Taormina has no beach. The town sits on a cliff 200 metres above the Ionian Sea, its medieval streets and baroque terraces offering views of the water but no direct access to it. This is both the town’s defining character that combination of the theatrical elevated position and the sea glittering below and the one practical limitation that visitors need to understand before arriving.
The beaches are directly below, reachable by cable car in five minutes or on foot in thirty. They are among the finest beaches on the eastern Sicilian coast: Isola Bella with its small island connected to the mainland by a sand strip that appears and disappears with the tide, Mazzarò in its sheltered cove directly beneath the town, Spisone with its quieter atmosphere and finer swimming, and a sequence of broader beaches extending north and south for those who want sand rather than pebbles. Mount Etna is visible from every one of them.
In this guide
- Getting from Taormina town to the beaches
- Isola Bella the Pearl of the Mediterranean
- Mazzarò the beach at the cable car base
- Spisone the quieter alternative
- Letojanni the best sandy beach
- Giardini Naxos the long beach with nightlife
- Mazzeo the local favourite
- Boat tours and the Grotta Azzurra
- Practical tips
- Frequently asked questions
Taormina beaches at a glance
- Isola Bella: Pebble beach + iconic small island. Most photographed. Nature reserve. Very busy in summer.
- Mazzarò: Pebble beach directly at cable car base. Easy access. Beach clubs and free sections.
- Spisone: Quieter, finer pebbles, clearer water. Less crowded. Mix of free and organised.
- Letojanni: Sandy, 6 km north. Best for families wanting sand. Reached by bus or train.
- Giardini Naxos: Longest beach (sandy). Lively, great for nightlife. 4 km south by bus.
- Cable car: Runs from Via Pirandello in town to Mazzarò. €3 one-way, €5 return. 5 minutes.
Getting from Taormina town to the beaches
The most enjoyable and most efficient way to reach the beaches from Taormina’s historic centre is the funivia (cable car) on Via Pirandello, which descends approximately 200 metres in 5 minutes to the Mazzarò area below. Tickets cost approximately €3 one-way or €5 return (2025 prices). The cable car runs throughout the day and into the evening in summer. From the Mazzarò cable car station, Isola Bella is a 200-metre walk south along Via Nazionale.
The alternative is to walk: the path from the Isola Bella viewpoint on Via Pirandello descends directly to the beach in approximately 30 minutes on a series of steps and paths. The walk down is pleasant in the morning; returning up in full summer heat is less so. Most visitors use the cable car at least in one direction.
For the beaches further south (Giardini Naxos) or north (Letojanni), regular public buses depart from the bus terminal on Via Pirandello throughout the day. The bus to Giardini Naxos takes approximately 15 minutes; the bus to Letojanni takes approximately 25 minutes. The Taormina-Giardini train station, at sea level 2 kilometres from the town centre, provides train connections to Letojanni (5 minutes) and to the Giardini Naxos coast.
Isola Bella the Pearl of the Mediterranean
Isola Bella is the defining image of Taormina’s coastline and one of the most photographed beaches in Sicily. The small island, densely covered in Mediterranean shrubs and visible from the Taormina cliffs above, is connected to the mainland by a thin strip of natural sand that narrows and widens with the tides at high tide the island is surrounded by water on all sides; at low tide you can walk across the isthmus to the island itself. This ambiguous geography sometimes island, sometimes peninsula is what gives Isola Bella its peculiar visual character and the photographs that have circulated on social media.
The beach surrounding the isthmus is pebble, not sand, but the water quality is exceptional: clear, calm within the protected bay, and particularly suitable for snorkelling given the rocky underwater formations and the marine life of the nature reserve. The entire area has been a Regional Nature Reserve since 1998, which restricts development and preserves the natural character of both the island and the adjacent waters.
The island itself, now a Regional Naturalistic Museum, is open for visits Tuesday to Sunday from 9am until one hour before sunset (closed Mondays). Entry to the museum costs €6. Groups are admitted in shifts of 15 people. The museum inside is modest; the primary reason to cross is the experience of the island itself the dense vegetation, the sea on all sides, and the view back toward Taormina’s cliff from water level.
Practicalities: Isola Bella is extremely crowded on summer weekends and in August. Arrive before 9am for space on the beach and quieter water. There are beach clubs on both sides of the isthmus offering sun loungers, umbrellas and food service; free sections exist but are limited and fill early. Bring rock shoes for the pebble entry into the water. The free beach section to the east of the main area, continuing around the headland, is less crowded and equally beautiful for swimming.
Mazzarò the beach at the cable car base
Mazzarò is the first beach you reach stepping off the cable car a sheltered pebble cove immediately north of Isola Bella, framed by the cliffs of Capo Taormina on one side and the cove entrance on the other. The setting is handsome rather than dramatic, the water is clear and generally calm, and the easy access from the cable car makes it the most convenient of the Taormina beaches for a short beach day.
