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Erice trip planner
Erice is a medieval crafts town with truly ancient roots high perched above Sicily's western coast
Viale Conte A. Pepoli 11
tel. +39-0923-869-388
www.apt.trapani.it
www.trapaniwelcome.it
Hotels in Erice
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www.venere.com
www.hostelworld.com
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Erice guide
• Intro
• See
• Sleep
• Eat
• Planning FAQ
Erice is the most enchanting and stoniest medieval city you'll find in Sicily. It's often compared with a Tuscan or Umbrian hill town, but this ancient seat of mystical power is pure Sicilian, established over 3,000 years ago by the native Sicani with the city laid out by the Elymians in a magical triangle shape.
From its thrilling mountaintop setting, two sheer cliffs drop 2,478 feet to open up vistas across the plains of Trapani and down the west coast of Sicily.
On a clear day, you can even see Cape Bon in Tunisia, but this Sicilian aerie is more often shrouded in a mist that only adds to the mystique (or, especially in winter, the misery, when temperatures can really plummet below Sicilian norms and snow or hail is not uncommon).
Erice's quiet beauty has put it firmly on the package tour map, and caused the prices to spike to some of Sicily's highest outside Taormina.
But an afternoon wandering the medieval streets and drinking in the vistas will help you readily see beyond the tourism industry to fathom why, for thousands of years, people have flocked here to worship at the temple of one of the ancient world's most famous and powerful Earth goddesses, known to the Romans as Venus Erycina.
Planning FAQ
- How to get to Erice: Erice is 112km (67 miles) west of Palermo.
- How to get to Erice by train or bus: To get to Erice by public transportation, you must head to the provincial capital of Trapani 14km (8.4 miles) below Erice on the coast. To Trapani, there are 8–9 trains daily from Palermo (2–4 hr.) to Trapani—or you can take one of 25–30 daily buses (1hr. 55 min.) run by Interbus/Sicilbus/Segesta (tel. +39-091-616-7919, www.interbus.it). From Agrigento, Lumia (tel. +39-0922-20-414, www.autolineelumia.it) runs 3 buses daily, 1 on Sunday from Piazzale F.lli Rosselli to Trapani (3–4 hr.).
From Trapani, there are about ten AST buses (tel. 0923-23-222, www.aziendasicilianatrasporti.it) daily up to Erice (40 min.). - How to get to Erice by Car: Follow the A29dir from Palermo or Segesta to the first Trapani exit, then the signposted switchback road up the mountain.
- How to get to Erice by train or bus: To get to Erice by public transportation, you must head to the provincial capital of Trapani 14km (8.4 miles) below Erice on the coast. To Trapani, there are 8–9 trains daily from Palermo (2–4 hr.) to Trapani—or you can take one of 25–30 daily buses (1hr. 55 min.) run by Interbus/Sicilbus/Segesta (tel. +39-091-616-7919, www.interbus.it). From Agrigento, Lumia (tel. +39-0922-20-414, www.autolineelumia.it) runs 3 buses daily, 1 on Sunday from Piazzale F.lli Rosselli to Trapani (3–4 hr.).
- Erice Visitor Information: The Erice tourist office is at Viale Conte A. Pepoli 11 (tel. +39-0923-869-388), with the main office in the Palazzo Sales, Via Vito Carvini 2 (tel. +39-0923-869-025).
- Erice festivals: On Good Friday, there's a street procession of the misteri, sculpted scenes of the Passion. In late July the churches around town host a festival of medieval and Renaissance music, and in December a Sicilian folk music festival comes to town.
Related pages
- Sights in Erice
- Hotels in Erice
- Restaurants in Erice
- Erice's famous pastries
- Shopping for rugs in Erice
- More sights in Western Sicily
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This material was last updated September 2010. All information was accurate at the time.
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