Palermo is the capital of Sicily, the Italian island off the coast of Southern Italy. It is often the city you’ll fly into when flying from mainland Italy, and this city has so much to offer. Many people will tell you that Palermo is worth skipping when visiting Sicily, but I think quite the opposite. I loved our time in Palermo on our honeymoon, and I want you to fall in love with it too. I recommend spending three days in the beautiful, historic city.
Day One
On day one, you’ll arrive in Palermo. The most common route is to fly from mainland Italy, however, if you’re like us, we came from the east side of the island and took the bus across the island to reach Palermo. The bus (and train) system is very easy and efficient across Sicily.
When you arrive, check into your hotel. We stayed right by the historic centre of Palermo. This is where a lot of the must-do things are located in the city so I would recommend you stay in or around this area.
If you need a great Airbnb to stay in. Here was the one we rented. Although it was loud due to its close proximity to the nightlight, the patio made it all worth it.We loved going out to explore until mid-afternoon and coming back to relax on our patio with a spritz.
Breakfast Head out for breakfast or a snack at a local cafe from here. There are some must-try foods that you’ll want to get when in Palermo:
Sfogliatella: A shell-shaped pastry that is cream-filled
Cannoli: Palermo is the birthplace of the cannoli so you cannot miss getting one here. The best cannoli you can find is at I Segreti del Chiostro which is located off a square right by Quattro Canti
Granita: A popular dish at local cafes is granita which is an icy treat that is often served with brioche. Great for a hot summer day. Le Granite di Nonna Angelina is a go-to spot for it.
Palermo Cathedral After you’ve gotten a kick of sugar in your system, head to Palermo Cathedral. This gorgeous cathedral stands tall in the city centre. It’s beautiful from the outside and the inside. We didn’t do a full tour of the cathedral, but I would recommend you at least visit the roofs of the cathedral which offer panoramic views of the city. The cathedral is open from 7 am-7 pm every day except for Sunday when it opens at 8 am.
Quattro Canti The Palermo Cathedral is located very centrally to busy streets lined with cute local shops, restaurants, bars, and cafes. Spend some time wandering these streets and make sure to pay a visit to Quattro Canti. This means “Four Corners” and is one of the city’s most notable landmarks. When standing in the centre of the intersection you’ll be greeted by beautiful facades on each corner that were built from 1608-1620.
Lunch at Vucciria or Ballarò Markets Palermo is known for some of its famous street markets and if you’re like me, exploring markets is such a great way to get a taste of the local life and culture. A good place to head for lunch and explore are Vucciria Market of Ballarò Market where you’ll find a variety of stalls selling all sorts of street foods. Some you may want to try are:
Panelle (Chickpea Fritters)
Sfincione (Sicilian Pizza)
Arancini (Fried Rice Balls)
Norman Palace After getting lost in the chaos of the local markets, head to Norman Palace. This can also be done before lunch as it’s right by the Palermo Cathedral. Palazzo dei Normanni is most famously known for Cappella Palatina which is a chapel filled with golden mosaics and gorgeous architecture. Norman Palace is open from Monday-Saturday from 8:30 am-4:30 pm and Sunday until 12:30 pm.
Massimo Theatre Another notable stop as you explore the city centre is the Massimo Theatre. Teatro Massimo is one of the largest opera houses in Europe. You can catch multiple performances here throughout the week but you can also take a guided tour to learn more about its history.
Dinner After a busy day of exploring, head out for dinner at one of the below-recommended restaurants. Palermo is LOADED with delicious restaurants and food.
For day two, we are going to have another busy day exploring all the things that Palermo has to offer. Starting with an Anti-Mafia Tour and ending with partying that goes until the early hours of the morning.
Anti-Mafia Tour Sicily is known to be the birthplace of the Mafia and although it is still present today, there is a large movement among the citizens of Palermo to fight against them in the city. To truly understand this movement and the history of the Mafia in the city, I joined the No Mafia Tour with Addiopizzo. This tour is a 3-hour tour from 10 am-1 pm and is a great way to learn the history of the city and how to be a responsibly tourist in Palermo today.
Lunch Palermo is ranked one of the Top 10 Cities In The World for Street Food so there is no question that you need to spend some time eating your way through the food. You can opt to visit the opposite market from the one you attended in day one (Vucciria or Ballarò Markets) or you can visit one (or two) of the below for some Sicilian specialties:
Alternative: If you aren’t toured out, I recommend joining a food tour with Streaty.They offer a variety of food tours both in the day and night to explore the different foods of Palermo. A food tour is a great way to try a lot all within a few hours.
Capuchin Catacombs The Capuchin Catacombs are located a bit out of the city centre but worth a visit. These burial catacombs are an interesting historical place. The catacombs were initially intended for deceased friars but it later became a status symbol to be entombed here. Today, you can visit between the hours of 9:00 am-12:10 pm and 3:00 pm-5:10 pm daily.
Nightlife at Vucciria Market Make your way back to the city centre to clean up and explore the local nightlife in Palermo. Head for dinner at one of the above restaurants and then head to Vucciria Market. Nighlife here starts as early as 8pm and goes way into the morning beyond 3am. The street is loaded with bars, restaurant, street food, and everything in between and is a fun way to explore the local nightlife.
Day Three
Your final day in Palermo you’ll be ready for a little R&R. I recommend taking a day trip to a nearby beach town. There are a few different options from Palermo. Here are some ideas:
Mondello Beach Mondello Beach is a popular trip from Palermo because it’s the closest beach from Palermo. It is about a 20-minute drive from Palermo’s city center. You can get there in 20-minutes if you have a car or you can take bus 806 that departs from Palermo every 10 minutes and makes about 30-minutes for a couple of Euros. Plan to arrive early if you’re visiting during high season (the summer months) as the beach gets busy and the beach clubs (lidos) will be packed.
Cefalù Cefalù is located in Northern Sicily and located about a 45-minute train ride from Palermo. It’s known for the Norman Cathedral, the beautiful beach, and a cute place to spend an afternoon. There are a number of Italian beach clubs, known as lidos that line the beach where you can rent an umbrella and lounge chairs beachside for the day with food and drink service. Arrive early if visiting during high season to get yourself some chairs.
Night Food Tour If you didn’t hit up a food tour earlier during your time in Palermo, Streaty offers a night tour that takes you to various street stalls around the city to try all the delicious fried, fatty, delicious street foods of Palermo. This is the food tour we did and it was so much fun. We left very full! You can read more about my experience here.
And that’s that! Three days in any city is never enough time. There is still so much to do, explore, and eat in Palermo but this is a great introduction to give you the highlight reel of this beautiful city. I truly expected to hate Palermo just because it gets a bad reputation but it ended up being one of our favorite stops in Sicily.
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