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Voykit pocket guide · Italy
Selinunte
Marinella di Selinunte
Give Selinunte one full day for the temples, sleep one or two nights in Marinella, and go at 09:00 opening: by noon the east hill has no shade.
Selinunte is a Greek temple park on Sicily's south coast, next to the small beach village of Marinella di Selinunte. The ruins are the reason to come; the village is where you eat and sleep. It works as a one-day stop on a west-Sicily loop, or as a quiet two-night base between Agrigento and Trapani.
- Country
- Italy
- Local name
- Marinella di Selinunte
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (heat and no shade in the park), and the midday hours year-round
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Cards and contactless are widely accepted in cities; small cafés, markets and rural places may prefer cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget €50–80 excl. bed · Mid €80–140 excl. bed · High €140+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- TIM, Vodafone, WindTre and Iliad sell prepaid SIMs in shops and at airports; a passport and an Italian tax code (codice fiscale, issued in-store) are needed.
- Emergency
- Europe-wide emergency 112 · Police 113 · Fire 115 · Ambulance 118 · Coast guard 1530
- Plugs
- Types C, F, L · 230 V · 50 Hz · Italian type L plugs have three pins in a row; most sockets also take two-pin Europlugs (C), and bivalent sockets take Schuko (F).
- Tipping
- Bar: Leave €0.10–0.20 of change on the counter if you like.; Restaurant: Coperto or service may already be on the bill; leave €1–2 a person or round up for good service.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel porter or housekeeping: €1–2 per bag or per night.; Tour guide: €5–10 per person for a half day.
- Water
- Tap water is safe unless signed otherwise; Rome's nasoni fountains run all day. Restaurants serve bottled water (naturale or frizzante) unless you ask for tap (acqua del rubinetto).
- Toilets
- Few public toilets; use bars (buy a coffee), museums and stations, where some charge €1.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee at a village bar | €1–1.50 |
| Sandwich or panino near the park entrance | €4–7 |
| Sit-down lunch, pasta or seafood, per person | €15–30 |
| Beer: draught at a bar / can from a shop | €4–6 / €1–2 |
| Park entry, adult | €6, reduced €3 |
| Taxi Marinella → Castelvetrano | €20–30 (check) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- TPS · Trapani Vincenzo Florio
- About 1 h 15 min by car via the A29 and SS115; check current seasonal routes
- PMO · Palermo Falcone Borsellino
- About 1 h 30 min by car; the usual arrival airport for this coast
Typical fares
- Park entry, adult
- €6, reduced €3; parking free
- Tourist train in the park
- €3 per stop, €12 full loop
- Salemi bus Castelvetrano → Marinella
- a few departures a day, often late (check)
Get around
The park is walked on trails between the east hill, the Acropolis and the Malophoros sanctuary; a tourist train (trenino) covers the stops for a few euros. Between Marinella, Triscina and Castelvetrano you need a car, a taxi or the Salemi bus, which runs only a few times a day and is not reliable.
See and do
Known for
- Temple E, the reconstructed Doric temple
- Temple G, one of the largest temples of Greek antiquity
- The Acropolis temples above the sea
- Marinella di Selinunte beaches
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Cave di Cusa | Car west on the SS115 toward Campobello di Mazara, about 12.5 km from MarinellaCar west on the SS115 toward Campobello di Mazara, about 7.8 mi from Marinella | About 30 min each way |
| Castelvetrano | Car or the Salemi bus from Marinella | 20–30 min |
| Triscina di Selinunte | Car, or a 2 km walk west across the archaeological areaCar, or a 1.2 mi walk west across the archaeological area | 10 min by car |
| Segesta | Car north via the A29, about 60 kmCar north via the A29, about 37 mi | About 1 h each way |
| Agrigento | Car east via the SS115, about 100 kmCar east via the SS115, about 62 mi | About 1 h 45 min each way |
| Trapani and Erice | Car north via the A29 | About 1 h 15 min each way |
Sleep
- Marinella di Selinunte
- The village at the park gate: bars, restaurants, the marina and most beds. Walk or drive 5–10 min to the entrance.
- Triscina di Selinunte
- Resort strip about 10 km west, with long beaches and cheaper rooms; you need a car.Resort strip about 6.2 mi west, with long beaches and cheaper rooms; you need a car.
- Castelvetrano
- Inland town 10–12 km away with the nearest train station, supermarkets and year-round services.Inland town 6.2–7.5 mi away with the nearest train station, supermarkets and year-round services.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | Mi scusimee SKOO-zee |
| Thank you | GrazieGRAH-tsyeh |
| How much is it? | Quanto costa?KWAN-toh KOS-tah |
| Can I pay by card? | Posso pagare con la carta?POS-soh pah-GAH-reh kon lah KAR-tah |
| Where is the toilet? | Dov'è il bagno?doh-VEH eel BAH-nyoh |
| Two tickets, please | Due biglietti, per favoreDOO-eh bee-LYET-tee per fah-VOH-reh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say buongiorno (until mid-afternoon) or buonasera on entering shops and bars; avoid: Walking in and pointing without a greeting
- Cheek kisses: Two kisses, right cheek first, among friends; follow their lead; avoid: Kissing strangers or in business settings
- Dress: Smart-casual in cities; covered shoulders and knees in churches; avoid: Beachwear, bare chests and flip-flops away from the beach
- Queues: At delis and pharmacies take a number (numerino); avoid: Assuming the crowd at a bar counter is chaos — pay at the till first where asked
- Restaurants: Wait to be seated and ask for the bill; avoid: Splitting a bill item by item with a large group
- Conversation: Food, football and family are safe openers; avoid: Mafia jokes and north–south stereotypes
- Dinner at a home: Bring pastries, wine or flowers (not chrysanthemums, which are for funerals); avoid: Refusing seconds too firmly
Scams and watch-outs
- Almost no shade in the park: go at opening, carry water, wear closed shoes.
- The Salemi bus between Castelvetrano station and Marinella runs a handful of times a day and is often late; do not build a tight connection on it.
- Some beach and village businesses close outside Jun–Sep; check before booking a winter stay.
- Park hours change by season: confirm the current closing time and last entry on the official site.
Selinunte is a small, calm resort area and the park is safe by day. The real risks are summer heat and dehydration in the shadeless ruins, uneven stones underfoot, and swimming where no lifeguard is posted.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Selinunte yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Temple E, the reconstructed Doric temple
- Temple G, one of the largest temples of Greek antiquity
- The Acropolis temples above the sea
- Marinella di Selinunte beaches
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Trenitalia (Castelvetrano connections): www.trenitalia.com/
- Wikivoyage: Selinunte, revision 5329699 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5329699
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
SelinunteMarinella di Selinunte
A questo indirizzo, per favore
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Selinunte; consulates-general are in Palermo and Catania, embassies in Rome. US citizens: check the Palermo consulate.
Park hours and last entry change by season; confirm on the official site before you drive out.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/selinunte). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.