Things to do in Trapani and the best beaches nearby: Milan Bez Mapy’s picks

To me, Trapani is a good base in western Sicily, with some lovely day trips on the doorstep. I wouldn’t skip the cable car up to the small town of Erice or the boat to the Egadi Islands. If you have time, take the bus to Palermo too. Be careful at pedestrian crossings: a motorbike knocked me down here in broad daylight.

Quick factsby Milan Bez Mapy

Airport to centre

AST bus to the port in about 40 minutes, €4.90 in 2025; taxi at a fixed fare of €35

Where to stay

As close to the port as possible; buses, boats and the airport bus leave from there, and you can walk everywhere in the centre

Erice

10 minutes by cable car, €15 return (2026), Mondays only from 2pm; check it’s running before you go

Levanzo

I chose the smallest and quietest island, about 25 minutes by hydrofoil; tickets are issued in your name, from €10 one way

Day trip to Palermo

About two hours by Segesta bus from the port, about an hour and a half by FlixBus

Watch out for

Drivers. A motorbike knocked me down on a pedestrian crossing in broad daylight, and I wouldn’t drive to Palermo

What to see in Trapani, Sicily? I’d love this blog to have an article on every destination you can fly to direct from Bratislava and Košice, with no change of plane. Trapani had been missing from that list for a long time, so in May 2022 I went, and took my mum along.

How to get to Trapani and where to stay

The direct Ryanair flight to western Sicily is, I think, popular with Slovaks. Being in Sicily two hours after leaving central Bratislava sounds like a great idea to me. On top of that, Ryanair has had a base in Trapani since January 2026, so there are more and more connections from around Europe.

Cheap flights to Trapani from Bratislava

Ryanair flies from Bratislava to Trapani, usually twice a week in 2026, and the flight takes just under two hours. Fares can be very low too: in 2022 I paid €30 for a return flight in May.

At prices like these, the ticket usually includes only a small cabin bag. That’s where my article on how to fit everything into a small cabin bag comes in handy. It’s not as bad as it sounds. Liquids are the only possible snag, and remember that you can buy anything at your destination.

How to get from Trapani Birgi airport to the centre and back

AST buses run from Trapani Birgi airport to the centre and the port. The ride to the port takes about 40 minutes, and a single ticket cost €4.90 in 2025. You can buy it from the driver, at the ticket desk in the terminal or in the AST app. The stop isn’t right outside arrivals, though. As Tatiana, one of my readers, wrote in the comments, you need to turn left and follow the marked path to the far end of the car park.

When I was there, the bus didn’t run very regularly and getting out of the airport was a bit confusing. With the new Ryanair base, though, there are more buses. In summer 2026, AST had more than twenty weekday departures from the airport. If you miss the bus, a taxi to Trapani costs a fixed €35.

Getting back to the airport is easier. In 2022 I took a shuttle bus run by the travel agency TRAPANI TAXI right outside the port, and the ticket cost €7.50. But the same AST bus also goes to the airport, and it stops by the port. Readers say you’ll find it immediately on your left as you come out of the ferry terminal, with the AST ticket office opposite.

• Tip from Milan You’ll find bus departures to the airport in the AST app. For city buses in Trapani, readers recommend the Moovit app, because the stops often have no timetables.

Do I need to hire a car in Trapani?

Not if you only want to stay in town or do a day trip to Palermo. But if you want to explore the surrounding area, you’ll need a car. Just be prepared: Sicilians can’t drive. A motorbike knocked me down on a pedestrian crossing, so I speak from experience. That’s one reason Sicily made it into my article on the countries with the worst drivers in the world.

• Without a car you can manage: the cable car to Erice, the boat to Levanzo and Favignana, the bus to Palermo, and the AST bus to the beaches at San Vito Lo Capo.
• With a car you can also fit in: Scopello and the Zingaro nature reserve, the temple at Segesta or the salt pans near Marsala in a single day. By public transport they’re slower to reach and often involve changes.

If you don’t have a credit card, see my guide to hiring a car without a credit card or deposit.

