Western Sicily with Kids

Since you are staying in Scopello, you might be interested in visiting the Zingaro Natural Reserve which is right there. It's a longish walk from the town center (over a mile), but you can drive there in a couple of minutes. There is a parking lot at the entrance of the park. If you want to see nature, that is perfect, and it will also give your kids an opportunity for some beach time. Just be aware the beaches are small cliffy coves with rocks, the water is pristine but aqua shoes are a must, and the sea bottom drops quickly, so make sure you supervise your kids while they swim.

Roberto - we will definitely be visiting Zingaro on another day (we're actually staying in the Scopello rental house for 5 days total). I was thinking the Zingaro hike would be too much for the kids, so we might leave them with my parents (who will take them to another beach near Scopello).

A long hike would be too much but if you stop at the first beach after the park south entrance (the one after the museum), it's not too far to walk.

I know your kids won't care much about history, but from Scopello, you can also visit Segesta and Selinunte (both have temples). It's a short freeway drive. North of Trapani is also San Vito Lo Capo, voted best beach in Italy every year.

We went to San Vito Lo Capo and I think it would be lovely with children. It is probably an hour from Scopello. It might be better than going to Favignana with young children. You can leave when you are ready.

And there is lots of gelato!

I would not have wanted to take my kids when 2 to either an island with no way off or to a tour that last 3.5 hours.

Erice is very nice with great views. I think that is a great place. Not a fan of marzipan but the kids might like it(maybe not the taste as much as the different shapes).

I agree with Roberto about Zingaro. I also vote for Segesta and the beautiful temple and amphitheater there. It would be a shame not to stop there. I have not been to Favignana but I think there is some wisdom in what Beth said about getting stuck on a tour with little ones.

You don't need to go on a tour when going to the beaches of Favignana. There are ferries (we took the Liberty Line -- it took 30 minutes) at the port there are bike rental places. I can't remember about taxis, though. There is a small, sandy beach next to the tuna museum that was very pleasant and within an easy walk, 10 minutes, from the town. It's probably enough for a few small kids, but not enough if you want to make more than a day excursion. For that, you need to go beyond the port area.

Thank you everyone for the feedback!

We already have plans to stop at Segesta during the drive to our Scopello rental (coming from an agriturismo in the country).

I am now thinking that on Days 1 and 2 we will play it by ear - rather than booking any tour of the salt pans/Mozia, if we feel like doing either on our own we can.

On Day 3, maybe we will just do a relaxed beach day as recommended (it's our last day before an early flight home anyway). For those of you who suggested San Vito Lo Capo - did you go in summer? I heard you have to reserve a spot at the beaches there quite early in the morning. We also have access to Spiaggia Guidaloca and Cala Bianca directly from our rental house in Scopello.

You need to be very careful stopping on the way to avoid your car being broken into. The general advice is don’t stop with luggage. You might thus consider going from Scopello rather than on the way. We did it when stopping to see Villa Romana del Casale because we could figure out no reasonable alternative. We were two hours from where we were staying. It was a pay lot which we thought would decrease the likelihood of theft. Still we 1) had our suitcases in trunk where they were not visible and did not open trunk in parking lot. There was nothing left visible in car. 2) each of us had passport and anything that would be disaster to lose (eg medication) on our person. This might be more difficult to pull off with kids.

On beach chairs, we were there in May and it wasn’t even possible to rent them so I know nothing about how best to do it. Perhaps ask the people you are renting your house from for advice.

Laura
We just got back from Sicily and I would not recommend taking the children to the salt flats. There is nothing to see as they were not operational. They do have a museum in the Windmill building which shows the equipment on how they harvest the salt. 8E each.
We did take the boat over to Whittaker Island museum and grounds with the archeological digs still going on. It was a forever walk and not recommended for young ones either. IMHO I think there are probably better things to do.

I appreciate the feedback Shelley. I'm just curious which salt flat you visited - I see there are a few options? I wonder if they were closed because of the time of year? I was under the impression that the salt flats are still active.

There is a spiaggia libera (free beach) at both ends of the beach at San Vito, and the beach is large, so there is plenty of room. I don't know if in summer they might sell out all the umbrella/chairs rentals at the beach club concessions, but you don't need to rent anything, if you don't want (or can't). The parking lot at Segesta is not guarded, so if you have luggage in the car maybe it is a bit risky. Will you be alone with the kids or with your spouse/partner? You could alternate the visit to the temple like one stays at the car.