What to see, where to stay and the best time to visit Palermo, Italy.
Photo: cdavinci / Pixabay
Palermo is a coastal city in Italy with 630,167 residents. It mixes city sightseeing with time by the sea. Most sights are in the old town and nearby areas like Albergheria and La Kalsa. These include the Palatine Chapel and Norman Palace, Palermo Cathedral, Ballarò Market and Teatro Massimo. Mondello Beach and Monreale Cathedral each make an easy half-day trip. The best months to go are June, July, August and September.
Most old-town sights take 1–2 hours each. The Palatine Chapel and Norman Palace take 2–3 hours. Monreale Cathedral and Mondello Beach need half a day each. Allow several full days to see these without rushing.
Albergheria
The Palatine Chapel sits inside the royal palace. It is covered in gold mosaics under a carved wooden ceiling in Arab style. It is the best single example of Palermo's Arab-Norman art. Expect queues and security checks, because the palace is still the seat of the Sicilian regional parliament.
Monreale
This cathedral is in a hill town above Palermo. Its inside walls are almost fully covered in gold mosaics of Bible stories. Add the cloister next door and the view over the plain down to the city. Monreale is a short bus or taxi ride from the centre.
Old town (Corso Vittorio Emanuele)
This large cathedral mixes Norman, Gothic and later styles. The outside is more striking than the plain interior. You can see the royal tombs and the treasury, and you can walk on the roof for views over the old town.
Old town
Quattro Canti is the baroque crossroads at the centre of the old town. A few steps away, Piazza Pretoria has a large fountain full of marble statues. Both are free to see from the street and easy to combine with nearby churches.
Piazza Bellini
These are two small churches side by side. La Martorana has fine Byzantine-style mosaics. San Cataldo is a bare stone church with red domes that shows the city's Arab-Norman past clearly.
Albergheria
Ballarò is a loud, crowded street market selling fish, fruit, vegetables and street food such as arancine and panelle. It is the best place to eat cheaply and see daily life. Go in the morning, because stalls thin out later in the day. Watch your bag in the crowds.
Piazza Verdi
This is Palermo's large opera house, a grand neoclassical building. Guided tours take you through the auditorium and the royal box. Seeing a performance is the best way to experience it.
Cuba
These underground corridors hold many mummified bodies, dressed and displayed along the walls. It is a strange and memorable sight. Skip it if you find human remains upsetting, and think twice before bringing young children.
Kalsa
This late-Gothic palace houses Sicily's main collection of medieval and Renaissance art. Highlights include the Triumph of Death fresco and Antonello da Messina's Annunciation. It is usually quieter than the big churches.
Mondello
Mondello is Palermo's main beach, a sandy bay with clear water below Monte Pellegrino. It is reached by city bus. Avoid summer weekends if you dislike crowds, because much of the sand is taken up by paid beach clubs.
Average weather and our month score, from 10 years of climate data.
| Month | High / low | Rain days | Sunshine | Sea temp | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 14°C / 9°C | 12 days (83 mm) | 8.0 h/day | 16°C | 5.8/10 |
| February | 15°C / 9°C | 9 days (83 mm) | 8.8 h/day | 15°C | 6.6/10 |
| March | 16°C / 10°C | 12 days (94 mm) | 9.9 h/day | 16°C | 6.7/10 |
| April | 19°C / 12°C | 7 days (38 mm) | 10.7 h/day | 17°C | 8.5/10 |
| May | 22°C / 15°C | 8 days (61 mm) | 12.2 h/day | 20°C | 8.4/10 |
| Best month: June | 27°C / 20°C | 4 days (20 mm) | 13.3 h/day | 24°C | 9.5/10 |
| Best month: July | 30°C / 23°C | 2 days (9 mm) | 13.8 h/day | 28°C | 9.7/10 |
| Best month: August | 30°C / 23°C | 5 days (28 mm) | 12.6 h/day | 28°C | 9.3/10 |
| Best month: September | 27°C / 21°C | 10 days (66 mm) | 11.0 h/day | 26°C | 8.6/10 |
| October | 24°C / 17°C | 11 days (97 mm) | 9.4 h/day | 24°C | 7.8/10 |
| November | 20°C / 14°C | 13 days (111 mm) | 8.1 h/day | 21°C | 7.3/10 |
| December | 16°C / 11°C | 10 days (84 mm) | 7.7 h/day | 18°C | 6.9/10 |
Highs of 14.4°C and 11.9 rain days. Rated ok (5.8), the weakest month of the year. Fine for a city break, but the 16.2°C sea is too cool for swimming.
Highs of 15°C and 9.4 rain days. Rated good (6.6). Cool, but drier than January, with 8.8 hours of sun a day.
Highs of 16.4°C, but 12.3 rain days and 94 mm of rain. Rated good (6.7). Pack a rain jacket for sightseeing.
Highs of 18.9°C and only 7.3 rain days. Rated best (8.5), with mild, fairly dry days for walking around the city.