Day trips from Trapani

From Trapani I did three day trips: the cable car to Erice, the boat to the island of Levanzo and the bus to Palermo. I cover each of them in detail below. If you have more time, the AST bus will also take you to the beaches at San Vito Lo Capo, a ride of about an hour and a half. South of town there are salt pans with windmills and the Saline di Trapani e Paceco nature reserve. You’ll find guided trips from Trapani here:

Where to stay in Trapani

In Trapani, I’d stay as close to the port as possible. Why? It’s where the buses leave for the airport, Palermo and other parts of Sicily, and where you’ll find taxis and the boats to the nearby islands. Getting around will be quick, because Trapani’s historic centre is really small and you can walk everywhere.

If you can find somewhere near the main pedestrian street, Corso Vittorio Emanuele, you’ve hit the jackpot. Booking and Airbnb have plenty of options, so there’s lots to choose from. I won’t recommend anything specific, because it’s easy to pick a place that suits your own taste.

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Things to do in Trapani and the best beaches: Milan Bez Mapy’s picks

In Greek, Trapani was called Drepanon, meaning sickle. It got the name from the curved peninsula it stands on. The town has an enviable position between the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Strait of Sicily, below Mount Erice and facing the Egadi Islands. Not bad, is it? For centuries its wealth came from the salt pans, bluefin tuna fishing and the export of marble.

Walking through the old town, you’ll see traces of the Arabs, Normans and Spaniards, who ruled here in turn. Via Garibaldi, Corso Italia and Corso Vittorio Emanuele are among the oldest and most characteristic streets.

I liked Trapani from the moment I arrived. Partly because I love Italy and know it well, but also because I’ve always been fascinated by how Italians manage to live in their historic centres for centuries. I rented a huge old flat in the centre, and every wall breathed Italy. On a trip to Trapani, I’d recommend:

1. Spending some time in Trapani’s historic centre and taking a walk at sunset
2. Taking a day trip by cable car to the town of Erice (pronounced ‘EH-ree-cheh’)
3. Heading out by boat to the Egadi Islands for their beautiful beaches
4. Doing a day trip to Palermo

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Trapani’s historic centre: what to see and the main sights

• Ligny Tower
• Corso Vittorio Emanuele
• San Lorenzo Cathedral
• Palazzo Senatorio

Trapani’s compact old town doesn’t have that many sights, which is why fewer tourists come here. There are no long queues for museums, and the whole place feels relaxed. The best spot for sunset over the Mediterranean is the Ligny Tower (Torre di Ligny) at the very tip of the peninsula. It’s also one of the symbols of the town, and the view from it reaches all the way to the Egadi Islands.

The Spanish viceroy of Sicily, the Prince of Ligne, had the tower built between 1671 and 1672 to defend the town against pirates from North Africa. During the Second World War the Italian navy kept anti-aircraft guns in it. Today it houses a small archaeological museum. When I was there in 2022, a quarantine ship for refugees from Africa lay at anchor on the horizon. Sicily has had its hands full with this issue for a long time.

San Lorenzo Cathedral and a stroll along Corso Vittorio Emanuele should also be on your itinerary, but I’m sure you’ll find them without much planning. The Corso is worth a visit for good food and for people-watching during the passeggiata, the traditional Italian evening stroll, usually between 5pm and 8pm.

This pedestrian street, full of character and restaurants, is the heart of the town. At its eastern end stands the Palazzo Senatorio, also known as Palazzo Cavarretta, once the seat of the town senate. Pietro Castro designed its 17th-century Baroque façade, and the local architect Andrea Palma finished the upper floor. Statues of saints and two clocks decorate it, one showing the time and the other the date. That’s one reason it’s among the best-known buildings in Trapani.

• Tip from Milan The official Sicilian tourism portal has an overview of the ten most interesting places in Trapani here. I don’t go through the individual buildings in that much detail, but if you like churches and fountains, it’s worth a look.

Restaurants and cafés in Trapani

• Ristorante Pizzeria La Lampara
• Happiness Café

Italy is something to get to know with your stomach as well as your eyes. During my stay in Trapani I tried several restaurants, and these are the ones where I enjoyed the food most. Ristorante Pizzeria La Lampara is on Via Torrearsa in the historic centre. The lasagne I ordered didn’t really fill me up. I did notice, though, that people here order big bowls of mussels. If you like seafood, you can be sure it’ll be fresh here.

Happiness Café on Viale Regina Elena, near the port, has a nice outdoor terrace. I recommend their pizza with pistachio cream. You’ll fall for pistachios in Trapani: they put them in almost everything. Try cannoli too, the typical Sicilian dessert: a crisp pastry tube filled with sweet ricotta. Another typical Trapani dish is fish couscous, which the Arabs are said to have brought here. Local cooks also make busiate pasta with Trapani pesto (pesto alla trapanese) of tomatoes, almonds and basil.

