Palermo Trip Overview
Discover the historical monuments of Palermo and Monreale on a private day tour. The Italian-English bilingual driver will take you around to see the most beautiful places, including the Cathedral of Palermo, the Royal Palace, the Palatine Chapel, the Piazza dei Quattro Canti, Piazza Pretoria, the historic Ballaró Market and others historical buildings.
Visit Monte Pellegrino to get to know the incredible cave of the Sanctuary of Santa Rosalia, the patron saint of the city of Palermo, from where you can enjoy a breathtaking view over the whole city. This sacred mountain was celebrated by many illustrious travelers, who over the centuries have passed through Palermo, including Goethe who defined it as “the most beautiful promontory in the world”.
Admire the well-known seaside resort of Mondello, one of the most beautiful, famous and renowned tourist and seaside resorts of Sicily.
The tour can be customized according to your interests.
Additional Info
Duration: 8 hours
Starts: Palermo, Italy
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Palermo Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Palermo, Province of Palermo, Italy
Discover the historical monuments of Palermo and Monreale on a private day tour. The Italian-English bilingual driver will take you around to see the most beautiful places, including the Cathedral of Palermo, the Royal Palace, the Palatine Chapel, the Piazza dei Quattro Canti, Piazza Pretoria, the historic Ballaró Market and others historical buildings.
Visit Monte Pellegrino to get to know the incredible cave of the Sanctuary of Santa Rosalia, the patron saint of the city of Palermo, from where you can enjoy a breathtaking view over the whole city. This sacred mountain was celebrated by many illustrious travelers, who over the centuries have passed through Palermo, including Goethe who defined it as “the most beautiful promontory in the world”.
Admire the well-known seaside resort of Mondello, one of the most beautiful, famous and renowned tourist and seaside resorts of Sicily.
The tour can be customized according to your interests.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Norman Palace, Piazza Indipendenza 1, 90129, Palermo, Sicily Italy
We will pass through the Royal Palace, through Porta Nuova and Villa Bonanno. Among the most visited buildings in all of Sicily, the Palazzo dei Normanni in Palermo is the oldest royal residence in Europe, today the seat of the Sicilian Regional Assembly. Inside there are several courtyards, including the Cortile Maqueda, and the Cortile della Fontana. From the patio you enter the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, while on the first level there is the Palatine Chapel. Many works of art contained in the Palace, with masterpieces of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries by Francesco Lojacono, Antonino Leto, Joan Mirò and Renato Guttuso.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Stop At: Cattedrale di Monreale, Piazza Guglielmo II, 1, 90046 Monreale PA, Italy
You will be dropped off by your driver in Piazza Guglielmo II. Here you can visit the beautiful cathedral of Monreale. It has been included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and is considered one of the most important medieval churches in the world.
The mosaics of the cathedral are something simply unique and perfect. An area of over 6,000 square meters and over 130 Byzantine mosaics that adorn the church. You can also access, for a fee, to different areas of the cathedral, such as the terraces.
Adjacent to the cathedral is the monastery of San Benedetto.
The cloister of the monastery has a Romanesque square plan, characterized by more than 90 columns decorated with mosaics and Romanesque capitals. At the center of the cloister there is a garden, with a palm-shaped fountain from whose leaves the water flows.
Also near the cathedral is the interesting Diocesan Museum, where collections of paintings, sacred vestments and liturgical objects are housed, as well as a beautiful cycle of 1700 frescoes.
From Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II you can see the Duomo, while you can calmly admire the garden with the famous marble fountain called Fontana del Tritone.
Another place that is impossible to resist is the Belvedere, located a few steps from the Palazzo del Municipio. From the Belvedere you can look out over the Conca d’Oro and let yourself be conquered by the Palermo hills.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Stop At: Catacombe dei Cappuccini, Piazza Cappuccini, 1, 90129 Palermo PA, Italy
Originally born to house the burial of the monks of the convent. It has an area of 300 square meters, with long communicating tunnels carved into the tuff, in the Gothic style, and tombstones also in the floor. This represents the largest collection of mummies in the world.
