Trapani October 2016 Trip report

We stayed in Trapani for 9 nights at the beginning of October 2016 after 6 nights on the island of Favignana. We chose Trapani as an interesting city in itself and as a good base for visiting the surrounding area, partly hiring a car and partly by public transport. The historical centre of Trapani has improved enormously compared to our previous visit over 15 years ago. Now it is a frequent stop for cruise liners as well as a popular destination with tourists arriving directly by plane or on a tour of Sicily. The historical centre has taken on a new life with buildings restored and cleaned and an interesting variety of shops and places to eat and drink which attract tourists and local people as well. There are many historical palazzi and some churches which are interesting to look at and visit and the Bastione on the north side makes for a panoramic sea front walk. We enjoyed going as far as the Torre Ligny promontory which was a nice place to sit and sunbathe and read. 

Just wandering around the city was definitely one of our favourite activities.  The Regional Museum Peppoli is worth a visit if you are in staying in Trapani. Trapani is also a port and convenient for a day trip or a longer visit to the Egadi islands and in particular Favignana. 

Accommodation in Trapani is plentiful and inexpensive for what you get. Shopping is easy and there is the fish market near the harbour for fresh local fish. It's easy to combine visiting the sites with enjoying the beaches in Trapani either on the beach in front of Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, or a little further down the coast but easy to reach by bus or on foot in the San Giuliano area where the sea is beautiful, sloped down slowly and the beach is clean and well looked after.

Trapani is a convenient base for visiting the Egadi islands and in particular Favignana (ferry), Marsala (train), Mazara del Vallo (train), the incredibly beautiful Erice (cable car or bus) and if you hire a car also San Vito lo Capo, Scopello and Castellamare del Golfo and the Salt pans of Trapani and Mozia. 

Sunsets in Trapani are absolutely splendid and we also liked the gathering of the birds in the trees at dusk opposite the Post Office in Viale Regina Margherita. Traffic is limited in the historical centre and we liked being able to wander around, it never felt chaotic like Palermo. All in all Trapani is an ideal destination for slow travellers who want to get a taste of real Sicilian life in a city which welcomes tourists but retains its own genuine character and identity. It is definitely one of my favourite places, not only in Sicily.