Parking in Erice

Have you asked your host/landlord this question?

Have not, since we haven't booked lodging yet. Part of that decision will be based on the cost of parking.

I had to drive up to Erice in late April, several years ago, because the high winds closed down the gondola. I only remember that I had to pay by the hour.

Considering it's up on a high hill and very small, is it worth that many nights there with a rental car (and having to drive up and down every time you want to leave)? I would consider Trapani below if you are tied to the car rental - that way you can get in and out easily and do side trips and actually maximize the use of the car.

Point well-taken. It will all depend upon the cost of parking. The driving is not an issue for me. Thank you.

Based on Google's photo of the parking lot, cost is about 1 euro/hour and it looks like the machine only takes coins. You pay for the period from 8:00 a.m. to midnight daily for the six peak months of the year. This is similar to the case when I stayed in Montalcino - first the issue of needing change and second the issue of having to get out and "feed the meter" around 8:00 a.m., since there was not multi-day rate.

Some hotels may offer parking that is at least simpler to pay for. One hotel that I saw in passing had valet parking rather than self-parking.

I had less luck than Laura did when I tried to find online info for you, but I did turn up comments about scam artists operating around a parking lot that I think must be located near the lower end of the funicular (in Trapani). So be very careful not to take advice from locals about going to a different area to park.

I enjoyed staying in Trapani (though not the place I stayed, which was above a bar that had live music until very late at night), but you should be aware that the pretty historic district is quite some distance from the bottom of the funicular, so you'll need some form of transportation to get to the latter. Or there is probably a conveniently-located place to get a bus up to Erice.

Thank you, Laura & acraven: FWIW, I got a response from a innkeeper in Erice. He said that the cost to park was €15 per week. Seems too cheap to be true. I need to explore further.

Five nights in Erice are about four nights too many. I like Erice and have been there several times, but one full day is adequate.

I tend to agree that one full day will be sufficient. However, we were looking for a quaint place to stay as a hub for day trips. We will have a rental car. However, we might consider staying in the historic district of Marsala instead.

In early May 2014 I had a wonderful stay at Erice Pietre Antiche apartments, and the owner Massimo led me to a nearby parking lot where I could park as I wished for free. The lot seemed mostly empty those days. I loved Erice, some things to do during the day, mystical quiet mist in the early morning and evening. Some excellent restaurants and bakeries. I did not find the driving up and down of using Erice as a base to be so bad. One day I went off to explore Segesta, then Selinunte, with the plan to stop in Marsala and Trapani on the return. Marsala and Trapani were bigger and much busier than I expected. I never found a parking space in either one, started running into ZTL signs in both, and ended up fleeing up to Erice without ever stopping the car. For those towns, I would highly recommend finding city street maps to have with you, before driving there. There is a funicular between Erice and the outskirts of Trapani, but I was told to be careful using it, as if the weather or wind changes, you can sometimes find yourself stranded without a return funicular. By the way, in 2014 Massimo had a lovely 4-apartment building in the center of Erice, and another 4-apartment building in Trapani, in case you want to consider splitting your time.

Larry,

Thank you for the detailed response. Actually I did correspond with Massimo at Pietre Antiche. He is the one who mentioned that the weekly parking rate is €15, which I find to be to good to be true. On the other hand, it is my understanding that the there is no parking fee after September 15. I will need to verify this.

I saw on WikiTravel that the parking only required payment "through September" but then I looked at the sign on the Google photo and it had dates of March 15 to November 15. There could be a different procedure for getting a weekly rate.

Possible so. Thanks, Laura. This entire issue might be moot if the parking rates are reasonable. However, I prefer not to have any rude surprises.

I like to drive, I really, really like to drive. I often base in one town, knowing I'll have an extra hour or two of driving back and forth rather than change hotels. I drove up to Erice once and I tell you that I would not want to do it every day! It's a long long switchback road, lots of hairpin turns and a few impatient Italian drivers as well. If you are planning to day-trip from a base, Trapani is much much better. And then take the funicula (funuvia)up to Erice, which takes a few minutes rather than 1/2 hour.