The monuments
All the monuments in Palermo
The landmarks and masterpieces worth planning a day around.
Cattedrale di PalermoPalermo CathedralArab-Norman layers, royal tombs of Frederick II, rooftop walkways, catalan porchPalermo's cathedral is eight centuries of Sicily in one building: Norman walls, Arab inscriptions, a Catalan porch and a Baroque dome. Frederick II rests inside in porphyry, and the rooftop walk surveys the whole pink-domed city.Plan the visit
TheatreTeatro MassimoItaly's largest opera house, perfect acoustics, Godfather III finale, grand staircaseItaly's largest opera house crowned Palermo's belle epoque confidence in 1897, its dome engineered for acoustics praised ever since. Cinema fixed its staircase in memory with the final scenes of The Godfather Part III.
Cappella PalatinaPalatine ChapelGolden Byzantine mosaics, muqarnas wooden ceiling, Norman royal chapel, three cultures in one roomRoger II's palace chapel sets Byzantine gold mosaics under an Arab muqarnas ceiling on a Latin plan, three civilizations agreeing perfectly in one room. The Christ Pantocrator in the apse presides over the finest interior of Norman Sicily.
SquareQuattro CantiBaroque octagonal crossroads, four facades of kings and saints, theatre of the sun, crossroads of old PalermoWhere Palermo's two main streets cross, four identical Baroque facades stack fountains, kings and patron saints into an octagonal room of city. Locals call it the Theatre of the Sun, since one facade is always lit.
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Tours worth booking in Palermo
Compared by our editors, across providers.
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- 3h
- 5.0★ · 2 reviews
from €380Book this tour- 3h
- 4.9★ · 394 reviews
from €50Book this tour- 3h 30m
- 5.0★ · 43 reviews
from €35Book this tourViator
Unesco Sicily Tour
- 96h
- 5.0★ · 1 reviews
from €1,757Book this tour- 3h
- 5.0★ · 15 reviews
from €145Book this tour- 3h
- 5.0★ · 7 reviews
from €149Book this tour
More nearby
More within reach
Monuments a day trip away, elsewhere in Sicily.
CataniaUNESCOMount EtnaEurope's tallest active volcano, summit craters, lava-built slopes, Etna wine country
StromboliUNESCOStromboliLighthouse of the Mediterranean, constant eruptions, Sciara del Fuoco, night boat watching
ModicaModicaTwo-level Baroque town, San Giorgio's staircase, Aztec-method chocolate, gorge-side stacking
EriceEriceMountaintop medieval triangle, Venus Castle, cloud-wrapped lanes, Genovese pastries
LipariLipariAeolian main island, citadel acropolis, obsidian and pumice coasts, archaeological museum
Piazza ArmerinaUNESCOVilla Romana del Casale3500 square meters of Roman mosaic, bikini girls, Great Hunt corridor, mudslide preservation
CastelvetranoSelinunteVast Greek temple ruins, Temple E by the sea, acropolis over the dunes, one of Europe's largest archaeological parks
AgrigentoValley of the TemplesTemple of Concordia, ridge of Doric temples, almond blossom season, Greek Akragas