Best Things to Do in Palermo

Palermo is one of Italy's capitals of architecture and artistic heritage. With its clash of styles, which crosses Romanesque with Baroque, Byzantine with Arabic, and neoclassical with art nouveau, it is able to amaze visitors and it is enough just to walk through the streets of the historic centre to discover the jewels of the city.

Some of the best things to see and do in Palermo include visiting the Cathedral, which is one of the most representative buildings of the city, walking along Mondello beach, visiting the Vucciria Market, which is one of the epicentres of Palermo's nightlife, visiting the gloomy Catacombs of the Capuchins and enjoying Sicilian gastronomy.

Palermo is known as one of the cities that gave birth to the mafia and organised crime in Italy and if you are a fan of stories of this kind you can't miss one of the mafia-themed tours that the Sicilian capital has to offer or at least tour the main sites of the Cosa Nostra on your own.

Following in the footsteps of the mafia in Palermo, you can visit the Mercado del Capo, which is surrounded by underground passages where, according to urban legend, a medieval lodge used to move, Piazza Magione, which was the meeting place of Judge Giovanni Falcone, who was murdered by the Cosa Nostra bosses, and the Teatro Massimo, one of the largest in Europe and the site where the final scene of The Godfather trilogy was filmed.

Opting for a guided tour allows you to take an interactive excursion while getting to know Palermo's main sites, as most of the Cosa Nostra-related attractions are located within the historic centre of the city, making it even an ideal excuse to get to know the Sicilian capital in an alternative way.

The Palazzo dei Normanni is one of the most important historical buildings in Palermo, with its combination of Byzantine, Arabic and Norman styles, it bears the architectural witness of the city and the influences of its conquerors. This palace was the residence of the Norman rulers and is now one of the best museums in Palermo.

You can tour the Norman Palace with a guided tour or on your own, but in both cases you will surely be struck by the royal gardens, the huge internal courtyards, the collection of mosaics and the wooden ceiling crowned by marble inlays.

The main jewel of the palatial residence, however, is the Palatine Chapel, which is located on the ground floor of the building. This chapel, which is included in the Unesco World Heritage List, is remarkable for its decoration with mosaics and works of art, for the shrine dedicated to St. Peter, for the basilica dome and for the classical columns, typical of Byzantine architecture.

The palace was the seat of the Sicilian Parliament and currently houses the Sicilian Regional Assembly, so please note that during official ceremonies it will be closed to the public. The same applies to public holidays, so if you decide to visit Palermo on Christmas or New Year's Day you will not be able to see the inside of the building either.

Interesting details

• Price... Entrance to the palace has an initial cost of approximately 8.5 euros per person.
• Location... Piazza del Parlamento 1, Palermo.
• Opening hours... Every day from 8.30am to 4pm.

The Villa Bonanno Park is one of the most famous green lungs of Palermo and also the ideal place to rest or relax during your tour of the city. Located on the edge of the old town and close to the Cathedral, the New Gate, the Norman Palace and the Church of San Giovanni degli Eremitti, it is a must for all those who walk through the city.

Villa Bonanno, which is over 100 years old, is remarkable for its palm grove, the number of benches and the shade that surrounds the perimeter, a rare commodity in a city characterised by dry squares. In addition, inside the park you can find archaeological excavations including mosaics and fountains from Roman times.

Villa Bonanno is also a landmark because one of its main entrances is home to one of Palermo's hop-on-hop-off tourist bus stops and because of the giant five-point star-shaped pond that governs the centre of the park. If you are planning a walk around the city, Villa Bonanno will be your best ally when it comes to rest and shade.

Interesting details

• Price... Entrance to the park is free.
• Location... Piazza della Vittoria, Palermo.
• Opening hours... Open 24 hours.

Located 10 kilometres from the centre of Palermo, on the outskirts of the city, Mondello beach is situated on a small gulf and stands out for its white sand, pedal boats for rent and the number of services that surround it. If you plan to visit Palermo in summer, you can't miss this beach, but you can also visit it in winter.

Mondello is not very long, so you can easily make a complete walk through all the resorts, and if the weather is not ideal for swimming you can walk along the shore and enjoy the breeze of the Tyrrhenian Sea. In any case, Mondello is an alternative to the Byzantine buildings of the town and the dry squares of the old town.

The beach is easily accessible and can be reached by public transport on bus lines 101 and 107 or on some of the tourist buses that include stops in the Mondello area. Private transfer services are also available.

Interesting details

• Price... Mondello is a public beach, entrance is free.
• Location... Mondello, Palermo.

The Cathedral of Palermo is not only the most important temple of Catholic worship in the city, but it is also an architectural treasure that combines the oriental style of the Byzantine conquest with the Aragonese influences of the later reforms, resulting in one of the most beautiful buildings in Sicily, so you cannot miss it during your trip.

Inside the Cathedral, which is built on a Latin cross plan, you will find the Sacrament, which is decorated with precious stones, and the chapel of Santa Rosalia, who is the patron saint of the city. The ostentatious character of the building is based on the fact that it was built by order of the Archbishop of Palermo to compete with the Cathedral of Monreale in the 12th century.

The Cathedral is free to visit and if you visit Palermo in September you can attend the patron saint festivities of Santa Rosalia, which is one of the most representative celebrations of the city.

Interesting details

• Price... Entrance to the Cathedral is free.
• Location... Via Vittorio Emanuele, Palermo.
• Opening hours... Every day from 7.00 am to 7.00 pm.

