Best Of Messina Shore Excursion: Godfather, Taormina And Isolabella Beach Tour

Taormina, Italy

7 hours
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Explore our promoted experiences

Taormina, Sicily

Savoca (The Godfather Town) & Taormina (day trip)

from $493.92

Per group

Taormina, Sicily

Best Of Sicily Shore Excursion: Etna, Taormina, Castelmola - 10 Persons Max

from $274.40

Price varies by group size

Taormina, Sicily

Castelmola and Taormina tour & free tour of Messina from Messina

from $78.40

Viator earns higher commissions on experiences featured here

Overview

Make the most of your time docked in Messina with this small-group shore excursion that can fit more stops in one day than a large coach tour. Explore the town of Savoca, setting of The Godfather films, before moving on to Taormina. Take in the Greek Theater, browse the shops along Corso Umberto, and soak in views overlooking the coastline before ending with a stop at the UNESCO-listed Isolabella marine reserve.

See more in a single day with a small-group shore excursion
Visit locations used as backdrops in The Godfather films
Free time in Taormina to sightsee, shop, and dine
Time-saving pickup and drop-off directly at the Messina cruise port

What's Included

Bottled water
Air-conditioned vehicle

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

Confirm time with the local provider in advance of your experience.

Opening hours

3/25/2019 - 12/31/2024
Monday - Sunday : 09:00 AM - 09:00 PM

Pickup details

Messina cruise terminal. We pick up our clients any place they wish. if the customer arrives in the city by cruise ship, pick up is 30 min after the docking time

What To Expect

Savoca

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Taormina

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Museo Naturalistico Regionale di Isolabella e Villa Caronia

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps

Infant seats available
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5

10 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-9 of 10 reviews

Great tour and guide!!

Kelly_L, Oct 2023

Thank you to Simone! Great private tour and overall fantastic experience. Simone was waiting dor us at the terminal exit and drove us in a black mercedes van. Started in Savoca with a Godfather tour, amazing! Then off to Tauramino. Asked if we could stop at a Pharmacy to pick up a few things, no problem. He explained every detail imaginable and attended to all our needs.

Don't book.

Michele_T, Sep 2023

This tour was not as described. Yes we went to see the town where the Godfather was filmed etc . this was the best part of the tour. However we spent too much time there and did not have enough time for the remaining sites. We had under 2 hours in Taromina to visit the shops, have lunch and visit the Greek theater. This is extremely unrealistic, no time for the Greek theater as the lines were long. The Isolabella Beach Tour was no beach tour! We had a 10 minute stop from a viewing platform to look at the beach, extremely disappointing. They also promised cold water, pop, air conditioning and wifi. We had air conditioning and warm water bottles, that's it. We were a group of 8 people and were very disappointed with the experience.

Response from Host, Oct 2023

your review is unrealistic. You came by cruise ship and this is the best you can do during the limited time you have. If you want to swim at the Isolabella, spend half day in Taormina to visit all the sites, do shopping, have lunch.... you need more than 1 day and this is a realistic timing. The vehicle was a Mercedes Van with an excellent AC, as any row has AC. 42 celsius that week and the water became warmer after few time. The water was available for all the passengers and the wifi was available, simply asking the driver/escort the password. There are people who love to complain about everything, but fortunately they are a small minority; the majority indeed appreciated and enjoyed this tour, as can easily be seen from all the other comments. Grazie and ciao

Godfather tour of Sicily

sodwyer2, Aug 2023

Our tour guide Luca was very knowledgable and a lovely man. We would highly recommend his company for future tours of Sicily.

Fantastic-better than we expected!

Rhonda_G, Aug 2023

Since there was only four in our group it was just our group. My 15 year old wanted a Godfather tour and we wanted to see the island. This was a perfect combination. Meet immediately outside the gate with also the other tour groups. He has a sign with my name. The van is new and very comfortable with air conditioning. Our guide was superb! He was very flexible, knowledgeable and spoke perfect English. We first went to the city where the parts of the Godfather was filmed. I can see why the director fell in love with this beautiful city high on a mountain top. He took us on a walking tour to the restaurant where Michael asked the family to marry their daughter, the street of the procession, and the church for the wedding. The San Nicolo church is up a steep hill but manageable because it is only a few minutes. There is a fee of 1 euro per person. There were statues and stories of them as well as a traditional altar where they still have mass and electric candles to light with an offering. On to Isolabella, it is a gorgeous beach with a sandbar to the island that once had a private residence on it. Now the government owns it and opens it for parties. The water is crystal clear. We stopped and had free time at the beach and got something to eat at a local restaurant of our choice. Then he picked us up on time and went to spend the rest of the day at Taormina to walk around or go to the beach. Driving through it, it is a typical beach center with a long strip of stores, cafes, shops, and the beach. Unfortunately, it was 95 degrees and even with my hat and water bottle, the heat got the best of me. We ended up at a local farmacia and went back to the ship. I highly recommend this tour.

Pull the Trigger and take a shot at this tour!

Michelle_Z, Aug 2023

The Godfather and Taormina tour was amazing! It was really cool to see where the movie was filmed. Only wish we had more time in Taormina. I would highly recommend this tour! Our tour guide, Sabastian, was great!

The best of Messina was the best

DAVID_K, May 2023

This was a great shore excursion from Messina. We were met at the port on time, We had 8 people in a van with an outstanding tour guide/ driver , Simone. The tour was well planned. Simone was a very good driver and guide. He was extremely likable , personable and knowledgeable. We started in Savoca and seemed to beat the rush of visitors wanting a glimpse of the Godfather filming site. We spent 90 minutes there and saw catacombs, beautiful vistas, had espresso and pastries and visited the famous bar from the film . We had 3 1/2 hours in Taromina which was a treat. We had time to see the ancient theatre, the hotel where White Lotus was filmed, and just enjoy being there. We also visited an ocean front town Naxos before seeing some sights in Messina., would highly recommend this tour. It is far better than any excursion offered by the cruise line . If your lucky enough to have Simone as tour guide - you are guaranteed a good day. Water was provided as well as cannolis . This was our favorite excursion of our 12 day cruise. Don’t hesitate to book this .

You won’t be sorry

Darlene_D, Nov 2022

Beautiful and informative trip. We learned so much about The Godfather shows that I didn’t realize. Topped off our day with a terrific cannoli.

Great tour and great driver.

Cathy_W, Jul 2022

Great tour and driver! Guide picked us up directly at our cruise port and made it easy. Savoca and Taormina were perfect!!! Highly recommend. For Isolabella beach, be aware, this is a very rocky beach (no sand) with steep steps.

A little bit of everything

Elise_B, Jul 2022

I booked this tour for my family last minute after I had 2 back to back last minute “Godfather tour” cancellations. So lucky I came across this one that offered even more. There were only 7 of us on the tour total with Sergio. He was so kind and very informative but not the type of tour guide that will put you to sleep like a lot of them. He genuinely wanted everyone to have a great experience and gave many good recommendations such as the lemon granita! He stopped to make sure we took in the best views of Sicily. I would recommend this tour for sure!