Italy · City break

Palermo City Guide

Nowhere in Europe do Arab domes, Norman gold mosaics and Baroque façades sit so close. At Ballarò the traders sing out their prices, street food comes straight from the fryer, and the old town shows splendour and decay side by side. Two ready-made day routes cover the Cappella Palatina, the catacombs and Mondello.

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Our walking tours of Palermo

Ready-made routes from the station guide you through Palermo, to the right spots from the very first step, with no planning needed.

Centre, cathedral & Ballarò

Day one starts at the Teatro Massimo, Italy's largest opera house, and carries on to the cathedral, where Norman, Arab, Gothic and Baroque layers sit on top of each other, and into the Palazzo dei Normanni with its golden Cappella Palatina. After street food at Ballarò the day ends at the Quattro Canti, the Fontana Pretoria and inside the gold-lined Martorana.

Teatro Massimo. The day starts in front of Italy's largest opera house, a neoclassical colossus opened in 1897 after more than twenty years of building. You probably know the broad flight of steps with the two bronze lions from the finale of The Godfather Part III, filmed right here. During the day a guided tour takes you into the auditorium, the boxes and the royal salon, whose ceiling opens up for ventilation. If you have no time for the inside, the square in front works fine as an opening scene.
Palermo Cathedral. No other building shows so clearly how many cultures built on top of each other here. A Norman church went up from 1185 on the site of a mosque, joined later by a Catalan-Gothic porch, a Baroque dome and a neoclassical makeover inside. On a column of the south portal a carved Koranic verse from the mosque era survives to this day. The nave itself is free, but the small extra charge for the roof terraces is well worth it. From up there you look across the old-town domes to Monte Pellegrino. Shoulders and knees must be covered or you won't get in.
Norman Palace & Palatine Chapel. The Norman Palace was the seat of the Arab emirs, then of the Norman kings, and today houses the Sicilian regional parliament, making it Europe's oldest royal residence still in use. Inside, the target is the Cappella Palatina of 1140, with Byzantine gold mosaics on the walls, a Christ Pantocrator in the dome and above it an Arab muqarnas ceiling of painted wood. Three cultures in one room, none of them pushing the others out, for many the finest interior in Europe. Allow enough time, as mornings get crowded. Honest tip. The royal apartments only open on certain days, and that isn't mentioned when you buy your ticket.
Mercato Ballarò. Ballarò is the city's oldest and liveliest market, and the one where the Arab heritage comes through most clearly. The traders' cries, the abbanniata, are a singsong of their own that you have to hear once. This is where you eat standing up what made Palermo famous, with panelle of chickpea flour, arancine, sfincione and, for the brave, the spleen sandwich pani ca meusa. Around the stalls the Albergheria quarter is poor and colourful at once, with murals between crumbling façades. Lunch here beats any restaurant in the old town.
Quattro Canti. The Quattro Canti are not a sight in the classic sense but a street crossing turned into stage scenery in the 17th century. Four identical concave Baroque façades form an octagon, each standing for a season, a Spanish king and a patron saint of the city. Because the sun travels across the four sides through the day, the square is also called the theatre of the sun. Stand in the middle for a moment and turn once on the spot. That is all it takes.
Fontana Pretoria. The fountain was originally built for a garden in Florence and then sold to Palermo, where it was reassembled on Piazza Pretoria in 1574. A whole block of houses had to go, and the naked marble figures of gods, nymphs and sea creatures caused instant outrage. The nuns of the convent opposite are said to have complained so loudly that the square is still called the fountain of shame. A few steps further on, Piazza Bellini opens up.
La Martorana. On Piazza Bellini, a few steps from the Fontana Pretoria, stands one of the city's oldest churches, founded in 1143 by an admiral of King Roger II. Inside, 12th-century Byzantine gold mosaics pull your eyes upwards, among them one of the earliest images of Roger being crowned by Christ himself. Baroque splendour was added later, and it is exactly that clash that gives the room its character. Next door sits the red-domed San Cataldo. It hardly gets more Arab-looking in Europe.

Catacombs, Monreale & Mondello

Day two leaves the old town behind. It starts in the Capuchin catacombs with their 8,000 mummified dead, then takes the bus up to Monreale, where 6,000 square metres of gold mosaic line the entire cathedral. It winds down by the sea at Mondello, in the bay with turquoise water, its Liberty-style bathing house and a view of Monte Pellegrino.

