From the city of Giardini-Naxos, in the province of Messina, you begin to admire "the views of Etna", which are lost overhanging the wide bay that from Mazzarò reaches up to Cape Taormina. Ancient colony founded by the Greeks in 735 BC, the city of Giardini-Naxos is located in the center between the provincial capitals of Messina (50 km) and Catania (40 km). A time among the main Giardini-Naxos economic and cultural centers of Sicily "Giardini Naxos" is today one of the best known seaside resorts and seaside resorts of the island. In fact there are many beaches and bathing establishments present in the territory, which come alive at the fall of the greenhouse turning into discos and clubs by the sea. And for lovers of good Sicilian cuisine, there are also many restaurants and the old trattorias in the city. But the center of Giardini-Naxos and the sandy and pebble beach of the Schisò promenade is also appreciated by families with children: in the seaside resorts services are provided for families who will guarantee moments of tranquility and deep relaxation together with their children.

View from above - Giardini-Naxos, Province of Messina (Source: gnuckx)

How to reach Giardini-Naxos

By plane

The town of Giardini Naxos is 58 km from the "Vincenzo Bellini" airport of Catania-Fontanarossa, which offers national and international connections with daily frequency either with low-cost airline companies. You can reach Giardini Naxos from the airport by booking a transfer service on our portal Bravodriver.com who will pick you up at the arrivals and leave you at the address you want. Or you can use the Bus service of the company Interbus that It has direct connections between the Catania airport and the Giardini-Naxos municipality. The ticket office at the Catania airport is located in the Arrivals Terminal Square (100 meters to the right from the Interbus shelter). Alternatively you can use the bus company ATM Alibus, which leads directly to the Catania train station (one ride every 20 minutes) and from here take the regional train with Taormina - Giardini-Naxos stop.

By train

From the central stations of Catania and Messina it is possible to reach the Taormina-Giardini Naxos stop (just over 1 hour from Catania and about 1 hour and 10 minutes from Messina). Arriving at the station of Taormina - Giardini-Naxos, to reach the city center take a bus of the company Interbus or a service of private transfer from our portal Bravodriver.com.

By car

The town of Giardini-Naxos is located in a strategic place and well connected to the main towns of eastern Sicily, in particular Catania and Messina. From Catania it is possible reach Giardini-Naxos with several alternative routes. The shortest route (and recommended) passes through the A18 motorway (with toll) exit Taormina - Giardini-Naxos (about 40 km). From Messina the town of Giardini is about 50 km and a journey time of about 60 minutes is expected. The shortest route is via the A18 motorway towards Catania Nord (with toll), exit Taormina - Giardini-Naxos.

By ship or ferry

Reaching the locality of Giardini-Naxos by ferry is a recommended choice, especially during the summer. From Italy the fastest destination for Giardini-Naxos is the port of Catania, connected directly to the cities of Genoa, Naples, Salerno, Livorno, Civitavecchia and Malta. Among the companies that perform the service: Tirrenia and Virtu Ferries.

History of Giardini Naxos: the first Greek colony of Sicily

Driven by the stormy current of the Ionian Sea, the Calcidesi Greeks (present-day Central Greece) present in the Apulian coasts reached as far as Naxos where they founded the first settlement in Sicily. On the beach of Naxos, in fact, the Greeks led by Teocles arrived for the first time and to thank the divinity who had saved them from the storm raised the time in honor of the god Apollo. From that moment Naxos, the first Hellenic center of the island, also became a place of pilgrimage for the thousands of settlers who going to Greece or returning to Sicily, passed from Naxos to pay tribute to the deity. Even today, the city of Naxos preserves the ancient remains of the first Hellenic colony in Sicily to the intent of the well-kept local archaeological museum. The Giardini-Naxos museum located on the seafront Schisò is open every day from Monday to Friday from 9.00 to 17.00.