RS kalterer hoehenweg april mittelstation mendelbahn
RS kalterer hoehenweg april mittelstation mendelbahn

Mendola Funicular

A historical masterpiece of engineering takes visitors today from Sant’Antonio near Caldaro to the 1,363 m high Mendola Pass

Mt. Mendola - the local mountain of Caldaro - was discovered as a summer retreat back in the 19th century: The pass (1,363 m a.s.l.) was not too high and was made accessible in 1885 by the newly inaugurated Mendola Road. Famous guests such as Empress Sissi and Mahatma Gandhi spent their holidays on the Mendola Pass. Today, you can still see the pretty wooden cottages inmidst a grand mountain scenery. Some 20 years after the construction of the pass road, a funicular was built.

This Mendola Funicular (Mendelbahn, in German), planned by the Swiss engineer Emil Strub, was opened in 1903 to connect the health resorts Mendola and Gries near Bolzano in a comfortable way. In 1905, the Mendola Funicular took Franz Joseph I of Austria to his military manoeuvres in the Val di Non valley. At those times, it was a real masterpiece of engineering: Austria's first electrically operated cable car (in the 19th century South Tyrol was still part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire), the steepest funicular in continental Europe and the longest one in the world.

With a gradient of up to 64%, still today it represents one of the steepest funicular railways throughout Europe. In 1988, the old cabins were replaced by modern ones, offering a spectacular view on the valley. The ride from the valley station in Sant'Antonio (523 m a.s.l.) to the mountain station (1,363 m a.s.l.) takes 12 minutes. The Mendola Funicular is accessible by the Caldaro Citybus and the public bus from Bolzano - in 2012, the contactless ticket voiding system was introduced. Today it is one of the Means of the South Tyrol Integrated Transportation: Besides the single tickets, the value cards, usable also in public buses, and the SouthTyrol Pass are valid here.

Contact info

Opening times

  • Tue 19 Mar closed
  • Wed 20 Mar closed
  • Thu 21 Mar closed
  • Fri 22 Mar closed
  • Sat 23 Mar closed
  • Sun 24 Mar closed
  • Mon 25 Mar 08:30 - 20:00

Despite careful control we cannot guarantee the correctness of the provided data.

Full timetables
Despite careful control we cannot guarantee the correctness of the provided data.

Winter timetable 2024 (08/01/2024 - 05/03/2024)

  • Mon 08:30 - 18:00
  • Tue 08:30 - 18:00
  • Wed 08:30 - 18:00
  • Thu 08:30 - 18:00
  • Fri 08:30 - 18:00
  • Sat 08:30 - 18:00
  • Sun 08:30 - 18:00

Maintenance works 2024 (06/03/2024 - 24/03/2024)

  • Mon closed
  • Tue closed
  • Wed closed
  • Thu closed
  • Fri closed
  • Sat closed
  • Sun closed

Spring timetable 2024 (25/03/2024 - 02/06/2024)

  • Mon 08:30 - 20:00
  • Tue 08:30 - 20:00
  • Wed 08:30 - 20:00
  • Thu 08:30 - 20:00
  • Fri 08:30 - 20:00
  • Sat 08:30 - 20:00
  • Sun 08:30 - 20:00

Easter 2024 (31/03/2024) 08:30 - 20:00

Easter Monday 2024 (01/04/2024) 08:30 - 20:00

Liberation Day 2024 (25/04/2024) 08:30 - 20:00

Labor Day 2024 (01/05/2024) 08:30 - 20:00

Whit Monday 2024 (20/05/2024) 08:30 - 20:00

Republic Day 2024 (02/06/2024) 08:30 - 20:00

Summer timetable 2024 (03/06/2024 - 08/09/2024)

  • Mon 08:30 - 20:00
  • Tue 08:30 - 20:00
  • Wed 08:30 - 20:00
  • Thu 08:30 - 20:00
  • Fri 08:30 - 20:00
  • Sat 08:30 - 20:00
  • Sun 08:30 - 20:00

Feast of the Assumption 2024 (15/08/2024) 08:30 - 20:00

Autumn timetable 2024 (09/09/2024 - 10/11/2024)

  • Mon 08:30 - 20:00
  • Tue 08:30 - 20:00
  • Wed 08:30 - 20:00
  • Thu 08:30 - 20:00
  • Fri 08:30 - 20:00
  • Sat 08:30 - 20:00
  • Sun 08:30 - 20:00

All Saints 2024 (01/11/2024) 08:30 - 20:00

Admission

€ 10.00 return
€ 6.00 one-way

free for children under 6 years
free with the mobilcard, museumobil Card and bikemobil Card

More information

Winter timetable (mid-December to early March): 1st ascent from Caldaro to the Mendola Pass at 8.33 am - last descent from the Mendola Pass to Caldaro at 5.53 pm, summer timetable (end of March to early November): 1st ascent from Caldaro to the Mendola Pass at 8.13 am - last descent from the Mendola Pass to Caldaro at 8.13 pm. Value card and AltoAdige Pass are valid.

Due to maintenance works, from March 6 to 24, 2024, there's the alternative bus service (line 134).

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