Capuchin Catacombs. Beneath the Capuchin monastery lies probably the most unsettling place in Sicily. Some 8,000 dead stand and hang in long corridors, many still in their clothes. It began in 1599 with the monks themselves; later citizens, priests and whole families had themselves buried here too, neatly sorted by rank and profession. The best known is little Rosalia Lombardo from 1920, who thanks to a special embalming method still looks almost untouched. Photography is strictly forbidden and fined. Honest warning. This is not for the squeamish or for small children. If you'd rather skip it, head straight on to Monreale.
Monreale Cathedral. Monreale cathedral is the real reason to come to Palermo. King William II had it built from 1174, according to legend mainly to spite the powerful archbishop of Palermo, and at astonishing speed. Inside, some 6,000 square metres of gold mosaic cover the walls and tell the whole Bible from Genesis to the Acts of the Apostles, crowned by the enormous Christ Pantocrator in the apse whose hand alone measures two metres. Don't skip the cloister, with 228 twin columns, every capital carved differently, and an Arab fountain in one corner. If you still have the energy, climb to the roof terrace and look out over the Conca d'Oro to the sea.
Mondello. The finale is by the sea. Mondello lies between Monte Pellegrino and Monte Gallo in a bay of turquoise water and pale sand. Until the early 20th century this was marshland, then a Belgian company drained it and built the resort along with the stilted Liberty-style bathing house that is still its landmark. At the private stabilimenti you rent a sunbed and parasol, while the free stretch of beach is further west. In the late afternoon half of Palermo sits here over an ice cream or fried fish, and that beats the midday heat.

Planning your visit

One day is enough, two with Monreale. The first route from the Teatro Massimo runs 3.3 kilometres and links the cathedral, the Norman palace with its golden Cappella Palatina, the Ballarò market, the Quattro Canti and La Martorana. The second heads to the Capuchin catacombs, the cathedral of Monreale and the sea at Mondello. Arab domes, Norman mosaics and baroque façades stand close together here. Four evening tips are ready, and Cefalù is an hour away by train.

Going out & nightlife

Nightlife quarters

Vucciria. By day the old Vucciria market lies half deserted, by night it turns into one of the city's biggest open-air bars. You grab your drink at a kiosk and simply stand out on the square with it. Rough, loud, full of young people and very Palermitan, with barbecue smoke drifting from the corners. Honest tip. It gets crowded, so watch your valuables.

Food & restaurants

Trattoria Ai Cascinari. A family trattoria well off the tourist trail, Sicilian home cooking and the best value in town. The antipasti come to your table on a trolley and you just point at what you want. Booking is essential, otherwise you have no chance of a table.
Gagini. In a former sculptor's workshop near the Vucciria, Gagini reinvents Sicilian classics and serves them as a set menu. Menus only, no à la carte, but service and wine pairings at a high level without any stiffness. An evening that costs something and is worth it. Book ahead.

Stage & concerts

Teatro Massimo. Italy's largest opera house and the third largest in Europe, a neoclassical colossus with surprisingly fine acoustics. Opera and ballet are staged at a high level and tickets are often still available at short notice. And if nothing is on in the evening, the daytime tour of the auditorium, boxes and royal box is worth it, in English too.

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Practical information for Palermo

Public transport

Operator. Local transport is run by AMAT Palermo SpA, a company owned by the city. It operates the bus network, the four tram lines, plus the paid parking zones and the ZTL access control, which is why the transport ticket, parking ticket and ZTL pass all run through the same body and the same app. The bus network was consolidated from 88 to 57 routes under city council resolution No. 255 of 29 December 2015, to end parallel routes and increase frequencies. Rail within the city does not belong to AMAT. There, Trenitalia runs a suburban network on RFI's infrastructure, connecting the airport, Palermo Centrale, Notarbartolo, Palermo Libertà and other stops. Between the two systems there is a fare integration called Tariffa 41/16/A, with day, week and month tickets that are jointly valid for regional trains, buses and trams within the municipal area, covering 17 stops from Palermo Roccella to Palermo Giachery. These tickets are sold at Trenitalia counters and machines, at AMAT sales points, at travel agencies, and online and in the Trenitalia app. For real-time data at stops, AMAT works together with Moovit.

Network. Buses and a tram on the outskirts. The centre is done on foot.

