Selinunte is one of Sicily‘s most impressive Greek archaeological sites to visit, and is one of the largest such parks in Europe. The ancient seaside city of Selinunte was one of the most important of the Greek colonies in Sicily during antiquity, and may have had as many as 30,000 inhabitants during its peak period during the 5th century BC. The city was destroyed and subsequently abandoned around 250 BC and was never rebuilt afterwards. To help you plan your visit and get the most out of your time here, we put together this Sicily Travel Guide for visiting Selinunte Archaeological Park. The site can easily be visited as a day trip from Trapani, Palermo, or Agrigento, and should definitely be included in your Sicily Itinerary.
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Selinunte Archaeological Park: Location & Map
Selinunte Archaeological Park is located on the southern coast of Sicily’s northwest tip (link to Google Maps).
How to get to Selinunte Archaeological Park
By Car: By far the easiest way to reach the archaeological park is by driving there.
From Marsala: 50 km (50 minutes)
From Castellammare del Golfo: 60 km (50 minutes)
From Trapani: 80 km (1h15)
From Agrigento: 95km (1h30 minutes)
From Parlermo: 120 km (1h30)
Parking: There’s a large free car park (link to Google Maps) right next to the archaeological park entrance.
If you need to book a rental vehicle for your travels, we highly recommend using Discover Cars to get the best rates on your rental in Sicily.
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By Public Transit: Reaching Selinunte by public transit isn’t straightforward, and generally requires at least one transfer connection. From Palermo, you will first need to take a bus to Castelvetrano (Salemi buses), and then a second bus (also Salemi buses) onwards to Selinunte (and then do the reverse if visiting Selinunte as a day trip from Palermo).
From Trapani/Marsala, you will first need to take a Trenitalia train to Castelvetrano, followed by a bus to Selinunte.
Selinunte Archaeological Park – Ticket Prices and Operating Hours
Entrance Fee
Entrance to the Segesta Archaeological Park costs €14.00 for adults (2025). Reduced fares are available for children. There’s no need to buy tickets in advance.
Operating Hours
The archaeological park is open all year (2024-2025 schedule).
From September 16th to October 28th: 9 am to 6 pm – Ticket office closes at 5 pm
From October 29th to March 15th: 9 am to 5 pm – Ticket office closes at 3:30 pm
From March 16th to April 30th: 9 am to 7 pm – ticket office closes at 6 pm
From May 1st to September 15th: 9 am to 8 pm – ticket office closes at 7 pm
For up-to-date schedules, see the official Selinunte website.
Facilities
There are several washrooms across the site (near the first group of temples and by the Acropolis). There are also several small cafes/restaurants and gift shops around the ticket office.
What to Bring and What to Wear
Note that there is very little shade to be found around the park, so applying sunscreen and/or wearing a hat is generally a good idea.
The Selinunte archaeological park is quite large, and there’s a fair bit of walking to do around the site, so proper footwear is recommended.
The Selinunte Shuttle Train
The Selinunte Archaeological Park is primarily divided into two large sections: The Acropolis and the East Hill, both of which are separated by about 1.5 km. The walk between the two takes about 20 minutes and is quite scenic. Those with limited mobility or who would prefer not to walk for long under the midsummer sun can use the Selinunte shuttle that connects both portions of the park. Use of the shuttle costs €8 (2025) to reach the Acropolis, and tickets can be purchased at the same time as the entrance fee is paid for.
About Selinunte Archaeological Park and Its History
Selinunte was one of the most important of the Greek colonies in Sicily. It was founded by a group from the Sicilian city of Megara Hyblaea around 650 BC. At its peak, around 400 BC, the city may have had close to 30,000 inhabitants. Because Selinunte was the most westerly of the Greek colonies in Sicily, they often came into contact (and conflict) with the Phoenicians of western Sicily and the Elymian people of Segesta, whose territory bordered their own.
Selinunte was involved in several wars and conflicts over its first few centuries of existence, all of which progressively weakened, damaged, and destroyed the city (and decimated much of its population). Conflicts with the Carthaginians, who for over a century ruled over the city, particularly took a toll. During the First Punic War (264–241 BC), Selinunte was repeatedly the site of military operations between the Romans and the Carthaginians. Before the end of the war, the Carthaginians began to withdraw and reduce the number of places they had to defend, which led them to evacuate all the inhabitants of Selinunte and destroy what remained of the city; after this, the city was never rebuilt.