The beach is organised almost entirely by beach clubs La Caravella and Lido La Pigna are the main operators, offering sun loungers, umbrellas, restaurants with sea views and boat tour departure points. Free beach access is minimal at Mazzarò. The beach clubs are well-run and the setting, in a horseshoe cove with the Taormina cliffs above, is genuinely atmospheric. The two five-star hotels at the northern end of the cove (Grand Hotel Mazzarò Sea Palace among them) contribute to a polished, expensive character that is appropriate to the Taormina brand.
Mazzarò is the best option for visitors who want easy access, good facilities and a relatively short beach day take the cable car down in the morning, swim and lunch at a beach club, cable car back up in the afternoon for the evening passeggiata in the town. The 200-metre walk south to Isola Bella means the two beaches can be combined in a single visit.
Spisone the quieter alternative
Spisone, 15 minutes’ walk north of Mazzarò along the coastal path or a short taxi ride from town, offers the finest balance of quality and crowds among the Taormina beaches. The water is clearer and calmer than Mazzarò, the beach is wider and less premium in its commercial atmosphere, and the small stone islets rising from the water in the bay give the cove a distinctive visual character. Prices at the beach clubs are lower than at Mazzarò and Isola Bella.
The beach has a mix of organised sections (beach clubs with sun loungers, umbrellas and food) and free sections where you can lay your own towel. Snorkelling around the rocky islets is excellent. The Tao Beach Club and Lido La Dolce Vita are the principal operators; both have restaurants and a good standard of facilities.
For visitors staying more than one day and wanting to escape the concentration of crowds at Isola Bella, Spisone is the right choice. It is also quieter early in the morning before the buses arrive, making it an excellent spot for those prepared to be at the beach by 8.30am.
Letojanni the best sandy beach
The most important thing to understand about the Taormina beaches is that Isola Bella and Mazzarò are pebble beaches. If you want sand, you need to travel slightly further. Letojanni, 6 kilometres north of Taormina, is the finest sandy beach in the immediate area a broad arc of soft sand and pebble mix, with a relaxed local atmosphere considerably removed from the premium pricing and tourist density of the Taormina seafront.
Letojanni is reached by bus from Taormina’s bus terminal (approximately 25 minutes) or by train from Taormina-Giardini station (5 minutes). The beach has both free sections and organised beach clubs, all at significantly lower prices than the Taormina beaches. Several hotels face directly onto the beach, making Letojanni an alternative base to Taormina itself for visitors prioritising beach access over the hilltop town atmosphere.
The Letojanni coast is also paraglider territory the wind conditions from the coastal hills above the bay attract paragliders who launch from the hillside and land on the beach, providing a spectacle for those below. On a clear day, Mount Etna is visible across the bay to the south.
Giardini Naxos the long beach with nightlife
Giardini Naxos, 4 kilometres south of Taormina along the coast, is the longest beach in the area a wide crescent of sand and pebble extending around the bay, backed by a lively promenade of bars, restaurants and hotels. It is the most developed and most animated of the Taormina area beaches, with a nightlife culture based around the promenade that makes it the best option for visitors who want beach days followed by evening dining and drinking at the coast rather than in the hilltop town.
The town of Giardini Naxos has its own historical significance: it was the site of the first Greek colony in Sicily, established approximately 734 BC by Chalcidian settlers who named it Naxos after their Aegean island of origin. The small archaeological museum in town covers the early history of the Greek settlement.
Beach club prices in Giardini Naxos are lower than in Taormina. The beach has both private organised sections and generous free areas. The water is clean and swimmable; the sandy bottom makes it the most accessible for children and for those who prefer sand underfoot rather than pebbles. Giardini Naxos is reached by bus from Taormina (approximately 15 minutes) or by taxi.
Mazzeo the local favourite
Between Spisone and Letojanni, the beach at Mazzeo occupies a quieter stretch of coast that is well-known locally and almost entirely ignored by the standard tourist circuits of Taormina. It is a gravel and fine sand beach, wider than the coves immediately below Taormina, with both beach club sections and free stretches, several seafood restaurants facing the sea, and none of the summer-weekend crowds of Isola Bella or Mazzarò.
Mazzeo is the beach for those who have spent a day at Isola Bella and want to return to the coast in peace to swim without negotiating for space on the pebbles, to have lunch at a proper restaurant rather than a beach club snack bar, and to see the Taormina headland from a perspective that most visitors to the area never obtain.
Boat tours and the Grotta Azzurra
The finest way to experience the Taormina coastline is from the water. Boat tours departing from Mazzarò and Isola Bella circle the coast below the town, visiting the sea caves carved into the base of Capo Taormina, the Grotta Azzurra (Blue Grotto) a sea cave where refracted sunlight creates the intense blue glow familiar from the Capri version and the Baia delle Sirene (Mermaid Bay), a sheltered cove on the northern face of the headland accessible only by boat. Most tours include swimming stops in the bay.
