Ancient Theatre of Taormina tickets

Where to buy the official ticket

The theatre belongs to the Naxos Taormina Archaeological Park, a Sicilian regional park. Its website sends online buyers to Aditus, the official ticket office. The price there matches the gate price: €14 full, €7 reduced.

The reduced rate is only for EU citizens aged 18–25 and FAI members. If you're from the US, UK, Canada or Australia and over 18, you pay €14. Under-18s of any nationality go free, and under-12s must be with an adult. Staff check documents for every reduced or free ticket. If you can't prove you qualify, you pay full price, so bring a passport or ID card.

Online you choose a date. The site shows how many places are left for each day, and on ordinary days there are plenty. Booking isn't required. It does spare you a queue on cruise-ship days and holiday weekends.

Two exceptions. All free tickets are issued only at the on-site ticket office, both category-based ones and first-Sunday ones. And because first-Sunday free entry applies to all the sites in eastern Sicily, Taormina is busier than usual that day.

Opening hours and timing

The theatre opens every day at 9am, and closing time moves with the season. In late October the ticket office shuts at 5pm and you can stay inside until 5:45pm. Check the official calendar for your exact date, as it also lists special openings.

You come here for the view as much as the ruins. The seating is cut into the hillside, and behind the stage you see the Bay of Naxos to the south, the Strait of Messina to the north and Etna in the background. Toward sunset the light on the sea and the volcano is at its best. Early morning means fewer groups.

The theatre still hosts concerts, plays and opera. On event days, check the ticket office notices before you go.

Before you go in

• No luggage. Suitcases aren't allowed in the theatre area. Day-trippers arriving with bags need to drop them first.
• Antiquarium closed. The small museum is closed for restoration.
• Goethe Path closed. The ticket office says this path isn't open to the public.
• Accessibility. The site lists access for disabled visitors, who get in free along with one companion.
• Facilities. There's a café, a bookshop and an information point.

Official ticket, audio guide or guided tour?

The official ticket is enough if you're happy to wander and look. Resellers don't sell a plain ticket here. They add something to it. Tiqets and GetYourGuide sell entry with an audio guide. Tiqets, GetYourGuide and Headout sell guided tours with the ticket included. Both cost more than the official €14. A guide earns the extra by explaining why a "Greek" theatre looks so Roman: most of what stands today was rebuilt in the 2nd century AD.

If you're staying in Messina or Syracuse and don't want to drive, day trips with transport cover Taormina and often nearby Castelmola too.

Other park sites in town

The theatre is one of several sites run by the Naxos Taormina Archaeological Park. On the same official ticket site you'll find separate tickets for the Isola Bella nature museum, Taormina Castle, Palazzo Ciampoli and the museum and excavations of Naxos down on the coast. Each needs its own ticket. If you're only going to one, make it the theatre.