CityBySee Open Top Bus - TAORMINA

The worst sightseeing bus ever! I would give 0 if it would be possible. We planned the trip so that we would see last part of red line, but bus never arrived despite lady who worked for the company assured us it's very late, but it will arrive. Was not true as we waited 1h 20min and it never arrived. Plus one of your buses didn't have a sound and bus driver just told us to enjoy the view. Like what is this service. Do not go! Waste of money

These bus tours were definitely worth our money. Valerio helped us pick out the best tour and he was all around an extremely friendly and helpful person!

Appalling bus tour! The bus driver got lost getting to Gole Ancantara from Taormina which was ridiculous and added unnecessary time to our journey. When we finally arrived, I asked the bus driver what time the bus would be leaving and was shown 12.33pm on a timetable. We finished exploring the lava caves and were in the car park on time for the bus which never arrived. On calling the office, we were first of all blamed for being late when we weren't until the customer services rep finally admitted that the bus driver had given us the wrong time! We were then told to wait until 2pm. The bus arrived at 2pm but the driver said he wouldn't be leaving until 3pm. My son and I could not bear to wait any longer and caught an InterBus back to Taormina at additional cost but at least this meant we could get back to our hotel an hour sooner. If I could give this zero stars I would. Shocking company with poor customer service. I should have stuck to the Hop on, Hop off bus tour instead of trying City by See. We still have a red route ticket but after this terrible experience will not be bothering with the red route tour. There are many reviews online about this company's dreadful performance and customer service. If only we had read reviews before wasting money on this tour!

This business gets one star only because it exists. Its business model is a total failure. It seems to be designed to frustrate and mislead when you are hoping to enjoy a tour of Taormina. It all starts when you enter their main office to obtain some information. You are told you can only buy tickets at the office and in cash. The man in the office was asked twice if a ticket could be bought when boarding the bus and twice his answer was no. He spoke good English. He advised you needed to buy the ticket from him and to produce the ticket when I first proposed to use it. (The following day) The date and time would then be noted on the ticket and I would then have 48 hours to "hop on hop off". The bus only runs hourly. This is the major problem. The bus is always full and so after waiting nearly an hour for it to arrive there are 20 people waiting to get on and only four seats. You are then told you will need to wait for the next bus.......another hour. There is a man from the company at the stop but he is sheltering under an awning of a nearby bar (note it is pouring rain at this point in time) and only appears to tell you that you can't board the this bus and you must wait another hour in the hope the next bus can accommodate you. By this time there are 16 really soaked people wondering whether to wait another hour in the hope they might get on the next bus. After wasting the day in an attempt to see the sights you are told if you want a refund you need to return to the place of purchase. More time wasted. 20 euros for this sad and sorry experience. No acceptance of responsibility. A sense of detached indifference. Sound bitter and twisted....you betcha.

ETNA 3000 Really disgusting, u pay 87€ to go 3000m but at 2200 they tell you that we can't go higher because too dangerous while other companies do. xD U have a 2h stop at alcantara gorge that is not even included. I'd say this thing is worth 50€ not more, so avoid it if u don't wanna waste time and money.

trap for tourists. din t go!this was the worst tour ever because the driver did not stop the bus unless you had previously talked to him and communicated where you wanted to stop. This is how we missed one of the desired spots and messed the whole journey for the day.the audio system did not work so no info was available. they sold me a ticket that should have included 4 journey and i later discovered that one of them was only available in july or smth. just a trap for tourists. also, the timetable displayed on the bustops was confusing - two versions were listed at the same place with different hours. we ended up wasting time for that too

We took the bustour from Taormina to the gorge Alcantara and both ways we had a very good driver Angelo who regurarly stopped on the way at panoramic views of the landscape and interesting touristic and photographic points. It's absolutely amazing how he manouvered the bus through these narrow and crowded streets. Also the guy who sold us our tickets in Taormina at the busterminal really made an effort to explain us thorougly where, when and how about the bustrip. I'll be sure to ask for his name to add on here aswell.. I would recommend 10/10 to book a daytrip when you want to visit any interesting places in the vincinity of Taormina, Giardini Naxos and Castelmola. Edit @22-8-19: the name of the purser at Taormina's busterminal is Valentino!

We had a whole day in Taormina (10am-7pm) where we actually had no set plans. We took a regular bus up to Taormina from our accommodation and at the bus terminal had a look into a one day pass. It was 10€ each and it accounts for three lines (green, blue and red. The violet line was not available). The assistant at the bus terminal was able to help us map out the best-planned path including time for lunch so that we would not be stuck in any one place too long. We were to take the blue line, then the green line and finish on the red line. We knew that sometimes the buses can run late and also if the bus is full, that you have to wait for the next bus. Be particularly careful of the timetable when planning. The blue line went up the mountain and showed us Castelmole area which we spent an hour before the next bus. We got to taste some almond wine at Bar Turrisi (which is 'peculiar' and one of a kind bar). The green line then picked us up again from the bus terminal in Taormina and went as far as Savoca, where parts of the Godfather movie was filmed. If you get stuck in any of the green stations, it's at least a two hour wait in between though so make sure you plan well if visiting this area. The bus actually stops in Savoca for 30 min which is enough to take a few photos and have a snack. The red line picks up from the green line in Letojanni and takes you back past Taormina to Giardini-Naxos, a beach town with many beachside cafes and restaurants. We finished our trip here, after 5 hours of hop on and off. The entire trip has useful information through headsets with a different station to tune in to for each language (with 6 languages total). Overall it was a useful tune to spend for 10€. It may get a little busy during the summer months (we went in spring).