Palermo doesn’t welcome you immediately. It’s a city you have to learn to read, like an old book with a battered cover, where behind every unremarkable gate hides a courtyard full of surprises. And that’s what this guide is about – we’ll go through the best places to see in Palermo.
Peeling facades and baroque palaces. Busy markets and quiet cloister courtyards. An Arab undertone and a Sicilian temperament. Sicily’s capital is like that one friend who only grabs you after the second glass.
But then you fall in love with it. And it lasts.
🎒 A backpack of information for those short on time
- The most important stop in the city is the Palazzo dei Normanni + Cappella Palatina – gold Byzantine mosaics (both part of the UNESCO listing)
- The most bizarre experience has to be the Capuchin catacombs – 8,000 mummies in the monastery corridors (chilling to the point of deathly)
- The best street food is at the Ballarò (morning) and Vucciria (evening) markets
- 2 days is enough for Palermo, ideally outside July and August
- The Trinacria bus runs from the airport to the centre in ~45 min for 6.90 €
Getting to Palermo and finding your way around
By air – Falcone-Borsellino airport is 35 km from the centre. The Trinacria Express bus runs to the central station for 6.90 €, taking 45-60 minutes. A taxi has a fixed rate of 45 €. With three or four passengers the taxi works out better.
By car – Palermo is the start or end point for a road trip around western Sicily. Parking in the centre isn’t all that complicated – ZTL zones, blue and yellow lines. We explain everything about driving in Sicily in this article. I’d recommend asking your host where to park.
By ferry – overnight ferries run from Naples or Rome (Civitavecchia) straight into Palermo’s port. An ideal option for travellers from mainland Italy with a car.
Orientation: Palermo’s historic centre is compact and easily done on foot. The main artery is Corso Vittorio Emanuele (again, how else – who might that have been?), crossed at right angles by Via Maqueda. At their intersection stands Quattro Canti – the unofficial centre of the city. From there everything important is within a 20-minute walk.
Where to stay in Palermo
The historic centre – best for exploring on foot. From us, I can recommend two places we’ve had the chance to try over the years.
- Balarm Central Apartment, a short walk from the centre at a very kind price. The room has its own bathroom, a balcony and a shared kitchen.
- Appartamento Delle Pergole – a few minutes from the main station with good access to everything in the centre.
Around Teatro Massimo and Via Roma – a good location, lively evenings, affordable prices.
16+ places to see in Palermo that you shouldn’t miss
I have to admit my view of Palermo has evolved over time. On my first visit I literally wrote: On the road I try to follow certain rules to avoid misunderstandings – being robbed, getting into conflicts. That’s exactly the feeling I had here when we stepped off the main street. Perhaps a subjective feeling, though it was reinforced by the fact that since the refugee crisis Palermo has turned into a “refugee” hub.
Now I have to say the city made an impression on me, even though it still holds that I wouldn’t recommend straying off the beaten path, mainly in the evening. But now, let’s enjoy all those places to see in Palermo.
Quattro Canti and Piazza Pretoria – the heart of the historic centre
Quattro Canti is a dramatic baroque square at the intersection of the main streets. Four corner palaces decorated with fountains and statues representing the four seasons, four Spanish kings and four patrons of the city. It’s decorative and slightly theatrical – typically Sicilian.
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Just a few steps away lies Piazza Pretoria with its Renaissance fountain, which locals called the Fountain of Shame (Fontana della Vergogna) – because of the nude mythological statues that scandalised medieval Palermitans. Today it’s one of the most photographed spots in the city. In March, though, the fountain was partly under restoration.
Palazzo dei Normanni + Cappella Palatina
The Norman Palace is one of the oldest royal palaces in Europe. The Arabs built it in the 9th century as the emir’s seat, the Normans rebuilt it into a royal complex and added the most precious part – the Cappella Palatina.
The Cappella Palatina is a chapel lined with Byzantine gold mosaics covering walls and ceilings across hundreds of square metres. The mosaics depict biblical scenes with a precision that hasn’t aged in over 900 years. The light in the chapel changes through the day and the gold in the mosaics lights up differently in the morning than in the afternoon.
