Trapani, Sicily 6 days in April

We spent a week in Trapani a few years ago in this building. It was quiet, with a sea view, parking on the street nearby, easy to walk into the historical area for restaurants. The food may be the best overall we ever ate in Italy and we were in Italy for almost 5 years! IMO a car is necessary in Sicily. Don't miss the ruins at Segesta and we enjoyed hiking around the little island of Mozia by the salt works just south of Trapani.

Would it be better to stay in Trapani or Scopello? Is parking a problem in either of these towns?

We stayed at the Hotel La Gancia, and it was excellent.

http://www.lagancia.com/en/

The hotel is in the old town section of Trapani. We did not have a car, so I don't know about parking.

Scopello is definitely farther off the beaten path than Trapani - and very beautiful. But Trapani itself is a place than most American tourists never reach! I think I'd look at Scopello and see what's available as far as lodging. If you're willing to drive, you can reach the same spots from there as you can from Trapani (Segesta, Erice, Castellammare del Golfo, even Marsala, Selinute, Sciacca). It will be interesting to see what others recommend.

I think you need to find accommodations that have parking. I drove through Trapani on a Sunday afternoon and didn't stop because I couldn't find a parking place. To be fair, Sunday was probably a bad time, but finding parking wasn't easy for me in late April in any town in Sicily.

I didn't get to Scopello, but I based in nearby Castellammare del Golfo. My priority was Segesta and Selinunte and an agriturismo near Segesta was my first choice but didn't work out for technical reasons. If you want to visit Erice, Marsala, and other coastal towns, Trapani is much closer.

We are having difficulty finding availability for accommodations in Trapani for 6 nights in April. Who knew Trapani was the place to be in April? Would it be worth staying 3 nights in Trapani (If we can find anything) and the 3 in Scopello? Any recommendations for things to do, places to eat and stay in Scopello?

Hi, I'm sorry that you're having problems finding accommodations in Trapani. We also recommend Residence La Gancia. It is located on the waterfront and although it doesn't have it's own parking lot, we were able to park in an oceanfront public metered parking nearby. Our room was a studio with very modern and comfy furnishing and decor, wonderful bathroom with quality amenities, good sized elevator to great rooftop, ocean view breakfast area with good selection (not included but worth the cost). Breakfast area turns into a cocktail bar in the evening. The staff were very helpful and friendly. We were able to take part in a tour of the salt museum near the salt pans, Erice, Segesta, Castellammare del Golfo before driving to Palermo airport to drop off our car before travelling to Palermo by train. We found Trapani to be a great location for the west side, we just didn't have enough time to see more. I'm wondering if your six days in April are at Easter(big holiday for locals) which would explain the room unavailability. Best of luck with your room search.

Are you trying to book around Easter (April 16)? Trapani has a fantastic world famous procession then. It's well worth seeing even if you can't stay in town. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misteri_di_Trapani

One of my most memorable and enjoyable stays in Italy was in the ancient Sicilian hill town of Erice, known as Oryx in Greek times. It is just up its hill from Trapani. While many go there as a day trip, I especially loved being there in the evening and very early morning, when the empty misty stone lanes are so captivating. There is plentiful great food, and a modest number of shops selling local products and crafts. It is quick to get from Erice to Segesta, Trapani, Marsala, beach areas like Scopello, and other Greek ruins like Selinunte. I stayed at the wonderful Erice Pietre Antiche apartments, very near the center with just four apartments in the building. The owner/manager Massimo was very helpful, including leading me to a free parking lot a few blocks away. Six nights in Erice might be too many, given driving up and down the curvy hill each time you go exploring. But, Massimo also has a small apartment building in Trapani (he lives there and drives up and down constantly), and maybe you could work out something with him to divide your stay in both places.

We have booked the Hotel Trapani In and are wondering where parking would be available for 5 nights. Is anyone familiar with this hotel?

It says there is "no parking" on booking.com for this hotel. If you're going to have car parked for 5 nights in a place that's very easy to navigate on foot, why bother with it at all? Alternatively, pick a hotel that takes advantage of having a car (agroturismo in the outskirts/wine region or somewhere off-the-beaten-path) and where you can easily park it for free. Or if you do stay in Trapani, just rent a car as you need it (for a day trip to places where it makes sense to have one). I don't think you'll necessarily even need a car, but it really depends on where you want to go with it. You can easily reach Erice from Trapani without a car.

Thank you for the advice. We are flying into Palermo and heading directly to Trapani. If we don't rent the car in Palermo airport, can you tell us the best way to get to Trapani? We plan to stay for 5 nights there while doing day trips, and then in Scopello for 2 nights. Could we rent a care in Trapani to get to Scopello and drop off car at Palermo airport?

I know you said you were flying into Palermo, but note that Ryanair has direct flights from Rome to Trapani.

Re: Erice - There is a cool cablecar that runs from Trapani to Erice.

The bus schedule may or may not work (it may not be frequent enough or timed with your flight), but here it is:
http://www.buscenter.it/en/sicilian-airports/trapani-palermo-airport/

I'm also curious, if you want to go to Trapani, why not just fly directly into Trapani (given the very short time you have)? Alternatively, there are plenty of interesting sights to see in Palermo, so I would consider that as well (if you're flying there anyway). From the center of Palermo, you can take a day trip to Trapani or Erice, etc, or even some places right outside Palermo (either by bus or train). I think you can find an "off the beaten path" just about anywhere if you just let yourself stray a bit off the tourist circuit. Having said that, many people are overwhelmed by Palermo and don't like it, so it really depends what kind of adventure you're up for.

