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Sicily - West Coast Cycling Holiday

4.6
(5 reviews)

Escape to Sicily’s wild and wonderful west coast on this get-away-from-it-all cycling holiday. Explore the rugged coastline, staying in quaint and charming properties along the way. Beautiful beaches, incredible sea views, romantic windmills, ancient hilltop ruins and baroque towns – this tour has something for everyone.

Your tour starts in the north western corner of Sicily in the charming seaside village of San Vito lo Capo. The village boasts a gorgeous white sandy beach and is adjacent to the stunning Zingaro Nature Reserve where you will enjoy a day of walking and swimming before starting your bike tour along the coast.

Flexitreks Cycling HolidayCoastline near Sciacca

The rugged and verdant landscape provides a dramatic backdrop to your ride south to Nubia. The going is easy but a quiet beach is never too far away if you fancy a cooling dip.

Around Trapani and Nubia the route leads you through the unique landscape of the region’s extensive salt flats. Flamingos wade in the warm, shallow waters and windmills stand like sentries guarding the precious mounds of salt harvested from the sea.Lose yourself in the narrow streets of Marsala old town and find a local bar to taste the town’s famous fortified wine exported around the world. Enjoy a fish supper in the fishing port of Mazara del Vallo and marvel at the majestic beauty and setting of ancient Selinunte on a raised bluff overlooking the sea.

This is a relatively easy route mostly along quiet lanes and roads but with the odd section along unmade paths. For the most part it is reasonably level terrain and apart from one exception on day three any hills are pretty gentle and not that long.

Itinerary

This is a relatively easy route mostly along quiet lanes and roads but with the odd section along unmade paths. For the most part it is reasonably level terrain and apart from one exception on day three any hills are pretty gentle and not that long.

On arrival at Palermo Airport you will be transferred to the village of San Vito lo Capo about an hour and a half along the coast. Here you can settle into your accommodation, where you will spend the next two nights. Stroll around the charming village and don’t miss a visit to the wonderful, white sand beach.

Your cycling adventure starts tomorrow and today you’ll enjoy a fantastic walk (approximately 6 hours walking through the rugged and pristine countryside of the Zingaro Nature Reserve. Wonderful sea views from rugged cliff tops are the order of day accompanied by the opportunity to take a refreshing dip at a secluded cove before returning to San Vito for your second night in this charming village.

Today you leave San Vito lo Capo and head south west along the rugged, sparsely populated coastline. Green hills sweep down to a turquoise sea making today’s ride a visual treat. There’s one 4 km climb to contend with, that will certainly get your heart racing, from Castelluzzo to the aptly named village of Purgatorio but other than that, it’s pretty plain sailing. Stop and explore the bustling port town of Trapani with it’s baroque architecture. We recommend a visit to the Museum of Prehistory and the Sea, located in the 17th century tower of Ligny not least for the wonderful views from the roof. You can also return to the town in the evening for a stroll around as your charming accommodation is just south of the town.

Leave Nubia and ride south across a level landscape of salt flats and windmills. In bygone days these mills were used to to grind the course sea salt and some of them are still in operation. Out to sea the Egadi Islands sit on the horizon while inshore there are plenty of quiet beaches inviting you to take a dip in the clear, warm waters of the Tyrennian Sea. The island of Mozia, located in a shallow lagoon, is worth the short boat ride to learn more about the Carthaginian ruins discovered here by Englishman Joseph Whitaker in 1902. Finally you arrive in the coastal town of Marsala, famous for its fortified wine which is exported all over the world.

Today’s ride is quite short so you have plenty of time to explore Marsala and you could even take the short ferry ride out to the Egadi Islands for a look around. After a short ride south along the coast you reach Mazara del Vallo, a small fishing port. The town has some fine seafood restaurants that benefit from the ready supply of fresh fish arriving off the fishing boats. The town has an arabic influence and a wander through the old town’s atmospheric ‘Casbah’ is a must. You will spend the night in a pleasant hotel close to the historic centre.

Today’s ride starts out following the glorious coastline before turning inland past vineyards and olive groves. Eventually the route leads you gently back to the coast to Selinunte, one of the most beautiful and evocative Greek archaeological sites in Sicily. It is easy to see why our ancient ancestors liked this spot, sitting on a high plain overlooking the sea and flanked on either side by golden beaches.

Your final day’s ride leads you along quiet rural roads through gently rolling countryside to the coastal town of Sciacca. This is a very fertile region of Sicily and your route is lined with orchards and vineyards. Sciacca (pronounced ‘Shak-a’) is built on various levels leading uphill from the sea. It has one of the largest fishing fleets on Sicily and it’s quite a spectacle to watch the boats unloading their catches on the quayside each morning. These same fish will be served up in local restaurants later the same day. The town is also known for its thermal waters and more adventurous guests might be tempted to try the nearby ‘steam caves’. Spend the night in a comfortable centrally located B&B.

After breakfast it’s time to head for home or your next adventure. You wil be transferred to Palermo Airport for your onward flight.

Bikes

On this tour you can choose between a regular bike or an electric bike.

Regular bike: Is an alloy framed model with 27 speeds and a comfortable, relaxed riding position, perfect for a leisure cycling holiday. The bike comes equipped with a pannier, lock and repair kit.   

E-BIKES: There are unisex/step through electric bikes or male specific electric bikes, which are a popular option on this route and ensure riders can enjoy the scenery along the way, whilst not working too hard at the climbs. Male specific frames with a crossbar are available from a height 170cm to 190cm. The bike comes equipped with a pannier, lock and repair kit.   

Helmets are not supplied, so you will need to bring your own.

Accommodation

Below you will find examples of the types of accommodation typically used on this tour. Please note that the hotels we book for you may differ slightly from those described but they will certainly be of a similar standard.

