Palermo
Welcome to the capital city in Sicily! In this blog post, we highlight some places to see and recommend great spots to get a bite to eat. Check out our post about Italy, the Basics for related information, like tipping, transportation, souvenirs and more.
Getting around Palermo
We dropped off our rental car the day we arrived in Palermo. We lodged close to the historic center of town, so just about everything was walkable. For those destinations just a little beyond walking, we used city buses or trams. Note that buses and trams DO NOT take contactless/tap-to-pay payment (as of October 2026). You can buy tickets at a tabaccheria (marked with a "T" sign) or more conveniently, use one of two apps to pay: PalerMobilita (this link to both Google Play and Apple App store version) or My AMAT (AMAT is the Palermo transit agency). Each app takes a few minutes to set up. Once you buy the ticket digitally, you just scan a QR code on board (via the app). Bus/tram tickets are 1.40 euros.
The Royal Palace aka Palazzo dei Normanni (Norman Palace)
Originally built by Normans in 1072 after the conquest of the Kalbid dynasty, the Arab Muslim rulers of Sicily, with the Palatine Chapel added in 1130, and was used as the royal palace for the kings of Sicily for about 100 years. During Spanish rule in the 16th century, the palace was revitalized and expanded to its present-day footprint.
The self-guided tour consists of three part: The Royal Apartments, the Palatine Chapel and the Royal Gardens. On the way to the Royal Apartments, you can also see the Parliament Chamber, where regional assembly meetings still occur. The Palatine Chapel, in particular, is an amazing church and is in the process of being restored to its original glory with gold paintings and various intricate mosaics. The Royal Apartments were interesting; not a lot of furniture, but many well-preserved frescoes and paintings. Finally, the Royal Gardens were a pleasant way to rest on a bench, eat some ice cream and enjoy the greenery.
To get tickets, you can stand in line or buy online and go straight to the palace entrance.
The Royal Palace (with Palatine Chapel and Royal Gardens). Piazza del Parlamento, 1, 90134 Palermo PA. Open Monday-Saturday 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM and Sunday 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM. 14.50 euros pp.
Palermo Cathedral
The Palermo Cathedral is near the Royal Palace and also worth a visit. Originally built in 1184, it is also a UNESCO heritage site.
Location: Corso Vittorio Emanuele, 480 Attend on Sunday if you would like Mass and don't care that some areas are off limits. Attend Mon-Sat to see the main area plus tombs, treasury, cripts, and terrace (entry to each varies with ticket)
Nearby the Palace
Leading towards the Palace are two large, mostly pedestrian streets overflowing with tourists and shops. Via Maqueda and Via Vittorio Emanuele meet at Quatro Canti. The intersection of these two streets features an elaborately decorated church exterior at each corner, and this intersection effectively splits the city into 4 quadrants.
Most of the restaurants in this area are tourist traps, with hawkers trying to pull you in and menus is 5 languages. If you need a bite in the area, we recommend Retrobottega di Prezzemolo & Vitale (Via Vittorio Emanuele, 293, 90133 Palermo PA, Italy), which was recommended to us by the owner of Palazzo Drago (below). In general, a retrobottega will be a deli with a sit-down restaurant (retrobottega literally means 'behind the shop/deli'). Because it is a deli, you have a lot of options both at the deli and the sit-down restaurant (in this case, upstairs from the deli). They have traditional pastas and meats, but also charcuterie or cheese or grilled vegetables so you can build a meal to suit various dietary needs.
Photos above: grilled vegetables, involtini with orange (rolled meat or fish with a breadcrumb filling); at right, we built a plate with mozzerella, tomato, and smoked salmon
The main palace isn't the only palace in town! There are many palaces open to visit. The one we chose has over 100 rooms and remains privately owned by descendants of the original family.
We got a private tour with the present owner of this palazzo built in 1741 on top of an Arab fort built 1000 years ago. He took us through various rooms on one floor, such as the dining room, several chapels, his father's study, and several sitting rooms. All the rooms contained original, unrestored painted walls and ceilings, period furniture and, in many cases, original ceramic tile flooring. The owner proudly explained that the furniture and flooring were Sicilian, and just about everything else (light fixtures, etc.) were Italian. He told us stories about his childhood, showed us paintings of various relatives and talked about life in the palace.
When we arrived, it was just this owner sitting at a table, waiting for someone like us to arrive. During the tour, he locked the front door, so be advised that if you arrive to a locked door, he's either giving a tour or out to lunch or busy--it's likely a retirement hobby that he gives the tours at all. While we highly recommend this palace to tour, there are many others in the city you can also try.
Photos: Sarah with the owner; Dan and Sarah on the internal patio; various internal images including the French wine served to (and rejected by) Mussolini.
Palazzo Drago Ajroldi di Santacolomba. Via Vittorio Emanuele, 382, 90134 Palermo PA. Open every day except Monday 11 AM - 6 PM. 15 euros pp.
This museum consists of several collections, mostly assembled by Sicilian archeologists and includes the collection of Antonio Salinas, the first director of the National Museum of Palermo, and one of the earlier archeologists to carefully document excavation and provenance of items. It's an interesting and eclectic group of primarily Greek and Roman artifacts, much of it from Selinunte, a city founded by Greeks in the 6th century BCE, on the southwest coast of Sicily. It was destroyed by Carthage in 409 BCE and then abandoned in 250 BCE after the Romans destroyed the city again.