Today, the Selinunte Archaeological Park is the largest in Europe, with an area of about 270 hectares, and is generally divided into five sections:
– The East Hill (east portion of the park)
– The Acropolis (central portion of the park)
– The Gàggera hill (western portion, includes the sanctuary of the Malophòros)
– The Manuzza hill (northern portion, with the ancient town)
– The Necropolis
The most visually interesting sections of the park are the East Hill and the Acropolis, where portions of temples and buildings remain standing (or were re-erected following excavation work). The Acropolis, a sacred area built on the southern promontory, with the sea lying below it to the south, is notable for its six temples (O, A, B, R, C, D), surrounded by imposing fortification walls. The East Hill is characterized by the presence of another monumental sacred area with three temples (E, F, G). To the north of the Acropolis lies the Hill of Manuzza, the main residential area of the city. This is also where, between the residential area and the Acropolis, the outline of the largest agora of the ancient world was unearthed in 2020. Finally, on the western end of the archeological park, the Hill of Gaggera is notable for the Sanctuary of the Malophoros, a sanctuary dedicated to the goddess of fertility, Demeter Malophoros, which was excavated in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Visiting Selinunte Archaeological Park – What to Expect
The two main areas of interest when visiting Selinunte, where you will find the most visually impressive structures, are the East Hill and the Acropolis. If you walk between the two, you will also get to enjoy beautiful views of scenic grassland landscape with distant views out to the sea.
The East Hill
There are three temples on the East Hill. Temple E is the most recent of the three, and its current appearance is the result of anastylosis (reconstruction using the original material) carried out – controversially – between 1956 and 1959. Recent surveys performed inside the temple and under Temple E have revealed that it was preceded by two other sacred buildings, one of which was destroyed in 510 BC.
Temple F, the oldest and smallest of the three temples, is today mostly a pile of rocks, making it hard to discern the temple that once stood there.
Temple G was the largest in Selinus (113.34 metres long, 54.05 metres wide and about 30 metres high) and was one of the largest in the Greek world at the time. The temple was under construction for nearly a century, as demonstrated by the variation of style across the temple (The east side follows archaic architectural principles, while the west side is more of a classical type), and was never actually completed, as shown by the absence of fluting on some of the columns.
In the massive pile of ruins of Temple G, it is possible to make out a peristyle of 8 x 17 columns, only one of which remains standing since following its re-erection in 1832, known in Sicilian as “lu fusu di la vecchia” (the old woman’s spindle).
The Walk Up to The Acropolis
The path connecting the East Hill and the Acropolis is quite lovely and pleasant to walk through when it’s not too hot out. It’s about a 20-minute walk between both sites.
The Acropolis
The Acropolis is set on a limestone massif with a cliff face falling into the sea toward the south, in the shape of a massive trapezoid that narrows towards the north end, with a large retaining wall (about eleven metres high at the time of construction). On the crest of the Acropolis are the remains of numerous Doric temples (O, A, B, R, C, D). Most today are in rumble, but fourteen of Temple C‘s north side’s seventeen columns were re-erected in 1925.
Multiple elements of the temple reveal unusual experimentation and divergence from a typical Doric temple. For instance, the columns show variation in the number of flutes, the width of the intercolumniation varies, and the corner columns have a larger diameter than the others.
Between Temples C and D are the ruins of a Byzantine village of the fifth century AD, which was built with recycled Selinunte stone.
To the north, the acropolis holds two quarters of the city (one west and the other east of the main north-south street), rebuilt by Hermocrates after 409 BC.
How Long Do You Need in Selinunte Archaeological Park
You should plan to spend about 2-3 hours in the archaeological park, especially if you plan on walking between both sections (East Hill and Acropolis) — though using the park shuttle isn’t necessarily a great time saver since you often have to wait for it.
Best Time to Visit Selinunte Archaeological Park
Best Time of the Year
Selinunte can be visited year-round, although the summer months can get quite hot, and there is little opportunity to find shade. We generally recommend visiting in late spring (May, June) or early autumn (September, October), as these shoulder season months offer milder yet still pleasant temperatures and a more relaxed visiting atmosphere.
The summer is also the busiest period at Selinunte, though it doesn’t get as crowded as other Greek Archaeological Parks in Sicily, such as the Valley of Temples.
Best Time of Day
The best time to visit is definitely in the early morning when it’s cooler and when there a far fewer other visitors. Though Selinunte rarely gets very crowded, it’s definitely more fun to visit we fewer people around. If possible, we suggest trying to arrive early before the tour buses arrive, which is generally around mid-morning.
We arrived shortly after opening in the morning and had the place almost to ourselves.
Alternatively, the late afternoon (just before the last entry) is a fairly quiet time to visit Selinunte. However, it’s still likely to be very hot during the summer.
