Gorgeous beautiful beach lovely town we drove out found somewhere cheap to park spent the afternoon on the beach had a gorgeous ice cream. Had a gorgeous coffee loved every minute of it and then drove back to our hotel.

Erice is without a doubt one of Sicily’s most enchanting places to visit. Erice is like a perfect eagle’s nest where you can enjoy breathtaking views of Trapani, its coast to the Egadi archipelago. Erice not only contains beautiful medieval monuments and churches but it also contains a contemporary art centre. Erice is a jewel or traditional art and culture with a rich history that truly deserves to be visited at least once in a lifetime.

What a marvelous place, located on the top of the mountain with some astounding views on a large part of Sicily. There's a possibility of climbing on the top of the structure which gives you a VIP-like place to watch sun set. Definitely recommend

Nice town. The castle was not open, but the streets were lovely. Very windy. There are not a lot of places to go to the restroom. Beautiful views.

Erice is a nice medeval town on top of a mountain. Foresee 1 h to walk around and enjoy the view on top of the Mountain.

Beautiful and very historical place.

You can take your time and stroll along those tiny and cute alleys. We just had 3 hours, which we found not enough to enjoy the beauty of this place. 100% recommendation.

Not very big and the inside is not so spectacular: some art works, but nothing special. View from the roof is nice though. Felt a bit scammed at first with the 8 euro ticket, but it also gives you acces to the San Domenico congress room, where you can get a great view from the top floor. Access to the 2 other museums in Erice was a nice plus as well.

Torretta Pepoli in Erice is a true treasure nestled within the enchanting medieval town. This historic tower-turned-hotel offers an unforgettable experience for travellers seeking a unique and luxurious retreat. Perched high atop the hill, Torretta Pepoli boasts breathtaking panoramic views of the surrounding landscape, including the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Egadi Islands. The atmosphere is nothing short of magical, transporting guests to a bygone era of splendor and romance.

Nice from the outside, not worth 5 euros to see the inside.

Breathtaking view over Erice and Trapani

Erice is a lovely hilltop village to walk around with stunning far reaching views. Lots to see and a few shops and nice restaurants. Free parking in low season. A must visit if you near.

Amazing view.

Old and amazing

Really nice experience! A must done in a Trapani! Magestic scenery’s

Balio Gardens is a beautiful place full of history and charm. The gardens are well-maintained, with lovely greenery and impressive architecture that takes you back in time. The atmosphere is peaceful and relaxing, perfect for a walk or just to enjoy the view. One of the most beautiful spots to experience the local culture and history. Definitely worth a visit!

Amazing area to walk around with a backdrop of magnificent views. Lots of benches and areas to relax and just enjoy the scenery. Amazing little town with lots of amazing architecture such as the castle built overhanging the side of the cliff.

Gorgeous gardens at the edge of the old town with spectacular views. Everyone naturally heads for the castle structures but look for the little steps and winding terraces on either side of the main castle and you’ll be rewarded by million dollar 180 degree views of both Trapani and the countryside. There’s also a cute cafe with an elevated terrace to sip coffee while indulging your Game of Thrones fantasies

There are so many different views from this park and the castles! You can walk around to different viewpoints and enjoy the scenery or visit the castle as well, the price was around 8€.

Quaint little garden in the heart of Erice. Not quite sure how I stumbled across it but it was nice to see. The view over the rooftops of Erice was great to see. It was very peaceful here too, with the water fountains and quiet! It's not too far away from the old Norman castle too.

A high mountain botanic garden by an ancient castle. Absolutely stunning views on South and east, amazingly romantic place for two.

Stopped by Maria Grammatico’s pastry shop in the morning while walking around Erice. It’s a small, quiet place with outdoor seating and a nice view — perfect for a cappuccino ☕ and something sweet This is a well-known bakery that’s been around since the 1960s, when Maria started it after learning how to make traditional Sicilian pastries from nuns I had a cassatina, a slice of ricotta cake, and a few small sweets. All were good, though a bit too sweet for my taste — but that’s typical of Sicilian desserts 😅. I noticed the place gets quite busy later in the day, with people lining up and buying pastries to take home as gifts A lovely local spot that’s definitely worth trying if you’re in Erice 💛.

