Palermo in 3 Days: a guidebook for getting the most out of your visit

On the Italian island of Sicily you will find the capital city of Palermo, whose streets are lined with architectural monuments of great historical and cultural importance. In fact, many of them have been named by Unesco as World Heritage Sites.

Among the best things to do in Palermo during your three-day stay, you will have the opportunity to visit the beaches of the coastal town of Mondello, the Antonio Salinas Regional Archaeological Museum, the Cathedral of Palermo, the Catacombs, among other destinations.

For your day 1 itinerary in Palermo you will be able to visit some religious sites and architectural monuments of great historical importance to the city. It all depends on your tastes and interests.

Church of the Immaculate Conception

The first stop proposed to start your itinerary in Palermo is the Church of the Immaculate Conception. It is an enclosure dedicated to Catholic worship, where you will be able to contemplate an important example of architecture inspired by the Roman Baroque style.

The church has a high choir on two grey stone columns. There is also a vault area with three frescoes by the painter Olivio Sozzi, inspired by the Triumph of the Religious Orders.

In the nave of the church you will find four chapels. Two of them on the right-hand side, dedicated to Saint Benedict and Saint Rosalia. While the remaining pair on the far left, honour the Madonna Libera Inferni and the Crucifix. All of them are decorated in hard stone and polychrome marble.

Useful information

• Price: the average entrance fee is 2€ per person.
• Opening hours: every day (9.00 am to 5.00 pm). Holidays (9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m.).
• Address: Via Porta Carini, 38, 90134 Palermo.

Palermo Cathedral

The route of your first day in Palermo continues to Palermo Cathedral. You will only have to walk from the previous destination for about seven minutes, covering an average of 550 metres.

You will discover one of the main places of worship in Palermo, considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A monument that will allow you to learn about the history of the city, through the architectural transformations it has undergone.

You will be amazed by the façade of the church, on whose pillars are the statues of Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Joseph and Saint Francis of Paola. Meanwhile, in the main portal, you will find a relief of the Virgin and Child and, in the portico, three arches with two columns, in which you will see a relief of the Koran.

Another of the great attractions of this Cathedral tend to be:

• Royal Tombs, belonging to Emperor Frederick II, Emperor Henry VI of Hohenstaufen. All of them are located in the first and second chapel of the south aisle.
• The Solar Meridian, created to count the passing of the hours in 1794.
• The statue of the Madonna Libera Inferni. A Renaissance work sculpted in 1469.
• The vault of the Transept. There, you will see a fresco depicting the Assumption of the Virgin.

Useful information

• Price: access to the site is free, but if you wish to go up to the roofs or see the royal tombs, you must pay an entrance fee of 1.5€ per person.
• Opening hours: Monday to Saturday (7am to 7pm). Sunday (8:00 am to 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm).
• Address: Via Vittorio Emanuele, 90134 Palermo.

Norman Palace

Once you have finished your visit to Palermo Cathedral, you can head to the Palazzo dei Normanni. This is one of the oldest recorded royal residences in Europe and is only a 6 minute walk from the previous destination.

The tour of the palace is set to take approximately 90 minutes. However, if you wish you can spend more time to explore the whole place carefully.

Some of the rooms you will be able to see include:

• Sala de los Virreyes, on whose walls you will find 21 portraits of the most prominent viceroys.
• Sala Pompeyana, with decoration alluding to the archaeological discoveries at Pompeii.
• Sala d'Ercole, where the city's parliament usually meets.
• Sala Duca di Montalto, with several frescoes dedicated to Saint Rosalia of Palermo.

You can also stroll through the palace garden to breathe fresh air while contemplating the subtropical and Mediterranean flora of the area.

Useful information

• Price: from 15€ per person (the price varies according to the areas you wish to visit inside the palace).
• Opening hours: Monday to Saturday (8:30 am to 4:30 pm). Sunday and public holidays (8.30am to 12.30pm and 4pm to 7pm).
• Address: Piazza del Parlamento, 1, 90129 Palermo.

The Catacombs

If you are enthusiastic about the subject of mummification, you should know that this ceremonial practice is considered a tradition in the city. Therefore, after visiting the Palazzo dei Normanni, you should head for the Catacombs of the Capuchin convent.

You can travel by bus (16 minutes) or walk a distance of 1.6 kilometres (20 minutes). This way, you will reach the amazing gallery, where an average of 8000 corpses are preserved , from the 16th century to the 1920s.

You will walk through an enormous hall, while you observe the mummified bodies on its walls. All of them are organised by category (age, occupation, gender) and dressed appropriately. For example, you will see a friar from the convent with his habit and ropes, the little Rosalia Lombardo, among others.

The tour usually lasts 30 minutes and, although you will not have a guide, you will find an information sign at each of the mummies. This way, you will learn about each of their stories.

Useful information

• Price: from €3 per person (tickets can only be purchased at the ticket office).
• Opening hours: every day (9:00 am to 12:30 pm and from 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm).
• Address: Piazza Cappuccini, 1, 90129 Palermo.

Zisa Castle

The last stop on Day 1 of this itinerary is the Zisa Castle, about 11 minutes (900 metres in the direction of Via Cipressi and Vicolo Zisa) walking distance from the Catacombs.

This historic palace has undergone several modifications since the 14th century and now houses the Museum of Islamic Art. Here you will find the multi-ethnic traces that were part of medieval Palermo.

During your visit to this museum, considered among the best museums in Palermo, you will have the opportunity to see an interesting collection of artefacts, furniture, tools and other objects.

