When I did a research about Sicily, the one place that really stands out was the island of Favignana (or Egadi islands in general). Favignana island is the biggest of Egadi islands, with a land area of 19.8 square kilometres. From east to west it should be approximately 9 km. The other two Egadi islands are Levanzo and Marettimo.
All the information that I found on the internet, praised the Favignana island. The reviews said, that this is one of the most beautiful places in Sicily. And don’t get me wrong- it is really beautiful. The water is clear, picturesque and really blue! But all those reviews that I read, left out the part, that there is not too much to do.
Getting to the island
The easiest way to get to Favignana is from Trapani with Liberty Lines hydrofoil or with Siremar ferry. The hydrofoil drives to Favignana around 30-40 minutes and the ferry ride will take around 60 minutes. You can read more about how to get to Favignana island and about parking in Trapani from here.
On the island
The first town where you will arrive in Favignana is also called Favignana. There are two small beaches and small city centre area with lots of restaurants. And that’s pretty much it. So it’s recommended to rent a bike or scooter and look around on the island. Bike rent will cost around 5€ per day and scooter rent will be around 30€ per day. We actually got the bikes with 4€, but we rented them after 2 PM. The quality of the bikes and scooters are pretty awful. But they are still usable.
With bikes (or scooters), you can go explore several other beaches and grottas that are on the island. They are beautiful. But how long can you ride from one beach to another?
Favignana island, Cala Bue Marino – crystal clear water with blue stripes visible 
Street in Favignana
The restaurants
Favignana island is famous for its tuna. There is also a tuna processing museum. So you can find tuna from most of the restaurant’s menu (we didn’t saw any restaurant menu without at least one tuna dish in it). If you are not much of a tuna fan- it can be a little tricky for you. But if you don’t like seafood at all- then it’s even harder! All the menus we looked (at the restaurants that were opened at that time), had only seafood dishes (except sandwich and gelato booths). There are also several pizza restaurants on the island, but they were all closed at the lunchtime. But that’s pretty common in Italy, that they serve pizza only for dinner.
Luckily we don’t have a problem with seafood, so that wasn’t an issue for us. But we tried to find some place where we could also see locals eating. That wasn’t an easy task but it is doable. Sadly, the food was OK, but nothing spectacular. And most of the restaurants in Favignana island are quite pricey compared to other restaurants in Italy. There were few moderately priced restaurants, but the majority of them were closed until dinner time. Based on our experience, you wouldn’t lose much if you will skip the restaurant and pack yourself a sandwich to go instead. But not to be unfair- there could be some really good, not so touristy, moderately priced restaurants also on the island. But to find them can be a challenge.
In conclusion
Favignana island is famous for its beautiful beaches, beautiful nature and its super blue water! Well, indeed, the beaches are beautiful in Favignana. And the colour of the water is amazing. But there are several other beautiful beaches in Sicily. And many of those other beaches are much reachable than Favignana island.
If you have plenty of time and you feel, that you have already visited all the other places on your list, then Favignana island is a beautiful place to visit. Or if your travel aim is to swim as much as possible on different beaches. But to be honest- there is not much else to do than (moto)cycling around, eating in high-prized mediocre restaurants and laying on the beaches. So, if your time is limited and swimming or sunbathing are not the first on your travel list, I would skip the Favignana island. Because even though it is close to Trapani, it will take you almost a full day to visit it. You need to get there, rent a bike or scooter, look around, swim, find a place for lunch, and finally get back to Trapani.
So if you are close to Trapani and are looking for a place to visit- I would recommend you to visit Erice town instead. The cable car ride from Trapani to Erice could be a little scary, but Erice itself is really worth it.
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