Comfort: Comfortable and charming properties.

San Vito La Capo: Hotel Sundeck

Nubia: Relais Antiche Saline

Marsala: Hotel Le Caserie

Mazara del Vallo: Costile S. Agostino

Selinunte: Case di Latomie

Sciacca: Hotel Vittorio Emanuele


Local taxes

Some hotels have started to charge a local/tourist tax. These taxes are not included in the sale price of the tour and must be paid directly by you at check-in or checkout at the hotels. This fee varies and is ever changing but as a guide, you may be asked to pay between €1-€4 per person per night.

Getting There

Fly into Palermo Airport. We will need your flight details to ensure you are met and transferred to your first night’s accommodation.

Research flights from the UK here

Reviews

Anonymous - November, 08 Nov 2019
Service
4
Fast response to all our questions , easy to organize the tour to meet our requirements..
Andy - January, 02 Jan 2020
Thank you, it's always nice to read comments like this.
Service
4
Detailed step by step directions with lots of directions however some of these directions not completely accurate due to changes in roads and traffic lights etc. I think we managed to get off the trail at least once every day but luckily had pre purchased data on the phone to use the maps on here to find our way... if a gps were provided it would be better and easier . It is 2019 after all plus because of the nature of the directions there is no easy way to get yourself back onto the correct road without some kind of a road map .. Having said all that this did not ruin our holiday experience, we had fun finding our way but I can see this may cause some anxiety with people who are not so relaxed travelers as us. Plus we had the data to use our phone god, would highly recommend this if you plan to do this tour. We have done other trips with other companies and been provided simple basic gps which removes all of these issues . Despite this we had a fantastic holiday and really enjoyed this part of Sicily by bike, a region not yet inundated by tourists..
Andy - January, 02 Jan 2020
Thanks for your feedback. We offer GPS tracks on most of our routes nowadays and this tour is no exception. Our routes can be downloaded to a smart phone or other GPS enable device before leaving home so there is no need to use your own data while abroad. I can see that we offered you these tracks prior to departure but you never responded so we presumed you preferred to use the maps and route notes (which is not unusual). I am glad that despite this you still managed to have a fantastic holiday in Sicily.
Anonymous - June, 14 Jun 2019
Service
5
I didn’t confirm that I needed a transfer and flexitreks contacted me a couple of weeks beforehand to check with me what I wanted to do. Very impressed by that
Andy - September, 03 Sep 2019
No problem, the devil is in the detail as they say.
Service
5
Loved the cycle. The local person was very good. When we arrived at a particular destination we found the hotel closed. We got on to Philippe and he got back to us within minutes. The one thing that we thought could be improved was a map of the actual route and not just the directions
Andy - September, 03 Sep 2019
Our local teams are key to ensuring things run smoothly during the holiday - I'm glad Phillippe was able to sort things for you.
Jenny Chilcott - October, 21 Oct 2018
Service
5
Really appreciated that you were very responsive
Andy - February, 06 Feb 2019
Our pleasure Jenny, thank you.
Service
4
Accomodation was fantastic. The folder with detailed maps. Great route through backroads. Great recommendations of places to eat. Made everything very easy Did it find that the back up gps site worked very well. A couple of places instructions not clear and got lost. Bikes were comfortable but we all had problems with the gears. Didn’t change under pressure.
Andy - February, 06 Feb 2019
Thanks Jenny, glad everything went well and sorry about the bike issues - we've fed this back to the local maintenance team who usually do a great job.
Anonymous - October, 20 Oct 2018
Service
4
Second holiday. everything fine
Andy - February, 06 Feb 2019
Great to hear, thank you.
Service
4
The places we stayed were all really excellent choices. At Baglio La Luna, (first 2 nights) the information about 2 of our group being vegetarians had not been passed on, and the overall standard of the food was rather basic. In addition, due to communciation problems, we did not realise that coffee was not included in the evening meal, or that the bottles of wine we ordered would be so expensive (poor packed lunch provided) . The Hotel at Marsala was a 45 minute walk into the Town centre and did not serve food the evening we were there. The bikes were very good. The route was easy to follow, just a couple of confusing bits, which we resolved quickly. Great scenery and a fairly well conceived route, but with some boring / unattractive bits. The amount of rubbish dumped at the roadside is sadly distracting. Drivers on the whole reasonably behaved but they do come close to the bikes. Eating out was excellent all over the island We will definitely consider Flexi treks for future holidays
Andy - February, 06 Feb 2019
Thank you for the comprehensive review and apologies for the breakdown in communication with the first hotel regarding the vegetarians. We look forward to discussing your 2019 trip soon.
Anne - September, 17 Sep 2016
Service
5
This is the second time I have booked through Flexitreks and have recommended them to several people. They have a large selection of cycling holidays, and really listen to what sort of holiday I want before giving advice if needed. Both times I have booked at short notice. They are also very efficient. I will use them again for certain.
Service
4
Accomodation ranged from good to very good. Many had pools, all had good service. Bicycles were a little heavy (compared with what we had been given on a previous holiday) but gears and equipment worked well. Route and instructions: mainly along minor roads with one exception at the beginning. Routes were attractive and ran through a variety of landscapes both along coastal roads and inland agriculture, not too challenging apart from a long 4 km hill on day 1 which we were warned about verbally but not in the instructions. Instructions in towns could have been better detailed. Without resorting to Google Maps we would have got lost. Daily route maps would have been helpful. A very enjoyable holiday and just a little more attention to detail would have been helpful.
Andy - September, 27 Sep 2016
Many thanks for the comprehensive review Anne. We've now updated our website itinerary to include a reference to the climb from Casteluzzo to Purgatorio and we're liaising with our local supplier in Sicily to address the quality of the route maps. We look forward to helping you with your next cycling holiday.