What to see and eat in Palermo

Last Updated on July 13, 2025

How to experience Palermo in two days

Before visiting Palermo, I’d read it was a city people either love or loathe. I fell firmly into the former camp. It’s a bustling, gritty place—graffitied walls, billboards bearing anti-mafia messages, and powerful murals commemorating those killed by the mafia are scattered throughout the city.

Palermo also boasts natural beauty, situated between the sea and the mountains, with magnificent Baroque architecture, mosaics unlike any I’ve seen in Sicily, a plethora of museums, vibrant street life, and, of course, excellent food. With only two days in the city, you will need to pack in a fair amount. Here are my top five picks for churches and museums to visit, along with some great places to eat.

Five Places to See in Palermo

Sicily is renowned for its unique architectural style, Sicilian Baroque, and Palermo has many outstanding examples.  I love churches as well as Baroque architecture, and the combination in Palermo is thrilling. I also spend much of my travel time in art museums, so here are my favourites from my short visit to the city. Needless to say, I could not even scratch the surface of the riches of Palermo in two days. A return visit is necessary.

1. Giacomo Serpotta’s three oratorios

As it is possible to visit all three in one morning or afternoon, I am counting them as one item. One of Palermo’s most famous artists, Giacomo Serpotta, was a master of plasterwork, known as stucco, which was very popular during the Baroque period. He has decorated three magnificent oratorios, which are within walking distance of each other.

Oratorio di San Lorenzo celebrates the life of St Francis with a very gruesome Serpotta depiction of the martyrdom of Saint Lawrence. Oratorio del Rosario di San Domenico has life-size sculptures of the Virtues. One whole wall of the Oratorio del Rosario di Santa Zita is a depiction of the Battle of Lepanto. The other walls are a riot of stucco work – allegorical figures and biblical scenes abound.

Note the seasonal opening hours on the websites.

2. Capella Palatina

Capella Palatina was the private chapel of Roger II, located within the Palazzi dei Normanni, occupied by the Normans who held court here in medieval times. You can avoid the long ticket queue by buying one online. Your entrance ticket gives you access to the chapel, after which you can spend some time exploring the palace itself. The chapel is the mosaic jewel in the crown of Palermo and is not to be missed.

Capella Palatina and Palazzi dei Normanni, Piazza del Parlamento, Palermo. Mon-Sat 8.30 -4.30, Sun 8.30 – 12.30.

3. Palazzo Butera

Many of Palermo’s 18th-century palazzi were badly damaged, some destroyed, during the Allied bombing in February 1943. It has taken decades for some of these to be restored, and many now house art collections. Palazzo Butera is a must for those who enjoy contemporary art. The palazzo has undergone an outstanding renovation since 2016 and has been brought back to life. It opened to the public in 2021, and visitors can view the extensive private art collection of Milanese owners, Francesca and Massimo Valsecchi. There are Old Masters, objets d’art, and a wide array of contemporary artists.

The museum provides a detailed guidebook, which helps locate the artworks and gain a deeper understanding of the remarkable architectural restoration work that the building has undergone. Considered one of the finest private art collections in Europe, the works are distributed across thirty rooms. It was thrilling to see the juxtaposition of large Gilbert and George works hanging alongside period furniture in an 18th-century palazzo.

A large terrace with traditional green and white tiles, overlooking the sea, is ablaze with bougainvillaea and a mass of white flowers that cascade down from the pergolas positioned along its 100m length. There is also a café. Conveniently, Palazzo Butera is open until 8 pm, so one can fit in a visit after most other museums have closed.

Palazzo Butera, Via Butera 18, Palermo. Closed Mondays. 10 am-8 pm

4. Museo delle Maioliche Stanze Al Genio

This small museum is not to be missed if you are interested in Sicilian tiles that date back to the 15^th century. It is located in the private apartment of the collector, occupying a floor of a 16^th-century palazzo. A 15-minute tour of the 5000 tiles, spread across eight rooms, provides the perfect introduction to this most intriguing place. The owner began collecting at age 11 and has amassed not only an exquisite array of majolica tiles from Sicily and Campania but also quirky collections of tins, packaging, stationery, old toys, and Sicilian ceramic moulds. Visitors walk through the tiled kitchen and living areas, which are a delight.  

Museo delle Maioliche Stanza Al Genio, Via Garibaldi 11, Palermo. Closed Mondays. Tues-Fri 4 – 6.30pm; Sat and Sun 10am – 12.30pm.

5. Monreale Cathedral

Although Monreale Cathedral is a short ride from Palermo, it is so magnificent that I would argue that it is an essential visit for those spending time in Palermo. We took an Uber up to Monreale as we were short on time, but there is a direct bus from Palermo if you prefer. Monreale is located in the mountains 8km from Palermo and sports panoramic views down over the city and the bay beyond.

