A Tour of Sicily: What to See Around Trapani in 7 Days

Are you flying to Trapani and still don't know how to organize your visit to Sicily?

Here is a 7-day route to relax and enjoy this corner of Italy.

7-day driving tour west of Sicily

Day 1 - Arrival

Off to a good start... Problems with the rental car

How deluded!

I had booked a rental car with Europcar from their own site 4 months earlier:

• I preferred to do it directly with them because the price was very similar and I thought I would have fewer problems.
• I paid the price online in advance with a debit card.
• And when we arrive at the airport... They don't give us the car!

Why? I'll give you a quick summary of the conversation:

- Because the card with which you made the reservation and payment is a debit card, not a credit card. And now we need a credit card to block the deposit.
- Well, here's my credit card. Apply the deposit on it," I said.
- I can't, it has to be the same card the payment was made with.
- And why do you allow online payment by debit card then?
- I don't know. That's not my business.
- Well, can you cancel the booking and redo it with the credit card at the same price?
- We can cancel and refund you but the new booking is going to cost you double or more.
- 😤🤬☠️...
- Sorry, nothing I can do.
- 😤🤬☠️....

Can you imagine the anger?

We even talked to the airport police and they told us that it happened often but they could do nothing.

Result:

• They refunded our money several days later (the least they could do).
• We ended up renting one from another company at the airport after wasting 3 hours arguing for nothing.
• I have never booked a vehicle with Europcar again.
• Now whenever I rent a car online I always do it with my credit card.

Learning from others' mistakes is wise 😉.

Arrival at B&B Villa delle Palme Delfina

Villa delle Palme Delfina was the place where we stayed for the whole week we spent in the surroundings of Trapani.

After our experience with the car rental company, it was a breath of fresh air to arrive at that house surrounded by gardens and be greeted with so much attention:

• A complimentary bottle of Sicilian red wine.
• The private terrace for us alone.
• A photographic guide of Trapani and surroundings as a gift.
• The sun setting behind the mountain of Erice.

We pay 541 for 7 nights in a double room (77€/night, 39€ per person).

Day 2 - Zingaro Reserve + Erice

Breakfast at the B&B

The breakfast included in the price was spectacular. Not a single detail was missing.

The only downside (to say the least) is that in the morning the noises from the kitchen woke us up earlier than we wished and that breakfast was served (every day) at a huge round table, with the rest of the guests and Antonio, our host. 

We preferred to wake up slowly and without much conversation, so after a couple of "busy" mornings , we decided to go to the dining room later, when the others had finished eating to be more relaxed. 

Zingaro Reserve

The sun was out, so we decided to take advantage of it by visiting one of the corners of Sicily that most caught our attention:

The nature reserve of the Zingaro.

It turned out to be the perfect combination of hiking, panoramic views, nature and dreamy coves.

Don't you believe it?

Check out the post in which I tell you in detail why the Zingaro reserve is a must stop in Sicily 😉.

Erice

That medieval village that loomed high above our B&B had too much drawing power.

So after a couple of swims in the the beaches of the Zingaro we decided to go up the winding road that leads to Erice.

The views become more spectacular as you ascend. But a picture is worth a thousand words:

Take a look at the article on what to do in Erice.

We took the opportunity to dine at La Prima Dea for a plate of pasta with pistachio pesto, wandered around its lighted alleys and returned (carefully because of the curves) to the B&B.

That argument at the airport seemed to have happened years ago 😉.

Day 3 - Segesta + Castellammare del Golfo

Segesta

After breakfast we headed to the Temple of Segesta.

Is it possible to be more photogenic?

If you are interested, here you have more information and pictures of Segesta "

Castellammare del Golfo

From the theater of Segesta there is a very attractive panoramic view of the north coast, so we decided to approach it to see Castellammare del Golfo and its picturesque fishing port.

We took the opportunity to eat a good plate of pasta "frutti di mare" at the pizzeria La Timpa and tried to get close to the Tonnara di Scopello but it seemed too much to pay € 4 per head to only step on it for a few minutes (the day was not inviting to take a dip in the sea).

So we bought some dinner to go (bread, tomato and sausages) and returned to the B&B.

Day 4 - Trapani + sunset on the salt pans

Trapani

The fourth day also dawned very cloudy and, in addition, it was threatening to rain. So we spent it strolling through the streets of Trapani.

This city has a melancholic air like something out of another era. Or maybe the light filtered by those gray clouds had something to do with my sensation...

Although I didn't find it particularly beautiful, I did enjoy strolling among palaces along Corso Vittorio Emmanuelle (with a 100% pedestrian section) and approaching the Ligny tower along the promenade.

The salt flats

Although there are others closer to Trapani, we had time and decided to go to the salt pans in front of San Pantaleo island to watch the sunset from there.

I have pointed out the bar with a view where we sat waiting for nightfall on the map at the bottom of the page.

Day 5 - Favignana + Erice

Favignana

Visiting the largest of the Aegadian Islands was a last minute decision... I'm so glad!

As I tell you in the article dedicated to Favignana, our only mistake was not buying the ferry tickets the day before (and we had just been wandering around Trapani). Ouch!

So we had to settle for spending a little more than half a day on the island, but not much more.

Of course, we enjoyed it like children riding our bicycles.

The blue of the sea on this island is out of this world. Seriously, just take a look at the rest of the photos of Favignana here 😉.

Erice

And what to do when you have to return from Favignana earlier than you would like because you bought the boat tickets too late in the middle of Easter?

Then console yourself with a sunset floating above the clouds from Erice.

Not bad, right?

Day 6 - Trekking Mt. Cofano

Mount Cofano

The night before we had returned to see that huge, isolated mountain on the shores of the Tyrrhenian Sea from Erice.

Were we going to leave Sicily without going near it? Impossible 🙂 🙂

So on the last day we headed for the southern access to Mount Cofano.

And you know what?

We found a beautiful hiking route with flowers everywhere and beaches of stones carved in the form of blades by the force of the sea.

Check out the details in the full article on Mount Cofano "

Day 7 - Departure

Our flight was leaving mid-morning, so we had a leisurely breakfast at the B&B Villa delle Palme Delfina and returned to the airport.

This time there were no surprises with the car rental agency 😉.

Still don't have plane tickets to Sicily?

I like to start my flight search in Trabber because the price it shows you is final (including credit card and other fees). Of course, I always check eDreams and Momondo offers as well.

You never know who will have the best deals 😉.

When to buy your flights

In the case of international flights it is worth doing a search in the 4 search engines above 6-8 months in advance.

However, for domestic or intra-European flights I recommend waiting 2-4 months before the date to make the purchase (unless you find offers that are hard to refuse).

Vueling, for example, tends to run low-cost promotions every few years.

Useful Links

• B&B Villa delle Palme Delfina.
• Other hotel offers near Trapani.
• 5% discount when you take out your adventure travel insurance with IATI.
• Flights to Italy:Trabber,eDreams,Momondo, andVueling. 

And here you have all the entries for more information about this 7 days route in Sicily:

• Trekking in the Zingaro Nature Reserve. 
• Discover Erice: a medieval village on the heights of Sicily.
• Discover the temple of Segesta and a Greek theater overlooking the sea in Sicily.
• Bike tour to the island of Favignana. 
• Trekking in Sicily: around Mount Cofano.

Map

Do you want to ask me any more details about this route through Sicily? Leave me a comment below and I'll be happy to share with you everything I remember 😉.