Palazzo dei Normanni & Palatine Chapel
ModerateRoyal palace with a gold-mosaic chapel
Byzantine mosaics, an Arab carved-wood ceiling and Norman marble in one small chapel — the high point of Arab-Norman art.
AlbergheriaMosaicsUNESCO
Palermo, Italy
Ideal: 3 daysBest: Apr–Jun, Sep–OctPrice: Moderate
In 60 seconds
Palermo in 60 seconds
Palermo is Sicily's capital and its most intense city: Phoenician, Arab, Norman, Spanish and baroque layers piled on top of each other, peeling and magnificent. In the 12th century Norman kings employed Byzantine and Arab craftsmen, and the result — the gold-mosaic Palatine Chapel in the royal palace, the cathedral, and the mountain-top cathedral at Monreale — is a UNESCO World Heritage Site unlike anything else in Europe. The markets of Ballarò and the Capo are noisy, theatrical and full of food: arancine, panelle, sfincione and the spleen sandwich, pane ca' meusa, for the brave. The Teatro Massimo is Italy's largest opera house, and Mondello's beach is a bus ride away. Give it three days, and accept the chaos as part of the pleasure.
Street foodMarketsUNESCO
Best for
- History
- Food
- Hidden gems
Known for
- Arab-Norman mosaics
- Street food
- Ballarò market
- Teatro Massimo
Skip if
You find noise, traffic and crumbling façades stressful — Palermo is gloriously alive, but never tidy.
Your match
Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Palermo fits them. Choose interests
See
Must experience
The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.
Palermo Cathedral
A cathedral of many centuries
Norman towers, Gothic porch and a neoclassical dome; climb to the roof for the view over the city.
CassaroFreeUNESCO
Ballarò market
The city's oldest street market
Swordfish, aubergines and shouting stallholders by day; grills of stigghiola smoking at dusk.
AlbergheriaMarketStreet food
Teatro Massimo
ModerateItaly's largest opera house
Take the guided tour of the neoclassical theatre, or better, a seat for an evening performance.
CentroOperaTours
Eat
Where to eat
A short list, kept short on purpose. Each entry answers one question: when is this the right choice?
More places to eat
Too few picks yet for their own heading, so they share this list.
Antica Focacceria San Francesco
InexpensiveStreet food at the table · Since 1834
Panelle, arancine, sfincione and pane ca' meusa on a terrace facing the basilica of San Francesco.
KalsaHistoricStreet food
Beyond the obvious
Hidden gems
Less obvious, rarely queued for, and usually the part people remember.
Monreale Cathedral
InexpensiveGold mosaics above the city
Some 6,000 square metres of golden mosaic and a cloister of carved paired columns, half an hour up the hill.
MonrealeMosaicsUNESCO
Capuchin Catacombs
InexpensiveCorridors of preserved dead
Thousands of mummified Palermitani dressed in their best, hanging along the walls — unforgettable and not for everyone.
CappucciniMacabreUnusual
Orientation
Neighbourhoods
How the city is actually divided, and what each part is for.
Kalsa
The old Arab quarter by the sea
Churches, palazzi and the Foro Italico promenade; lively squares at night.
Quattro Canti
The baroque crossroads
Four curved baroque façades where Via Maqueda crosses the Cassaro — the centre of the old city.
Stay
Where to stay
Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.
Centro storico
ModerateAround the Quattro Canti and Via Maqueda
Stay in the old city to walk to the markets and monuments.
LivelyWalkable
Practical
Know before you go
- Getting in
- Trains from Falcone-Borsellino airport reach the centre in under an hour; ferries arrive from Naples and Genoa.
- Getting around
- Walk; the old city is compact. Do not drive in Palermo.
- When to go
- Spring and autumn; July and August are very hot.
- Taste locally
- Arancine (here they are feminine), panelle, sfincione, cannoli, cassata and granita in summer.
- Combine with
- Cefalù, Monreale, and Taormina & Etna across the island.
Plan this trip — useful links
Context
History in 5 minutes
Enough to make what you are looking at legible.
- 831
Arab rulers take Palermo; it becomes one of the great cities of the Mediterranean.
- 1130
Roger II is crowned King of Sicily; Norman Palermo builds its mosaic churches.
- 1897
The Teatro Massimo opens.
- 2015
Arab-Norman Palermo and the cathedrals of Cefalù and Monreale are inscribed by UNESCO.
Further out
Nearby escapes
Worth a day if you have one to spare.
Cefalù
Norman cathedral and a beach town
A Norman cathedral under a great rock, a sandy beach and a pretty old town.
1 hr by trainBeachUNESCO
Mondello
Palermo's beach
A curve of pale sand and Art Nouveau bathing pavilion under Monte Pellegrino.
30 min by busBeachSummer