Messina Walking Tour: Arab-Norman Sites & Puppet Museum

Discover the highlights of Messina on a 2-hour walking tour. Visit Cathedral Square, Catalani Church, Vittorio Emanuele Gallery, and more. Don’t miss the Sanctuary of Montalto and the Shrine of Christ the King.

Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Annunziata dei Catalani Church - is one of the few great monuments that have resisted earthquakes and the fury of incendiary bombs of war events,
  • Municipio di Messina - The biggest palace ever rebuilt after the earthquake of 1908.
  • Galleria Vittorio Emanuele III - built by the architect Camilo Puglisi Allegra in between 1924 and 1929
    -…
What's Included
  • Professional guide
  • Tasting of typical Sicilian products
  • Entrance fee to the Museum of Sicilian Puppet Theater
What's Not Included
  • Food and Drinks
  • Gratuities
  • Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
Additional Information

Your 2.5-hour walking tour begins at the Catalani Church, a prime example of Arab-Norman architecture. Next, you’ll head to the City Hall, the largest palace reconstructed after the 1908 earthquake. The Vittorio Emanuele Gallery, situated in Antonello Square, is the second largest in Southern Italy.
A highlight of the tour is Cathedral Square, featuring…

Location
Terminal Crociere
The guide will meet you OUT OF THE EXIT GATE of the ship terminal wearing an orange scarf and a signboard with our logo: A LION HEAD.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.4
(225 Ratings)
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Lorijean_m
Nov 14, 2024
Memorable day exploring ancient history in Messina! - Exploring Messina with our guide, Chiara, was a day we won’t soon forget! Chiara was very knowledgeable and every minute of our 2 hour walking tour was filled with ancient architecture, fountains, cathedrals and a delicious treat at a local bakery. Most amazing was the Bell Tower, and the history behind it! What a privilege to experience it!
Review provided by Viator
Sherry
Nov 5, 2024
Local guide was wonderful - Chiara did a wonderful job. We walked around Messina and since she is from here we felt like we learned a lot about the local history. Seeing the puppet shop was amazingly cool and meeting the 5th generation still running the shop was very special. Her choice on cannoli’s was delicious..best we have ever had. Great job in a beautiful city.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shar74037
Nov 4, 2024
Great Excursion - Chiara did an amazing job telling us about Messina and we walked to many great places. The puppet museum was fun, pastries shop was delicious and the cathedral with bell tower was amazing.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Boardingpass701583
Nov 4, 2024
Magnifico - Claudio our tour guide was fantastico . The puppet store marionette owner was soo nice to have us. Very informative. The free gelato or cannoli . The friendly faces. The weather and joys it brought to our tour . Book it it is soo worth it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Diane_s
Oct 28, 2024
Recommend this Tour - We learned a lot about Messina. The tour guide was professional, knowledgeable, and excellent. I highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Marina
Oct 23, 2024
Messina walking tour - Our guide Kyara was amazing! Very knowledgeable and made our tour interesting and very pleasant! Time flied so so fast! We really enjoyed our Messina tour! Huge thanks, Kyara!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
U1282gxandrews
Oct 20, 2024
Knowledgeable tour guide with amazing photo opportunities - Chiara was a very knowledgeable, attentive, and organized tour guide. She answered any questions we had and took us to beautiful places for photos. She made sure we were able to see the astronomical clock at noon for the performance. I would recommend Chiara to anyone who was to explore Messina.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
177tamiw
Nov 16, 2024
Nice stroll around Messina - We enjoyed our Messina walking tour with our guide Claudio. He was knowledgeable and kept a good pace for our group. We had a nice break for that included a treat. Glad he got us to the square in time for the church bells! This tour was on mostly flat ground.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kirsten_jorgensen
Nov 1, 2024
Lovely tour! - A lovely tour through Messina. Chiara did such a great job with our group adding depth to the whole experience with history and stories about local legends. Great way to get an overview of the local history and a view of the city.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kelly_b
Oct 18, 2024
Walk in Messina - It was as actually only 2 hours. It was good but didn’t cover as much ground as I anticipated. The Canolli was delicious
Review provided by Viator
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
December 2024
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