Highs of 22.3°C and 7.9 rain days. Rated best (8.4). The sea reaches 19.5°C, which is still cool for most swimmers.
Highs of 27.1°C and just 3.7 rain days. Rated best (9.5), with 13.3 hours of sun and a 24.2°C sea for swimming.
Highs of 30.4°C and only 2.3 rain days. The top score of the year (9.7). Midday sightseeing is hot, but the sea is 27.5°C.
Highs of 30.4°C and 4.9 rain days. Rated best (9.3). Hot days, warm nights with lows of 23.2°C and the warmest sea at 27.8°C.
Highs of 27.3°C, but rain days rise to 10.3. Still rated best (8.6), and the sea stays warm at 26.2°C.
Highs of 23.7°C and 11.1 rain days. Rated best (7.8), though 97 mm of rain means you should expect some wet days.
Highs of 19.5°C and 13.4 rain days, the wettest month with 111 mm. Rated good (7.3), but bring an umbrella.
Highs of 16.1°C and 10.2 rain days, with the least sun of the year at 7.7 hours a day. Rated good (6.9).
Climate averages 2015–2024 · Best time to visit Italy →
The best areas to base yourself and who each one suits.
Good for couples, culture, slower pace
An old Arab-era quarter near the seafront, with restored palazzi, small galleries and quiet squares. It feels calmer than the streets around Via Maqueda but is still close to the main sights. Some streets are poorly lit and feel empty late at night.
Good for shoppers, families, those wanting modern comforts
A 19th- and early 20th-century district with wide avenues, the Teatro Massimo nearby and the main shopping street, Via Libertà. It is more orderly and practical than the old town, with good transport links. It has less historic character, and the car traffic can be heavy.
Good for nightlife, younger travellers
Narrow lanes around the old Vucciria market fill with bars and street-food stalls after dark. You are close to the port and central sights. Expect late-night noise; light sleepers should choose elsewhere.
Good for budget travellers, food lovers
Built around the Ballarò market, this is one of the most local and lively parts of the old town. It is a short walk to the Palazzo dei Normanni and the cathedral. Buildings can be run-down, and some visitors find it rough around the edges.
Good for beach lovers, summer stays, families
A seaside district north of the city with a sandy beach and a relaxed resort feel. It is a good choice if the beach matters more than sightseeing. It is a bus or car ride from the centre, and in summer it gets very crowded.
Fried rice balls, usually filled with meat ragù or with ham and cheese. In Palermo people call them arancine, not arancini, and eat them as a quick snack from bars and fry shops.
Fritters made from chickpea flour, served inside a soft sesame bun. It is cheap street food, sold from stalls and fry shops, often with potato croquettes called cazzilli.
A bun filled with boiled and then fried veal spleen and lung, served with lemon or with cheese. It is a traditional Palermo street food sold at market stalls. It may not suit everyone.
A thick, soft pizza topped with tomato, onion, anchovies and breadcrumbs. Locals buy it by the slice from bakeries and street sellers.
Pasta with fresh sardines, wild fennel, pine nuts and raisins, topped with toasted breadcrumbs. It is a classic Palermo dish that you will find on the menus of family-run trattorie.
Crisp fried pastry tubes filled with sweet sheep's milk ricotta. Palermo's pastry shops sell them all year, and the best ones are filled just before you eat them.
June to September scores highest, and July is top at 9.7. June to August has the least rain, with 2.3 to 4.9 rain days a month, and sea temperatures from 24.2 to 27.8°C. If you mainly want to walk the old town, April and May are also rated best (8.5 and 8.4). They are cooler, with highs of 18.9 and 22.3°C.
It is hot, but many visitors still enjoy it. Average highs are 30.4°C, and nights stay warm at 23.2°C. The sea is at its warmest, at 27.8°C, so it is a good month for Mondello Beach. Rain is rare, with 4.9 rain days. For long sightseeing walks, go early or late in the day and avoid the afternoon heat.
You can go, but expect rain and cool weather. November is the wettest month, with 111 mm over 13.4 rain days. January scores lowest of the year at 5.8, with highs of 14.4°C and 11.9 rain days. From December to March the sea is 15.3 to 17.8°C, too cold for most swimmers. Winter suits indoor sights like the Palatine Chapel and Palermo Cathedral.
The best months for swimming are June to October. The sea is 24.2°C in June, peaks at 27.8°C in August and is still 23.5°C in October. In May it is only 19.5°C, which many people find cool. Mondello Beach is the main beach near the city. Allow about half a day for a visit.
Plan a long weekend at minimum. Old-town sights such as Palermo Cathedral, Quattro Canti and La Martorana take about 1 to 2 hours each. The Palatine Chapel and Norman Palace needs 2–3 hours. Add half a day each for Monreale Cathedral and Mondello Beach. In rainy months such as November, allow extra time in case bad weather cuts some days short.
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