Where to Stay in Sicily: Palermo, Scopello, Trapani or Taormina

Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean, and most first plans treat it as one destination. Palermo to Taormina is over three hours by car. The real decision is which half you want: the west, with Palermo, the wild coast around Scopello and the Greek temples, or the east, with Etna, Taormina and Siracusa. Then: one base or several, and are you driving?

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We went in August 2018 and spent ten nights in the west: one in Palermo, a week in a rented four-bedroom house above the sea at Scopello (four adults and four children), one in the olive groves below Caltabellotta and a last one in Terrasini, 15 minutes from Palermo airport. We have not stayed in the east, so Taormina and Siracusa get a shorter section built on verified picks, not memories.

The Short Answer

Where we stayed: Hotel Garibaldi in Palermo (one night), a four-bedroom sea-view house in Scopello on Airbnb (seven nights), B&B Le Foglie d'Argento near Caltabellotta (one night) and Villa Eagle in Terrasini (one night), August 2018.

How Sicily Is Laid Out

Think of a triangle with three airports: Palermo for the north and west, Trapani for the far west, Catania for the east. Fly into the one nearest the half you want; doing both, a one-way car hire saves doubling back.

West of Palermo is the Gulf of Castellammare, with Castellammare del Golfo, Scopello and the Zingaro nature reserve. Beyond the reserve is San Vito Lo Capo, and south of that Trapani and Erice. The south coast runs from Sciacca to Agrigento, with hill towns like Caltabellotta inland. Cefalù is an hour east of Palermo; Taormina and Siracusa are on the far side of the island.

From Palermo airport, allow about 35 minutes to central Palermo (bus or Trinacria Express train, 30–50 minutes), 15 to Terrasini, 40 to Castellammare, about an hour to Scopello or Trapani and an hour and three quarters to San Vito. Palermo to Agrigento is just over two hours; to Taormina or Siracusa about three and a half.

The constraint people miss: the coast does not join up. There is no road through the Zingaro, so Scopello to San Vito is over an hour by car, though the two ends of the reserve are 7 km apart on foot. Outside Palermo, Cefalù and Trapani, public transport is thin and you need a car. In old centres the opposite applies: Palermo and Ortigia have camera-controlled ZTL zones, so give your hotel your number plate before you arrive.

Palermo — The City, Not the Beach

Palermo is loud, layered and worth at least one full day: the Cathedral, the Norman Palace, Quattro Canti, the Ballarò market, Monreale up the hill. It is not a beach base; Mondello, the city beach, is busy.

The historic centre (Albergaria, the Kalsa, around the Cathedral) puts you among the sights. The Politeama area, where we stayed, is the 19th-century city: wider streets, theatres, shops, a 15–20 minute walk to Quattro Canti, and easier by car.

Best for: a first night or two, food, travellers without a car.

Pros

• Most of the island's history within walking distance
• Airport bus and train; regional trains to Cefalù
• Every price level, from hostels to a Rocco Forte hotel

Cons

• ZTL cameras and difficult parking in the centre
• Hot and noisy in summer
• No beach in town

Getting around: on foot in the centre; buses and taxis beyond. Monreale is about 30 minutes away.

Where to stay in Palermo

• Budget — A Casa di Amici — hostel and guest house near Politeama, dorm beds from about €30 a night, private rooms too. Rated 8.9.
• Mid-range — Hotel Garibaldi — hotel opposite the Teatro Politeama, from about €125 a night for two. Where we stayed.
• Upper mid-range — Palazzo Natoli Boutique Hotel — four-star palazzo between the Cathedral and Fontana Pretoria, from about €265 a night.
• Splurge — Rocco Forte Villa Igiea — Art Nouveau villa on the bay north of the port, with pool and gardens, from about €1,550 a night.

Our stay: we spent our first night at Hotel Garibaldi on Via Emerico Amari and paid around €90 in August 2018. It scores 7.7 on more than 2,000 reviews: guests praise the location and staff; a few mention bathrooms and firm beds. For one night with a car, this side of the city is the easier choice; for a longer stay, sleep closer to the Cathedral.

Scopello & the Gulf of Castellammare — The West's Best Coast

This was our base for a week, and the one we recommend to families. Scopello is a hamlet on a ridge above the sea: a square, a few restaurants, and below it the old tuna fishery, the Tonnara di Scopello, with its sea stacks. The south entrance of the Zingaro reserve is five minutes' drive away; Guidaloca beach is just down the road.

Castellammare del Golfo, 20 minutes east, is the real town: harbour, castle, restaurants, supermarkets. Couples who want an evening stroll should stay there; families who want space and a pool should look at houses and residences between the two. Terrasini, further east, suits a first or last night near the airport.

Best for: families with a car, groups, swimming and walking more than sightseeing.

Pros

• The Zingaro reserve and its coves on your doorstep
• Houses and self-catering residences with pools and sea views
• Segesta about 40 minutes away, Trapani about an hour

Cons

• Scopello itself has very little: you drive to shop
• Beaches and the reserve car park fill early in summer
• Few buses

Getting around: Russo buses link Palermo airport, Castellammare and Scopello, but you want a car: Castellammare is about 25 minutes from Scopello, San Vito about 70.