In Palermo there are four big markets, one in each of the four historical districts of the city, but the Vucciria market stands out from the rest because it is not only a fruit, vegetable and food market, but it is also considered a flea market, because all kinds of articles are offered there and it has always been an informal barter market.

In Vucciria you can also discover Palermo's nightlife, because when the sun goes down the bars and street restaurants join the market to liven up the night and turn the streets of the city into an open-air discotheque, with music, artists and shows of all kinds.

Vucciria is also often included as a destination on Palermo's best food tours and is the ideal place to have lunch or take a break during your tour of the city. Nearby you can continue your tour at the picturesque octagonal Quattro Canti square, the Palazzo Riso or the Teatro Massimo, which is one of the largest in Europe.

Interesting details

• Price... Admission to the market is free.
• Location... Piazza Caracciolo, Palermo.
• Opening hours... Every day from 7.00 am to 8.00 pm.

The Catacombs of the Capuchins is one of the largest underground cemeteries in the world, but also one of the most fascinating and gloomy attractions in Europe, since inside it there are more than 8000 mummies of friars, priests, bishops and important personalities of the ecclesiastical nobility who decided to be buried there.

If you enjoy alternative tourism and curious excursions, in the Catacombs of the Capuchins you can combine both options and walk through the corridors whose walls are covered with mummified bodies from the 16th to the 20th century.

This spooky attraction is one of Palermo's most visited attractions and has some of the most famous tombs in the world, such as that of the girl Rosalia Lombardo. Please note that this visit is not recommended for children, so if you plan to travel as a family or with minors you will need to be organised.

Useful details

• Price... Entrance to the catacombs costs approximately 15 euros per person.
• Location... Piazza Cappuccini 1, Palermo.
• Hours.... Every day from 9.00 am to 12.30 pm and from 3.00 pm to 5.30 pm.

Palermo is a city built facing the sea and Porta Felice is a monumental gate, the most important of the Sicilian capital, which marks the entrance from the Tyrrhenian Sea to Via Cassaro, the main and oldest artery of the city. The gate combines Renaissance and Baroque styles and works of art at the base of its columns.

Porta Felice, for its historical importance and also for its excellent state of preservation, is one of the main attractions of the city and of the Castellammare district, which also includes the port area, one of the most important in southern Italy for yachting.

The harbour area is often the starting point for some of the best tours of Palermo which also include a visit to one of the Tyrrhenian islands.

If you plan to visit Palermo in August or during the summer months, you can book a boat trip to explore the Tyrrhenian Sea or to do activities along the coast of the Sicilian capital.

Useful details

• Price... The visit to the gate is free of charge.
• Location... Castellammare, Palermo.

You won't have definitely known Palermo until you've been seduced by Sicilian gastronomy, so whatever the length of your visit I recommend that you take the time to enjoy the typical dishes of southern Italy. If you are a pasta lover, you will be the big winner of the gastronomic tour, but there are also other options that are worthwhile.

Among the traditional Palermitan pasta dishes are maccheroni alla norma, which includes fresh tomato, ricotta and basil, or busciate with pesto. You can also try cous cous alla trapanese, caponata, arancina, scacciata and cannolo siciliano, which is the sweet par excellence of the local gastronomy.

To enjoy Palermo's food, you can choose to go on one of the best food tours in Palermo, visit the typical street markets or stalls, or explore the restaurants in the historic centre. If you choose the latter option, I recommend a visit to Florio or Pescheria Marcello, which specialises in another of the local delicacies, fish and seafood.

If you're a foodie, you can also choose a tour that includes a restaurant experience, where you can cook your own dish and then eat it on a terrace with an open view of the main sights of the city.

Palermo is located very close to other famous attractions in Italy so if you have enough time in the city I recommend that you take a full day tour to visit other nearby destinations such as Agrigento and Turkish Steps, Monreale, Cefalù and Castelbuono, Corleone and Portella della Ginestra, Segesta, Erice and Trapani or Etna and Taormina.

Any of the destinations you choose to travel from Palermo will surprise you with their differences and also with their particular characteristics. You will be able to discover mountains, volcanoes, archaeological ruins and medieval castles and live a much more comprehensive experience beyond the architectural styles of the Sicilian capital.

Note that all tours to nearby destinations in Palermo are full-day excursions, so they may not be convenient if you're planning a short stay in the city.

The Sicilian capital offers as many things to do as there are tourists. Not only in summer, which is the peak season and also the hottest, there are activities to do in Palermo, but also a winter or even January or February getaway to the city without so many tourists can be a great idea.

However, if there is a special time to choose this destination, it is Christmas, when the whole city is enveloped in that Christmas spirit that you will love. Besides, the sight of snow-capped Mount Etna at this time of year is sure to stay in your memory forever.

To see the city and its surroundings you will need about three or four days, but this is always relative as it depends on your way of travelling. Some people prefer to condense everything in one or two days and then continue enjoying other destinations within the country. For this reason, in Hellotickets we have created these guides to help you plan your trip according to the number of days you stay:

• Palermo in 1 Day: all you need to know
• Palermo in 2 Days: everything you need to know
• Palermo in 3 Days: a guidebook for getting the most out of your visit
• Palermo in 4 Days: a guidebook for getting the most out of your visit

As a last tip, I recommend that you take a look at the transfers between the airport and Palermo so that, once you land, you can comfortably reach the city centre and start your adventure.