Simply the best sweets in Sicily. Whatever you will pick you will be shocked by it's taste! Prices are OK, usually there is a line to get them but it's totally worth unless it goes out the shop which means like 1h + of wait. But if you got time do it, it's worth. Genovese is the main sweet here, but go ahead and try each one.

Delicious pastries and coffee. Beautiful seating in an atrium garden. Tree provides shade. Pricing doesn't hurt your wallet. Staff helped me pick pastries. I give this place an autistic stamp of approval.

The desserts here were amazing – the pastries were still warm and incredibly tasty. However, I was quite surprised that the cappuccino was served in a plastic cup. I’ve never seen hot coffee like that before, and unfortunately, it was more like warm milk without any foam. A great place for sweets, but the coffee experience needs improvement.

Erice's best known and most Traditional Sicilian pastry shop with the personality of its founder Maria Grammatico following the convent recipes she learned while young when being raised at a Franciscan convent in Erice and expanded with new findings. Well known all over the world. The book she published, ' Bitter almonds' telling her memories and explaining her main recipes has become a classic, I bought the original version in English at the pastry shop, they also offer a translated Italian version. Very busy in season, but always a great place to enjoy Sicilian pastries with authentic local ingredients and a distinct personal touch, this shops helps to better understand the Sicilian universe of pastries and sweets with Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Norman, Arab, Spanish, especially from the convents and Swiss influences in what has come today a unique pastry culture in the world

Great option for pastry while in Erice. We were overwhelmed when we came in. It’s small and there are so many options, but we sat in the garden and our server came by and helped us pick out some things to try. Very cute and tasty!

Recommended by a local to come here for Maria’s famous genovesi - 2 minutes of pure heaven as I devoured this warm, buttery biscuit filled with vanilla cream custard! Wish I had the language to let them know how much I enjoyed this in Italian 🇮🇹

This is a 3-4 hour beautiful experience with many areas to visit in different spots but all in the same "village". You may pay €15/pp (discount prices for teens and free for kids). It's a hill, so expect a lot of walking from one site to another or you may use a car for the main paid sites and then park at a central area and walk the rest of the narrow roads. The people living and working here are very accommodating and friendly and the prices at the small restaurants/cafes are good. If you are into trekking, this can be a much more lengthier experience, and the scenery is rewarding.

This was very poorly administrated it is totally not worth. It is no other thing than a nice viewpoint but there is no information about anything related to the archeological site. There's still nice viewpoint around so it is not worth to enter the place

(Translated by Google) 100% a must-see! A medieval city that was founded in the 3rd century BC It can be compared to Toledo or Mont Saint Michel. You can go up by cable car (5€) or by car. I bought the only flower for the church without a museum (6€), and it took me about 5 hours. Even in summer, it's cool here, take something on your shoulder After 4 o'clock the "golden hour" begins, the photos are incredible! Go to the castle of Aphrodite, there at sunset it is incredible! Be careful with local pastries, it contains margarine. (Original) 100% обов’язково для відвідування! Середньовічне місто, яке було засновано ще 3 вік до н.е. Його можна порівняти з Толедо чи Мон Сан Мішелем. Можна піднятися по канатці (5€), чи машиною. Я взяла єдиний квіток на церкви без музею (6€), і на це в мене пішло десь 5 годин. Навіть влітку, тут прохолодно, візьміть щось на плечі Після 4ї починається «золотий час» фото неймовірні! Дійдіть до замку Афродіти, там на заході сонця неймовірно! Обережно з місцевою випічкою, она крізь містить маргарин.

There is nothing for 5 eur. Only nice view and horrible toilet. Someone should take care of it, since they take money.