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A day trip to Erice by cable car

• The cable car ride
• Pistachio coffee
• Historic lanes

How to get from Trapani to Erice by cable car or bus

Erice sits on top of a mountain at about 750 metres, right above Trapani. The best way up is the cable car, which takes you from the lower station in Trapani to the top in ten minutes. City bus 21 or 23 runs from the centre to the lower station. On Mondays the cable car only runs from 2pm, because of regular maintenance in the morning. A return ticket cost €9 when I visited; in the 2026 season it was already €15.

Every year the cable car closes for a few weeks for maintenance, in 2026 for example from 3 November to 4 December. Check its status on funiviaerice.it before you go. You can also walk up, but in that heat my mum and I didn’t risk it. There’s also an AST bus to Erice straight from the port; a ticket cost €2.90 in 2025. Watch out for the buses back down, though: they don’t run often in the afternoon.

If you plan to use both the cable car and the city buses, look at the Trapani Welcome Card. In the 2026 season it cost €18 per person. It’s sold in sets of at least two and is valid for three days. It covers Trapani’s city buses and the cable car to Erice, and gives discounts on museums and trips. According to the official website, sales for 2027 start on 23 March.

What to see in Erice and where I had pistachio coffee

The Elymians, an ancient Sicilian people, founded Erice. Later the Carthaginians took the town, and in 241 BC the Romans. In antiquity it was called Eryx and was famous for its temple to the goddess of love and fertility. The Phoenicians worshipped her as Astarte, the Greeks as Aphrodite and the Romans as Venus Erycina. Today the Norman castle, Castello di Venere, stands on the site of the temple. And one more fact: until 1934 the town’s official name was Monte San Giuliano.

Don’t miss a walk along Via Gian Filippo Guarnotti, with its restaurants, and the lovely Via Vittorio Emanuele, home to most of the town’s sights. My lasting memory of Erice is the taste of pistachio coffee. I can’t remember the café’s name, but it was the first one on the left after the town gate as you come from the cable car. There was a big Café al Pistacchio sign on the door.

One of my readers, Renata, warned in the comments, though, that the café right by the entrance has no price list on display and charges high prices. Other cafés further along the lanes serve pistachio coffee too, so it’s better to ask the price before you order.

Parts of the town walls go back to the Elymians and Carthaginians, more than two thousand years ago. According to legend, King Eryx, a son of Aphrodite who lost a wrestling match to Hercules, is buried here. But it’s only a legend, and the truth may be somewhere else entirely.

The Egadi Islands: Levanzo, Favignana and Marettimo, beaches by boat from Trapani

• Levanzo is the smallest island
• Favignana the most popular
• Marettimo the most remote

The Egadi Islands are visible right from the coast at Trapani. The archipelago consists of Favignana, Levanzo, Marettimo and a few smaller islets. It’s a great place if you’re looking for beaches and a bit less bustle, although Trapani isn’t a very busy town either. You’ll find practical information on all three islands in my article on the Egadi Islands in Sicily.

The sea around the islands is the largest marine protected area in Italy, covering about 54,000 hectares. Meadows of Posidonia seagrass grow on the seabed, and many fish breed in them. Sea turtles live here, and the rare Mediterranean monk seal hides in the caves.

These waters also changed the history of Europe. In 241 BC, north-west of Levanzo, the Romans defeated the Carthaginians in a sea battle that ended the First Punic War. Since the beginning of the 21st century, archaeologists have brought up more than twenty bronze rams from a depth of around 80 metres. Warships once carried them on their bows.

Boats run regularly from Trapani port to all three islands. Liberty Lines runs the fast hydrofoils and Siremar the slower ferries. The hydrofoil to Levanzo, for example, takes about 25 minutes. Levanzo is the smallest island, Favignana the most popular and Marettimo the most remote. I chose Levanzo because I was longing to get to know another small island without crowds of tourists. Most people head to Favignana, where they hire a bike and ride round the whole island.

