Mount Etna Cable Car: Tickets, the 4x4 Bus and the Guided Tours

The Mount Etna cable car, the Funivia dell’Etna, is the only cable car on the volcano. It runs on the south side from about 1,923 m beside Rifugio Sapienza to a top station at 2,500 m. Above it, 4x4 buses climb toward 2,800-2,900 m, and a short guided walk brings you to about 3,000 m, close enough to see the summit craters without the full climb. Our pick is Etna Guides’ 3,000 m trek with cable car and 4x4, from $62 and rated 4.6 from 4,766 reviews, the most reviewed tour of this kind, with boots, helmet and jacket included. Add the €45 per person for the cable car and 4x4 bus, paid in cash on the day.

See dates for the 3,000 m trek →

How high the cable car takes you

The cable car alone takes you to 2,500 m. That height matters: walking on Etna is free up to 2,500 m, and above it an authorised alpine or volcanological guide is mandatory under the towns’ mayoral ordinances. So the top station is as high as you can go on your own. Beyond it, either you buy the Funivia’s own Tour 3000, which adds the 4x4 bus and a guide to near 3,000 m, or you book a guided tour that includes the guide and leaves the ride to be paid on site.

How high any tour goes is decided on the day by the comuni’s ordinances on INGV’s advice; tours list an alternative route when the summit is shut. In August 2026, during eruptive activity, Bronte’s ordinance suspended excursions in the summit zone. Check INGV’s Osservatorio Etneo, the national civil protection department and the Parco dell’Etna’s ordinance page before you go, or ask the operator.

Ticket bought direct, or a guided tour

Bought direct at the base station. The Funivia publishes a return ticket to 2,500 m at €54 for adults and €31 for children up to 10 (under 5 free), and Tour 3000, with cable car, 4x4 bus and a guide, at €82. It runs from 08:30 to 16:45, with the last descent at 17:15, weather permitting. If weather or the volcano suspends it, a ticket bought direct is not refunded, and the transport may switch from cable car to 4x4 at the same price.

A guided tour. The tours here sell you the guide, the boots and the jacket, then ask you to pay the cable car and 4x4 in cash on the day. Etna Guides states €45 per person. That is less than the €54 the Funivia publishes for its own return ticket, so confirm the amount when you book. The Etna Touring tours do not state the amount at all. Every tour here offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

The real total price

Prices, ratings and review counts from our October 2026 data check; cash fees as the listings state them. Operators use seasonal pricing, so treat them as the shape of the market, not a quote.

So for our pick, the real total is $62 plus €45 per person. On the cheapest listing, Etna Touring’s $43, the cable car and jeep come on top at a price the listing does not give. The two north-side 4x4 trips cost more on the platform but list no cash fee, because the vehicle is in the price. In GetYourGuide’s catalogue in October 2026, Etna tours that leave the 4x4 to be paid on site list about 17% cheaper: the cost moved, it did not vanish.

How the tours differ

The south-side treks to about 3,000 m. Etna Guides and Etna Touring’s two 3,000 m tours ride the cable car and jeep, then walk with a guide below the summit craters and down toward the Valle del Bove. Etna Guides’ walk lasts 3 to 4 hours, so this is not a stroll; Etna Touring calls its 4-hour version a medium-difficulty tour for people used to walking. On three of its tours Etna Touring reserves the right to start from the north side instead, depending on ground and wind.

The two that go higher. Etna Touring’s Central Crater tour and its Catania pickup tour aim for the central crater at about 3,340 m, with around 100 minutes on foot each way. That is a summit day; compare them with the Etna summit tour treks.

The north side, with no cable car. SAT Group and Alternativetna drive from Piano Provenzana in 4x4 vehicles, with short walks: SAT Group up to 2,900 m with a 15-minute walk at Pizzi Deneri, Alternativetna to about 2,805 m and a short walk to 2,865 m. These are the shortest ways up, at 2.5 hours. For more 4x4 trips, see the Etna jeep tour page.

Book by the way up you want:

What to bring, and who it suits

The top is cold in every month: about 0.6-0.7 °C colder for every 100 m, roughly 19-20 °C colder than Catania at 3,000 m. Bring layers, a windproof jacket, gloves, a hat and water. The south-side tours lend boots, helmets and jackets; SAT Group charges for jacket and boot rental. Etna Guides asks for long pants and does not allow shorts or baby strollers.

These tours suit people who want altitude without the full summit climb, but read the limits. Etna Guides’ trek is not for children under 6, wheelchair users, or people with heart or respiratory problems or motion sickness. Etna Touring sets a minimum age of 8. Alternativetna is the only tour here listed as wheelchair accessible.

When the weather or the volcano closes it

The south-side listings say the tour depends on the weather and the volcano. Etna Touring says the guide can change the itinerary and the starting side at any time, and that a tour can be cancelled or changed even on the day. A guest from Poland on Etna Touring’s 3,000 m tour wrote that “the weather didn’t cooperate. After getting information at the base, we decided to take part in an excursion at an altitude of 3,000 meters.” Treat the top as the aim, not a promise, and keep the free cancellation. For how to reach Rifugio Sapienza, see Etna from Taormina or Catania; for going without a guide, can you hike Etna without a guide.