Palermo, a city in southern Italy and the capital of Sicily, is a unique mix of many cultures. The Romans, Greeks, Normans, Arabs, Spanish, North Africans and many others have enriched this city and transformed it into a very vibrant place. You can see it in the architecture, the food and even the people.
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What to do in Palermo
There are plenty of things to do and see in Palermo. You can walk around and see ancient buildings, or try delicious Sicilian food at the markets. Plus, a quick drive will lead you to beautiful beaches with clear blue water!
1. Fontana Pretoria
It is a beautiful monument in the middle of a plaza. The Fontana Pretoria is known as the fountain of shame. At the time it was built the naked statues were scandalous to religious people. On the other hand the government charged 30 times the cost of building it, while the people of Palermo were starving. What a huge scam!
Apart from the interesting history of the fountain, it is also a good place to take a sharable selfie
2. Santa Caterina Church and Monastery
Next to the Fontana Pretoria, is the Santuario di Santa Rosalia, an impressive Catholic church with Renaissance and Baroque styles.
I loved the frescoes on the ceiling! They looked even better with the natural light coming from the dome and windows. The marble sculptures were a joy to look at!
In general, I was very pleased with the attention to detail and beauty that has been given to this place.
Through the church you can go to the monastery. Which has a café with delicious pastries, in my opinion one of the best in Palermo.
Next to the café is a comfy terrace with orange trees and benches, a very relaxing place to stay for a while.
There is as well a museum portraying the story of the monastery with objects and paintings.
Going up the stairs you can go to the cathedral’s rooftop. It has an amazing view of Palermo. You can see the mountains covered in sand fog. An astonishing contrast between the architecture and the sea in the distance.
I found the view from the top of the church really impressive, definitely a very good point to make photos!
💶 Price: €10 to visit everything: the Church, Monastery and Roof
If you just want to go to the pastry shop only, there is a door next to the church, and you can enter for free
🕒 Opening hours: It is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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3. Palermo Cathedral
This cathedral has a remarkable façade. A mix of Norman, Islamic, Gothic, Baroque and Neoclassical styles. Definitely something I have not seen before.
The cathedral was built in honour of “Santa Rosalia”, who according to the legend, saved Palermo from a tragedy. At the time of the plague, the spirit of Santa Rosalia appeared to a hunter on the top of a mountain. She asked him to make a procession with the remains of her body to save Palermo. After the hunter did as she asked, the plague disappeared from Palermo.
From my point of view, the nicest part of the Cathedral is the Façade. It has a lot of details that are worth admiring, it looks beautiful on a sunny day!
💡 Did you know?: Palermo Cathedral was converted into an Islamic mosque and returned to be a Christian cathedral in 1702.
💶 Price: Admission to the cathedral is for free, but if you want to go up to the roof it costs €7.
🕒 Opening hours: From Monday to Saturday from 9.30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
4. Villa Bonano
It used to be the garden of an Oligarch family. Now it is a park where you can rest from the noise of the city, enjoy at the nature and relax in the shade. It is located between the Palermo Cathedral and the Norman Palace.
5. Mercato di Ballarò
This market is really alive, vibrant, full of people, aromas and food! It can feel overwhelming, but it is also part of the experience.
This is the most popular market in Palermo, and offers traditional Sicilian food.
There is so much to choose from that it is difficult to decide what to eat. I could not miss the seafood and the cannoli, this time I tried one made with pistachio cream, it was amazing!
🕒 Opening hours: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
* I found that most of the shops close at 4.30pm and recommend visiting in the morning to get the freshest food.
6. Church of San Cataldo
It is a very interesting place. My first impression was that it was Muslim architecture. To my surprise it was a Catholic church with Norman-Arab architecture.
The lighting in the church is very interesting, and definitely atypical. Not very similar to what I have seen in other Catholic churches.
Like many things in Palermo, it is a complete mix of cultures and art styles.
There is only one room, and it only took me only a few minutes to look around (even doing videos and photos). It is really up to you if it is worth to pay to enter, it is a really short visit.
💶 Price: €2.5 per adult.
🕒 Opening hours: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
7. Palazzo dei Normanni (Norman Palace)
Palermo is probably the most conquered city in history. The Norman palace was the seat of the city’s rulers, who over the time they added their own touches to the building. Blending styles from Islamic to Norman.
