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

  • Wed 13 Nov closed
  • Thu 14 Nov closed
  • Fri 15 Nov closed
  • Sat 16 Nov closed
  • Sun 17 Nov closed
  • Mon 18 Nov closed
  • Tue 19 Nov closed

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.

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

Maintenance works 2024 (11/11/2024 - 14/12/2024)

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

Winter timetable 2024/25 (15/12/2024 - 05/03/2025)

  • 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

Christmas Eve 2024 (24/12/2024) 08:30 - 18:00

Christmas 2024 (25/12/2024) 08:30 - 18:00

Boxing Day 2024 (26/12/2024) 08:30 - 18:00

New Year's Eve 2024 (31/12/2024) 08:30 - 18:00

New Year 2025 (01/01/2025) 08:30 - 18:00

Epiphany 2025 (06/01/2025) 08:30 - 18:00

Maintenance works 2025 (06/03/2025 - 23/03/2025)

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

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

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. 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. Value card and AltoAdige Pass are valid.

Maintenance works every year in spring (early March to the end of March) and in autumn (mid-November to mid-December): In those weeks there is a cable car replacement bus service.

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