• Discover Palermo in an authentic way, like a true local, with a unique experience that will take you to explore its historic markets, savor Sicilian street food, and experience the city like a resident who gets around by public transport. During your 7-night stay, you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in Palermo’s thousand-year history, rich in UNESCO World Heritage monuments.

• The Ape tour through the historic markets: Begin your adventure with a fascinating tour aboard an Ape calessino, which will take you through the city’s most famous historic markets, such as Ballarò, Vucciria, and Capo. Here, among stalls full of colors and aromas, you can experience the lively and authentic atmosphere of Palermo as it once was. You will discover anecdotes and curiosities about Sicilian culinary tradition while tasting some typical dishes such as panelle, arancine, and sfincione.

• Sicilian street food: There is nothing more Sicilian than street food, and during your stay, you will have the chance to savor it in every corner of the city. In addition to the markets, you will discover the best “tavole calde” and kiosks offering the most iconic dishes, all prepared with fresh, local ingredients. Don’t miss the chance to taste cannoli and cassata, traditional sweets that are the heart of Palermo’s pastry tradition.

• A stay to discover: The 7-night stay will allow you to explore the city at a relaxed pace and with curiosity. You will also have time to get lost among the historic alleys, visit majestic palaces and churches, or simply stroll along the sea to enjoy the beauty of the city. There will be plenty of opportunities to visit the Teatro Massimo, Palermo Cathedral, the Palatine Chapel, and the Norman Palace: extraordinary examples of art and architecture that tell the rich history of the city.

• Your journey to Palermo: End your days with a walk through the historic center, letting yourself be enchanted by the life that flows through lively squares, characteristic shops, and hidden corners. A trip that is not just an opportunity to see, but to truly experience Palermo, feeling part of a thousand-year-old tradition that is still alive today.

• Discover Palermo in an authentic way, like a true local, with a unique experience that will take you to explore its historic markets, savor Sicilian street food, and experience the city like a resident who gets around by public transport. During your 7-night stay, you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in Palermo’s thousand-year history, rich in UNESCO World Heritage monuments.

• The Ape tour through the historic markets: Begin your adventure with a fascinating tour aboard an Ape calessino, which will take you through the city’s most famous historic markets, such as Ballarò, Vucciria, and Capo. Here, among stalls full of colors and aromas, you can experience the lively and authentic atmosphere of Palermo as it once was. You will discover anecdotes and curiosities about Sicilian culinary tradition while tasting some typical dishes such as panelle, arancine, and sfincione.

• Sicilian street food: There is nothing more Sicilian than street food, and during your stay, you will have the chance to savor it in every corner of the city. In addition to the markets, you will discover the best “tavole calde” and kiosks offering the most iconic dishes, all prepared with fresh, local ingredients. Don’t miss the chance to taste cannoli and cassata, traditional sweets that are the heart of Palermo’s pastry tradition.

• A stay to discover: The 7-night stay will allow you to explore the city at a relaxed pace and with curiosity. You will also have time to get lost among the historic alleys, visit majestic palaces and churches, or simply stroll along the sea to enjoy the beauty of the city. There will be plenty of opportunities to visit the Teatro Massimo, Palermo Cathedral, the Palatine Chapel, and the Norman Palace: extraordinary examples of art and architecture that tell the rich history of the city.

• Your journey to Palermo: End your days with a walk through the historic center, letting yourself be enchanted by the life that flows through lively squares, characteristic shops, and hidden corners. A trip that is not just an opportunity to see, but to truly experience Palermo, feeling part of a thousand-year-old tradition that is still alive today.

Day 1: ARRIVAL IN PALERMO

• Arrival in Palermo. The rest of the day is free for individual activities or shopping in this area. During the day you will have the opportunity to taste Sicilian street food in authentic places, such as ARANCINE, BREAD AND PANELLE, LO SFINCIONE (Sicilian pizza), SICILIAN CASSATA, CANNOLI. Overnight at the hotel.

DAY 2: PALERMO UNESCO WALKING TOUR ITINERARY

• Breakfast at the hotel.