Where to stay around Scopello and Castellammare

• Budget — Casale La Macina Residence — one- and two-bedroom houses with kitchenettes, garden and pool, about 450 m from Guidaloca beach; from about €70 a night out of season.
• Mid-range — Hotel Torre Bennistra — rooms and a restaurant in the centre of Scopello, 2 km from the Zingaro; from about €95 a night.
• Mid-range — Hotel Cetarium — on Castellammare's marina, near the castle, with a pool; from about €110 a night.
• Mid-range — Villa Eagle — two apartments in a house with garden and pool in Terrasini, about 4 km from Palermo airport; no rates showed on our test dates, so check yours. Where we stayed on our last night.

Our stay: our week was in a four-bedroom house in Scopello with a sea view and a veranda, rented on Airbnb for four adults and four children. That listing has since been removed, so we cannot send you to it, and we no longer have the payment record for this 2018 booking. For a group of eight, a whole house is the format that works; the nearest equivalent now is Casale La Macina, two families side by side. Our week included Ferragosto (15 August), the peak of the Italian summer: book early, expect full beaches.

At Villa Eagle we paid around €75 for the night in August 2018. It is a practical stop near the motorway and the airport, with a pool, and guests rate it 9.5.

San Vito Lo Capo — Beach Town, Long Drive

San Vito sits at the tip of a cape on the far side of the Zingaro: a long, curving sand beach under Monte Monaco and a grid of low white streets behind it. It is a proper beach resort, popular with Italian families and very full in August.

It is not a touring base. Apart from the Zingaro's north entrance (12 km away), everything is an hour or more by car, Palermo airport about 1 hour 45. Stay here if the beach is the point.

Best for: beach holidays with young children.

Pros

• One of the best sand beaches in the west, walkable from town
• Beachfront hotels with private beach areas
• Lively summer evenings

Cons

• Long drives to everything else
• Packed and expensive in August
• Several hotels had not opened 2027 dates when we checked

Getting around: on foot in town; by car to the Zingaro north gate (about 20 minutes) and Trapani (about an hour).

Where to stay in San Vito Lo Capo

• Budget — Hotel Panoramic — on a rise above town, a short uphill walk from the beach, from about €75 a night.
• Mid-range — Hotel Ristorante Mediterraneo Faro — beachfront hotel with garden and restaurant, rated 8.9, from about €105 a night.

Trapani & Erice — Port Below, Village Above

Trapani is a working port on a narrow spit: baroque streets, fish restaurants and ferries to Favignana and Levanzo. Erice is a medieval stone village on the mountain above, ten minutes by cable car, cool and very quiet once day visitors leave. Together they are the best car-free base in the west, and the cheapest.

Best for: budget travellers, no car, island day trips.

Pros

• Ferries to the Egadi islands from the harbour
• Trapani airport about 30 minutes away
• Good value compared with the coast

Cons

• Trapani's outskirts are unattractive, and it can be windy
• Erice is dead in the evening; the road up winds
• An hour from Scopello

Getting around: Trapani on foot; cable car to Erice; San Vito and Scopello about an hour by car.

Where to stay in Trapani and Erice

• Budget — Hotel Elimo — Erice hotel with a courtyard and restaurant, from about €65 a night.
• Mid-range — Ai Lumi — guest house in an 18th-century townhouse on Trapani's main street, about 100 m from the sea, from about €80 a night.

Agrigento & Caltabellotta — Temples and Quiet Hills

The south coast is two hours from Palermo, drier and hotter. Agrigento's Valley of the Temples deserves a night so you can visit early or late, out of the heat. West of it are Sciacca, a port and spa town, and Caltabellotta, a hill town in the Sicani mountains. We spent one night here between Scopello and Terrasini, about two hours' drive each way.

Best for: the temples, a countryside stopover between west and east.

Pros

• Temples at opening time or sunset
• Country B&Bs with pools at fair prices
• Sciacca and the Scala dei Turchi cliffs within reach

Cons

• Very hot in July and August
• Far from the other bases
• Car essential

Getting around: from Le Foglie d'Argento, about 30 minutes to Sciacca and an hour to Agrigento; from central Agrigento, about 10 minutes down to the temples.

Where to stay around Agrigento and Caltabellotta

• Mid-range — B&B Camere a Sud — B&B in central Agrigento, 5 km from the temples, from about €85 a night.
• Mid-range — B&B Le Foglie d'Argento — country B&B among olive groves below Caltabellotta, with pool and garden, from about €80 a night. Where we stayed.
• Splurge — Villa Athena Resort — five-star hotel inside the Valley of the Temples, with pool and spa, from about €475 a night.

Our stay: we paid around €115 for one night at Le Foglie d'Argento in August 2018. It is not in the village but in the countryside about 6 km south of it. Guests rate it 9.6, mostly for the hosts, the breakfast and the pool. One night was a stopover for us; two would let you use it as a base for Agrigento and Sciacca.

