Messina City and Coast Tour

We only had the day in Messina and our half day tour began with a short panoramic drive along Messina's main street -- Via Garibaldi. On foot, we visited the Cathedral Treasury, where we saw the Madonna's golden mantel. You will also find a collection of important historical artwork donated by kings, bishops, noblemen, and even local people, as a token of faith and thanksgiving. Stop at the Campanile del Duomo di Messina,almost entirely rebuilt after the earthquake of 1908. It features an interesting finely-carved 15th- to 16th-century central doorway. We ate lunch at a café opposite the cathedral and watched the astronomical clock whose narrated, animated, mechanical statues are only seen at noon. Also view the Orion Fountain in Cathedral Square. Built in 1547, its polygon basin portrays Orion -- one of the legendary founders of the city. Overall the town itself does not offer much more and you may be better trying to see other places.

Awesome trip the historical knowledge of Messina was so enlightening. The tour really help Messina shine.Information provided on historical sites was very informative and Chiara’s execution of English was second to none.

Chiara was our tour guide. She is very knowledgeable and passionate about Messina and the surrounds. We are a group of 40 pilgrims from Australia and she was patient and accommodating of our needs. This business is very professional and I highly recommend.

Unfortunately our Shore Excursion was withdrawn 2 days before our Cruise ship arrived in Messina and as I had no phone signal in the previous port, followed by a day at sea, we had not time to arrange an alternative. The company offered us an alternative at no extra cost to us but the alternative tour was for 6-7 hours and too long for our party who have walking difficulties. The others in my group are in their 70's and my husband is 82 and a long trip such as that suggested is too much for us. It was such a shame as on this Cruise Itinerary Messina was the only Port that we had not visited before. The Company have confirmed a refund of course but that doesn't compensate us missing out on seeing Messina and Touring along the Sicilian coastline.

Our guide Tania, was excellent. She was passionate about her city and very knowledgeable. She was well organized yet flexible during the tour.

We recently took the Messina City and Coast Tour and overall had a good experience. Our tour guide, Tania, was excellent—knowledgeable, engaging, and genuinely passionate about the region. She did her best to narrate the tour, but I would strongly recommend that the company provide her with a small speaker or portable microphone. Sitting in the back of the van, it was often difficult to hear her over the hum of the air conditioning (which we absolutely needed, as it was nearly 100 degrees in Messina that day). The van driver, Diego, unfortunately did not add to the experience. He came across as indifferent and unhelpful—perhaps a bit too typical of the Gen Z “just doing my job” attitude. For instance, when we stopped for a brief beach visit, an older couple opted to stay in the van. Diego turned off the engine and opened the door, leaving them sitting in the sweltering heat with no air circulation. For the price of the tour, that lack of consideration was disappointing. He also did not assist the older guests when getting in and out of the van, and remained fairly disconnected throughout the day. Finally, there were times when we all packed into the van and Diego was the last to get into the van to turn on the A/C. One suggestion for improving the itinerary would be to spend more time in Messina City itself. We felt a bit rushed there and believe time could have been better allocated by skipping the lake stop on the return trip. Despite these few drawbacks, the tour offered beautiful sights and Tania’s guiding was a highlight. With a few tweaks—especially in guest comfort and itinerary planning—this tour could go from good to excellent.

We had an awesome experience, our guide Sara was so knowledgeable , friendly and made us feel so welcome. We had the opportunity to try the local panini ( family owned) We came on a cruise and from all our other tours these was far the best one.

Very nice, we definitely repeat it. We went with garage she was very friendly. She works a lot to keep the base and the energy high window though we did walk a lot we really enjoyed it and the time flew by.

Fabulous fun. Great Guides. Alessandra and Guissepe were warm and welcoming. So much information and inside knowledge. They even got Mt. Etna to erupt for us (hahaha)

This was a fun, informative and super personal experience. Alessanda and Guissepe THANK YOU so much.