Erice is an interesting city, located in the northwestern part of Sicily. After visiting the Trapani salt pans, it’s a good idea to visit the old town above. One of the ways of getting to Erice is the Funivia di Erice lift. How much does a one way ride cost from Trapani to Erice? How long does it take? All of that today.
The idea of having a lift from Trapani to Erice started popping up during the Interwar period, although the project entered works only after the war, in 1956. The lift was finished in 1965, although do not worry, the currently utilised wagons are not the original ones. The lift had quite an overhaul in 2005. Currently, the lift uses 42 modernised wagons, each able to hold 8 passengers.
Apart from driving through the majestic serpentines, the lift’s the best option for getting to Erice. Even if you have no intentions of actually seeing the old town, the ride itself is still worthwhile. It takes about 10 minutes, the wagons leave the station roughly at 40 metres above the sea level, and ends up in Erice, at 703 metres.
It’s quite a long ride, especially compared to that of the lift in Porto, for instance. We can admire the magnificent salt pans, Trapani itself and the Aegadian Islands, all while sitting in fairly comfy and clean wagons.
How much does it cost?
A one-way ticket costs 5,50 EUR, while a two-way will set you back 9 EUR. For all those, who want to spend some more time jumping back and forth between Trapani and Erice, there’s a ticket with 10 uses, for 24 EUR, a weekly ticket for 27 EUR or a monthly one for 90. Admittedly, the locals have it cheaper, at 4 (one-way) and 6,50 (two-way) EUR.
During the tourist season, the lift operates from 13:00 to 23:00 on Mondays, from Tuesday to Friday from 8:30 to 23:00. Weekends have their own schedule as well – from 9:00 to midnight. When the season reaches its peak (08.07 – 01.09), the lift is open from 13:00 to 1:00 on Mondays, 8:05 to 13:00 from Tuesday to Friday. On Sundays, the service opens at 9:05, stays open till 2:00. For those, who are visiting Sicily outside the tourist season, you have to be aware, that the opening and closing hours tend to be a bit worse, only staying open till 20:30 at most.
