What to see in Mazara del Vallo · Western Sicily
Erice from Mazara del Vallo
Cable car, a medieval hill town, pastries, Trapani — and a few ideas that are not the usual ones.
Erice is one of those trips from Mazara worth doing at least once. But I would not do it as a plain visit to the town.
Decide in twenty seconds
From Mazara: what should you pick?
If you have a full day, you can build it far better than a plain visit: take the cable car up, walk Erice, come down towards Trapani, eat something — or add a day outdoors instead.
Three ways to do Erice
Erice, plainly
Cable car → the town → Castello di Venere → Balio → a genovese → back
The right one for a first visit.
Erice + Trapani
Cable car → Erice → lunch → Trapani → the harbour → sunset
What we would do with a full day.
Erice + the Belìce
Erice → Santa Ninfa → Partanna → Acque Calde / the baths
For anyone who has already done the coast.
The cable car: the best way to arrive
If you drive up from Mazara, I would seriously consider leaving the car at the lower station of the Trapani-Erice cable car.
The ride takes about 10 minutes, and on the way up you have Trapani, the coast and — on a clear day — the Egadi Islands in front of you. It arrives straight at Erice Vetta.
It is also the practical answer: the lower station has its own parking, and the cabins are set up to carry bicycles.
Local tip: on a clear day the ride up is already part of the trip. Do not treat it as just a way to get to the top.
Erice Vetta
Once you are up there, forget the car. Walk.
Erice is built to be taken slowly: stone lanes, small squares, churches, courtyards, and views that open onto the sea without warning.
The usual stops are:
But there is no need to turn it into a hunt for monuments. The walk is the point.
The thing to eat in Erice: the genovese
This is where you stop. The genovese ericina is one of the town’s signature pastries: shortcrust and custard, usually served warm.
And there is a story behind it, because pastry-making in Erice is tied closely to convent recipes. The best-known figure is Maria Grammatico, who learned the craft during the years she spent in the convent of San Carlo, and later built her own business.
Do not go looking for “the best pastry in Erice”. Walk into a shop you like the look of and have a genovese that has just come out.
And if you want to compare: genovese, almond paste, mustazzoli ericini, cassatelle, dolci di badia. That is a tasting of your own making.
A detour, if you love cannoli
Bar Erice, in Napola
At Via Milano 295, outside the old town. It is known above all for cannoli, graffe, genovesi and Sicilian pastries.
If you are serious about cannoli and you have the car, Napola is worth the detour. It is not a compulsory stop in Erice, but it is one of those addresses worth knowing.
If you want something more active: the Erice adventure park
It is a real thing and a good one — especially for families, teenagers, and adults who do not want a day of towns and churches only.
It sits in the pine wood of the Parco di Martogna, a few minutes from Trapani. There are rope courses in the trees at different levels — Mini Junior, Green 1, Green 2, Blue and Red — 46 elements in all.
You do not have to be an athlete: they are supervised courses with instructors on hand.
One practical note: for 2026 the park lists booking as compulsory and its hours as seasonal, so check before you set off.
Erice + Trapani: an easy combination
If you would rather not drive straight back to Mazara: Mazara → cable car → Erice → Trapani → Mazara.
It is probably what I would suggest with a full day. After Erice you come down towards Trapani and walk the old town. There is no need to see all of it.
And then something to eat. Trapani is also the departure point for the Egadi Islands, so if you are planning several days in the area you can get a feel for the town without giving it a whole day.
An even better version: Erice by cable car, Trapani at sunset
If you leave Mazara early:
A full day, but not a mad one.
And if you have already seen Erice?
Not everyone wants to walk the same hill town twice. In that case, head inland.
Santa Ninfa
Worth it above all if you like being outdoors and want a different Sicily from the coast. The Grotta di Santa Ninfa nature reserve protects a karst landscape shaped by the water underground, with caves and marked paths. You can pair it with the Belìce valley and carry on to Partanna.
Partanna and the Belìce
An area I would suggest to people who travel a lot and do not want postcard Sicily. Partanna, Santa Ninfa, Gibellina, Salaparuta, Poggioreale and Montevago tell a completely different story. This is where the 1968 Belìce earthquake comes in — the rebuilding, and the contemporary art that turned some of these towns into places of experiment.
The Acqua Pia baths
If you want to turn a day of sightseeing into a day of doing nothing, carry on to Montevago, in the Acque Calde district. The Acqua Pia thermal baths are there: thermal water and a wellness centre.
Erice for the hill town. Santa Ninfa for the outdoors. Acqua Pia to switch off.
And if you ride?
Around Trapani and Erice there are guided rides on rural and panoramic tracks, including routes that climb towards Erice along old trazzere, well away from the main roads.
Want to go out on horseback? Ask us: we can point you to what is running, depending on the season and on how much you have ridden.
Useful Google Maps links
- Trapani–Erice cable car
- Erice Vetta
- Erice adventure park
- Trapani old town
- Santa Ninfa
- Partanna
- The Acqua Pia baths
- Bar Erice – Napola
Before you go: weather, wind, cable-car times and seasonal openings all change. Worth checking the same morning.
Not sure which version to pick?
Ask us. Depending on how long you have, the season and who is with you, we will tell you which one we would do.