Palermo is a comune in Sicily, Italy, the capital of the Sicilian Region and of the Metropolitan City of Palermo. Palermo Cathedral and the Cappella Palatina lie within the comune; Monreale, with its cathedral, is a separate comune.
Country
Italy
Type
City
Understand the place
Not only where to go, but what to eat, what things cost, what visitors get wrong, how accessible Palermo is, which scams to recognize and what is genuinely worth your time.
The complete guide
Start with the parts of Palermo that matter most to your trip, then move into the practical details.
Experiences & attractions
Attractions, experiences and places actually worth your time.
Eat like you understand the place
Signature dishes, local drinks, markets and eating well.
Where to stay & explore
Where to stay, wander and choose the right area for your trip.
Beyond the destination
Nearby places worth a day out from here.
Bring home the right things
What is genuinely worth buying and where to look.
After dark
What the evenings are like, and where to spend them.
Family travel
Family logistics, strollers, transport and practical planning.
When to go
When to visit and what the seasons really feel like.
Know before it happens
Common tourist traps and how to avoid them.
Money & budgeting
Budgets, payments and everyday prices.
Transport
Public transport, taxis, walking and common pitfalls.
Travel for more people
Mobility, transport and sensory accessibility.
Understand before you arrive
Local expectations, religion and visitor etiquette.
The details that matter
Connectivity, health, photography and useful local details.
Find your fit
Solo, women alone, older visitors, LGBTQ+, pets, remote work, budget and luxury.
Travel that holds up
Tourism pressure, supporting local people and animal welfare.
Traveler experiences
Traveler reviews will appear here after moderation.
Worth the drive
Distances are straight-line, not driving time — mountain roads in this region are often twice as long as the map suggests.
Historic site · Sicily
Palazzo dei Normanni, the Royal Palace of Palermo, is the seat of the Sicilian Parliament and contains the Cappella Palatina; the Fondazione Federico II opens its monumental complex to visitors.
Church · Palazzo Reale, Sicily
The Cappella Palatina is the chapel of the Royal Palace in Palermo, Sicily, dedicated to Saint Peter, with Byzantine mosaics in its presbytery.
Church · Sicily
Palermo Cathedral is the Catholic cathedral of Palermo, Sicily, dedicated to the Virgin of the Assumption, and also a parish church.
Church · Sicily
Monreale Cathedral (Duomo di Monreale) is the Norman cathedral of the Archdiocese of Monreale, in the town of Monreale, Sicily, with mosaics covering its interior.
Archaeological site · Sicily
Segesta is the archaeological site of an ancient Elymian city in western Sicily, in the comune of Calatafimi-Segesta, with a Doric temple on a hill outside the ancient town and a theatre in the summit area of Monte Barbaro.
Explore deeper
4 guides
XTOUR plans Italy around city bases rather than regions: Rome, Florence, Venice, Verona, Milan, Naples, Bologna, Palermo, Genoa, Bolzano, Pisa and Siena. This guide says what each base is for, which major sites are in a city and which are only reached from one, and where XTOUR's more detailed guides take over.
Sicily's Greek and Arab-Norman heritage sits in different towns: the Arab-Norman monuments are mostly in Palermo, while the Greek temples of Agrigento are not. This guide sets out what UNESCO recorded for each, which town each site is in, and where XTOUR's coverage stops.
Tuscany is one of Italy's twenty regions, not a city: Florence is its capital, and Pisa and Siena are separate towns inside it. This explainer sets out how Italy's regions, provinces, metropolitan cities and municipalities fit together, why the English and Italian names differ, and why XTOUR records cities rather than regions.
'Arab-Norman Palermo' is the short name of a UNESCO World Heritage property made of nine separate monuments, seven in Palermo and two in other towns. Here are the nine, what the World Heritage Committee values in them, and why XTOUR records the buildings as places but not the listing.
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