and found a place that fills your cannoli with what you want. Mariarita gave us the tip to go someplace where the cannolis aren’t already filled. We left happy from this tour!

We really enjoyed the boat ride to see the Blue Grotto but because of the sea we were not able to go inside, never the less we really enjoyed the ride and was giving Champagne and sweet treats and loved it. Now for Taormina ... I could stay there for days, it's a must see.

We were disappointed that we could not enter the Blue Grotto as mother nature was not in the mood to let us in that day. The water was a bit rough. We motored around the coast and saw the outside of the Blue Grotto and some hotels. We stopped so anyone who wanted could swim. No one in our boat chose to swim as the water was a little cold but we saw people in another boat dive in. A nice touch was the champagne and almond cookies they served while we bobbed in the water. I felt we bobbed in the water a too long as some of us started to get a little queasy. We then took the tour bus up to Taormina, a beautiful little hill town. My husband and I stopped for lunch on the square and experienced a live street musician performance during lunch. We barely had time to finish lunch before we had to run for the bus to return to the ship. My suggestion would be to reduce the time in the boat (unless you actually go into the grotto) and add more time in Taormina. Otherwise the tour was great.