(Translated by Google) An interesting site, including archaeological finds from a temple dedicated to Aphrodite, discovered during excavations in 1930. It seems little has been done to preserve the site since then. The artifacts are abandoned and exposed to the elements. Even the art exhibition spaces are dirty and neglected. A shame. (Original) Interessante sito con anche reperti archeologici di un tempio di dedicato ad Afrodite, trovati negli scavi del 1930. Pare che da allora non sia stato fatto un granché per preservare il luogo. Reperti abbandonati ed esposti alle intemperie. Anche i locali che ospitano mostre d'arte risultano sporchi e trasandati. Peccato.

(Translated by Google) It's easily reached on foot from the town of Erice. Well preserved, it overlooks the gardens. The walls offer a beautiful view. (Original) Si raggiunge facilmente a piedi, nel paese di Erice. Ben conservato, si affaccia sui giardini. Dalle mura si gode di un bel panorama.

(Translated by Google) The origins of Erice are inextricably linked to the sacred "themenos," the open-air sanctuary dedicated to the cult of the Greek Aphrodite and the Roman Venus Erycina. This place attracted people from all over the Mediterranean and, according to Diodorus Siculus, where Erice, son of Butes and Aphrodite herself, erected the temple dedicated to his mother and founded the city. In the "themenos," passing sailors united with the goddess through intercourse with the hierodulai, the temple priestesses, young prostitutes who dispensed sensuality and passion. The Castle of Venus was anciently connected to the so-called Balio Towers by a drawbridge, the same one mentioned by the Arab geographer Ibn-Jubayr (12th century). The Castle was home to the highest representatives of royal authority, including the Castellan, who administered criminal justice and whose main duties included managing the prison and maintaining the fortress, and the Bailo, who oversaw civil justice and tax payment. The area surrounding the Castle took the name "Balio" from the figure of the Bailo of the kingdom. What remains today of the ancient fortress was built by the Normans. Inside, architectural elements supporting the historical narrative have been discovered—and, sadly, lost. These elements essentially relate to the medieval reconstruction of the fortress, which also reused fragments of the ancient sanctuary, and to the rebuilding of the temple in Roman times. (Original) Le origini di Erice sono indissolubilmente legate al sacro “thémenos”, il santuario a cielo aperto dedicato al culto dell’Afrodite greca e della Venere Ericina romana, luogo che attirava popolazioni provenienti da ogni parte del Mediterraneo e dove, secondo Diodoro Siculo, Erice, figlio di Bute e di Afrodite stessa, aveva eretto il tempio dedicato alla propria madre e fondato la città. Nel “thémenos” i marinai di passaggio si univano alla dea tramite l’amplesso con le jeròdulai, le sacerdotesse del tempio, giovani prostitute dispensatrici di sensualità e passione. Il Castello di Venere era anticamente collegato attraverso un ponte levatoio, lo stesso del quale fa menzione il geografo arabo Ibn-Giubayr (sec.XII), con le cosiddette Torri del Balio. Nel Castello dimorarono i maggiori rappresentanti dell’autorità regia fra cui il Castellano che amministrava la giustizia penale e che annoverava, tra i suoi compiti principali, la direzione del carcere e la manutenzione della fortezza il Bajulo che soprintendeva alla giustizia civile oltre che al controllo sul pagamento delle tasse. L’area circostante il Castello assunse il nome di “Balio” proprio dalla figura del Bajulo del regno. Quello che resta oggi dell’antica fortezza fu opera dei Normanni. Al suo interno sono stati rinvenuti – e, anche, purtroppo, perduti – elementi architettonici a supporto del percorso storico, essenzialmente riferibili alla ricostruzione medievale della fortezza, in cui erano stati riutilizzati anche frammenti dell’antichissimo santuario, e alla riedificazione del tempio in epoca romana.

