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Voykit pocket guide · Italy
Palermo
Give Palermo 3 nights: two for the Arab-Norman core and markets on foot, one for Monreale. Skip it as a day trip from Cefalù.
Palermo is Sicily's capital and its biggest, loudest city: a Phoenician port that became an Arab emirate, then a Norman kingdom, and left behind a UNESCO Arab-Norman core of palaces, domes and gold mosaics. The historic centre is walkable and cheap by Italian big-city standards, but traffic, rubbish and petty theft are real. Three nights covers the centre and Monreale; add nights for markets, street food and the coast.
- Country
- Italy
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (hot, humid, crowded), late Dec–early Jan
- Stay
- 3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Cards and contactless are widely accepted in cities; small cafés, markets and rural places may prefer cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget €55–85 excl. bed · Mid €95–150 excl. bed · High €180+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- TIM, Vodafone, WindTre and Iliad sell prepaid SIMs in shops and at airports; a passport and an Italian tax code (codice fiscale, issued in-store) are needed.
- Emergency
- All emergencies 112 · Police 113 · Ambulance 118
- Plugs
- Types C, F, L · 230 V · 50 Hz · Italian type L plugs have three pins in a row; most sockets also take two-pin Europlugs (C), and bivalent sockets take Schuko (F).
- Tipping
- Bar: Leave €0.10–0.20 of change on the counter if you like.; Restaurant: Coperto or service may already be on the bill; leave €1–2 a person or round up for good service.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel porter or housekeeping: €1–2 per bag or per night.; Tour guide: €5–10 per person for a half day.
- Water
- Tap water is safe unless signed otherwise; Rome's nasoni fountains run all day. Restaurants serve bottled water (naturale or frizzante) unless you ask for tap (acqua del rubinetto).
- Toilets
- Few public toilets; use bars (buy a coffee), museums and stations, where some charge €1.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Espresso at the bar | €1–1.50 |
| Arancina or panelle sandwich | €1.50–4 |
| Pani câ meusa (spleen sandwich) | €3–5 |
| Pasta or pizza, mid-range trattoria | €8–16 |
| Beer: draught / can at a shop | €4–6 / €1.50–2.50 |
| 5 km taxi3.1 mi taxi | €12–18 |
| City bus 24-hour ticket | €4 |
| Catacombe dei Cappuccini entry | €3 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- PMO · Falcone–Borsellino (Punta Raisi)
- 32 km west of the centre; Prestia e Comandè shuttle to Palermo Centrale about 50 min, or the Trenitalia Punta Raisi train to Centrale just under an hour20 mi west of the centre; Prestia e Comandè shuttle to Palermo Centrale about 50 min, or the Trenitalia Punta Raisi train to Centrale just under an hour
Typical fares
- Airport → Palermo Centrale, shuttle
- about €6.30, 50 min
- Airport → Palermo Centrale, train
- about €6.50, just under 1 h
- City bus 24-hour ticket
- €4
- Taxi across the centre
- €10–18 metered
Get around
The centre is walkable: cathedral to Quattro Canti to the marina is 15–20 min on foot. City buses cost €4 for a 24-hour ticket; the free Centro Storico loop covers the old town. Tram and bus 806 reach Mondello. Taxis are metered but agree the fare or insist on the meter. Driving in the centre means ZTL cameras and near-impossible parking: leave the car outside.
See and do
Known for
- Arab-Norman UNESCO core
- Palatine Chapel mosaics
- Ballarò and Vucciria markets
- Street food: panelle, sfincione, pani câ meusa
- Monreale Cathedral
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Monreale | Bus 389 or AMAT/urban bus from Piazza Indipendenza, about 30 min uphill | About 1 h |
| Cefalù | Trenitalia regional from Palermo Centrale, about 45–60 min | About 1.5 h |
| Ustica | Ferry or hydrofoil from Palermo port, about 1.5–2.5 h | 2–3 h |
| Corleone | Bus from Palermo, about 1.5 h | About 2 h |
| Carini | Trenitalia regional from Palermo Centrale, about 20–30 min | About 45 min |
| Balestrate | Trenitalia regional towards Trapani, about 50–60 min | About 1.5 h |
Sleep
- Centro Storico (Quattro Canti, Vucciria, La Kalsa)
- Walk to most sights and markets; noisiest at night, some streets scruffy. Best for a first visit.
- Politeama / Teatro Massimo
- Grander streets, cafés and theatres; 10–15 min walk to the cathedral and Quattro Canti.
- Libertà / Notarbartolo (north of centre)
- Quieter, hotels with parking, near the English Garden; 20–30 min walk or a short bus ride to the old town.
- Near Palermo Centrale station
- Cheapest and most convenient for early trains and airport buses; the surrounding blocks are the least attractive.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | ScusiSKOO-zee |
| Thank you | GrazieGRAH-tsyeh |
| How much is it? | Quanto costa?KWAN-toh KOS-tah |
| The bill, please | Il conto, per favoreeel KON-toh per fah-VOH-reh |
| Can I pay by card? | Posso pagare con la carta?POS-soh pah-GAH-reh kon lah KAR-tah |
| Where is the toilet? | Dov'è il bagno?doh-VEH eel BAH-nyoh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say buongiorno (until mid-afternoon) or buonasera on entering shops and bars; avoid: Walking in and pointing without a greeting
- Cheek kisses: Two kisses, right cheek first, among friends; follow their lead; avoid: Kissing strangers or in business settings
- Dress: Smart-casual in cities; covered shoulders and knees in churches; avoid: Beachwear, bare chests and flip-flops away from the beach
- Queues: At delis and pharmacies take a number (numerino); avoid: Assuming the crowd at a bar counter is chaos — pay at the till first where asked
- Restaurants: Wait to be seated and ask for the bill; avoid: Splitting a bill item by item with a large group
- Conversation: Food, football and family are safe openers; avoid: Mafia jokes and north–south stereotypes
- Dinner at a home: Bring pastries, wine or flowers (not chrysanthemums, which are for funerals); avoid: Refusing seconds too firmly
Scams and watch-outs
- Bag-snatching and phone theft around Ballarò, Vucciria and the station; keep bags zipped and in front.
- Traffic ignores crossings: cross when locals cross, not when the light changes.
- Unmarked taxis and drivers who quote a flat fare: use the meter or a licensed rank.
- Summer heat and humidity in Jul–Aug; plan sights before 11:00 and after 17:00.
- Many churches and museums close 13:00–15:30 or 16:00; check each site's hours before walking.
Palermo is a normal big city, not a dangerous one, but it is poorer and scruffier than northern Italy: watch bags in markets and around the station, use metered taxis, and avoid empty side streets at night.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Palermo yet. Suggested stay: 3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Arab-Norman UNESCO core
- Palatine Chapel mosaics
- Ballarò and Vucciria markets
- Street food: panelle, sfincione, pani câ meusa
- Monreale Cathedral
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Palermo Tourism (official city tourism site): www.palermotourism.com
- Comune di Palermo: www.comune.palermo.it
- Wikivoyage: Palermo, revision 5304271 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5304271
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Palermo
A questo indirizzo, per favore
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
The US has a consulate-general in Palermo (check the address); the UK, Canada, Australia and Ireland have embassies in Rome.
Coperto (cover charge) is normal on restaurant bills; tipping is not expected.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/palermo). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.