The dive site at Isola Bella contains Punic and Roman artefacts at depths of 10 to 12 metres trade goods and wreck material from the ancient sea traffic that passed along this coast making it one of the more historically interesting snorkel or dive sites on the Ionian coast of Sicily.
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A guided boat tour of the Taormina coastline departing from Mazzarò visiting Isola Bella from the sea, the Blue Grotto, the Mermaid Bay cove and the sea caves of Capo Taormina. Swimming stops included. One of the most popular experiences in Taormina.
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A guided snorkelling tour of the Isola Bella nature reserve exploring the underwater rock formations, marine life and ancient artefacts with equipment and guide provided. Suitable for beginners and experienced snorkellers.
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Practical tips for the Taormina beaches
The cable car
The funivia runs from Via Pirandello in the upper town to the Mazzarò area below, approximately every 15 minutes during the day. The journey takes 5 minutes and costs approximately €3 one-way or €5 return. In the height of summer, queues can form at both ends during peak hours (10am to 12pm and 4pm to 6pm). The cable car does not operate at night after approximately 8pm. Walking up from the beach via the steps on Via Pirandello is possible but demanding in summer heat save it for the morning return.
When to visit the beaches
Isola Bella and Mazzarò are at their most manageable before 9.30am and after 5pm. Midday in July and August on Isola Bella is extremely crowded. For a peaceful visit to the most famous beach, either arrive at opening time or time your visit for late afternoon when many day visitors leave. Giardini Naxos and Letojanni are less crowded throughout the day in summer. Read our complete guide to things to do in Taormina for the full picture of the town beyond the beaches.
Sandy beach vs pebble beach
Isola Bella and Mazzarò are pebble beaches beautiful to look at but uncomfortable to walk on without water shoes. Rock shoes or water shoes are strongly recommended for all the Taormina beaches and can be purchased at the beach clubs. For sandy beaches, go to Letojanni (6 km north) or Giardini Naxos (4 km south).
Getting around
A rental car gives maximum flexibility for reaching the further beaches and for combining beach days with day trips to Etna, Syracuse and the rest of the Ionian coast. Read our complete Sicily road trip guide for driving in this part of Sicily. Without a car, public buses connect Taormina to Letojanni and Giardini Naxos reliably throughout the day.
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Frequently asked questions about Taormina beaches
Does Taormina have a beach?
Taormina town itself has no beach the historic centre sits on a cliff 200 metres above sea level. The beaches are directly below the town, most easily reached by cable car (5 minutes, €3 one-way) from Via Pirandello. The main beach is Isola Bella, 200 metres from the cable car base, followed by Mazzarò immediately below the cable car station.
What is the best beach near Taormina?
For most visitors, Isola Bella is the most beautiful and most photographed. For a less crowded alternative with better swimming, Spisone is excellent. For sandy beaches, Letojanni (6 km north) and Giardini Naxos (4 km south) are the best options. For the most dramatic setting, a boat tour to Mermaid Bay on the northern face of Capo Taormina reveals a cove that cannot be reached by land.
Is Isola Bella a real island?
Yes and no. Isola Bella is connected to the mainland by a thin strip of sand that covers and uncovers with the tides at high tide it is a true island surrounded by water; at low tide you can walk across the isthmus to the island. Its ambiguous status between island and peninsula is part of what makes it visually distinctive. The island has been a Regional Nature Reserve since 1998 and a Regional Naturalistic Museum (open Tuesday to Sunday, €6 entry) since 2011.
How do you get from Taormina to the beach?
By cable car (funivia) from Via Pirandello to Mazzarò 5 minutes, €3 one-way, €5 return. Or on foot via the steps on Via Pirandello (approximately 30 minutes downhill). For Giardini Naxos and Letojanni, public buses from Taormina’s bus terminal run throughout the day (15 and 25 minutes respectively).
Are Taormina beaches sandy or pebble?
The beaches immediately below Taormina (Isola Bella, Mazzarò, Spisone) are pebble. Rock shoes or water shoes are strongly recommended. The beaches at Letojanni (6 km north) and Giardini Naxos (4 km south) have fine sand or mixed sand and pebble a better option for those who specifically want sandy beaches.
The beach below the cliff
Taormina’s genius as a destination is the contrast: the medieval town on the cliff, the Ionian Sea 200 metres below, and the five-minute cable car that connects the two. The beaches are not ordinary the water clarity, the view of Etna across the bay, the small island in the cove but they are also not the primary reason most visitors come to Taormina. They are the complement to the town: the place to go in the morning before the heat builds, the reward for a morning at the Greek theatre, the setting for a boat tour at sunset with a glass of Sicilian wine. In that role, they are hard to improve upon.
For the complete Taormina picture, read our guide to things to do in Taormina, our Mount Etna guide for day trips from the town, and our Sicily road trip guide for how to position Taormina in a broader eastern Sicily circuit.
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