• Suggested excursion: Walking tour of Palermo city center. The city was dominated by the Arabs from the 9th to the 11th century. In the 11th and 12th centuries they were replaced by the Normans; from the union of these two peoples came the Arab-Norman architectural style, which is found only in Sicily. In 2017 some of these monuments were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. From the hotel, you can walk to the Cathedral (inside are the tombs of Emperor Frederick II and some Norman kings). You can also enjoy the splendid view of the cathedral from the balconies of Palazzo Asmundo, an 18th-century aristocratic palace, a “museum of itself.” Continue (through a palm garden) to the Royal Palace (also called Palazzo dei Normanni), seat of the Sicilian kings and viceroys from the 11th to the 19th century; here you will admire some rooms in different styles and the Palatine Chapel, with its multicolored marbles and colorful mosaics on a golden background. The visit ends in front of Porta Nuova, erected in the 16th century. Overnight.

DAY 3: MONREALE & APETOUR

• Breakfast at the hotel.

• Suggested excursion: Not far from the hotel, enter the popular “Il Capo” market, which recalls an Arab souk, in a mix of colors, flavors and smells. At the end of the market you reach Piazza Indipendenza, where you will take the public bus to Monreale, a town 7 km from Palermo, world-famous for its magnificent Cathedral (also a UNESCO World Heritage site), in Arab-Norman style with its 3,500 square meters of polychrome mosaics on a golden background, depicting scenes from the Old and New Testaments. Near the cathedral (which also houses the tombs of other Norman kings) you will visit the cloister, with its 80 pairs of twin columns, each different from the other. In one corner of the cloister is the Arab fountain. Return by public bus to Palermo. You can continue the visit and we suggest the Flea Market, the Christian Catacombs and the Arab-Norman church of San Giovanni degli Eremiti. During the day you can do a 1-hour Apetour in Palermo, exploring the alleys to discover the real “old” Palermo and the famous markets such as Il Capo, Ballarò, San Giovanni degli Eremiti and the Vucciria Market.

DAY 4: PALERMO & MONDELLO

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Suggested excursion: Our last day in Palermo is dedicated to a walking tour of the most central part of the historic center. From the hotel you can walk to the Teatro Massimo, inaugurated in 1897 and currently the third largest opera house in the world, after those in Paris and Vienna. The theater is also famous for the film The Godfather with the killing of Al Pacino’s daughter outside the theater. You can visit it and have the opportunity to see the auditorium and other rooms of this masterpiece of Sicilian Art Nouveau. On foot, continue along Via Maqueda (lined with some noble palaces) to reach the “Quattro Canti,” the geographical center of the city, where fountains and statues of Spanish kings are located. Nearby you can admire the Baroque Pretoria Fountain (with its naked statues) and the exterior of the Town Hall. A few steps away, visit the Arab-Norman churches (UNESCO) of Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio and San Cataldo, the latter with red domes. On foot, enter the popular Ballarò market which recalls an Arab souk. The walking tour ends at the central railway station, from where you can take the public bus to Mondello, one of the most beautiful beaches in Italy. Mondello was (and still is) a fishing village, which at the beginning of the 20th century was chosen by wealthy Palermo families as a summer holiday destination. For this reason, you can admire numerous villas built in Art Nouveau style and another interesting Art Nouveau building, the “Stabilimento Balneare,” built on stilts over the water, which also houses one of the best restaurants in Palermo. Depending on the weather and sea conditions, you may also have the opportunity to sunbathe or swim. A walk along the palm-lined seafront is a “must.” In the main square, you will have the opportunity to taste Sicilian street food specialties or an ice cream. Overnight at the hotel.