Cefalù — Beach Town, Train to Palermo

Cefalù is the easiest seaside base on the north coast: a medieval centre with a Norman cathedral under a huge rock, a town beach and trains to Palermo in about an hour. It is the best beach-and-city option without a car; treat it as an alternative to Scopello, not an addition.

Best for: couples and families without a car.

Pros

• Beach and old town in one walkable place
• Trains to Palermo
• Hotels on their own coves just outside the centre

Cons

• Crowded in July and August
• Difficult, expensive parking
• Far from the west coast

Getting around: on foot; train to Palermo; about 1 hour 30 by car from Palermo airport.

Where to stay in Cefalù

• Mid-range — Dolce Vita B&B — B&B on the sea wall near the cathedral, rated 9.1, from about €120 a night.
• Mid-range — Hotel Kalura — on Caldura bay, 2 km from the centre, with pool and private beach; from about €165 a night.
• Splurge — Le Calette — next to Kalura, with pool, spa and private beach, from about €565 a night.

Taormina & Siracusa — The East, a Separate Trip

We have not stayed in the east; these picks are chosen on location and guest reviews. Fly into Catania: Taormina and Siracusa are each about an hour away, and an hour and a half apart.

Taormina sits high above the Ionian Sea, its Greek theatre facing Etna. There is no parking in the old centre: drivers leave the car below and take the cable car up from Mazzarò. Hotels are up in town (views, evenings out) or on the coast (beaches, Isola Bella); it is Sicily's most expensive place to sleep. See our guide to Taormina.

Ortigia, the island old town of Siracusa, is compact and walkable, with baroque squares, a cathedral built into a Greek temple and swimming off the rocks. It is a better base than Taormina for a longer stay. Cars are restricted by a ZTL, so pick a hotel with parking or use a car park on the edge.

Best for: a second week, Etna, Greek and baroque sites.

Pros

• Taormina's views and Ortigia's streets, both walkable
• Catania airport about an hour from each

Cons

• Taormina is expensive and crowded in summer
• Three and a half hours from Palermo

Where to stay in Taormina and Ortigia

• Mid-range — Taormina Garden Hotel — hotel with a garden on the coast road, about 50 m from the beach, from about €95 a night in May.
• Mid-range — Hotel Villa Schuler — in a terraced garden in central Taormina, run by the same family since 1905, from about €160 a night.
• Splurge — Grand Hotel Timeo — Belmond hotel beside the Greek theatre, with pool and spa, from about €1,950 a night in season.
• Budget — Hotel Gutkowski — Ortigia, in old fishermen's and craftsmen's houses overlooking the sea, from about €80 out of season.
• Mid-range — Algilà Ortigia Charme Hotel — Ortigia seafront hotel with 18th-century antiques, rated 9.2, from about €190 a night.

What It Costs, and When to Book

Prices checked October 2026, for two adults, before tourist tax.

• Budget: dorm beds from about €30; simple hotels and B&Bs €60–85.
• Mid-range: €95–165 in the west; Taormina starts higher.
• Splurge: about €475 for Villa Athena, well over €1,000 for Villa Igiea or the Timeo.

Seasons: July and August are the peak, with Ferragosto (15 August) the busiest week. May, June, September and early October are warm and much better value. Some seaside hotels close in winter.

Booking: for July and August, book houses and seaside hotels months ahead. Rates usually come in a cheaper non-refundable version and a dearer flexible one; in high season the flexible ones go first.

Families: houses and apartments with kitchens (Casale La Macina, Residence Guidaloca, Villa Eagle) are often easier than hotel family rooms. In August, pay for air conditioning and a pool.

Extras: breakfast is usually included in B&Bs. Parking is free in the countryside, paid in Palermo, Cefalù, Taormina and Ortigia. Tourist tax is set by each town; in Palermo it is €3–5 per person per night for the first four nights, under-12s exempt.

Where This Fits in the Trip

For the west, our structure holds: one or two nights in Palermo, five to seven on the coast between Castellammare and Scopello, one or two in the south, and a final night near the airport. With two weeks, add four or five nights split between Taormina and Ortigia; our guide to Taormina covers the town, Isola Bella and Savoca.

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FAQ

Where should I stay in Sicily for a first visit? Pick one half of the island. In the west, one or two nights in Palermo, then a week on the coast around Scopello or Castellammare del Golfo. In the east, split your nights between Taormina and Ortigia.

Do you need a car in Sicily? For the western coast, the hill towns and Agrigento, yes. Without one, stay in Palermo, Cefalù (about an hour by train), Trapani or Ortigia.

Where should families stay in western Sicily? On the coast between Castellammare del Golfo and Scopello, in a house or self-catering residence with a pool. That is what we did for a week, with four adults and four children.

Is there a tourist tax in Sicily? Yes, set by each town. In Palermo it is €3–5 per person per night depending on the category, for the first four nights, with children under 12 exempt.

When should I book accommodation in Sicily? For July and August, months ahead, especially houses and anything in Scopello, San Vito or Taormina. May, June and September are easier and cheaper.

Pierrick Jean stayed in western Sicily in August 2018 with his family. Prices and availability checked October 2026. More about how we write our guides.