Italy
Chiesa del Carmine
cultureDetails & map
Messina ( meh-SEE-nə, US also mih-; Italian: [mesˈsiːna] ) is a harbor city and the capital of the Metropolitan City of Messina in the autonomous island region of Sicily in Italy. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of 216,458 inhabitants in the city proper and 594,074 in the metropolitan city as of 2026. It is located near the northeast corner of Sicily, at the Strait of Messina and it is an important access terminal to the Calabria region on the mainland, namely the town of Villa San Giovanni and the city of Reggio Calabria. Founded by the Sicels with the name of Zancle in 757 BC, which in their language meant sickle, it was repopulated by Greek colonists of Magna Graecia and renamed Messana.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Must-see in Messina
The most notable places, ranked by how widely they are documented on Wikipedia.
landmark
Statua della Regina Elena
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
More places in Messina
Filter by type. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, details from OpenStreetMap.
Real Cittadella
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Chiesa S. Marina
cultureDetails & map
Sacrario di Cristo Re
cultureDetails & map
Castellaccio
landmarkDetails & map
Statua della Madonna della Lettera
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Chiesa della Santissima Annunziata
cultureDetails & map
Necropoli di San Placido
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Concattedrale del Santissimo Salvatore
cultureDetails & map
Teatro Vittorio Emanuele
cultureDetails & map
Chiesa di Santa Caterina di Valverde
cultureDetails & map
Colonna dell'Immacolata
landmarkDetails & map
Synced from OpenStreetMap on Fri Nov 13 2026. Places not seen for 45 days or reported closed are removed automatically.
Plan your days in Messina
Your Messina day plan
Grouped by neighbourhood, lunch included. Built from places we verified recently.
How many days?
Longer trips (up to 10 days): part of Pro
2 days · Balanced · about 8 stops
Standard plan shown. Sign in (free) to build your own.
Climate in Messina
Best time to visit: Apr–May, Oct–Nov
Average temperature
12°Jan
12°Feb
13°Mar
16°Apr
19°May
23°Jun
26°Jul
26°Aug
23°Sep
20°Oct
16°Nov
13°Dec
Crowd level (0–5)
1Jan
1Feb
2Mar
3Apr
3May
4Jun
5Jul
5Aug
4Sep
3Oct
2Nov
2Dec
Flights to Messina
Compare fares and price history from the biggest departure cities.
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London
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Berlin
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Madrid
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Athens
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Rome
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Paris
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Vienna
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Bucharest
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Day trips and nearby cities from Messina
Staying more than a few days? These cities are close enough for a day trip or a night away. Distances are straight-line from Messina; times are rough estimates by road.
Day tripReggio Calabria
Italy
13 km≈ 15 min
Day tripCatania
Italy
87 km≈ 1 h 40 min
Day tripCatanzaro
Italy
120 km≈ 1 h 55 min
Long day or overnight
Syracuse
Italy
128 km≈ 2 h
Long day or overnightPalermo
Italy
193 km≈ 3 h
- Weekend trip
Marsala
Italy
277 km≈ 4 h 20 min
Weekend tripSalerno
Italy
285 km≈ 4 h 25 min
Weekend tripTaranto
Italy
292 km≈ 4 h 35 min
From Messina you can reach Reggio Calabria (13 km), Catania (87 km), Catanzaro (120 km), Syracuse (128 km) and Palermo (193 km) in about 15 min to 3 h by road. Each city page has its own sights, a day plan and flights.
More in Italy
Questions about Messina
The most pleasant months are Apr to May, Oct to Nov, with comfortable temperatures and lighter crowds. Right now it averages about 16°C in November.
Among the most notable places are Statua della Regina Elena, Museo Regionale di Messina, Cathedral of Messina, Orto Botanico "Pietro Castelli, Forte Gonzaga. Browse photos and opening hours for more on this page.
You can fly into Reggio Calabria Airport. Use the flight links on this page to compare fares and set a price alert.
Most visitors enjoy 2 to 3 days. Use the route builder below to get a day-by-day plan that groups sights by neighbourhood and includes lunch.