the beautiful seaside city of matera, italy in sicily with a church dome in front of a brilliant sea

7 Marvelous Things to Do in Messina, Sicily (2025 Update)

Messina sits almost at the northeastern tip of Sicily, just across the strait from Reggio Calabria, the southernmost city in mainland Italy.

Despite its prime location, Messina is often overlooked by travelers compared to flight hub cities like Palermo and Catania, it is still a rather popular stop for cruise ships due to its port, as well as travelers arriving in Sicily from mainland Italy via ferry.

🇮🇹Planning your trip to Messina last minute? Here are my top tips!

🍝
Best Messina Activities & Excursions
1. Traditional Pasta Making and Tiramisu Class (#1 activity!)
2. Two-Hour Walking Tour of Messina Center (best for history!)
3. Guided Taormina and Castelmola Tour (see more of the city)

🏨 Best Messina Accommodations
1. Vittoria House of Charm (elegant & palatial rooms with A/C)
2. Re Vittoria De Luxe (spacious and central A/C rooms) 
3. Maison al Duomo (two-bedroom apartment, good for groups)

🚗 Traveling around Sicily? The easiest way is renting a car — I recommend searching and booking via Discover Cars, which checks over 500+ agencies (large international ones and small local Sicilian ones!) to find the best price for your rental.
Note: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission if you purchase something after clicking. Thank you for supporting the free content on this independent site! For more information on affiliate links and cookies, see my disclosure page for more details.

Sadly, Messina has a long history of devastating events, especially in the 20th century. After a massive earthquake in 1908 destroyed a great part of Reggio Calabria and Messina, bombardments during World War II damaged the city even further, adding insult to injury. 

Though it was mostly reconstructed after this series of disasters, Messina still has many abandoned buildings, which stand a sort of monument to this history of devastation and the slow process of rebuilding.

Panoramic viewpoint in Messina with a church with a dome and lots of trees around it and two benches to sit on
Viewpoint in Messina of one of its many churches, the Tempio di Christo Re

I stopped off in Messina during one of my trips to Sicily, since I was crossing the strait from Reggio Calabria.

While yes, it may lack some of the charm of small seaside towns like Taormina or Siracusa, I can tell you that it’s still a lovely city worth a visit. 

Without any further ado, here’s a short guide of things to do in Messina, one of Sicily’s most underrated cities.

Tips for Visiting Messina

The landscape of Messina, Sicily; view of the stunning Church of the Madonna di Montalto, set on the hill Caperino in the town, with a view of the sea in the background.
Church of the Madonna di Montalto in Messina

Despite being one of Sicily’s larger cities, Messina often goes unnoticed by many visitors. With most travelers heading to Palermo, Agrigento, and Taormina, Messina is mostly just visited by travelers who have already seen the rest of the island and are looking to avoid the crowds — or by those who arrived via ferry.

On the bright side, the fact that Messina isn’t so famous among tourists means you can often enjoy the city without having to put up with crowds.

While summers are still popular, especially given the many cruises stopping by, you’ll still find fewer people overall in Messina than in most other Sicilian cities and beach towns.

Downtown of Messina in Sicily with the clocktower and structures of the city center
Downtown street in Messina, with a view of the clocktower

Given the island’s summer tourism boom, visiting in the shoulder season can be great; in particular, months like April and October offer the perfect compromise with good weather and moderate crowds. 

Also, if you don’t mind passing up your Sicily beach time in exchange for solitude and winter prices, winter can also be a good time to visit. Messina is not as famous for its beaches as other parts of Sicily, although does offer some beach access and waterfront views, especially along the Lungomare.

Most people will find one day is enough time to explore Messina, so plan your schedule accordingly. 

Especially if you’ll be taking a renting a car in Sicily before going on a road trip, I recommend spending the day in Messina before moving on to nearby places like the charming Taormina and beautiful Mount Etna and its wine-growing region.

Things to Do in Messina, Sicily

The building of  Temple Christ the King in Messina with the strait of messina in the background
Details of the Messina cityscape

I’ll be honest: unlike some of the more popular cities in Sicily, Messina isn’t exactly packed with attractions and landmarks. However, this doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do! 

You can take your sweet time walking around the city, all while admiring the beautiful churches, and checking out some stunning viewpoints. 

Read on for a few more of my favorite things to do in Messina.

Explore the center of Messina.

Architecture in Messina's city center with green shutters and pink and white striped paint on the building
Traditional old architecture in Messina

Start your visit to Messina off with a walk around its historical center, where you can admire beautiful buildings, check out impressive squares, and visit beautiful churches.

The city may be big, but the historical center is nice and compact, so you can explore it in a couple of hours. Make your way down to stroll around Cairoli Square, one of the main city squares.

From the square, you can walk along Viale San Martino, Messina’s shopping street, lined with everything from clothing and jewelry stores to bars, bakeries, and gelateria

If you’re short on time but want to see the main sights and learn some cool facts about Messina, you can join this 2-hour Walking Tour of all the best sights downtown.

Your knowledgeable guide will show you around the historical center and tell you legends and historical facts about the city’s landmarks for context.

Book your Messina walking tour here!

Admire Messina’s fountains.

Ornate fountain with several figures displayed on it with a tree and a pastel pink historical building behind it
The ornate fountains of Messina

Scattered all over Messina’s historical center, you’ll see several artistic fountains which is one of the halmmarks of the city.