Modes of transport. Bus · Tram · Suburban rail

Operating hours. For the tram, AMAT gives a uniform window of 6 am to 9 pm. Line 1 to Roccella runs every 5 minutes with eight vehicles, lines 2 to Borgo Nuovo, 3 to the CEP district and 4 as a loop via Calatafimi run every 10 to 12 minutes. On the shared section of lines 2, 3 and 4, that works out to a train roughly every 6 minutes on average. All four lines end at a railway station, line 1 at Palermo Centrale, the other three at Notarbartolo. For the bus there is no network-wide operating time, instead each route has its own posted schedule with all departure times. As a benchmark, route 100 runs between Piazzale John Lennon and the Oreto car park. It starts at 5.30 am on weekdays, runs every quarter hour in the morning, every 20 minutes during the day, and sends its last departure at 8.50 pm from John Lennon and at 9.20 pm from Oreto. On Sundays and public holidays, AMAT runs its own timetable known as Festivo. Because individual routes are diverted for roadworks and festivals, AMAT reports every change, dated, on its news page, and in summer this regularly affects the Festino di Santa Rosalia in mid-July.

Night service. The night routes are labelled N1 to N7 and can each be looked up individually in AMAT's official route overview. They are part of the regular network and are reported in the same way as daytime routes when diverted, most recently for changes to N4, N5 and N7. For special occasions, AMAT temporarily extends the night service. On New Year's Eve, route 101 ran until 6 am and tram line 1 exceptionally until 3 am, to serve the concert at Piazza Politeama. For the Festino di Santa Rosalia in July, AMAT replaces the regular night network with specially set-up routes called Rosalia. Anyone travelling at night is therefore best off checking the route on AMAT's news page on the day, since it is precisely the night routes that are often rerouted. For the journey from the airport into the city, the bus is the more reliable late option, running until 1.05 am.

Buying tickets. The normal way is via an AMAT sales point, a tobacconist, a newsstand, a Mooney agency, or the app. Buying from the driver is explicitly allowed for, but subject to conditions. You board at the front, immediately say you want to buy a ticket, and have the right coins ready. The driver only sells once traffic conditions allow, so often at the next traffic light or stop. On the tram, on-board sale is completely prohibited, the ticket must be obtained before boarding. Validation happens immediately after boarding at the validators on the vehicle, not the receipt, but the ticket itself. Validation is required at the start of every journey and at every change, including for the digital ticket in the app. Without a valid or validated ticket, a fine of 52.00 euros plus the fare is due. If a valid personal season pass is presented within five working days, the amount drops to 11.33 euros. Payment is made to the inspector, within 60 days at the AMAT season ticket office at Via Alfonso Borrelli 16, or by postal money order to account 13961909.

App and payment. AMAT provides the PalerMobilità app for Android and iOS free of charge. It works with a single credit account from which all AMAT products are paid, meaning single tickets, day and multi-day tickets, carnets, the paid parking zone Zone blu for a given number plate, and the ZTL access passes. The purchased ticket is shown as a QR code and still has to be validated on board. Two products are available exclusively digitally, the carnet of 20 single rides and the carnet of 20 day tickets. AMAT also mentions a web portal for season tickets. Anyone buying from the driver needs cash and specifically the right coins, there is no entitlement to change. Payment is more convenient on the Prestia e Comandè airport bus, where the online booking system accepts the usual credit cards, PayPal, Satispay and Mooney, plus its own app and ticket counters at the Via Fazello terminal from 6.00 am to 8.00 pm and at the airport from 7.30 am to 11.00 pm.

Which ticket. The single ticket costs 1.40 euros and is valid for 90 minutes from validation, 1.80 euros from the driver on the bus, a surcharge of 0.40 euros. The day ticket for 3.50 euros is valid until the end of service and is equivalent to 2.5 single rides at the standard price, making it the better deal from the third ride of the day onward. The two-day ticket for 6.00 euros is equivalent to 4.3 single rides or 1.7 day tickets, the three-day ticket for 8.00 euros is equivalent to 5.7 single rides or 2.3 day tickets. For a stay of two to three days, in numbers that means the three-day ticket pulls ahead from six rides in three days. The seven-day ticket costs 16.50 euros. Only in the app are there two carnets, 20 single rides for 23.50 euros, which is 1.18 euros per ride, and 20 day tickets for 45.80 euros, which is 2.29 euros per day. All multi-day tickets are valid across the whole bus and tram network. Season passes are not worthwhile for short-term visitors, the cheapest network-wide monthly pass costs 32.00 euros, and the 15-euro versions for young people, Erasmus students and over-65s are valid only for four routes chosen by the holder.