Stopped by Maria Grammatico’s pastry shop in the morning while walking around Erice. It’s a small, quiet place with outdoor seating and a nice view — perfect for a cappuccino ☕ and something sweet This is a well-known bakery that’s been around since the 1960s, when Maria started it after learning how to make traditional Sicilian pastries from nuns I had a cassatina, a slice of ricotta cake, and a few small sweets. All were good, though a bit too sweet for my taste — but that’s typical of Sicilian desserts 😅. I noticed the place gets quite busy later in the day, with people lining up and buying pastries to take home as gifts A lovely local spot that’s definitely worth trying if you’re in Erice 💛.

Simply the best sweets in Sicily. Whatever you will pick you will be shocked by it's taste! Prices are OK, usually there is a line to get them but it's totally worth unless it goes out the shop which means like 1h + of wait. But if you got time do it, it's worth. Genovese is the main sweet here, but go ahead and try each one.

Delicious pastries and coffee. Beautiful seating in an atrium garden. Tree provides shade. Pricing doesn't hurt your wallet. Staff helped me pick pastries. I give this place an autistic stamp of approval.

The desserts here were amazing – the pastries were still warm and incredibly tasty. However, I was quite surprised that the cappuccino was served in a plastic cup. I’ve never seen hot coffee like that before, and unfortunately, it was more like warm milk without any foam. A great place for sweets, but the coffee experience needs improvement.

Erice's best known and most Traditional Sicilian pastry shop with the personality of its founder Maria Grammatico following the convent recipes she learned while young when being raised at a Franciscan convent in Erice and expanded with new findings. Well known all over the world. The book she published, ' Bitter almonds' telling her memories and explaining her main recipes has become a classic, I bought the original version in English at the pastry shop, they also offer a translated Italian version. Very busy in season, but always a great place to enjoy Sicilian pastries with authentic local ingredients and a distinct personal touch, this shops helps to better understand the Sicilian universe of pastries and sweets with Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Norman, Arab, Spanish, especially from the convents and Swiss influences in what has come today a unique pastry culture in the world

Great option for pastry while in Erice. We were overwhelmed when we came in. It’s small and there are so many options, but we sat in the garden and our server came by and helped us pick out some things to try. Very cute and tasty!

Recommended by a local to come here for Maria’s famous genovesi - 2 minutes of pure heaven as I devoured this warm, buttery biscuit filled with vanilla cream custard! Wish I had the language to let them know how much I enjoyed this in Italian 🇮🇹

So, if you have to pay €22 for five raw red prawns and 10 arugula leaves… that’s pretty cheeky. It's just a rip-off. The pasta dishes were okay, but they're okay everywhere else, too. The only thing I liked were the tablecloths.

Very nice food, surprising how they serve it and with excellent taste. Very extensive wine list and definitely not over priced as some suggested earlier. Service is really fine. Not reason for any hesitation to go there!

This place was highly recommended by our host and did not disappoint. We came here twice during our stay. Food was delicious and the owner is a beautiful person who is passionate about his work. He was really the highlight for us. Wait staff made great recommendations. Come here for dinner when I’m Ericè.

Nestled in Erice’s medieval heart, Osteria di Venere is a charming, family-run gem steeped in Sicilian tradition. Set in a centuries-old stone building with terracotta floors, wooden beams, and frescoed walls, it offers an intimate ambiance and warm, attentive service  . Menus showcase seasonal, locally sourced produce—think fresh pasta, smoked seafood, antipasti rustico, stuffed squid, tagliatelle alla Venere, and inventive fish dishes   . Reviewers consistently praise the excellent food, friendly staff, and cozy atmosphere, often recommending advance reservations

Very tasty food. Very cosy atmosphere in the oldtown. Waiters are very friendly. They gave recommendations about food and drinks. They explained what are the local wines and what each type of grapes means. Very good place to taste fish dishes. We took fish with couscous and a swordfish. Perfect preparation. Sicilian cake was also very tasty. Waiters also gave recommendations about local places to visit and some advises. 10/10 in general!

Small restaurant in the heart of old town...this is a solid choice. The carpaccio, lamb and one of the past dishes we order were just fantastic. Nice atmosphere and a great service. Highly recommended!

