Where to stay in Trapani

The centro storico fills the spit between the two seas, with baroque church fronts along Corso Vittorio Emanuele and a walkway out to Torre di Ligny at the tip. The port runs along via Ammiraglio Staiti on the south side, where the ferry terminal stands on the quay and the hydrofoils leave for the Egadi islands. On the north side, the Tramontana seafront has the town beach under the sea walls. All three are in the comune of Trapani and about 2 km apart by road.

Erice stands on the hill above, a walled town of cobbled streets about 15 km away by road or 10 minutes by cable car. South of the city, the salt pans spread across the Riserva Naturale Saline di Trapani e Paceco, with the village of Nubia beside them, about 9 km from the old town and about 10 km from the airport. Offshore, Favignana is the largest of the Egadi islands, about 19 km from the port in a straight line. Erice, Nubia and Favignana each belong to a different comune. Quub's Sicily guide covers the rest of the island.

The old town is a limited traffic zone. The comune's website carries no current ZTL ordinance and no hours, so the hours in force in 2026 are unverified as of September 2026. The newest ordinance found, from July 2020, extended the zone across the old-town streets and told the Polizia Locale to issue lodging businesses with authorisations for clients who need to drive in to load or unload luggage and then park outside the zone. Ask the property whether it holds one before driving in. A camera fine for entering without authorisation runs EUR 83 to 332 and is billed to the registered keeper, which for a hire car is the rental company.

On the street, ATM runs the blue bays under a concession to the end of 2028. The red band costs EUR 1.00 an hour with a minimum of EUR 0.60, the yellow band EUR 0.70 an hour with a minimum of EUR 0.40, and the grey band EUR 0.20 an hour. Standard hours are Monday to Saturday 08:00 to 13:30 and 15:30 to 20:00. From 1 June to 30 September the historic-centre streets, via Ammiraglio Staiti, viale Regina Elena, lungomare Dante Alighieri and viale Regina Margherita among them, are charged from 08:00 to 24:00 every day, Sundays and holidays included. Those are the standard rates on ATM's page; a summer increase reported in the press is unverified as of September 2026.

Erice has its own rules. Its red and green ZTLs are closed to cars without a pass, guests' own cars are not on the list of vehicles allowed in, and between 15 July and 15 September pass holders may enter the red zone only from 02:00 to 11:00. For Favignana, plan on leaving the car on the mainland. At the airport, P1 has 672 spaces open 24 hours, at EUR 15.00 for up to a day. GetCar's car rental page for Trapani covers the hire side of the trip.

Trapani's imposta di soggiorno has run at the current rates since 1 January 2024. Per person per night: EUR 2.50 in hotels of 1 and 2 stars, holiday flats and houses of cadastral categories A/3 to A/6, residences and agriturismi; EUR 3.00 in 3 star hotels, B&Bs, affittacamere and flats of category A/2; EUR 3.50 at 4 stars and in flats of category A/7; EUR 4.50 at 5 stars and in flats of categories A/1, A/8 and A/9. The guest pays the host by departure, and for a short let whoever collects the rent, a platform included, also answers for the tax.

The regulation charges at most five consecutive nights in the same lodging, and only guests not on the Trapani register pay. Children under 10 are exempt, along with guests of youth hostels, disabled guests under Law 104/1992, one carer per hospital inpatient, both parents of a child in hospital, and a coach driver and one tour leader per 15 people in an organised group. From 2026 the comune also exempts stays from 21 to 31 January. Erice, Paceco and Favignana set their own taxes, and their rates were not read for this guide.

Every listing in Sicily carries the regional CIR as well as the national CIN, and the host registers each guest with the police within 24 hours, so bring an identity document or passport for everyone.

From 1 June to 30 September the historic-centre streets are charged until midnight every day, and in Erice the red zone opens to pass holders only from 02:00 to 11:00 between 15 July and 15 September. A stay from October to May meets the standard hours, with Sundays free in the blue bays.

Travellers flying in from outside the Schengen area pass through the EU Entry/Exit System, fully operational since 10 April 2026, at their first Schengen border. Compare and book on this page once the area is settled.

A first visit on foot: the centro storico.

Island day trips and an early hydrofoil: the port and via Ammiraglio Staiti.

A town beach under the walls: the Tramontana seafront.

A night on the hill: Erice.

Birds, salt and the airport close by: Nubia and the salt pans.

An island without a car: Favignana and the Egadi.