OPTIONAL STOP.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Cattedrale di Palermo, Via Vittorio Emanuele, 90134 Palermo PA, Italy
Palermo Cathedral, the most characteristic building in the city.
Its construction dates back to 1184 by the will of Archbishop Gualtiero Offamilio, in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary Assumed into heaven. Since July 3, 2015 it is part of the World Heritage Site (Unesco). The main entrance of the Cathedral is free, but if you want to visit the monumental area and the roofs of the Cathedral of Palermo, from which you can appreciate a wonderful and suggestive view of the city, you have to pay a ticket.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Mercato del Capo, Via Cappuccinelle, ., 90138 Palermo PA, Italy
The Capo Market in Palermo is still located in the upper part of the ancient Arab quarter of Schiavoni, pirates and slave traders. A very popular neighborhood, it was formed in the Muslim age and is nestled between baroque churches and iconic street food.
The main entrance to the market is given by the fourteenth-century Porta Carini.
A narrow street widens and narrows between the stalls that project from the outside, people make it impractical because it stops to observe, taste and buy.
It is also the perfect place to find culinary souvenirs, typical vacuum-packed products such as dried tomatoes, capers, spices and anchovies in oil, sardines in salt. It is also considered the fish market par excellence.
Bright colors and inebriating perfumes mix with typical specialties and the voices of the merchants, the “abbanniate” inviting to buy their goods.
This is why the market is a place not to be missed.
STOP ON REQUEST
Duration: 30 minutes
Pass By: Via Roma, Palermo PA, Italy
From the Capo Market we go down to Piazza Verdi in front of the Massimo Theater. Follow Via Roma which cuts Piazza San Domenico where the church of the same name is located.
Over the years many buildings have been built on the sides of the street, including the headquarters of some banks, the Palazzo delle Poste, the Biondo theater, the Palazzo del Banco di Sicilia and other numerous buildings built in the Eclectic or Liberty style. At the intersection with Corso Vittorio Emanuele we go up to reach the Quattro Canti.
Stop At: Piazza Quattro Canti, Via Vittorio Emanuele, 80146 Palermo PA, Italy
You will be left in Piazza Pretoria, where you will visit the main churches, including the La Martorana church, San Cataldo church, San Giuseppe dei Teatini church, the Fontana della Vergogna and the four corners. Continue with the Chiesa del Gesù (Casa Professa), one of the most important Baroque churches in Palermo, towards the historic market of Ballarò.
With over 1000 years of history, the market is one of the oldest testimonies still existing in Palermo. It rises in the hugely popular district of Albergheria and over the years has been able to develop, while always maintaining its unmistakable style.
Among the stalls and shops of the Ballarò you can buy meat, fresh fish, fruit and vegetables, coming directly from the Palermo countryside, and also cheeses, typical products, sweets.
In addition to the classic stalls, there are many places where you can sit and eat typical dishes with very affordable prices.
Ballarò is also famous for many prestigious monuments that are located inside, such as the Tower of S. Nicolò which allows you to have a 360 ° panoramic view of Palermo, the Church of Carmine Maggiore and the Chamber of Wonders.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Stop At: Mount Pellegrino, 90149 Palermo, PA, Italy
Visit Monte Pellegrino to get to know the incredible cave of the Sanctuary of Santa Rosalia, the patron saint of the city of Palermo, from where you can enjoy a breathtaking view over the whole city.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Mondello, Palermo, PA, Italy
The Gulf of Mondello is one of the most extraordinary places on the island, at the foot of Monte Pellegrino. Mondello’s atmosphere seems almost tropical thanks to its colors. Full of services, restaurants, small shops, nautical clubs and a small port.
This area is full of villas, all in Liberty style.
Duration: 1 hour
