Western Sicily: Segesta, Erice and the salt pans
Gold mosaics at Monreale, a lone Greek temple, a roadless nature reserve, the hilltop town of Erice and windmills on the salt pans of Marsala.
- Distance
- 203 km (126 mi)
- Driving
- 2 h 49 min
- Suggested days
- 5
- Stops
- 8
- Countries
- Italy
- Updated
- September 9, 2026
At a glance: 5-day road trip of about 203 km (126 mi) with 8 stops, from Palermo to Selinunte. About 2 h 49 min of driving in total.
Route description
From Palermo, climb to Monreale for its mosaic-covered cathedral, then take the A29 motorway (E90) west to Segesta, where the temple stands in open countryside. It gets very hot in summer, so plan the visit for the morning.
Turn north to Castellammare del Golfo and Scopello, with its old tuna fishery and sea stacks, for the southern entrance of the Zingaro reserve. There is no coast road through the reserve: to reach San Vito Lo Capo on the other side, drive round inland, about 40 km.
San Vito has one of Sicily’s best town beaches and hosts a couscous festival each September. Then head to Erice, a medieval town on a mountain above Trapani; a cable car also climbs from the city, and the summit is often in cloud while the coast is sunny.
South of Trapani the coastal Via del Sale runs past the salt pans and windmills of the Stagnone lagoon, where boats cross to Mozia. After Marsala and its wine cellars, follow the SS115 to Selinunte for the temples above the beach. Spring and autumn are ideal; all roads are fine for motorhomes.
Stop-by-stop itinerary
In driving order. Distances are estimates between consecutive stops.
- 1Start
Palermo
Italy - 29 km
Monreale Cathedral
HistoryMonreale, ItalyA Norman cathedral whose walls are covered in gold mosaics, with a cloister of carved twin columns. The terrace behind looks over Palermo’s Conca d’Oro.
- 354 km
Segesta
HistoryCalatafimi-Segesta, ItalyA Doric temple standing alone on a hill, with a Greek theatre on the summit above. A shuttle bus climbs to the theatre; go early to avoid the heat.
- 419 km
Zingaro nature reserve
NatureSan Vito Lo Capo, ItalySicily’s first nature reserve: seven kilometres of roadless coast with coves reached only on foot. Entrances at Scopello and San Vito; bring water and swimming things.
- 516 km
San Vito Lo Capo
Italy - 625 km
Erice
Italy - 726 km
Stagnone salt pans
ViewsMarsala, ItalySalt pans and windmills on the shallow Stagnone lagoon, glowing pink at sunset. Small boats cross to the Phoenician island of Mozia.
- 854 km
Selinunte
HistoryCastelvetrano, ItalyThe temples and acropolis of a Greek city spread above the sea, one of the largest archaeological parks in Europe. A small electric train links the areas.
