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

  • Mon 23 Dec 08:30 - 18:00
  • Tue 24 Dec 08:30 - 18:00
  • Wed 25 Dec 08:30 - 18:00
  • Thu 26 Dec 08:30 - 18:00
  • Fri 27 Dec 08:30 - 18:00
  • Sat 28 Dec 08:30 - 18:00
  • Sun 29 Dec 08:30 - 18:00

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 2024/25 (15/12/2024 - 16/03/2025)

  • 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 (17/03/2025 - 29/03/2025)

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

Spring timetable 2025 (30/03/2025 - 31/05/2025)

  • 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 2025 (20/04/2025) 08:30 - 20:00

Easter Monday 2025 (21/04/2025) 08:30 - 20:00

Liberation Day 2025 (25/04/2025) 08:30 - 20:00

Labor Day 2025 (01/05/2025) 08:30 - 20:00

Admission

€ 10.00 return
€ 6.00 one-way

free for children under 6 years

More information

Winter timetable (mid-December to mid-March): 1st ascent from Sant'Antonio Caldaro to the Mendola Pass at 8.33 am - last descent from the Mendola Pass to Sant'Antonio Caldaro at 5.53 pm.

Summer timetable (end of March to early November): 1st ascent from Sant'Antonio Caldaro to the Mendola Pass at 8.13 am - last descent from the Mendola Pass to Sant'Antonio Caldaro at 8.13 pm.

Value card and AltoAdige Pass are valid, free ride with the South Tyrol mobilcard and bikemobil Card. Maintenance works every year in spring (mid-March to the end of March) and in autumn (mid-November to December): In those weeks there is the cable car replacement bus service B134.

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