Things to do · Palermo · Italy
19 best things to do in Palermo
19 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Julian Lupyan, CC0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Palermo are Palazzo dei Normanni and the Palatine Chapel, Palermo Cathedral and Monreale Cathedral and Cloister. Of the 19 picks below, 6 are free, 10 work on a rainy day and 3 suit children. Allow about 4 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Palazzo dei Normanni and the Palatine Chapel
- Free sights
- 6
- Good on a rainy day
- Palazzo dei Normanni and the Palatine Chapel
- Time to see the highlights
- 4 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palazzo dei Normanni and the Palatine Chapel | Albergheria and Ballarò | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Palermo Cathedral | Il Capo and the Cathedral | 1–1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Monreale Cathedral and Cloister | Monreale | Half a day | Low cost |
| Quattro Canti | Via Maqueda and Quattro Canti | 15 minutes | Free |
| Teatro Massimo | Via Maqueda and Quattro Canti | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Ballarò market | Albergheria and Ballarò | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Mondello beach | Mondello | Half a day | Free |
| Fontana Pretoria | Via Maqueda and Quattro Canti | 20 minutes | Free |
| La Martorana and San Cataldo | Via Maqueda and Quattro Canti | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Mercato del Capo | Il Capo and the Cathedral | 1 hour | Free |
| Capuchin Catacombs | Cappuccini | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| San Giovanni degli Eremiti | Albergheria and Ballarò | 30–45 minutes | Low cost |
| Palazzo Abatellis (Galleria Regionale della Sicilia) | Kalsa | 1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Monte Pellegrino and the Sanctuary of Santa Rosalia | Monte Pellegrino | Half a day | Free |
| Antonio Salinas Archaeological Museum | Olivella | 1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Castello della Zisa | Zisa | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Oratorio del Rosario di Santa Cita | La Loggia and the Vucciria | 30 minutes | Low cost |
| Orto Botanico | Kalsa | 1–1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Opera dei Pupi puppet theatre | Old town | 1 hour | Low cost |
The 19 best things to do
Palace · Albergheria and Ballarò
1.Palazzo dei Normanni and the Palatine Chapel
The Norman kings' palace, today the seat of the Sicilian Regional Assembly, holds the Cappella Palatina, consecrated in 1140, where gold Byzantine mosaics cover the walls and a wooden muqarnas ceiling made by Arab craftsmen is painted with scenes of court life. The visit can also include the royal apartments and the mosaic-covered Sala di Re Ruggero when the assembly is not in use.
Arrive early, cover shoulders and knees for the chapel, and check which days the royal apartments are included.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Queues can be long in high season; buy a timed ticket online before you go.
- Iconic
- Art
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Religious site · Il Capo and the Cathedral
2.Palermo Cathedral
Palermo's cathedral is a patchwork of styles: Norman walls, a Gothic porch, Catalan details and a neoclassical dome added in the 18th century. Inside are the porphyry tombs of Emperor Frederick II and the Norman king Roger II, a treasury with the jewelled crown of Constance of Aragon and a chapel of Santa Rosalia; a separate ticket opens the roof terraces.
Walk the roof terraces late in the afternoon for views over the domes towards Monte Pellegrino.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
- Views
- Rainy day
Religious site · Monreale
3.Monreale Cathedral and Cloister
In the hill town of Monreale, about 8 km southwest of Palermo, William II's 12th-century cathedral is lined with some 6,400 square metres of gold-ground mosaics, culminating in a giant Christ Pantocrator in the apse. The adjoining Benedictine cloister has more than 200 paired columns, many inlaid with mosaic and topped by carved capitals, and a rooftop walk looks over the Conca d'Oro valley to the sea.
Allow half a day including the bus ride from Piazza Indipendenza, and buy the tickets for the cloister and the roof as well as the nave.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Art
- History
- Architecture
- Views
Landmark · Via Maqueda and Quattro Canti
4.Quattro Canti
The Baroque crossroads where Via Maqueda meets Via Vittorio Emanuele divides the old town into its four historic quarters. Each of the four curved facades, built in the early 17th century, rises in tiers with a fountain, a statue of one of the seasons, a Spanish king and the patron saint of that quarter.
Pass by early in the morning and again after dark, when the facades are lit and the traffic eases.
