Erice is a perfectly preserved historic town situated on the summit of Monte Erice, 751 metres above sea level. From the ramparts and viewing points, you can see Trapani, the salt pans, the coastline and the Aegadian Islands.

The main attraction is not any single landmark, but the entire compact town centre, full of cobbled streets, churches, passageways and viewpoints.

Erice is one of the most beautiful places in western Sicily and is easily accessible from Trapani via the cable car.

• 🛌 Find accommodation in Erice
• 🚗 compare car hire prices at Palermo Airport

Is it worth visiting Erice?

If you’re travelling through western Sicily, we certainly wouldn’t miss out on Erice. The town is small, easy to explore on foot and offers a mix of historic streets, sights and views.

Allow at least 3 hours for a quick visit; 4 to 5 hours is ideal.

If you want to explore more of the interiors, sit in a café and walk through the more remote parts of the ramparts, you can easily spend most of the day here.

Staying overnight in Erice is well worth it, mainly for the atmosphere. Once the day-trippers have left, the town becomes much quieter and has a completely different feel in the evening compared to during the day.

The History of Erice

Erice was one of the major towns of the Elymians, an ancient people who inhabited western Sicily. At the summit of the mountain stood a temple dedicated to the goddess of love and fertility, later associated with the Roman Venus.

Most of today’s walls, churches and fortresses were built in the Middle Ages. The historic centre has retained its original layout with narrow stone-paved streets and lies almost entirely within the former fortifications.

What to see in Erice

The most interesting sights are close together and can be explored on foot.

• Castello di Venere – the remains of a Norman castle built on the site of an ancient temple to the goddess Venus
• Giardino del Balio – gardens and one of the best views of Trapani, the salt pans and the Aegadian Islands
• Torretta Pepoli – a romantic tower built around 1870, which today houses a small multimedia museum
• Real Duomo – the main church of Erice, built in the 14th century near the Porta Trapani entrance gate
• Torre di Re Federico – a free-standing bell tower next to the cathedral, which visitors can climb
• Piazza della Loggia – the main square, surrounded by restaurants, cafés and historic houses
• Porta Trapani – the main historic gate and the usual starting point for a stroll through the town
• Elymian-Punic walls – the oldest sections of the town’s fortifications, best seen between the Porta Carmine and Porta Spada gates
• Quartiere Spagnolo – an unfinished military building on the quieter outskirts of the city, overlooking the northern coast

The most beautiful spots are often the ordinary little streets between Piazza della Loggia and the castle. It’s therefore worth not just following the shortest route, but occasionally turning off into one of the side streets.

Admission fees and the Erice Card

A stroll through the town, the gardens and most of the viewpoints are free. Admission is only charged for selected churches, towers, museums and the castle.

A single entry to a site managed by the Fondazione Erice Arte usually costs 5 eur.

If you wish to visit several sites, consider the Erice Card at 16 eur, which is valid for 3 days and covers the town’s main attractions.

The card is particularly good value if you plan to visit at least four paid attractions. During a short half-day trip, it’s usually enough to choose one or two attractions and explore the rest of the town for free.

Opening times vary according to the season, and from November to March only some sites may be open to the public. You can find the latest information on the official Fondazione Erice Arte website.

What to try

The local speciality is genovese ericina, a flaky pastry filled with warm vanilla cream and dusted with icing sugar.

It’s sold in many patisseries in the centre and tastes best whilst still warm.

Restaurants right next to the main sights tend to be more expensive. For a quieter meal, simply head a few streets away from Piazza della Loggia.

How to get there

The cable car from Trapani to Erice

For most visitors, the cable car is the quickest and most interesting way to get to Erice.

The journey from the lower station to the edge of the historic centre takes about 10 minutes, and along the way you’ll be treated to views of Trapani and the surrounding coastline.

Current cable car fares are:

• 9 eur for a single ticket
• 15 eur for a return ticket
• 4 eur for a return ticket for children aged 3 to 16
• children under 2 travel free

You can buy tickets on site or online. Operating hours change several times throughout the year, and on Mondays the cable car often does not start running until the afternoon due to maintenance.

