Beaches of Isola Bella and Mazzaro near Taormina in Sicily

Photo of Isola Bella and Mazzaro beaches

Visit Isola Bella and Mazzaro beaches

On the coast below the fabulous medieval town of Taormina are two of the best beaches of Sicily, Isola Bella and Mazzaro:

Isola Bella is a tiny island linked to Sicily by a pebbly sand spit and views of the island and other large rocks in the sea make the beach very beautiful.
Slightly north on the other side of a small promontory is the beach of Mazzaro whose beach sits in a small protected bay.

Explore the beaches of Isola-Bella and Mazzaro

Sicily Visitor comment: Sicily is a real treasure with loads of fabulous sights but on the whole its beaches are not great. Isola Bella is an exception and both Isola Bella and Mazzaro beaches are very pretty.

If you are staying in Taormina there are various options to get to the beaches below. The most exciting is the cable car which takes you down the hill to Mazzaro beach, a short walk from Isola Bella.

Alternatively you can walk to the viewpoint on Via Bagnoli Croci and from here take the footpath down to the beach. Alternatively take the bus. If you are staying elsewhere then you can drive and park your car close to the cable car terminus.

Isola Bella itself is a small island that was bought by Florence Trevelyan, the grand-daughter of Queen Victoria, in 1890 when she was married to the mayor of Taormina. She built a small but picturesque house on the island and planted it with exotic plants making it even prettier than it already was.

The island now belongs to Sicily and has been turned into a natural reserve.

The island cannot be visited but you can walk accross the narrow sand spit to the small beach on the edge of the island and swim out to the various rocks. The main beach is pebbly but you will forgive that for the beautiful views and clear sea. The only down side is the number of women trying very persistently to sell foot massages!

The main beach is sheltered by Isola Bella on one side and a narrow section of land jutting out to sea on the other. On the other side of this rocky bit of land is Mazzaro beach which is also very pretty and somewhat more commercial than the Isola Bella beach.

Here you can rent umbrellas and loungers and there are various cafes where you can sit and enjoy a beer whilst admiring the excellent views.

There are quite a number of hotels here so if you want a beach holiday close to the fabulous town of Taormina then this could be for you. Personally we preferred to stay in Taormina and visit the beach but each to their own!

Where to visit nearby?

Obviously if you are here you will not want to miss Taormina it is one of the top highlights of a visit to Sicily. It is not only a beautiful historic town with views over the sea and Mount Etna but it also has a stunning Greek Theatre.

Just above Taormina is Castelmola, one of the most beautiful villages of Sicily. Further up the coast the hill top village of Savoca is another beautiful village and is where some scenes of the Godfather movies were filmed.

You can find more local travel ideas in the West Sicily guide,