I am getting mixed information from the internet as to whether or not we can take a train from Palermo to Segesta. I see that there is a Segesta train stop, but I don’t see it on the Palermo to anywhere train schedule.
We have been avoiding the idea of renting a car, but perhaps we should just bite the bullet and rent one?
Any thoughts or suggestions based on your own personal experience would be appreciated
We stopped at Segesta the first day we landed at the Palermo airport, after picking up our rental car. It was convenient, as both the airport and Segesta are west of the city, so no driving in Palermo itself was necessary. We were headed to Erice for the night, at the start of two weeks with the car, driving around/across Sicily, then continuing with the car on mainland Italy. Renting for just a day, just to reach Segesta, might prompt some questioning, if even for just a moment.
It was a spectacular place, though; the temple, and the theater up the hill. If you didn’t drive a rental car, or do a daytrip by train, what would be your other options? Hire a private driver or taxi? Join a tour group? Maybe a doing a 1-day car rental isn’t the worst thing you could do.
The Segesta temple site is in a rural area, it is not in or near a town. Although there is a Segesta stop listed on the Trenitalia pulldown menu, no schedule options come up. I do not remember a train station anywhere near there nor do I see one on the map. The only thing there at the entrance to the site is a big parking area, and one small concession style / gift shop / ticket office. Rome2Rio does not list train as a way to get from Palermo to Segesta, and for public bus it says to take a bus to Castellammare del Golfo and a taxi from there to Segesta. So public transportation out there is doubtful. However, it is not necessary to rent a car if you are not comfortable with that. You can hire a private driver, a private driver who is a certified guide, or join a group organized daytrip tour out there as there are many of them. The two times I visited I went by car with private drivers who took us there and waited for us as we visited the site. On my first trip there in 2013 there were 4 of us so we hired an actual certified guide who took us to various places. On my last trip there in 2019 we (2 of us) hired a private driver to take us from Palermo to Segesta, Erice, past the Trapani salt pans and on to Marsala. We hired him for a full day of car service ( not a certified tour guide) and it worked out well. Look at Trip Advisor to find reviews of drivers/ car services or daytrip tours. Once you find the name and contact info for possible companies or individuals, I recommend contacting them and dealing with them directly - not through the third party service offered at TA. I contacted several drivers with an itinerary that I wanted and got quite a range of quoted prices. We did however use trains and buses to get to lots of other places in Sicily and relied primarily on public transportation for a 22 day trip around Sicily. But I do occasionally use car services when it facilitates my day's journey.