The cathedral is an outstanding example of Sicilian-Norman architecture. The exquisite medieval mosaics are world-famous and well worth the journey. There is a tower to climb, which takes one up to a walkway at roof level. The vistas are fabulous, and one has an excellent view over the medieval cloister alongside the cathedral. There is an extra charge if you wish to visit the cloister. There are numerous restaurants dotted about Monreale – we ate a lovely lunch of local dishes to sustain our energy.

Duomo di Monreale – see the website for seasonal opening hours.

5 places to eat in Palermo

You could spend months eating your way around the city, but if you only have a couple of days, it is useful to have some places up your sleeve.

1. Bisso Bistrot

Bisso Bistrot is located in the heart of the historic city of Palermo, at the Quattro Canti (four corners). This is a small square, created by the crossroads of two major intersecting streets, with each of the four corners sporting a Baroque edifice. Whenever we walked through this square, there was entertainment on the go. In the evenings, local singers had the crowd enthralled. The restaurant is in an old bookshop called Libreria Dante, so don’t be confused by the name that remains on the outside. Although booking is recommended for this popular eatery, we took a chance to arrive spontaneously and were seated within a few minutes.

I ate the best version of panelle that I tasted over my two days in Palermo. This is a quintessential street food of the city. A deep-fried chickpea flour fritter that is usually served in a sesame bun at street stalls. Here they were served without the bun. They were beautifully fried and as light as air. We also enjoyed a local cheese, baked with honey – caciocarvallo di Argentiera (named after the silversmith’s district in which it was developed). One might not expect to eat a fish couscous in Sicily, but Palermo is not far from Trapani, where couscous is very popular and harks back to the Arab rule of the island in the 10^th and 11^th centuries.   Bisso Bistrot is a relaxed restaurant with a great vibe and good food.

Bisso Bistrot Via Maqueda, 172A Palermo

2. Lumia Restaurant

Lumia Restaurant is a far more formal eatery located inside the Hotel Casa Nostra. Once again, we had no booking, but were able to get a table indoors. If you prefer to sit on the lovely outdoor terrace around the pool, you will need to reserve ahead. As it was a particularly windy evening when we visited, I was happy to sit inside the minimalist, chic interior.

The menu was short but enticing. A delicious melanzane canapé introduced us to the gourmet standard of cooking. A tasty tuna tataki and a dish of potato gnocchi with razor clams were good too. Lumio Restaurant is well located after a visit to the opera at Teatro Massimo. We were in the mood for a bit of upmarket dining after a rousing performance of Salomé.

Lumia Restaurant, Via Sant’Agostino, 136, Palermo

3. Mercato Ballarò

Palermo is famous for its street food, and I was blown away by the variety on offer at the Ballarò market. We visited on a Saturday morning shortly after breakfast, just as the day’s dishes were being laid out. I would advise having a very small breakfast and then coming on here to eat, or to time your visit for lunch – the market closes at 2 pm.

 Many of the stallholders offered samples, so we were able to taste several dishes as we walked up through the crowded market. I was impressed by the quality of the fish and shellfish, and only wished that I were self-catering. Even if you are not up for the challenge of eating some of the local delicacies, like sheep intestines, you can enjoy the theatre of watching the intestines being wrapped around large spring onions and placed on the braziers for grilling.

Mercato Ballarò, Via Chiappara Al Carmine. Open daily 8am – 2pm

4. Cappadonia

Sicily is synonymous with granita and gelato. In Sicily, it easily became a daily habit. In the summer heat, it is a perfect way to cool off slightly. Throughout my four-week trip, I was on the lookout for gelsi granita – made from black mulberries – but they were not yet in season until I visited Palermo at the end of the trip. There I found a delicious gelsi granita at a street stall. Handing me the plastic cupful, the stallholder mimed my throwing away my shirt if I spilt any of this deep purple delicacy on myself. As far as gelato is concerned, we were advised to try Cappadonia. There are three branches in Palermo, and we visited twice in as many days.

Cappadonia

5. La Galleria

Arriving without a reservation, we had quite a long wait at the popular osteria, La Galleria. Walls were lined with wine bottles, and watching the sommelier retrieve ceiling-level bottles with a telescopic pole was entertainment indeed. A most atmospheric space indoors and with plenty of outdoor seating too, La Galleria serves good quality, traditional Sicilian dishes. Swordfish caponata, pasta alla scoglio (seafood), and pasta with tuna ragout are ubiquitous dishes in Sicily, and they were well executed.

Reserve ahead to avoid a wait or being turned away.

La Galleria, Salita Ramirez, 2-4, Palermo

Looking for more about Palermo? Check out our feature on La Bella Palermo, a very special apartment and a living museum.