Italy

[Elizabeth T]

My sister and I will be traveling to Sicily in May. We will be visiting Catania, Marsala and Trapani, then fly to Verona and on to Bolzano. Would local transportation suffice in Sicily or would it be wiser to rent a car?

 

[Tina]

Trapani makes a good base for using public transport. You wouldn't want a car while you're actually in Catania. It also depends how long you will stay, which airports you will be using and how you plan to move between Catania and Trapani. (Marsala by train from Trapani is easy)

Trapani October 2016 Trip report

A blog about travel, vacations and holidays in Italy and Spain with advice, tips and trip reports

slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com

 

[Marie W]

Trapani makes a good base for using public transport. You wouldn't want a car while you're actually in Catania. It also depends how long you will stay, which airports you will be using and how you plan to move between Catania and Trapani. (Marsala by train from Trapani is easy)

Trapani October 2016 Trip report

A blog about travel, vacations and holidays in Italy and Spain with advice, tips and trip reports

slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com

We are going to take the train from Catania to Riposto to stay in my dad''s home tome for a few nights. We will than take the train

Trapani makes a good base for using public transport. You wouldn't want a car while you're actually in Catania. It also depends how long you will stay, which airports you will be using and how you plan to move between Catania and Trapani. (Marsala by train from Trapani is easy)

Trapani October 2016 Trip report

A blog about travel, vacations and holidays in Italy and Spain with advice, tips and trip reports

slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com

This is Marie, Liz's sister. We were going to take public transportation from Riposto to Palermo and go to Marsala via rental car. Here are the spots on our itinerary: Mothia, Selinunte, Favignana, Trapani, Erice, Segesta, Cornino. With that in mind, can we get around comfortably via public transportation? Also, we were going to stay in Marsala and then Castellammare del Golfo, however is Trapani a better home base for all these areas? Note: It looks like getting to Western Sicily from Riposta via public transportation, we will arrive around 10pm :-/

Thank you!

 

[Tina]

I'd be inclined to base in Trapani because you could use just the one base for all of your places (after the Riposto stay, I mean), and moving accommodation is at least half a day wasted. From Trapani Selinunte is the only outlier which requires a longer trip. Also the ferry to Favignana leaves from Trapani.
You seem to be interested in particular in the ancient ruins so you will find it hard to get to places using public transport. I would rent a car, it will also save you time. Driving in sicily inside towns is to be avoided, outside, it's fine.
If you are willing to rent a car it would make more sense to rent it directly at the airport when you arrive. It will be useful for the Riposto area too.
In that case, unless you want to see Palermo, from Riposto you could drive directly from Riposto to Trapani. (or to Agrigento, then Selinunte (overnight in Agrigento but stopping at Selinunte with luggage in a hire car is not ideal) then on to Trapani?)

 

[Ian Sutton]

I'd be inclined to base in Trapani because you could use just the one base for all of your places (after the Riposto stay, I mean), and moving accommodation is at least half a day wasted.

In general I agree with this, though it does depend on the duration of the trip. Anything less than a week in total, and I would reinforce that agreement.

Once it gets beyond a week in total, the time lost in transfer makes a proportionately smaller dent in the overall time on holiday, and we'll start considering a 2nd base. Reasons for doing this:
- If you value a change of 'everyday' scene/pace e.g. a farmstay after a city
- If you enjoy really exploring the base (if instead a base is merely a location for making day trips from, one central base often makes sense)