Molto molto buono. I have very good memories of this place. Great food, the staff is easy-going and friendly. The dishes are typically Sicilian and super delicious. Treat yourself and have several courses. It’s too difficult to recommend just one :-)

Some of the best arancini are available here and at very affordable prices. You won't find many places where you get to choose among 30 and more different flavours, some of them really sophisticated ones. The fact they cook your order on the spot guarantees your arancini will be top quality, with the most amazing crispy dough. We spent 15 EUR for 5 arancini, so this is a great option if you want to indulge yourself with a second round of sweet pastries from one of the amazing patisseries in Erice. You obviously will have to eat your order outside but you will find plenty of space nearby.

Delicious Arancini and Friendly Service This spot is a must for arancini lovers! The staff were super friendly, and there are lots of flavors to choose from, all at very fair prices. Every arancina we tried was crispy on the outside and perfectly flavorful inside, truly some of the best we’ve had. Highly recommended for a quick, tasty bite!

Freshly made, the perfect arancino/a. Because it is freshly made you’ll have to wait a few minutes, but it is every minute worth. An excellent one is the burrata pistacchio one…! The aftertaste keeps lingering in your mouth after you’ve finished it.

A variety of arancini to select from and they’re made fresh in front of you ! Very good and beautifully made Arancini highly recommended! It can be busy at lunch time and people are in the doorway waiting for their order to be called out , therefore it can be difficult to get into the shop or understand where is the queue to order your Arancini !

I’m not a big fan of arancini, but I decided to try them because of the huge crowd waiting. I waited 30 minutes for two, and I can’t say I enjoyed them — there was too much rice and the filling was poor.

We weren't expecting much when we wandered in, especially with their billboard out front in English. But wow, these were the crispiest most delicious aranchini we've tasted since arriving in Trapani. Unmissable establishment. Go!

We found some really yummy Arancine on our trip to Sicily. When we were there, they had 3 vegan flavors available. All of them were prepared fresh.

Thank you for your great service and delicious food ! Here you'll find all the variety of sweets and more !

2,5€ for this amazing canollo, was delicious!

Best cannoli in town and probably in Sicily

Cannoli was huge and very tasty.

Mega cannoli👍 Fresh and tasty😎

Super!

Perfect

We had dinner outside in the little street, which was a nice place to sit. Inside, the ground floor is also cosy to eat, but the first floor less so. I recommend experiencing the sunset first, and coming here at 8 PM afterwards. After 8, it gets very busy, so you will have to wait in line probably. In terms of food, I can really recommend the caponata, as well as the fish couscous and the involtini with swordfish. Flavours were outstanding! The service was a little bit less great. We had one friendly waiter, but the other ones were not so kind. Next to the unfriendliness, the service was particularly well organized or attentive either. We often had to wait quite a while for a waiter to come take our order. Furthermore, some dishes were even forgotten and we had to remind the staff that we actually ordered more food. Overall, a solid restaurant to visit when in Erice.

The busiate with red mullet ragu (red mullet/cherry tomatoes/garlic/ roasted almond) was excellent!

Service is rough, always rushing which doesn't mean you get your food very fast. Food is underwhelming. Had some lamb for 18 eur and mixed grill for 18eur. Both seem kinda made in canteen quickly. Compared to other restaurants in sicily I wouldn't pay more than 8-10 eur for these plates. Bread is old and breaks your teeth. From the outside the restaurant looks nice.

highly recommend this spot. definitely the app plate and the pesto pasta are both highly recommended!

The food was incredible, service as well. Definitely recommend climbing up!

Great pasta & mussels soup. Efficient and friendly service. The pasta we ordered tasted fantastic & was cooked right. We tried the Tagliatelle in both versions. The mussels soup is a must. Fresh, juicy & very flavorful.

Cute little restaurant in the side streets of Erice, downstairs dining room is very cute and the food was good! Would recommend the pistachio pesto pasta. The service was not amazing, and there was barely anyone else dining at the time (we at late and it started to rain).