Erice (pronounced AIR-ree-chay) is a beautiful medieval village perched high on a mountain top in western Sicily. This Erice Sicily Travel Guide will help you visit this must-see destination in Sicily.
If you enjoy wandering cobbled streets, excellent vistas, history, art and culture, then make sure you put Erice on your list. This is one of those places where half the fun is getting there – its not just about the destination!
We visited Erice on New Years Day 2025, as part of our Sicily Road Trip. While many other towns we visited in Italy were all closed up for winter, we still found plenty to see and do in Erice.
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How to get to Erice
Erice is located in the north-west corner of Sicily, 750m above sea level on Monte Erice (Mount Erice). The town was named Monte San Guiliano by the Normans in 1117 but the name was changed back to Erice in 1934.
Erice is around 100km from Palermo, or 1.5 hours drive. You can visit Erice on a day tour from Palermo.
There are basically three ways to get up to Erice.
You can drive from Trapani, which takes around 30 minutes. The drive is not for the faint-hearted – there are lots of switchbacks and drop-offs as you make your way up the mountain.
There is a public bus from Trapani (the bus stop is near the Port).
Or, the most exciting way, is to take the Funivia (cable-car) from Trapani. We parked our campervan at the Funivia station (parking costs around €1 an hour, minimum of 3 hours).
The cable-car runs all day until late in the evening and costs €11 return. The cable-car takes around 15 minutes. On the way up you’ll enjoy stunning panoramic views over the town of Trapani, the salt-flats, and all the way out to the Egadi Islands.
Where to park in Erice
If you’re driving a campervan, like us, then we strongly advise against driving up to Erice. The carparks we saw were quite small, so parking a van looked really difficult to us.
We would recommend parking in the large carpark at the bottom of the hill and taking the Funivia up to Erice. The parking lot is large, and there is a designated space for motorhomes and campervans.
Best things to do in Erice, Sicily
Wander the Cobbled Streets
Erice is one of the “I Borghi piu belli d’Italia” – the most beautiful villages in Italy. The old town features cobbled streets and stone buildings dating back to the medieval times.
You’ll feel like you’ve stepped back in time as you walk through these streets. Well, apart from the tourist shops and restaurant staff trying to coax you in!
City viewpoints
As you wander around the city you will find plenty of beautiful viewpoints where you can look out over the Mediterranean. The views from here are just spectacular.
Some of our favourite viewpoints were above the Torre Pepoli and by the Castell Balio, and from the top of the Cathedral Bell-tower.
The only thing we didn’t love about the views from Erice was the presence of radio towers!
Cathedral of Erice
For a small town, Erice certainly has a LOT of churches. You do need to pay to enter the churches in Erice. The fee is €2.50 for each church, or you can buy the “Erice Passport” which includes entry to 5 churches and 1 museum.
The buildings that are included in the passport seem to change, so be sure to check which are included. You can buy the passport at any of the participating churches. We visited four or five, enough for it to become a blur!
The Cathedral of Erice (Chiesa Matrice) was built in the 14th century. Built in the Gothic style, the cathedral looks quite unimposing from the outside, but the interior has beautiful paintings and sculptures.
Bell Tower
The bell tower of the Erice Cathedral was built in the 12th century, on the site of a previous watch tower. You can climb to the top of the tower for fantastic views out across Trapani and to the islands.
After climbing the narrow spiral staircase (watch your head), you’ll come out to a small platform right amongst the bells.
The entry fee for the bell tower is €2.50 or it is included in the “Erice Passport”.
San Guiliano Church
What we loved about this church was the sculptures inside. These statues are known as the “Mysteries” and are a series from the story of the Passion of the Christ. They are made from canvas, wood and paint.
The statues are paraded through the streets of Erice each year on Good Friday.
Venus Castle
The Castle of Venus was built over the ancient Temple of Venus. The castle sits at the high point of the mountain, overlooking the surrounding countryside.
What we see now is a castle that was rebuilt by the Normans. Apparently a lot of the stone from the original temple was used to build the cathedral.
In front of the castle are the beautiful Gardens of Balio which would make a cool respite on a summer’s day. The castle is open to visitors from April to October.
Pasticceria Maria Grammatico
This pastry shop is legendary – and even when we visited in winter the lines were out the door! Even if you come in just to look at the beautiful displays, this place is worth a visit.
Maria has been using the same ingredients for over 40 years. I bought a selection tray with 9 small pastries for €8. It was nice to sample a few different ones, and they were great snack food for our hike on the Path of the Orchids the next day!
When is the best time to visit Erice?
Erice can be hot and crowded in the summer (especially when there are cruise ships in Trapani. We visited in the winter, it was quite busy (ok, it was a public holiday – New Years Day) and there were still plenty of shops and restaurants open.
Spring or Autumn would be a lovely time to visit Erice, with fewer crowds, and cooler temperatures.
Where to stay in Erice
Most people choose to stay in Trapani and visit Erice on a day trip. However, if you want to stay in town there are several properties listed on booking.com
We stayed in our campervan at a wild camp about half an hour away. We were looking for somewhere quiet – I know, boring!
Where to next?
Continue your Sicily Road Trip with the incredible Zingaro Nature Park – the first National Park in Sicily. We hiked the Path of the Orchids here, it was one of our favourite hikes in Sicily.
Then, make your way to Palermo, the lively Sicilian capital for all the culture and delicious street food!