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Palermo - tips for travellers




HOW TO GET TO PALERMO

  • From the airport “Falcone e Borsellino”:
    Bus "Prestia & Comandé": www.prestiaecomande.it
    Ticket: € 6,30 (if you buy it at the airport) - € 6,00 (if you buy it trought app or website ).
    Half-hourly departures: 05:00 - 06:30 - 07:00  07:30 - 08:00 - 08:30 - 09:00 - 09:30 - 10:00 - 10:30 - 11:00 - 11:30 - 12:00 - 12:30 - 13:00 - 13:30 - 14:00 - 14:30 - 15:00 - 15:30 -16:00 - 16:30 - 17:00 - 17:30 - 18:00 - 18:30 - 19:00 - 19:30 - 20:00 - 20:30 - 21:00 - 21:30 - 22:00 - 22:30 - 23:00 - 23:30 - 00:00 - 00:30
    Taxi: www.radiotaxitrinacria.it/en
     € 40 per route. Taxi sharing: € 8 per person. 
  • From Central Train Station: 
    Bus AMAT. The number 101 line goes through the main route, from the Train Station to the football stadium.

ACCOMODATIONS


GUIDED TOURS AND EXCURSIONS


NOT TO BE MISSED

  • Palazzo dei Normanni and Cappella Palatina. the Royal Palace with the astonishing Chapel decorated with mosaics.
  • I Quattro Canti, Fontana Pretoria, La Martorana and San Cataldo: in a small and very central space, four of the most spectacular monuments of Palermo.
  • San Giovanni degli Eremiti. The Arab-norman church with the unmistakable red domes and a cloiser that looks like a tiny botanical garden.
  • Ballarò. Historical open-air market whose charm depends on both the local and the multiethnic components.
  • Palazzo Chiaramonte - Steri. A massive medieval fortress linked to the most terrible memories of Palermo.
  • Carcere dei Penitenziati. The jail of the Spanish Inquisition, where you can still read the heartwrenching graffities left by the heretics, waiting for their execution.
  • La Cala. The ancient and picturesque harbor of Palermo.
  • Catacombe dei Cappuccini. The mummies of the Catacumbs are a macabre spectacle you won't forget.
  • Duomo di Monreale. The masterpiece of the Arab-norman architecture is 5 kilometers away from Palermo.
  • Monte Pellegrino. According to Goethe, this is 'the most beautiful promontory in the world'.
  • Mondello: the enchanting  beach of Palermo.

EAT

  • Il Mirto e la Rosa. Rivisited Sicilian cuisine, good prices. 
  • Kursaal Kalhesa. Restaurant, cocktail bar and bookshop in a fantastic location.
  • Cioccolateria Lorenzo. The afternoon break gives you a chance to taste a cup of tea with a piece of home-made cake.
  • Ai Vecchietti di Minchiapititto. Traditional food and pizza.
  • Antica Focacceria S. Francesco. Since 1834, it offers street food specialties: like 'pane con la milza' (sandwitch stuffed with beef spleen and ricotta cheese), 'arancine' (rice balls), 'panelle' (chickpea frittes).
  • Moltivolti: in the heart of the neighbourhood of Ballarò, it proposes ethnic food from different areas of the world, including Sicily.
  • Villa Costanza. At the bottom of Mount Pellegrino, a particular pizza place. Flowers made of traditional grains and selected ingredients.
  • Bisso Bistrot.  The right place in every hour of the day, from breakfast to cocktail. Very warm atmosphere and good prices.

MOVIDA

  • Piazza Rivoluzione. Loved by young people, who have many option for a drink: we suggest you Cantavespri, Qvivi and Gascoigne.
  • Piazzetta della Canna. A secluded tiny square that on Friday and Saturday night becomes crowded, thanks to an historical pub: Malox.
  • Ballarò: as soon as the open-air market goes to sleep, night life wakes up. Beside the already mentioned Moltivolti, we suggest the Palermitan brewery Ballarak, with a wide range of local beer, incliding own production.

SHOPPING & SOUVENIRS

  • La Coppola Storta. 'Coppola' is the traditional sicilian hat. For a long time it was seen as a Mafia garment, but now it becomes again a symbol od Sicilian identity.
  • Siculamente. Sicily, its proverbs, its tics, modulated with irony on T-shirst and other gadgets.
  • Emporio Pizzo Free. Souvenir and local products. 'Mafia-free' by its name.