Palermo is on the UNESCO list as an Arab-Norman architectural complex including the Cappella Palatina, the cathedral, La Martorana and the cathedral in nearby Monreale.
Entry: around 15 € (palace + chapel); book in advance – the queues are long in season.
Chiesa di San Giovanni degli Eremiti
Just a little further on lies the first hidden gem that almost nobody recommends. And yet it gives you everything – the view, the charm and the feeling you’ve discovered something nobody else has.
There’s a funny story attached to this trip. When we came out of the church we desperately needed the toilet, but there was nowhere to go. A man called to us from the street to come and sit with him for a coffee and some water. I called straight back, “no, no, baños”. He smiled, waved us in and said he’d just let us have a wee. The joke was that the place didn’t have a toilet, at least not a public one. It ended with us both using their private toilet, without a seat, which was part of the kitchen – and it cost us nothing. Well, in return I had that espresso. How can you not love it.
Palermo Cathedral – a mix of a thousand years
The Cathedral of the Assumption is an architectural jigsaw of a thousand years of history. Norman foundations, Gothic towers, an Aragonese portal, a baroque dome. No style steamrollered the others – they simply kept layering. The result is chaotically beautiful and tells you a lot about how many civilisations passed through this place.
Entry to the nave is free. For a ticket (~7-15 € depending on the combination) you get into the royal crypt, the treasury or onto the roof with a panoramic view of the city. If you’re hesitating about at least going up to the roof, I’d recommend it with everything I’ve got! I hesitated and Zdeňa decreed we were going – and it was the loveliest thing we saw that day.
A definite must-have on any list of what to see in Palermo.
Teatro Massimo
The Teatro Massimo is the largest opera house in Italy and the third largest in Europe. It opened in 1897 and its acoustics are considered among the best in the world. Film fans know it as the setting for the closing scenes of The Godfather Part III. The opera house stands on Piazza Giuseppe Verdi, and when you read more about it you understand how significant the place is.
Tours are available year-round, entry around 8 €. If you’re interested in an opera performance, the programme is at teatromassimo.it
La Martorana + San Cataldo – the Arab-Norman pair
On Piazza Bellini two churches stand side by side that illustrate what Palermo is better than anything else.
La Martorana (Chiesa di Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio) is a 12th-century Norman church with gorgeous Byzantine mosaics. Come in the morning – the light through the mosaics is photographically exceptional.
San Cataldo right next door is an Arab-Norman church with three red domes. The exterior is restrained, the interior simple – but the contrast of those three domes against the Palermo sky is unforgettable.
Entry: La Martorana around 2 €, San Cataldo around 2.50 €.
The Capuchin catacombs – 8,000 mummies
This is one of the most bizarre places in Europe. The catacombs of the Capuchin monastery hold over 8,000 mummified bodies laid out in the corridors in their original clothing, divided by sex, age and social standing.
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The monks developed a sophisticated embalming technique. The best-known exhibit is the mummy of two-year-old Rosalia Lombardo from 1920 – thanks to a special embalming process she looks as though she’s sleeping.
It’s chilling, fascinating and absolutely unforgettable. It isn’t for everyone – but if you have the stomach, don’t skip it.
Entry 5 €. Photography is unfortunately banned throughout. We probably know why.
The Ballarò and Vucciria markets – Palermo’s soul
If you want to understand Palermo, you have to walk through its markets. They’re loud, chaotic, full of aromas and absolutely authentic.
The Ballarò market is the largest and oldest in the city, open every day. Stalls with fresh vegetables, fish, cheeses and Sicilian specialities rise up the narrow lanes. The atmosphere is oriental – shouting stallholders, colours, the smell of garlic and lemons. So if you didn’t know, the Ballarò market absolutely belongs on your list of what to see in Palermo!
Vucciria is an evening market and bar district in one. In the morning it still sells fish; in the evening it turns into a lively spot full of locals drinking wine at the stalls and eating street food right on the street.