One interesting aspect of this museum is biographical information about some of the collectors, acknowledging that they were basically thieves and looters, and used various unscrupulous methods to acquire artifacts. Much of the museum work focuses around identifying correct provenance to many artifacts that did not have much documentation.
Regional Archeological Museum Antonio Salinas. Piazza Olivella, 1, 90133 Palermo PA. 8 euros pp.
The largest opera hall in Italy and the third largest in Europe, this spectacular building took 22 years to build at the end of the 19th century. The only way to see the hall and various other rooms is to take a guided tour (or attend a performance). The tours run about every half hour in various languages - there are English language tours every half-hour.
The building was used in the final scenes of the final Godfather movie, and you will sit in the same central box seat and walk the front steps central to the film
On the tour, you get to see the great hall, the box seats including the royal box, lounges and a fun visit to the dome which functions as an echo chamber for guests during intermission to talk without being heard (because it's so noisy). The ceiling (first photo below) was, and still is, a marvel of early cooling and ventilation systems. The painted panels are operable vents, allowing hot air (and cigarette smoke permitted in the opera's early days) to escape.
Teatro Massimo di Palermo. P.za Giuseppe Verdi, 90138 Palermo PA. Guided tours 9:30 AM - 7:00 PM every day. 14 euros pp.
The Symphony Hall Politeama Garibaldi is also a beautiful building. Buy a ticket to the symphony to see the inside as tours are no longer offered.
This interesting catacomb, close to the historic center, contains the bodies of almost 8000 people from the 16th century to the early 20th century. There are various halls for children, professionals, Cappuccin brothers and a small chapel for virgin women. The bodies are arranged in various ways, and many are still dressed in their burial garments. Photographs were not permitted in the catacombs. No photos are permitted in the catacombs.
Catacombe dei Cappuccini di Palermo. Piazza Cappuccini, 1, 90129 Palermo PA. Open daily 9 AM - 5:10 PM. 5 euros pp - cash only.
Markets
There are 3 main markets in Palermo: Mercato del Capo, Mercato Ballaro and Vucciria Market. All of the street markets are open daily from about 7:30 or 8:00 AM to at least 2 PM. Vucciria Market also has an active bar scene after about 8-9 PM every night.
Above: typical fish, a restaurant with its offerings on display; vegetables and cheeses
Mercato del Capo
This is a fun, mid-size market (meaning only a few blocks long). One of our favorite dolcerias that we tried in Palermo is located on the main strip of this market - Le Angeliche - Dolci al Volo. This shop had both sweet and savory foods - it's easy to put together a tasty lunch here. Read more about Le Angeliche on our Sweets page.
Mercato del Capo. V. Mura di Porta Carini, 90134 Palermo PA, Italy. Open daily
Mercato Ballaro
Largest of the three street markets, Ballaro market is much like the smaller markets in terms of food and produce. But the Ballaro market, when we visited, was much more crowded. If you love street markets, by all means, visit all three.
Mercato Ballaro. Via Chiappara Al Carmine, 23, 90134 Palermo PA, Italy. Open 7:30 AM - 8 PM daily except Sunday from 8 AM - 2 PM.
Vucciria Market
A relatively small market and when we visited in the morning, pretty slow. About 1/3 of the shops were open but there was a nice mix of produce, butchers, fish mongers, prepared foods and some non-food/houseware shops.
Vucciria Market. P.zza Vicerè Caracciolo, 90133 Palermo PA, Italy. Open daily; hours vary.
Sunday Flea/Antique market at Piazza Marina/Garibaldi Garden (Giardino Garibaldi)
Vendors arrange themselves all around the park (but not inside) every Sunday morning. The market has reasonably high quality old and antique books, coins, furniture, paintings, leather jackets, linen, etc. and is a pleasant way to spend a few hours on Sunday morning.
Sunday Flea Market at Giardino Garibaldi. Piazza Marina, SNC, 90133 Palermo PA, Italy.
Photos above: glassware, linens, leather jackets are among the many many items for sale.
To Eat
It's a good idea to make reservations for dinner. Popular places with the locals fill up in advance.
Arancini are a good quick bite. It's like risotto in a fried ball form, and the best ones are chock-full of fillings. There are usually spinach cheese vegetarian options, and others generally have meat.
In addition to the previously mentioned Retrobottega di Prezzemolo & Vitale and Le Angeliche - Dolci al Volo we recommend the following restaurants:
Sikulo - Umori&Sapori The whole place was filled with locals, including many families with teens and some old couples. Most people ordered pizza. The vibe was very much locals' favorite neighborhood spot.
We had the arancini appetizer, tuna tataki, and ricotta apple pudding dessert. All were excellent-- well cooked, with balanced flavors, vegetables and sauces.
Reservations are pretty much required as it's a popular place. 48HW+2F Palermo, Metropolitan City of Palermo, Italy. +39091342236
The food was fish-forward and pretty good. Our favorite dish was the savory cannolo--a cannolo shell filled with tuna tartare instead of sweet ricotta!
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