The cable car is not automatically closed for the whole of winter, but there is usually a break in service of several weeks between seasons. You should therefore always check the current timetable before travelling.

There are two car parks at the lower station designated for cable car passengers. Parking costs 5 eur for the first 3 hours and 1 eur for each subsequent hour.

How to get to the cable car’s lower station

The lower station is not located in the centre of Trapani. On weekdays, ATM city buses run to it from the main bus terminal at Piazzale Papa Giovanni XXIII, in particular routes 21 and 23.

At weekends and on public holidays, different routes are used, depending on the current seasonal timetable. You should therefore always check for the ‘Funivia’ stop in the current ATM Trapani timetable.

A 90-minute ticket costs:

• 1,20 eur when purchased in advance or via the mobile app
• 1,50 eur when purchased from the driver
• an all-day ticket costs 3 eur

The city bus will only take you to the lower cable car station, not to the historic centre of Erice.

By car, parking and restricted traffic zones

The journey by car from Trapani to Erice takes about 30 minutes and follows a winding road up a steep hill. Leave your car in the car parks outside the historic gates, preferably at Porta Trapani.

There are restricted traffic zones (ZTL) in the historic centre, and you must not enter them without a permit.

Therefore, do not follow your sat-nav all the way to an address within the town unless you have had access confirmed in advance by your accommodation.

Parking at Porta Trapani costs 2 eur per hour during the paid parking period.

The charge applies from 15 March to 15 November between 08:00 and 24:00. More distant green parking zones cost 1 eur per hour during the summer.

The town of Erice publishes the current rates and zone markings on its parking page.

If you are staying right in the historic centre, check the options for arriving with luggage before you arrive. Some accommodation providers may be able to arrange a permit for guests or recommend a specific car park, but you are not automatically entitled to access.

Direct bus to Erice

Regional buses operated by AST also run to the historic centre.

Unlike the ATM city bus services, these continue all the way to the summit, but they tend to run much less frequently than the services to the cable car.

Timetables vary by season, and some services only run on specific days. You should therefore check the exact timetable for your travel dates on the AST Sicilia website.

For most visitors without a car, it is easier to take the city bus to the lower station and then continue by cable car.

When to visit Erice

If you’re mainly looking forward to the views, choose a day with a clear forecast. The summit of Erice is often shrouded in clouds or mist, even when it’s sunny down in Trapani.

At an altitude of over 700 metres, it’s noticeably cooler and windier than down by the sea. You’ll find a light jacket or an extra layer of clothing useful even in summer. After rain, the cobbled streets can be slippery.

The largest number of day-trippers arrive between late morning and afternoon. You’ll find a quieter atmosphere in the morning or before evening, but always keep an eye on the time of the last cable car.

Accommodation: Erice or Trapani?

For most travellers, it’s more practical to stay in Trapani. There’s a wider choice of hotels and self-catering flats, it’s easier to park there, and you’ll be close to restaurants, buses and ferries to the Aegadian Islands.

The Room Of Andrea Hotel, for example, offers a good location in the centre of Trapani.

We recommend staying in Erice itself if you want to experience the quiet evening streets and romantic atmosphere, and set off for a morning stroll before the other visitors arrive. You can stay in a historic building, for example at Il Carmine Dimora Storica.

• Compare accommodation in Erice
• Compare accommodation in Trapani

Before booking accommodation in Erice, check the parking and luggage transport options. We compare other suitable places to stay in the ‘Accommodation in Sicily’ section.

A day trip from Palermo without a car

Travelling independently by public transport from Palermo takes up a large part of the day and usually involves a change in Trapani. If you don’t want to hire a car, an organised day trip is a more practical option.

A popular full-day trip from Palermo, lasting around 8 hours, combines Erice, the ancient site of Segesta and the salt pans near Trapani. Transport is included; admission to the Segesta archaeological site is paid for separately.

What to see around

Discover all the places to see in Sicily.