DAY 5: CEFALÙ'

• Breakfast at the hotel. This day is free for you to relax and explore the city on your own or you can visit Cefalù.
• Suggested itinerary. You can reach the central railway station to take a comfortable regional train to Cefalù, one of the main tourist destinations in Sicily. Cefalù, a medieval fishing village at the foot of a promontory, also hosts a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Arab-Norman Cathedral, which looks like a fortress. The cathedral was built by the Norman king Roger II as his burial place (no longer used as such); for this reason, the polychrome mosaics on a golden background were placed only in the apse and not on the sides of the cathedral. Then we will walk through the alleys and admire the medieval washhouse, still used until the 1950s. Free time to admire the beach, go shopping or independently visit the Mandralisca Museum, which houses the “Portrait of an Unknown Man” by the famous Sicilian painter Antonello da Messina. Return to Palermo by regional train. Overnight.

DAY 6: MARSALA, ERICE & SEGESTA

• Breakfast at the hotel. This day is free for you to relax and explore the city on your own or you can visit Marsala Stagnone, Erice and Segesta.

• Suggested itinerary: Go to Marsala, famous for its salt pans and wine production. Stop at the Stagnone Reserve, a magical place with a natural landscape of rare beauty for its white salt pans with windmills. Continue by car to Erice, the medieval town on top of Mount San Giuliano. Here you can admire the Norman Castle (exterior) and the Cathedral. In the meantime, we suggest stopping at a pastry shop to taste the typical almond sweet of Erice. Continue to Segesta, one of the most beautiful archaeological sites in Sicily, where it is recommended to visit the Doric temple whose majestic appearance and dominant position give great nobility to the landscape. Return to Palermo. Overnight in Palermo.

DAY 7: PALERMO

• Breakfast at the hotel. This day is free for you to relax and explore the city on your own.

DAY 8: DEPARTURE

• After breakfast at the hotel, end of our services. You can reach the airport on your own. We are pleased to inform you that the public shuttle connecting the city with Palermo airport stops a few steps from the hotel.

• 7 nights with a rich breakfast, in a double room in a central 4-star hotel in Palermo

• Tour by Ape (duration about 1 hour) with driver to discover the ancient and fascinating Palermo

• Tourist tax, payable on site
• Transfers to/from the airport
• Lunches and dinners
• Beverages
• Tips and personal extras
• Luggage porterage service
• Admission to monuments and archaeological parks
• Anything not expressly indicated under “the price includes”

• APT-hotel-APT transfers 50 euros per trip for 1-2 people
• Car rental "Platinum Insurance" from 40 euros
• Street food with Panelle, Arancina, Cannolo, Cassata
• Local guides

• To skip the lines at museums or archaeological parks, it is necessary to make a reservation in advance.
• Tickets are non-refundable

• Palermo: Garibaldi Hotel or similar (*)

(*) The indicated hotels may be replaced with others of the same category. The accommodations are located in the indicated locations or in different cities where the program can be carried out. The name of the hotel will be sent to you 21 days before arrival.

• The rooms must be vacated by 10:00. You may take your luggage with you or leave it free of charge in your hotel’s storage room. Upon request and for an additional fee, it is possible to keep the room until late afternoon.
• The tours are guaranteed with a minimum number of 2 passengers.
• The hotels listed in the programs may be replaced by others of the same category.
• It is recommended to book optional excursions at the time of booking.
• Some trips may be a combination of several Norma Vacanze tours. It should be expected that some group members will join or leave the tour between one stop and the next.
• We try to carry out the tour as planned, but urgent changes or adverse weather conditions may require alternative programs.
• The tour programs may be subject to changes compared to what is published, for technical or logistical reasons, without substantial changes to the program itself.
• Norma Vacanze reserves the right to modify the excursion itinerary if deemed appropriate or due to force majeure.
• Norma Vacanze is not responsible for accidents, delays, damage or loss of luggage or personal belongings, nor for damage caused by third parties or by other events such as floods, storms, landslides, earthquakes, political unrest, epidemics, terrorist attacks, strikes.

• Cancellations up to 120 days before departure with full refund
• Cancellations from 119 to 15 days before departure, penalty of €50 per person
• Cancellations from 14 to 8 days before departure, penalty of 30%
• Cancellations from 7 to 4 days before departure, penalty of 50%
• In case of cancellation within 3 days before departure, penalty of 100%
• No refund is предусмотрed in case of no-show or voluntary interruption of a trip already started.