Is Selinunte Archeological Park Worth It?
We definitely think so! Although there’s probably more to see and do in the Valley of Temples near Agrigento, where there are several impressive temple remnants and a great museum, we found Selinunte to be very pleasant to visit, given that far fewer people make it out here, allowing us to visit the site in a more relaxed atmosphere.
Things to See and Do Near Selinunte (Western Sicily)
Visit Segesta Archaeological Park
Segesta definitely was one of our favorite ancient Greek archaeological sites to visit in Sicily. The park’s somewhat remote location among beautiful rolling hills, far from any other tourist attraction, provides a serene and peaceful visiting experience. The site’s majestic Doric Temple is among the best-preserved in the world, and the hilltop Greek Theater, which is also immaculately preserved, offers stunning views of the surrounding region.
For more information, check out our guide for Segesta Archaeological Park.
Visit Trapani
Trapani is one of the largest towns on Sicily’s western coast, and is particularly known as the gateway to the Egadi islands and lies just below the stunning mountain-top medieval village of Erice. It is also home to several scenic beaches and a nature reserve that includes a salt museum in an old salt mill. Although it doesn’t have many “must-see” attractions of its own, it has a beautiful and lively historic center with many restaurants.
For more information, check out our guide on the Best Things to See and Do in Trapani.
Visit Erice
Erice is a stunning hilltop medieval town, a charming place where time seems to have stood still. Here, an interesting array of cobblestone streets, a stone cathedral, and not one but two stunning cliffside castles await your discovery. Due to its altitude and proximity to the sea, Erice is often shrouded by clouds, providing a unique and foggy atmosphere while you discover this town full of history. On clear days, you’ll have breathtaking views of Sicily’s western coastline and the Tyrrhenian Sea.
For more information, check out our guide on the Best Things to See and Do in Erice.
Visit the Egadi Islands
The island archipelago can easily be reached as a day trip from Trapani, and this is particularly true of the islands of Favignana and Levanzo, the two closest to Sicily’s west coast. Favignana, the largest of the three islands, is particularly known for its crystal clear waters, beautiful coves and rugged landscapes. Levanzo is perfect for those looking to get away from it all and relax along a beautiful coastline.
For more information, check out our guide on Sicily’s Stunning Egadi Islands.
Visit the Zingaro Nature Reserve
Zingaro was one of our favorite hiking destinations on the island, where a beautiful coastal trail swerves along the reserve’s stunning mountainous coastline and offers hikers and beach-goers multiple opportunities for swimming in warm, crystal-clear turquoise waters set within idyllic, secluded coves. We had a blast here and highly recommend spending at least half a day.
For more information, check out our guide on Sicily’s Zingaro Nature Reserve.
Where to Stay Near Selinunte
In our opinion, the best place to stay for a day trip to Selinunte is Trapani, which makes for an excellent base from which to explore several attractions in northwestern Sicily. All of the following are some of the best mid-range hotel accommodations in the three towns:
Trapani (Near the town center):
Central Gallery Rooms- Palazzo D’Ali’ Staiti XIX
Trapani (further from the town center but located right on the beach)
Photography Gear
If you like our photography, you might be interested in some of the gear we use to shoot our travel and hiking destinations.
Camera Body – Nikon Z 6ii Fx-series Mirrorless Body
Main Lens – NIKON 24-120mm F/4G ED VR AF-S
Zoom Lens – Sigma 745-306 150-600mm f/5-6.3
Polarizing filters – Urth Circular Polarizing (CPL)
Camera Tripod – K&F Concept 64-inch Camera Tripod
Mini-tripod – Lammcou Flexible Camera Tripod
Camera/hiking backpack – Vanguard Alta Rise 48 Backpack
Universal Travel Adapter – VYLEE Universal International Power Travel Plug
Other Travel Essentials
Travel Insurance
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e-Sim cards
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Car Rentals
Discover Cars is our go-to website for car rentals. We almost always find our preferred rate there.
Transfer from Airport
Welcome Pickups is our favourite private transfer service, which you can pre-book at a fixed price. Currently available in 220 cities all over the world (mostly in Europe, but with several major cities in Asia, the Middle East and the US).
Kiwitaxi is another private transfer service – we haven’t tried it yet, but it’s currently available in a few more countries (102 as of 2024).
Hotels and Accommodations (coming soon)
Photography Prints
If you found this blog useful, you can help support our blog by purchasing low-cost digital prints. Printed physical prints are also available for purchase.
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Well, that wraps it up! We hope you enjoyed our Selinunte Archaeological Park Travel Guide and that it will prove useful for planning your trip.
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