The Kalsa district – Arab origins, contemporary art
Kalsa is a historic quarter originally built by the Arabs as a fortified palace in the 10th century. Today it’s the bohemian part of Palermo, full of art galleries, street art and cheaper restaurants. Ideal for an afternoon walk away from the main tourist routes.
A run or walk along the seafront
Since we were in Palermo a few days before heading home, it was time to shift ourselves and start moving a bit. So I went for a pleasant run along Palermo’s marina, and I’d recommend the same to you.
It’s essentially the Lungomare Sergio Alberggiani promenade, roughly 3 km in one direction. On the way back you can reward yourself with something good at one of the cafés.
The Animafia museum
Do you love mafia stories? Then don’t miss this place, which will also leave a strong mark on you. You follow the trail of Salvatore Riina and his nemesis Giovanni Falcone. Entry 8 € with a guide, and it’s worth it!
A Palermo Football Club match
Palermo lives for football and you feel it on every corner. If not in the shop windows, then on the locals who voluntarily wear shirts, scarves and other club merchandise. If you have more time and get lucky with the fixture list of this club, currently playing in Serie B, definitely go!
Trips from Palermo
In our guide to what to see in Palermo we can’t leave out trips around the area. The reason is the number of attractive places we either visited ourselves or that ended up on our wishlist.
Mondello – a beach 20 minutes away
Mondello lies 11 km from the centre of Palermo and is the most accessible beach in the area. White sand, shallow sea, a lively atmosphere. In summer the whole of Palermo takes the tram out here – come in the morning or evening for peace. An excellent combination is the centre of Palermo in the morning and Mondello in the afternoon.
We were here before the season and enjoyed it enormously. We wrote about it, in fact, in our piece on the best beaches in Sicily.
Monreale – gold mosaics above Palermo
Monreale lies 8 km from Palermo and hides one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Sicily. The 12th-century Norman cathedral is covered in mosaics across more than 6,000 m² – the largest medieval mosaic decoration in the world. It’s part of the UNESCO listing together with Arab-Norman Palermo. Entry around 5 €, a half-day trip.
Segesta – a Greek temple in the valley
Segesta is one of the best-preserved sites of ancient Sicily. A Doric temple from the 5th century BC stands in the middle of the hills, as though waiting for someone to finish it. Nobody did – but that’s exactly why it stands in almost original condition. A little higher up is an amphitheatre with views over the landscape. Entry around 6 €, about 1 hour by car from Palermo.
We didn’t go, because we’d been to the Valley of the Temples at Agrigento. Also a gripping sight.
Scopello and Zingaro – coves and nature
Scopello is a picturesque village with fishing towers and crystal-clear water – one of the most photogenic corners of Sicily. Right next to it begins the Zingaro nature reserve with seven coves accessible only on foot. The loveliest are Cala Berretta and Cala dell’Uzzo. From Palermo it’s further away, roughly 75 minutes by car.
Cefalù – a Norman cathedral and a beach
Cefalù is an hour by car or 45 minutes by train. A UNESCO Norman cathedral and a beautiful sandy beach right in the centre. A great half-day or full-day stop. More in [our article on Cefalù].
📌 Heading to Sicily? Don’t waste hours hunting for places on a map. Get our packed map with 120+ spots you won’t find anywhere else — every single one with my own notes. Online and offline version. Saves to your phone in seconds. I want it!
Where to eat in Palermo
Palermo is the capital of Sicilian street food and you don’t always have to go overboard in restaurants.
At the markets look for arancina (a rice ball; in Palermo it’s feminine – arancina, not arancino as in Catania), sfincione (thick Palermo pizza with sardines and onion) and pani câ meusa – a bun filled with boiled spleen, a speciality for the brave only.
A good Palermo restaurant is full of locals at lunchtime, has a handwritten menu and charges 8-12 € for pasta. Restaurants with menus in four languages and photos of the dishes at the door are a reliable tourist trap. And as always, I’d recommend checking the Coffee Trip app, where you’ll find 4 cafés.
I’d only recommend one of them, though; in the second the staff were confused and the coffee wasn’t that good either. The café I mean, Morettino Lab, is in the port and has excellent filter coffee and an even more luxurious pistachio cornetto! Just have a look for yourself.
