Today, in this article, we want to discuss the distance between Palermo and Taormina, how to travel between the two, and which means of transport to use. But before all that, let’s talk about the beautiful city of Palermo. As many know, Palermo is an Italian city with a population of 627,347, making it the fifth most populous city in Italy and the capital of the Sicilian Region.
The city stretches across the Conca d’Oro at the foot of Monte Pellegrino and is surrounded from the southeast to the northwest by the natural amphitheater of the Palermo mountains, facing its namesake gulf on the Tyrrhenian Sea. The site has been inhabited since prehistoric times, although the true foundation of the city is attributed to the Phoenicians between the 7th and 6th centuries BC.
Its history and the succession of many peoples and civilizations have endowed the city with an impressive artistic and architectural heritage. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the city became the driving force behind Arab-Norman art and architecture, with its main monuments now part of the Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedrals of Cefalù and Monreale UNESCO World Heritage site.
Palermo was the first capital of the Emirate of Sicily and later of the Kingdom of Sicily, also acquiring the titles Prima Sedes and Corona Regis, which it maintained until its dissolution in 1816 following the Congress of Vienna. From 1816, in the early stages of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Palermo served as the capital of a new state entity for a year, before Naples took over.
At the center of numerous popular uprisings, Palermo played a key role in the outbreak of the Sicilian Vespers revolt in 1282, as well as the Sicilian Revolution of 1848, which restored Sicily as an independent state. This beautiful city of Palermo also holds a significant place in the collective imagination of Sicily, as it is considered the birthplace of the Sicilian language and literature, as well as a renowned culinary tradition.
What is the distance between Palermo and Taormina?
Now, getting straight to the point, we can say that the distance between Palermo and Taormina is 270 km, while the road distance is 265.5 km. The quickest way to reach Taormina from Palermo is by car, with a cost ranging between €40 and €65, and the journey takes approximately 2 hours and 57 minutes.
However, if we talk about the best option to travel from Palermo to Taormina without a car, the answer is undoubtedly by bus, although there is no direct bus available. There are services departing from Palermo at Via Tommaso Fazello and arriving in Taormina at Via Luigi Pirandello, with transfers in Catania and Via Archimede. This specific journey, including all transfers, takes about 4 hours and 13 minutes, and bus services are operated by SAIS Autolinee.
It’s clear that the train is a faster option than the bus, even though there is no direct train from Palermo to Taormina either. However, there are services departing from Palermo Centrale and arriving at Taormina-Giardini via Messina Centrale. This time, the journey, including all transfers, takes just under 4 hours, and the services are operated by Trenitalia.