- Time needed
- 15 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Architecture
- History
- After dark
Architecture · Via Maqueda and Quattro Canti
5.Teatro Massimo
Opened in 1897, Italy's largest opera house is a neoclassical temple with a grand stairway guarded by bronze lions; its steps appear in the final scene of The Godfather Part III. Guided tours show the horseshoe auditorium and the royal box, and the season includes opera, ballet and concerts.
Take the guided tour if you cannot catch a performance; the steps outside are a classic evening meeting point.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- Art
- Iconic
- Rainy day
- After dark
Market · Albergheria and Ballarò
6.Ballarò market
Palermo's oldest street market stretches through the Albergheria from Piazza Casa Professa towards Corso Tukory, with stalls piled with swordfish, citrus, aubergines and spices and vendors calling out their prices in dialect, a tradition known as the abbanniata. Street-food counters fry panelle and grill octopus and meats along the way.
Go mid-morning, keep bags zipped and eat as you go: a paper cone of panelle or a grilled octopus tentacle costs a few euros.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Food
- Free
- Iconic
- Photo spot
- Shopping
Beach · Mondello
7.Mondello beach
Palermo's city beach is a long crescent of pale sand and shallow, turquoise water between the headlands of Monte Pellegrino and Monte Gallo. Much of it is lined with beach clubs, but there are free public sections, and an Art Nouveau bathing pavilion stands on piles over the water at its centre.
Go on a weekday morning; on summer weekends half of Palermo heads to the beach and traffic jams build on the road from the city.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Free
- Iconic
Landmark · Via Maqueda and Quattro Canti
8.Fontana Pretoria
Carved in Florence in the 1550s for a private villa and later sold to Palermo, this huge marble fountain of nymphs, river gods and monsters fills Piazza Pretoria beside the town hall. Its many nude statues earned it the nickname 'Fountain of Shame' from scandalised churchgoers.
Combine it with La Martorana and San Cataldo, which face the neighbouring Piazza Bellini.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- History
- Photo spot
Religious site · Via Maqueda and Quattro Canti
1.La Martorana and San Cataldo
On Piazza Bellini, the church of Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio, known as La Martorana, was founded in the 1140s by King Roger's admiral, George of Antioch, and its Byzantine mosaics include a rare image of Roger II being crowned by Christ. Next door, the small, bare church of San Cataldo is topped by three red domes that recall Arab architecture.
Visit San Cataldo first; its bare stone interior makes the Martorana's gold all the more striking.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Market · Il Capo and the Cathedral
2.Mercato del Capo
Behind the cathedral, the Capo market runs along Via Porta Carini and Via Beati Paoli with fish, meat, produce, olives and household goods, and it is a little less crowded with visitors than Ballarò. Look for stalls selling sfincione, fresh ricotta and Sicilian salted capers.
Combine it with the Teatro Massimo and the cathedral, both a few minutes' walk away.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Food
- Free
- Shopping
- Photo spot
Historic site · Cappuccini
3.Capuchin Catacombs
Beneath a Capuchin convent west of the centre, corridors hold some 8,000 mummified bodies and skeletons, many fully dressed and arranged by gender, profession and social class, dating from the late 16th to the early 20th century. The best known is Rosalia Lombardo, a two-year-old girl embalmed in 1920 and still remarkably preserved.
It is macabre and not suitable for young children or the squeamish; photography is not allowed.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Off the beaten path
- Rainy day
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Religious site · Albergheria and Ballarò
4.San Giovanni degli Eremiti
Five red domes rise above a lush garden of citrus, palms and roses at this 12th-century Norman church near the Norman Palace, built with clear Arab influences. The bare interior matters less than the small cloister and garden, one of the most peaceful spots in central Palermo.
Visit straight after the Norman Palace; it is a few minutes' walk away and rarely crowded.
- Time needed
- 30–45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- History
- Photo spot
- Couples
- Off the beaten path
Gallery · Kalsa
5.Palazzo Abatellis (Galleria Regionale della Sicilia)
This late-Gothic Catalan palace in the Kalsa houses Sicily's regional art gallery, with the huge 15th-century fresco of the Triumph of Death, Antonello da Messina's luminous Virgin Annunciate and a marble bust of Eleonora of Aragon by Francesco Laurana. Carlo Scarpa designed the displays in the 1950s.
Combine it with a walk through the Kalsa to Piazza Magione and the Foro Italico seafront.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Rainy day
- History
- Off the beaten path
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Nature · Monte Pellegrino
6.Monte Pellegrino and the Sanctuary of Santa Rosalia
The 606-metre headland that Goethe praised as the most beautiful promontory in the world rises between the city and Mondello. A road and an old stepped pilgrim path lead to the cave sanctuary of Santa Rosalia, Palermo's patron saint, where water drips from the rock walls, and viewpoints look out over the city and the bay.