For example:

• Bowls and basins with Arabic inscriptions.
• Wooden doors and windows with moucharabieh (architectural technique characteristic of Arab countries).
• The quadrilingual plaque; this is a Christian inscription on stone in four languages (Arabic, Byzantine, Greek, Hebrew and Latin), the history of which dates from 1149.
• Moorish decorations on the domes and arches of the Sala de la Fuente.

Useful information

• Price: from €6 per person (tickets can only be purchased at the ticket office).
• Opening hours: daily (9.00 am to 12.30 pm and from 3.00 pm to 5.30 pm).
• Address: Piazza Zisa, 90135 Palermo.

For your second day in Palermo the aim is to continue discovering the city's past through its monuments, neighbourhoods and museums. Also, enjoy the landscapes and taste the local gastronomy.

Massimo Theatre

In this opportunity you can start the itinerary from the Teatro Massimo of Palermo, which is located between the old and the new city centre, just in Piazza Giuseppe Verdi.

This is a former opera house where you can admire a combination of architectural elements belonging to the Renaissance and Neoclassicism.

The visit usually lasts approximately 30 minutes, during which you will visit the Great Hall, the Foyer, the Hall annexed to the Royal Palace, the Hall of the Coats of Arms and the Pompeian Hall. All of them with impressive frescoes and ornaments, which give an imposing beauty to the building.

• Price: from 10€ per person.
• Opening hours: Monday to Friday (9:30 am to 6:00 pm).

Antonio Salinas Regional Archaeological Museum

If you are interested in the archaeological finds preserved in Palermo, then you should take the opportunity to visit the Antonio Salinas Regional Archaeological Museum. You only have to walk approximately 260 metres (2 minutes) from the previous destination.

Among the highlights of this building you will find:

• The fountain with the statue of Triton, in front of the entrance to the cloister.
• The Epigraphy Room, with interesting ancient inscriptions.
• Sarcophagus of the Amazons, dating from 170 AD.
• The giant statue of Zeus Ourios, made at the end of the 1st century AD.

You will also see exhibits on sculptures, sarcophagi, mosaics, reliefs, vessels, among other examples of Phoenician art and ancient Greek civilisation.

• Price: from €10 per person.
• Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday (9:00 am to 6:00 pm) and Saturday to Sunday (9:00 am to 1:00 pm).
• Address: Piazza Olivella, 90133 Palermo.

La Kalsa Quarter

The next stop is the Barrio La Kalsa, located 15 minutes away from the Antonio Salinas Regional Archaeological Museum. To get there, walk in the direction of Via Roma and Via Alessandro Paternostro.

This is a very picturesque place where you will discover:

• Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio church and its Byzantine mosaics.
• Palazzo Abatellis with its beautiful Renaissance art and Gothic-Catalan architectural style.
• The Fontana Pretoria, which is a 16th century fountain with beautiful marble statues.

In addition, in this neighbourhood you will find many restaurants and bars, where you can stop to rest and taste the local gastronomy. There are also shops selling textiles, carpentry and other handicrafts.

Castello a Mare

Approximately 15 minutes from the La Kalsa quarter, you will find the next stop. This is the Castello a Mare, a fortress that once protected the entrance to the city's port.

This monument dates back to the 9th century and was built in the Arab-Norman era. However, over the years it has undergone several transformations and was even occupied as the residence of the viceroys.

Today, you will find the ruins of this important fortress fully open to the public. You can walk around the site, take photographs and contemplate an amazing panoramic view of the sea from some areas of the castle.

La Cala - Ancient Port of Palermo

The Old Port of Palermo, known as "La Cala" is the last destination to visit during the second day of your stay. This maritime area is only a 9 minute walk from the Castello a Mare.

In La Cala you will find a series of terraces where you can sit down to eat, drink and enjoy a privileged view of the sunset, the sea and the city in general. In fact, if you wish, you can take your own culinary route through the surrounding restaurants or connect with a gastronomic tour in Palermo.

Among the options are A'Cala with Mediterranean food, the lounge bar Calamida, among others. You also have the option of sampling some of the best street food if you head along Via Pannieri (9 minutes from the port).

On the third day in Palermo you will enjoy crystal clear waters and beautiful natural landscapes. You will also get to know the underground system of the city.

Visit the beaches of the seaside village of Mondello

For the last day in the city you will have to travel to the town of Mondello, located approximately one hour and twenty minutes by bus from the city centre. This activity is considered one of the best tours in Palermo and the route can be taken at your own pace.

Upon arrival, you can explore the village or head straight to the beaches for a day out in a different kind of setting, surrounded by beautiful natural scenery. In this sense, the options for seaside resorts are:

• Lido Valdesi beach, with its crystal clear waters and white sand. You will find it 17 minutes from the centre of Mondello.
• The Spiaggia di Mondello beach, a 21-minute walk from Mondello and only 4 minutes from the Lido Valdes beach. There, you can rent a boat for a ride on the calm waters.

High Qanat Gesuitico Museum

Once your day trip from Palermo to the beaches of Mondello is over, you still have time for one last activity. This is the archaeological museum Qanat Gesuitico alto.

You can visit the ancient underground system of the city, which is approximately 1100 metres long. The structure dates back to the times of the Arab rule until the end of the so-called Norman rule, with the purpose of carrying out the water supply.

You will walk through the narrow tunnel, where the water level can still reach a maximum depth of up to one metre.

After this adventure, you can have dinner in the nearby restaurants or return directly to the hotel for the transfer to Palermo Airport.

The Palermo sightseeing bus is a great way to get around the city during your stay. You can hop on and off as many times as you like during a 24-hour period with the same ticket.

This way, you can explore the most popular attractions in the city on your own. Plus, you'll save time and money when getting around, as the tour bus runs a circular route with strategic stops at specific times.