A day trip from Trapani to Levanzo: boat tickets and prices

• Capo Grosso lighthouse
• Cala Fredda beach
• Grotta del Genovese cave
• Ristorante Bar Romano

I bought my tickets for Levanzo at the port, and I’d recommend getting there early. It wouldn’t be Italy without some pointless procedure that slows down the whole boarding process. Tickets are issued in your name and you also have to give a phone number, so queues build up at the ticket office. I’d have these details ready as a note on your phone and simply show it to the clerk so she can copy them.

It’s even easier to buy tickets online on the Liberty Lines or Siremar website, ideally the day before. In summer the boats fill up fast. In 2022 I paid around €21 for a return ticket; in 2026 single tickets started at about €10.

Levanzo is the smallest and (supposedly) the prettiest of the three islands. The white houses around the harbour look like a nativity scene, and I spent the whole day here. Crystal-clear sea surrounds the island. East of the village lies Cala Fredda (Spiaggia di Cala Fredda), a small beach of clean, smooth pebbles. Don’t expect too much, though: the beach really is small, but the water is beautifully clear. If you’re after a beach holiday, I’d recommend San Vito Lo Capo, north of Trapani. On the other side of the village is Cala del Faraglione, which the Italian environmental group Legambiente named one of the twenty most beautiful beaches in Italy in 2014.

What to see on Levanzo: the Grotta del Genovese and a Roman wreck

Levanzo also has an archaeological curiosity. Between Cala Minnola and Punta Altarella, a Roman shipwreck lies at a depth of about 27 metres. It holds amphorae and fragments of black-glazed pottery from the 1st century BC. You’ll need diving gear, though.

The island also has the Grotta del Genovese cave. On its walls are engravings and paintings of people and animals, and the oldest engravings are about 12,000 years old. They date from the Palaeolithic, a time of obscure rituals and a mysterious, wild life. A bit like mine, then. You can only visit the cave with a guide, and you need to book at least 48 hours ahead. According to the October 2026 price list, a tour including transport by boat or off-road vehicle costs €44, and guided entry on its own costs €22. On foot, the cave is about an hour from the village.

I’d recommend spending a whole day on the island. Walk to the lighthouse on the other side, about two hours there and back. Then stop at the excellent Ristorante Bar Romano for oysters and spend the rest of the day on Cala Fredda beach. When I was there, the island had only two hotels, which is one reason I liked it so much. It’s quiet and peaceful. You can’t hire a car, scooter or bike here; everyone walks everywhere.

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Capo Grosso lighthouse on Levanzo

The Capo Grosso lighthouse on the northern tip of the island dates from 1858, and its tower is 12 metres tall. Today the light is fully automatic and solar-powered, and the Italian navy, the Marina Militare, looks after it. At night it gives three white flashes every 15 seconds, visible up to 11 nautical miles away, which is about 20 kilometres. Nobody lives in the keeper’s house below the lighthouse any more, and it’s in ruins.

The state offered it for lease to private investors back in 2015, and a hotel company wanted to turn it into a small six-room resort. In 2024 the house was up for tender again, so we’ll see whether it ever gets a new life. The walk there through the Italian countryside is quite pleasant; just take water, because there’s no shop or café on the way.

A day trip from Trapani to Palermo

Trapani to Palermo by bus: a day trip

Palermo makes a great day trip from Trapani. The Segesta bus takes about two hours and leaves from the port, from the same stop as the airport bus. I bought my tickets online the day before; in 2022 a return cost about €20. Readers say in the comments, though, that a return is cheaper at the ticket office opposite the stop at the port. FlixBus is faster, at about an hour and a half, but it only runs a few times a day and from a different stop. In Palermo, readers get off at the main station, Palermo Centrale, and walk into the centre from there.

You could hire a car instead, but I don’t recommend it. Sicilians can’t drive, and I’m living proof: a motorbike knocked me down on a pedestrian crossing in broad daylight. Luckily, I got away with nothing worse than a sore shoulder.

I went back to Palermo in October 2026, this time staying overnight. What surprised me most was how much cleaner and more orderly it felt than on my first day trip from Trapani. I had one full day for the city itself. What I managed to see, what the tickets cost and where I ate street food is all in my article on what to see in Palermo. The next day I took the train from Palermo to Cefalù, which took about an hour. What I saw there is in my article on what to see in Cefalù.

Trapani deserved a place on this blog. I didn’t spend as much time here as I’d have liked, but I think I soaked up the atmosphere of this part of Sicily pretty well. So book those flights and go.

You can read how I got on with FlixBus in my FlixBus review.