Palermo attractions

On summer weekends, and well into autumn, it can feel like all of Palermo whips out their beach bags and tanning lotions and descends onto Mondello Beach (Spiaggia di Mondello), a crescent of white sand at the northern tip of town. With beautiful waters protected by natural cliffs and the Capo di Gallo Nature Reserve, Mondello Beach is among the best urban beaches in Italy.

This UNESCO-listed palace is one of Palermo’s many fine examples of Norman architecture dating from the 12th-century Moorish reign over Sicily. Though the interior has long been stripped of its original decoration, architecture buffs will enjoy seeing the unique Arab influence on the style of this former royal hunting retreat.

Located in Palermo’s historic Kalsa Quarter, the Mirto Palace House Museum, known locally as Palazzo Mirto, is one of the city’s only intact noble palaces that is open to the public. The lavish interiors are a time capsule of Sicilian aristocratic life in the 18th and 19th centuries, decorated with furniture and art originally owned by the palace’s Lanza Filangieri family.

The dramatic mountain peaks towering over Palermo along the northwestern coast of Sicily are the first thing that strikes visitors arriving at the city’s Palermo Cruise Port (Terminal Crociere di Palermo)—but there’s more to this destination than spectacular views. Famous for its cuisine, ceramics, and architecture, historic and happening Palermo is a highlight of any Mediterranean cruise.

The 14th-century Chiaramonte-Steri Palace was used as a prison in the Inquisition, and today is home to a museum dedicated to this dark chapter of Sicilian history. Visit the graffiti-covered cells on the lower floors before heading upstairs to take in the art gallery and views over the city to the sea.

A heartbeat away from the clamor of Palermo, this cliff-edged reserve has enough hilly hiking trails and sea views to make you forget all about the urban area nearby—ideal for mornings or afternoons spent in nature. Hit the trails to encounter small beaches, caves (closed to the public), and Sicilian flora and fauna (especially birds) typical of the central Mediterranean.

The 16th-century Branciforte Palace (Palazzo Branciforte) underwent a dramatic 21st-century makeover courtesy of Italian architect and designer Gae Aulenti, and today the former aristocratic residence is home to one of Palermo’s premier cultural centers and museums.

Named after pilgrims (“pilgrim mountain”), this sizeable hill in the northern reaches of Palermo is home to the acchianata (“the climb” in local dialect), a winding pilgrimage route up stone-paved switchbacks to the neo-Gothic Utveggio Castle and Sanctuary of Santa Rosalia, a church half-hewn into rock, dedicated to the city’s patron saint. Around the mountain lies a protected nature reserve.