Fare zones. The AMAT network has no zones, one price applies across the whole city. The regional train is not included in this. Within the municipal area, the integrated ticket covers train, bus and tram together, across 17 stops from Palermo Roccella to Palermo Giachery.

Tip. The Ballarò and Vucciria markets are both within walking distance.

Getting there

Main station

Location. South of the old town; twenty minutes on foot to the Quattro Canti.

Long-distance trains. Sicily is linked to mainland Italy by ten daily Intercity services, six of them night trains. The Intercity Ibrido connects Palermo with Rome, Latina, Formia Gaeta, Aversa, Naples, Salerno, Sapri, Paola, Lamezia Terme, Gioia Tauro and Villa San Giovanni. The Intercity Notte trains also run to Milan, Piacenza, Fidenza, Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna, Prato and Florence. At the Strait of Messina, the train is loaded onto a ferry, the crossing takes around 30 minutes and passengers may leave their carriage and go up on deck during the crossing. On the way to Palermo, the train stops along the Tyrrhenian coast, among other places at Milazzo, Patti, Capo d'Orlando, Sant'Agata di Militello, Cefalù and Termini Imerese, making Cefalù an easy day-trip add-on. Palermo Centrale has ten platforms, all step-free or reachable via ramps and with raised platform edges. The station has ticket counters, luggage storage, railway police, food outlets, tobacconists, vending machines and Wi-Fi. Buses, trams, bike-sharing, car-sharing and EV charging points connect directly. The regional trains to the airport also start here, with the first service at 4.00 am and the last departures shortly after 11 pm.

Opening hours. The station opens and closes with the first and last train. The first departure is at 4.00 am to the airport, the last at 11.08 pm. The Sala Blu for travellers with reduced mobility is staffed from 7.45 am to 10.30 pm.

Airports

PMO

Into the city. By train a good 30 minutes to Palermo Centrale, if the Genio Express only stops at Notarbartolo. The platform is on the lower level of the terminal. The bus takes 50 minutes, the taxi costs a fixed 50 euros to the station.

Frequency. Two trains an hour in each direction, one at some times of day. First train from Palermo Centrale at 4.00 am, last from the airport at 0.20 am. The bus runs every 30 minutes between 5.05 am and 1.05 am, year-round including public holidays.

Local quirks

Street food is the cuisine. Arancine, panelle and sfincione are bought at a stall, not in a restaurant. That is not a compromise.
The ZTL has a second shift at night. The restricted zone stretches from Piazza Giulio Cesare to Via Cavour and from Porta Nuova to Porta Felice, covering half the old town. During the day it applies Monday to Friday from 8 am to 8 pm. On top of that there is a night ZTL, Fridays and Saturdays from 11 pm to 6 am in the months November to April and from 8 pm to 6 am in the months May to October. On Sundays and public holidays the zone is open. The ring roads around the perimeter are always accessible. Anyone driving a rental car into the old town for dinner in the evening therefore runs straight into the restriction, precisely at the weekend.
Validate again at every change. The ticket is valid for 90 minutes, but AMAT requires validation at the start of every journey and at every change to another vehicle. This also applies to the digital ticket in the app. Anyone checked with a valid ticket that was not revalidated at a change pays 52 euros plus the fare. Anyone who presents a valid personal season pass within five working days gets this reduced to 11.33 euros. Payment is made directly to the inspector, within 60 days at the AMAT office at Via Alfonso Borrelli 16, or by postal money order.

Good to know

Currency: EUR €
Emergency number: 112
Plug type: C · F · L
Time zone: Europe/Rome
Driving: right

Speed limits. built-up areas 50 km/h, outside towns 90 km/h, 110 km/h on expressways, motorway 130 km/h

In rain, the motorway limit is 110 km/h instead of 130, and 90 instead of 110 on expressways. Drivers who have held their license for less than three years may drive at most 100 km/h on the motorway and 90 km/h on expressways. Within built-up areas, 50 km/h is the rule, though signposted city roads allow up to 70 km/h.

Tipping. Not expected. Bills often carry a coperto or servizio. If you were happy, round up.

Tolls. Most motorways are tolled. Take a ticket on entry, pay on exit. No vignette.

Access restrictions. Many historic centres are closed to non-residents. Cameras read the plate and the fine arrives home months later. Hours and boundaries differ from city to city.