In Palermo, Norman mosaics, baroque squares and catacombs full of mummies all fit into one walk around the old town. This part of my Palermo guide covers what to see: a cathedral, a palace, Norman churches, the catacombs, squares, an opera house, a convent and a museum. The core is my list of saved places; San Giovanni degli Eremiti, Quattro Canti, Teatro Massimo, Santa Caterina and Palazzo Abatellis I added from travel guides, 34travel first of all. The descriptions are put together from Google Maps reviews, and for the two squares with no reviews, from Google's own description. I'll add my own notes after the trip.
Ticket prices are from Google Maps reviews, hours from Google; valid as of 7 October 2026. Rate: 1 € ≈ $1.12.
In short
- If you only have time for one: Palazzo dei Normanni and the Palatine Chapel. Come at opening time, before the queue builds.
- Free: the main hall of Palermo Cathedral; only the crypt, roof and treasury are paid.
- Mosaics in a few minutes: La Martorana next to Piazza Pretoria, ticket about 2.50 €.
- Not for the squeamish: Catacombe dei Cappuccini, with about 8,000 mummies; in the daytime they open in two sessions.
- Opera: Teatro Massimo, a 40-minute tour for about 14 €, performances in the evening.
- A rest in the shade: Piazza Marina in Kalsa, a garden of huge old trees.
Norman Palermo
Cattedrale di Palermo
By the Cathedral · 12th-century cathedral · main hall free · Mon–Sat 7:00–19:00, Sun 8:00–19:00
Google Maps · website · Via Vittorio Emanuele, 490
According to Google Maps reviews (4.7 from 52,000+): a cathedral built from the 12th century onwards, with a mix of styles, four bell towers and royal tombs. The main hall is free; the crypt, the roof with its city view and other areas need one of several paid tickets, with discounts for seniors. Some find the interior plainer than the facade. Cover shoulders and knees, and expect it to be hot and humid inside.
Palazzo dei Normanni
By the Cathedral · palace & Palatine Chapel · ticket about 19 € (≈$21) · Mon–Sat 8:30–16:30, Sun 8:30–12:30
Google Maps · website · Piazza del Parlamento, 1
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 28,000+): a royal palace begun in the 9th century, home to the UNESCO-listed Palatine Chapel, where the golden mosaics are the highlight. The ticket covers the royal rooms, an archaeology section in the cellars, temporary exhibitions and a small garden. Come at opening time: the chapel queue can get very long, and parts of it are sometimes closed for restoration. It costs more than the city's other palaces, but most think it's worth it.
San Giovanni degli Eremiti
Albergheria · Arab-Norman church & garden · ticket about 8 € (≈$9) · Mon–Sat 9:00–18:30, Sun 9:00–13:00
Google Maps · Via dei Benedettini, 16
According to Google Maps reviews (4.2 from 2,200+): a former church with red Arab-Norman domes and a garden with the ruins of a cloister. For some it's a quiet oasis and their favourite place in Palermo, with the domes rising out of the greenery making great photos; others find 8 € steep, as there's little inside and the garden is small. The entrance is easy to miss: walk past the domes to a gap in the fence.
Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio (La Martorana)
Piazza Bellini · Norman church with mosaics · ticket about 2.50 € (≈$3) · daily 10:00–18:30
Google Maps · website · Piazza Bellini, 3
According to Google Maps reviews (4.7 from 5,500+): a small Norman church, remodelled in baroque style, famous for its Byzantine mosaics, and easy to walk past from the street. It's quiet inside, and the walls stun even people who didn't expect much. A few minutes is enough; one visitor felt it was too small for the ticket price. It stands on the square next to Piazza Pretoria.
Catacombe dei Cappuccini di Palermo
Cappuccini · catacombs with mummies · ticket about 5 € (≈$6) · daily 9:00–17:10
Google Maps · website · Piazza Cappuccini, 1
According to Google Maps reviews (4.3 from 16,000+): the vaults of the Capuchin monastery, holding some 8,000 dressed mummies and skeletons from the 16th century to 1920. Fascinating and creepy at once; you'll see it all in about 30 minutes. No photos allowed, but postcards and a booklet are on sale. Not for small children or squeamish companions. Expect a queue, and note that it runs a morning and an afternoon session.
Squares
Quattro Canti
Centro storico · Baroque crossroads · free · always open
Google Maps · website · Piazza Vigliena
According to Google Maps reviews (4.7 from 31,000+): an octagonal square where Via Maqueda crosses Via Vittorio Emanuele, with four Baroque façades of fountains and statues, each telling a different story. By day it's full of tourists and street musicians, sometimes opera singers; before 8 am it's nearly empty. The street is mostly pedestrian, but motorbikes and cars still come through, so watch out.
Piazza Pretoria
Centro storico · square with a fountain · free · always open
Google Maps · Piazza Pretoria
The square has no Google reviews, only a description: one of the city's landmark squares, with a Renaissance town hall, palazzi, a 16th-century church and the famous Fontana Pretoria. Quattro Canti and La Martorana are right next to it, so you can take them all in on one walk.
Piazza Marina
Kalsa · square with a garden · free · always open
Google Maps · Piazza Marina
No Google reviews here either, only a description: a historic square in the Kalsa with a garden of giant old trees and walkways in the middle. A good place to rest in the shade between walks around the old town.
A theatre, a convent and a museum
Teatro Massimo
Via Maqueda · opera house · tour about 14 € (≈$16) · tours daily 9:30–15:30
Google Maps · website · Piazza Verdi
According to Google Maps reviews (4.7 from 57,000+): Italy's largest opera house (1,387 seats), built between 1875 and 1897. It's impressive from the outside alone, with its monumental staircase and columns, but the 40-minute tour is worth taking: the auditorium, the boxes and a round echo room, with guides switching between two languages. In the evening you can catch a performance. 34travel recommends it too (guide).
Chiesa e Monastero di Santa Caterina d'Alessandria
Piazza Bellini · Baroque church & convent · courtyard free, full ticket about 8 € (≈$9) · daily 10:00–17:15
Google Maps · website · Piazza Bellini, 1
According to Google Maps reviews (4.7 from 2,200+): a Dominican convent founded in 1310, with a lavish Baroque church from the late 16th century. The courtyard is free, and the full ticket opens the church, the nuns' quarters, the cloister and the rooftop terrace; allow a couple of hours. Inside is the convent's cannoli shop (it's in the street food and sweets guide), with a queue of its own. 34travel recommends it too (guide).
Palazzo Abatellis
Kalsa · art museum · ticket about 10 € (≈$11), free on the first Sunday of the month · Tue–Sat 9:00–18:30, Sun 9:00–13:00, closed Mon
Google Maps · website · Via Alloro, 4
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 2,800+): a 15th-century Catalan Gothic palace housing Sicily's regional gallery, in a layout by the architect Carlo Scarpa. The two masterpieces are Antonello da Messina's Annunciata and the huge Triumph of Death fresco. The collection is small and quiet, and you may be the only visitor; some found it modest for the island's main gallery.
One last thing
Give the morning to Palazzo dei Normanni and the cathedral: they stand side by side, and the queues are shorter at opening time. On Sundays Palazzo dei Normanni closes at 12:30. Piazza Pretoria, Quattro Canti, La Martorana and Santa Caterina are a couple of minutes apart, so walk them together. Palazzo Abatellis is closed on Mondays.
More on Palermo: where to eat and drink, street food and sweets, shopping and vintage.