We want to hike around and explore Selinunte and Segesta and hike and maybe check out the towns. We will rent an apartment or house. It will be Easter and Easter Monday. How is Marsala as a base? The town?? vs. staying in Trapani?? Perhaps there is more to do in Trapani? Is it worth staying one night near Selinunte?
Thank you.
I usually stay in Scopello, next to the Zingaro Natural Marine Reserve. I use Scopello as a base to visit all the locations you mentioned and more (e.g. Erice) all of which are within 40 min drive.
Another place I would recommend is Castellammare del Golfo, a bit bigger town, next to Scopello.
Between Marsala and Trapani, I would choose Trapani, simply because Marsala doesn’t have the same easy access to the freeways, therefore it would take you longer to get to places. However I prefer smaller places to cities, that is why I prefer the places I mentioned. Trapani is not a huge city, but big enough to appear too much of a “city” and too little of a town or village for my taste.
A few years ago, I used Erice as a base, and loved it. Very beautiful, ancient and special place, particularly in the evening and early morning, when it was very misty, mysterious and memorable. Great food in town also. One day I drove from Erice to Segesta, had plenty of time there, then drove to Selinunte, had plenty of time there too. Then I drove back up the coast, planning to stop and visit both Marsala and Trapani, which I thought of as mid-sized towns. I found they were both very congested small cities, with heavy traffic, absolutely no parking that I could find, and dreaded ZTLs. In each place, I ended up leaving without even stopping, and just felt lucky to find my way back to the highway without a fender-bender or a ticket. When traveling to either Marsala or Trapani, by car, I highly encourage people to have good city maps in hand.
Note: by the way, at Segesta I started at the temple, then rode the shuttle bus up the hill to near the theater. I had intended to take the bus back down, but found it had left while I was taking a photo. Good thing, as the walk back down was wonderful. The view of the temple changed greatly as I walked down the hill and it was closer and closer, with just green forest and hills in the background. Beautiful and varied photos along the way.
Trapani is a very nice town in my opinion. The newer part can be a bit chaotic but the historical part is on a promontory and is attractive and lively but mostly pedestrian, there are some great sunsets from there. It's also a convenient base to visit Erice, Favignana, salt pans, Marsala, Mazara del Vallo, even San Vito. More info here (no advertising)
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com/2019/03/trapani-october-2016-trip-report.html?m=1
I can speak for Marsala as a nice base, but it really depends on what your style is. We stayed in Marsala near the Port. We found going into the center city very walkable and enjoyable. Yes, it is a smaller town than Trapani, so we found it much more enjoyable. We were there in October, so didn't experience massive amounts of traffic. We also like to travel on backroads rather than the highway. We went to Selinute by going along the coast and the SS roads. It is a beautiful area. There is also the salt flats up north of Marsala (south of Trapani) that are fun to see. Marsala is a little closer to Selinute, but, again, not if you prefer to travel the A roads.
PM me if you want restaurant recommendations or more details on Marsala.