Check out this link or Lonely Planet to build an itinerary that interests you. It seems like visiting the wine region, Segesta, or Selinunte Greek ruins would be beneficial with a car.
http://www.bestofsicily.com

Since you have already booked a hotel in Trapani, you should take advantage of your hotel's knowledge.

Ask them where you can park if you rent a car at Palermo airport? If you don't rent a car at the airport, how can you get to the hotel? (Some hotels offer airport shuttles.) Can you rent a car in Trapani & drop it off in Scopello or at the Palermo airport?

We loved Trapani but also had some trouble figuring out logistics in Sicily ahead of time. Be persistent but charming. We found most Sicilians very helpful.

And don't miss our favorite snack in Trapani: gelato con brioche, at the Chocolate gelato shop on the Main Street. Also look for the wine shop also on the Main Street where you can get wine by the glass directly from wine barrels ... Something you don't see everyday. We enjoyed a visit to the island of Favignana, where you can rent bicycles and ride on practically empty, flat roads to some very picturesque beaches.

We had checked into flying into Trapani but timing and cost were prohibitive. Our flights in and out of Palermo in April are definite, but lodging can be adjusted. I neglected to mention before that we have been to Sicily and have spent time in Palermo, Taromina, Syragusa, etc. , but have not visited northwestern Sicily.
We were thinking of doing the first 5 nights in Trapani and doing day trips, and then the last 2 nights in Scopello. Does anyone know the cost to hire a driver to take us from Palermo airport to Trapani? Any other suggestions regarding lodgings and transportation are greatly appreciated!

Even though the route is a bit longer, have you considered taking a train? (Palermo and Trapani both have train stations) If it were me, I would take a bus or train (unless I truly needed a car). Hiring a driver will likely cost more than renting a car (and will offset any savings from flying into Palermo vs Trapani), so you might as well just rent a car if bus or train doesn't work for you. That will give you the most flexibility to make stops along the way.

Ou hotel in Trapani offered a free shuttle to/from the Palermo airport. Check with your hotel -- they may offer this service too, either free or low cost. Seems like it was just slightly more than a one-hour trip.

Train from Palermo to Trapani takes 5.5 hours with a change in Castelvetrano. Bus would probably be faster.

Charlene, can you recall the hotel that provided transfer?
Can anyone recommend a hotels/ B&B in Trapani that will provide transfer from Palermo airport to Trapani?

If you want a true off the beaten path experience, then taking the train will do it. Most (American) tourists would not take the train or stop in any of the towns in between. Most of the folks I saw on the Regionale trains in Sicily were locals.

You can find which hotels have shuttles on www.booking.com, but you have to select airport shuttle as one of the filters. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure they mean shuttle from the nearest airport (Trapani), not Palermo Airport. And hardly any are free. I hope you get a response on a free shuttle from Palermo Airport since it's not close by and I'd be surprised that someone would not charge for going that distance. You can also double check individual hotels on TripAdvisor and see what others say about shuttles or parking - just do a search of responses by keyword like "parking" or "airport shuttle". Then you can filter on those comments and get a good feel for your prospects. I quickly looked up your chosen hotel and the comments said that parking was 15 minutes away, not exactly convenient.

Our hotel in Trapani was Appartamenti Rosa Dei Venti, at Via Tintori 18. It was a last-minute reservation after we had made some changes to our schedule, and I chose it specifically because it offered the free shuttle to either the Trapani or Palermo airport. The shuttle was timed to get us to the airport about an hour before our flight to Rome. Couldn't have been easier. I have no idea how it works going the other way (airport to hotel) but assume they have that worked out as well.

We stayed here 2 nights -- it was large and clean and well situated, a block off the main street and a couple of blocks from the port. Not fancy, no view, no breakfast, although we got a breakfast voucher to a café down the street (may have been a small charge). I booked it through Booking.com.

EDIT: I just looked them up on Booking.com, and they still offer free shuttle to/from both airports, and they offer free private parking! So if they have availability, this could be your answer. Use the shuttle to get to Trapani, then rent a car for day trips.

Everyone has been giving us wonderful suggestions about our trip. We have decided to do 5 nights in Trapani and 2 in Scopello. We fly in and out of Palermo airport. We currently have 2 different reservations in Trapani and need opinions on best location for walking to restaurants and convenience. We booked Hotel Trapani In, but we are concerned about not having convenient, reliable place to park rental car. We also booked Appartamenti Rosa Dei Venti which provides a rental car for our stay. They also can provide free shuttle from Palermo airport which sounds like a nice perk. We would have to rent a car in Trapani to drive to Scopello area and then to airport. Is it convenient to get a rental car in Trapani? We would love to hear opinions on the better location for our lodgings in Trapni.

I'm not familiar with either of our two lodging choices. They aren't very far apart, so I don't think you'd have a problem with either location from the standpoint of walking to restaurants. I believe Appartamenti Rosa Dei Venti is just a bit closer to the main tourist area, but we're talking about such a slight difference (maybe 0.2 miles?) that I doubt that it matters. I don't anything about parking difficulties, however.

Google's map of Trapani. You can find your two options by just entering their names.

Go on Google Streetview and take a virtual ride in the vicinity of both of your hotels (that way you can scope out exactly what's in the neighborhood). Also you can easily measure distances, say from the train station to your hotel, or from your hotel to the cable car to Erice. You can even print out some sample walking routes.

I'm not familiar with your other hotel but Rosa Dei Venti had a great location, a few blocks from the port and about a block off the main pedestrian street where there are lots of restaurants and shops. Great gelato & granitas at Chocolate gelateria. Amazing pizza at a little pizzaria... at the end of the Main Street just past Chocolate, turn left, walk under the portal to the sea and turn right.
It was an easy walk everywhere ... the old part of Trapani is not very large.

Wherever you stay, I am sure you will have a lovely visit.