Discover Palermo: Charm, Culture, and Culinary Delights
If you’re looking for your next city trip destination, consider the Italian city of Palermo. Palermo is also the capital of the Italian island of Sicily. It’s a vibrant city full of history, art, and culture.
If you’re a true foodie, you shouldn’t skip Palermo. The best Italian and Sicilian food can be found here. Yes, Italians themselves believe there is a big difference between the regular Italian cuisine and Sicilian cuisine. You can discover what this difference is during your city trip to Palermo.
With a three-hour flight from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to Falcone Borsellino Airport, you too can be in Palermo. Flights to Palermo are very affordable, but more on that later.
Why choose Palermo for a city trip?
There are many cool European cities you can travel to for a city trip. However, Palermo should be at the top of your list for several reasons.
If you don’t want to travel too far for your city trip but still want to go to a destination with nice weather, then Palermo is a great choice.
With a warm climate, you can enjoy everything the city has to offer in a pleasant way. It’s a city on an island where everyone would quickly feel at home.
The locals are very friendly, and you can enjoy delicious food. Art, culture, and unique architecture can also be found in this Sicilian city.
Do you enjoy visiting old churches, castles, museums? Do you also love engaging in sporty activities like taking a bike tour through the city to discover the top attractions? Then a city trip to Palermo is definitely worth it.
Experience Authentic Sicilian Life Among the Locals in Palermo
Another great advantage is that Palermo is still quite ‘undiscovered.’ As a result, you’ll encounter more local tourists than tourists from outside. This allows you to be fully immersed in the local culture.
You also won’t have to deal with mass tourism, but can enjoy yourself among the local Sicilians who are more than happy to point you to the best restaurants for authentic Sicilian food.
Travel time, flights, accommodation, and other costs for a city trip to Palermo
If you want to start your city trip to Palermo well, it’s important to book your flight in advance.
Travel time and flights to Palermo
At the time of writing, only the airline Easyjet offers a direct flight to Palermo.
You take the flight from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. You fly to Falcone e Borsellino Airport in Palermo.
The direct flight takes just under three hours and will cost between €175 and €295.
Book your return flight at least three months in advance to enjoy the best prices. If you can’t find direct flights, check the ITA Airways website. They offer flights from Amsterdam to Palermo with a short stopover in Milan. Including the stopover, you’ll be traveling for an average of four and a half to five hours.
Accommodation in Palermo
As in many cities, you have a wide choice of accommodations in Palermo. You can choose to stay in a hotel, a hostel, or an Airbnb. What you choose depends on your personal preference and budget.
If you’re a budget traveler and don’t want to spend too much on accommodation during your city trip to Palermo, staying in a hostel is a good idea.
You can also choose to rent a room in an apartment via Airbnb instead of a full apartment.
You will have your own private bedroom but share other facilities. Think of the toilet, shower, and kitchen. You have a major advantage though. You won’t spend more than an average of €30 per night.
If you prefer more privacy and don’t want to share any facilities, book a hotel room via booking.com or a full apartment via Airbnb. If you opt for that, you can stay overnight from an average price of €80 per night.
Special accommodations for a city trip to Palermo
If you’re a fan of special accommodations and love visiting boutique hotels during your city trips, Palermo is the place to be.
Palermo has many unique boutique hotels. You can stay in the most beautiful hotels in traditional Sicilian atmospheres. From renovated palaces to unique wellness centers. Below is a top five of boutique hotels that are definitely worth a stay:
1. Bastione Spasimo Boutique Hotel
2. PALAZZO SANTAMARINA Luxury Suite & Spa
3. Porta di Castro Boutique Hotel
4. Grand Hotel Et Des Palmes
5. Palazzo Arone dei Baroni di Valentino
Food, attractions, and activities
Palermo is not a very expensive city. It is cheaper than in the Netherlands. You will especially notice this when you buy groceries in the supermarket or go out to eat.
There are also many options and stalls on the street where you can eat deliciously and affordably. Palermo is a city where everyone can live according to their budget.
If you want to keep your stay in Palermo budget-friendly, you can do so easily. If you have a large budget and want to enjoy luxury restaurants, this is also an option.
Many attractions are free, museums cost an average of €10, and activities can be found for every budget.
A top activity is taking a guided bike tour through Palermo. You can book this with us and it costs an average of €44 per person.
Visiting attractions by bike in Palermo
Cycling remains one of the most fun ways to discover a new city. You can easily get around by bike and make stops whenever you want.
The Palermo bike tour including the guidance of an experienced guide lasts about three hours. In those three hours, you will visit all the top attractions of Palermo, make a short stop to enjoy delicious local specialties, and experience the city like a true local.
You will cycle past various churches, cathedrals, and old historic buildings. The great thing about cycling with an experienced guide is that, besides the ‘no getting lost guarantee,’ you will also gain a lot of knowledge about the history of this unique Sicilian city. No question will remain unanswered.
Is Palermo a safe city for cycling?
Cycling through Palermo is like cycling through The Hague. There are many bike paths, you cycle on flat streets, but it can be busy on the road. There is a lot of traffic, but no more than an average busy Dutch city.
The city of Palermo is very safe, and you can cycle there just fine. The Baja Bikes tour also takes you to the old town. This area is not accessible by car, making cycling through the city even safer and more enjoyable.
Attractions on the Palermo bike tour
The list below includes some of the top attractions in Palermo that you will visit during the bike tour.
1. Palazzo dei Normanni
2. Cattedrale
3. Teatro Politeama
4. Mercato di Ballarò
5. Quattro Canti
6. Chiesa dello Spasimo
7. Piazza Marina
If you want to see the full list of attractions you will visit, click here.
Fun facts about Palermo
1. The only airport Palermo has, Falcone Borsellino Airport, is named after two judges who were murdered by the Italian Mafia in the 1990s.
2. In the Italian Netflix hit series La Casa de Papel, the alias of actor Martín Berrote was ‘Palermo’, named after the Sicilian capital.
3. The port of Palermo is one of the largest ports in the Mediterranean.
4. The largest Opera House in Italy is located in Palermo.
5. Eating ice cream for breakfast, who wouldn’t want that?
In Palermo, this is quite normal. Just like the locals, have a ‘bread with ice cream.’ The ice cream in this ‘brioche con gelato’ is often filled with a scoop of fruit ice cream or coffee ice cream.