😲 Fun fact: The castle is part of the UNESCO’s World Heritage List
Inside the palace, the visit is divided into sections:
Palatine Chapel
In the interior of the palace is the Palatine Chapel, a room that just left my jaw on the floor! A completely golden room, where the more you see the more impressive it gets. Truly a place to lose yourself in the beauty of the art made in the 12th century.
Byzantine mosaics, medieval Islamic paintings and Mediterranean art. They all come together in this room, a real melting pot!
Look closely at the paintings on the walls. They tell the stories of musicians, drinkers, wrestlers and dancers. It is a very interesting place to visit!
Room of Ruggero
I felt like royalty just by being in this room, which in the past was used for court meetings.
Similar to the Palatine Chapel, it has golden walls with Byzantine mosaics. This time the paintings are of stylised animals.
Royal Apartments
The building also houses the Royal Apartments. Here you can see how luxuriously the Norman kings lived. The paintings and colours of the interiors are really beautiful!
Royal Gardens
At the end of your visit to the Royal Palace, you can visit the gardens. A truly peaceful place full of nature.
💶 Price and Opening times
Tickets: Between €15.5 and €19.00 depending on the day,
🕒 Opening hours: From Monday to Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Sundays and holidays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
8. Short trip to Santa Flavia
Just 20 minutes by train from Palermo, there is a small town. It has a beautiful landscape, colourful houses, and very blue and transparent water!
It has a couple of traditional Italian restaurants, and a nice spot with cliffs for jumping into the sea. This is a nice place to spend a day if you have one in your itinerary.
Getting around Palermo
Walking
Most of the Palermo’s attractions are in the city centre and can be reached by walking.
There are some people who offer horse-drawn carriage rides. I am not really in favour of using them (also find it unnecessary, everything is very close together).
By bus
To get around the city, you can use the public buses, they have clear stops and timetables.
For the contrary, visiting attractions outside Palermo by bus is very challenging. The stops are not clear, and the staff at the stations do not know where the stops are or how to get to a particular place.
For example, to get to the Temple of Segesta from Palermo by bus: there is a company called “Tarantolacuffaro”, but the stop is completely unclear. I arrived to the bus stop very early, and there was no information about where to wait for the bus. The staff at the station “Palermo (Via E. Basile)” had no idea about it (the language was also a barrier). Later I saw the bus stopping on a random place, about 4 blocks away from the stop indicated on the website.
If you want to go to Segesta by bus, I recommend that you call the bus company beforehand on this number (+39) 0924 31020 . Here is the website of the bus company
The best way to get to the Temple of Segesta from Palermo is by car.
If you end up booking a tour to the Temple of Segesta the prices are very expensive. Compared to the €7 that the bus should cost.
By train
You can get to many nearby places by train. Just check the timetables on Google Maps and get to the Central Station early to buy your tickets.
There are fewer trains on Sundays and public holidays, so plan your trip accordingly.
By car
A car is only necessary to visit the attractions outside of the city.
Getting around car inside the city centre (where most of the attractions are) by car is difficult. There is too much traffic. there are not many places to park and the streets are very narrow.
If you have a car when you arrive in Palermo, you can leave it outside the city centre and walk inside the city center.
Where to eat in Palermo
There is a lot of good food in Palermo! but there is as well a lot of tourist traps. With that said, this is some of the places where I had a good experience:
- Mortadeleria: For having sandwiches with good Italian ham in a couple of minutes.
- Caffè del Kassaro: Good coffee! in a very convenient location.
- Timilia: Very tasty pizza and craft beer.
- Sfrigola Via Maqueda: Delicious traditional Sicilian Arancini (Rice bowls).
- Cannoli: Typical Sicilian pastry in several flavours.
- I segreti del Chiostro: The bakery of Santa Caterina, my favourite cannoli in Palermo, and very good Italian coffee!
❌ Where not to eat:
Villena: In my opinion this is a tourist trap, the quality of the pasta and the wine did not fit with the Italian standards.
Where to swim in Palermo
If you want to go swimming at a nice beach near Palermo, you have to drive about 30 minutes. Some of my favourites are:
Best Time to Visit Palermo
The best time to visit Palermo is in late spring and early autumn, when it is sunny and nice to walk around.
Mid-summer (July and August) is also a good time to visit. But it will be hot and you will be sharing the city with more tourists than usual.
There are lots of things to do in Palermo, so no matter when you visit, you will have fun!
Is Palermo safe?
It is generally safe, but beware of pickpockets. Especially in crowded places and when eating outside in restaurants. Also be careful if you go out at night and avoid quiet streets.
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