Take a bus or taxi up and walk down the old pilgrim path for changing views over the city.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Views
- Nature
- Free
- Active
- History
Museum · Olivella
7.Antonio Salinas Archaeological Museum
Set around the cloisters of a former convent near the Teatro Massimo, Sicily's main archaeological museum displays the carved metopes from the Greek temples of Selinunte, Phoenician and Etruscan finds, Roman mosaics and a large bronze ram from Syracuse.
Head to the Selinunte rooms first; the metopes are the highlight of the collection.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
Palace · Zisa
8.Castello della Zisa
A 12th-century summer palace built for the Norman kings in Arab style, the Zisa was designed to stay cool, with a fountain hall of mosaics and muqarnas where water once ran along a channel into the gardens. It now houses a small museum of Islamic art and objects.
Take a bus or taxi from the centre, about 2 km away, and pair it with the Capuchin Catacombs nearby.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Off the beaten path
- Rainy day
Religious site · La Loggia and the Vucciria
9.Oratorio del Rosario di Santa Cita
Inside this small oratory, the sculptor Giacomo Serpotta covered the walls with white stucco figures, cherubs and theatrical scenes from the late 17th century, including a relief of the Battle of Lepanto. It is one of several Palermo oratories decorated by Serpotta and among the most astonishing.
Ask about combined tickets with the nearby Serpotta oratories of San Domenico and San Lorenzo.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Off the beaten path
- Rainy day
- History
Garden · Kalsa
10.Orto Botanico
Founded in the late 18th century and still run by the university, Palermo's botanical garden has a neoclassical entrance building, tropical and subtropical plants from around the world and a giant Moreton Bay fig whose aerial roots spread like a small forest.
Pair it with Villa Giulia, the 18th-century public garden next door, for a shady afternoon with children.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Kids
- Outdoors
Experience · Old town
11.Opera dei Pupi puppet theatre
Sicilian puppet theatre, recognised by UNESCO as intangible heritage, tells tales of Charlemagne's paladins with armour-clad marionettes up to a metre tall, clashing swords to live narration. Family-run companies stage short shows in small theatres in the old town, and the Antonio Pasqualino International Puppet Museum displays puppets from Sicily and around the world.
Shows last about an hour and are easy to follow without Italian; children love the battle scenes.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Rainy day
- After dark
- Art
- History
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Palazzo dei Normanni and the Palatine Chapel, Monreale Cathedral and Cloister, Teatro Massimo and Fontana Pretoria |
| History | Palazzo dei Normanni and the Palatine Chapel, Palermo Cathedral, Monreale Cathedral and Cloister and Quattro Canti |
| Views | Palermo Cathedral, Monreale Cathedral and Cloister and Monte Pellegrino and the Sanctuary of Santa Rosalia |
| Outdoors and nature | Mondello beach, Monte Pellegrino and the Sanctuary of Santa Rosalia and Orto Botanico |
| Food and markets | Ballarò market and Mercato del Capo |
| After dark | Quattro Canti, Teatro Massimo and Opera dei Pupi puppet theatre |
| With children | Mondello beach, Orto Botanico and Opera dei Pupi puppet theatre |
| On a rainy day | Palazzo dei Normanni and the Palatine Chapel, Palermo Cathedral, La Martorana and San Cataldo and Teatro Massimo |
What to book ahead
- Palazzo dei Normanni and the Palatine Chapel: Queues can be long in high season; buy a timed ticket online before you go.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Palermo?
Palazzo dei Normanni and the Palatine Chapel. The Norman kings' palace, today the seat of the Sicilian Regional Assembly, holds the Cappella Palatina, consecrated in 1140, where gold Byzantine mosaics cover the walls and a wooden muqarnas ceiling made by Arab craftsmen is painted with scenes of court life.
+What can you do for free in Palermo?
Quattro Canti, Ballarò market, Mondello beach, Fontana Pretoria and Mercato del Capo. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Palermo when it rains?
Head indoors to Palazzo dei Normanni and the Palatine Chapel, Palermo Cathedral, La Martorana and San Cataldo and Teatro Massimo.
+What is there to do in Palermo at night?
Quattro Canti, Teatro Massimo and Opera dei Pupi puppet theatre are best after dark.