Sights
Palazzo dei Normanni and Palatine Chapel
The royal palace of Sicily's Norman kings, now the regional parliament. Its 12th-century chapel is covered in golden mosaics under a carved wooden ceiling.
- The cruise terminal is inside the port on Molo Vittorio Veneto; the old centre is walkable but allow 20–25 minutes each way to Quattro Canti.
- The Palatine Chapel is open daily but only until 12:30 on Sundays and holidays, and the royal apartments of the Palazzo dei Normanni cannot be visited on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
- The Martorana church opens Monday to Saturday mornings only; on Sundays it is used for mass.
- Monreale Cathedral closes over lunch on weekdays and on Sundays opens to visitors only in the afternoon.
Where ships dock
Ready-made days
4hours
Quattro Canti → Fontana Pretoria → La Martorana (Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio) → Palermo Cathedral
6hoursQuattro Canti → Fontana Pretoria → La Martorana (Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio) → Palermo Cathedral → Palazzo dei Normanni and Palatine Chapel → Ballarò market
8hoursMonreale Cathedral and cloister → Quattro Canti → Fontana Pretoria → La Martorana (Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio) → Palermo Cathedral → Palazzo dei Normanni and Palatine Chapel
Add your ship's times above to see what fits in your time ashore.
Sights
San Giovanni degli Eremiti
A former monastery church known for its pink domes and a quiet cloister garden, a few minutes from the royal palace.
Sights
Teatro Massimo
One of Europe's largest opera houses. Guided tours run through the day and show the auditorium, the royal box and the grand foyers.
Sights
Capuchin Catacombs
Corridors lined with the preserved and clothed remains of past Palermo residents. Unusual and moving, but not for everyone. A short taxi ride west of the centre.
Sights
Quattro Canti
The baroque crossroads at the heart of the old city, where four curved façades with fountains and statues mark the meeting of the two main streets.
Sights
Fontana Pretoria
A large Renaissance fountain ringed with marble figures, a minute from Quattro Canti in front of the city hall.
SightsClosed Sundays
La Martorana (Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio)
A small church with some of the finest Byzantine-style mosaics in Sicily, on Piazza Bellini beside the red domes of San Cataldo.
Practical
Tourist Information Centre (Piazza Bellini)
The city's main tourist information centre on the corner of Via Maqueda, open every day, for maps and opening times.
Sights
Palermo Cathedral
A vast cathedral that layers Norman, Gothic and baroque styles. The church itself is free; a ticket adds the royal tombs, crypt, treasury and the rooftop walk.
Food & drink
Ballarò market
Palermo's oldest and liveliest street market, with fruit, fish and stalls frying street snacks. Best in the morning; it is quieter on Sundays.
Beaches & parks
Botanical Garden (Orto Botanico)
A shady university garden of giant fig trees, palms and tropical plants, near the seafront at the eastern edge of the old town.
Beaches & parks
Mondello beach
Palermo's sandy seaside village in a bay between two headlands, with clear water, beach clubs and seafood cafés.
Boat & day trips
Monreale Cathedral and cloister
A hilltop cathedral covered inside with golden mosaics, with a beautiful cloister of carved twin columns next door and wide views over Palermo.
Map
Your ship's times
Type your ship's arrival and departure times at the top of this page and everything here is marked for your day. Your times are on your cruise documents or in the cruise line's app.
Palermo publishes its cruise calendar: see the port's schedule ↗
Sources we checked on 2026-10-21: adsppalermo.it turismo.comune.palermo.it turismo.comune.palermo.it openstreetmap.org