The most famous is Fontana di Nettuno (Fountain of Neptune), but others worth checking out include Fontana di Orione, in front of the cathedral in the Piazza del Duomo, and Fontana Falconieri.

Close to Fontana Falconieri, you can also check out a variety of sculptures lining a lovely stairway leading to Santuario Parrocchia S. Maria Di Montalto.

Tip: From here, you can enjoy a lovely view of the Cristo Re Sanctuary.

Discover Messina’s churches.

The central cathedral of messina with a large belltower and clock
The Messina Cathedral and its belltower

Messina’s churches are among its most beautiful landmarks, especially when set against the backdrop of the waters of the gorgeous Strait of Messina.

Along with the Messina Cathedral, the Tempio di Cristo Re (pictured nelow) and the Chiesa Santissima Annunziata dei Catalani are the most famous and photogenic churches in town.

The Basilica Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta is known for its astronomical clock (which we’ll talk about in a bit), but it’s also just a beautiful church worth visiting in its own right: its cupola is especially gorgeous!

Cupola detail in the church in the center of Messina
Interior of the cathedral basilica

Though mostly destroyed in the 1908 earthquake, some elements survived, like the Gothic portal and an apse.

You can get an audio guide for a small fee when visiting the cathedral interior.

Located on top of a hill, Tempio di Cristo Re offers spectacular views over the city and features unique architecture.

Panoramic view of Messina's town, with the Temple Christ the King on the water with views of the strait and the town on the other side (part of Mainland Italy)
View of Tempio di Cristo Re with Reggio di Calabria on the other side of the water

The church was built on the spot previously occupied by the medieval castle of Matagrifone and actually incorporates the ruins of the fortress, including the only tower still standing.

The last church we’ll talk about here, the lovely Chiesa Santissima Annunziata dei Catalani, dates to the Byzantine period and combines both Norman and Arab architectural elements in a blend that is typically Sicilian.

The 12th-century church occupies the place of an ancient temple dedicated to Neptune and is one of the few structures that survived the 1908 earthquake.

Watch the astronomical clock strike noon.

The detail of the astronomical clock in Messina with gold and midnight blue colors
The astronomical clock of Messina

The Cathedral of Messina (aka the Duomo di Messina) is perhaps best known for its astronomical clock, the largest and purportedly most complex (though how that’s measured, I’m not exactly sure) in the world.

The clock was added to the newly reconstructed cathedral in 1933, though the cathedral had already been reopened four years earlier, in 1929.

Built by a Strasbourg-based company, the clock resembles the one in the French city from which it hails.

The clock has several symbolic decorations, the most significant one being the carousel of the days of the week, with a deity representing each day.

Zodiac symbols on the astronomic clock in Messina
Symbols of the zodiac on the clock in Messina

Other parts of the clock are a carousel depicting the stages of life, as well as a statue of Messina’s patron saint, a separate clock that marks the sun’s zodiac symbols, the Madonna of the Letter, and several biblical scenes.

Every day at noon, visitors gather around the clock to watch it come alive. Get there a few minutes earlier to catch a good spot for the show!

Watching the statues come to life one by one, complete with movement and sounds, is a must-see attraction in Messina.

Check out the art at the Interdisciplinary Regional Museum of Messina.

Regional Museum of Messina when it's open with a palm tree and two cars in front of it
The Regional Museum of Messina outside the center | Photo Credit: I, Sailko, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Regional Museum of Messina is home to a vast collection of artworks and archeological artifacts, including important works by Caravaggio and Antonello da Messina.

The museum highlights art and culture in Messina dating back between the 12th and 18th centuries.

In addition to its core focus, the museum also houses paintings, sculptures, and artifacts retrieved in the aftermath of the 1908 earthquake. The museum has a unique location that is itself quite historical: it’s set in a former spinning mill.

Although it’s a bit farther than the other the main landmarks in Messina, you can still easily reach it by bus or a pleasant 30-minute walk.

Stroll through the University Botanical Garden.

blooming bushes with pink and purple flowers in messina sicily
Bougainvillea in Messina

Admittedly, Messina is a bit lacking in green spaces for the most part, at least compared to other places in Sicily. That said, the University Botanical Garden is a delightful exception!

This little green area was first established in the 17th century… but sadly, it was destroyed shortly after during Messina’s revolt against the Spanish.

The botanical garden as you’ll see it today dates to the late 19th century, a little oasis in the center of a busy city. Best of all, it’s free of charge! 

However, it’s important to note that it’s only open on weekdays; weekends, it’s closed! It’s operating hours are 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the Camposanto.

The monumental cemetery in Messina with rows of hedges, plants, and monuments like tombstones etc.
The Camposanto of Messina

A graveyard walk might sound a bit unusual, but strolling through the Camposanto (also known as the Monumental Cemetery) is one of the more popular things to do in Messina, and it’s also one of the city’s few green spaces.

This stunning 18th-century cemetery features beautifully decorated chapels, sculptures, and monuments. Going for a walk through Camposanto is a relaxing and peaceful way to spend an hour in Messina if you run out of things to do.

The cemetery is just a 20-minute walk from Piazza Cairoli, but you can also catch the tram if your feet get tired!

The Camposanto of Messina is open daily from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with free entry for visitors — score!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *