PALERMO ~ port area

[Bet & Peg]

We'll be in Palermo from 1 to 8pm - not the best times!!! So we're looking at a 4 or 6 hour tour.

 

We know that "dinner time" in Palermo is about 8pm - just as we sail! Can anyone tell us if there are any wine bars or cafes around the port area that might be open about 6pm or 7pm??? We've already given up the idea of a "real" Italian meal but hope to have a drink/snack if we take the shorter tour.

 

Thanks much for any help you can give us!

[Karennella]

Why dont you have lunch and then the tour. Most things are closed in Palermo until about 4pm; shops, tourist sites etc, but you will find restaurants open for lunch.

[Bet & Peg]

Karennella ~ Thanks much for your reply and suggestions - it is something we're beginning to consider! Wish we had better hours to be in port!!

 

Can you suggest any restaurants for lunch??

 

Anything you can tell us about the port area would also be helpful!

 

Thanks again!

[Karennella]

We did not go to Palermo on a cruise, but had a night there while we were staying near Taormina with relatives. We are Australian but my husband was actually born in Sicily. The previous trip, we had planned to see the famous Palantine Chapel after flying into Palermo and then planned to drive on in the afternoon. So we discovered that the chapel was closed for lunch as well as most of the shops and we didn't have time to wait.

So this time we planned a night there. We stayed quite close to the port and there was obviously a cruise ship in. I think quite a few shops were then open all day, no doubt for the business. I cannot remember the name of the restaurant we ate at that night, and I am afraid I did not like my sea-urchin pasta, but there are a lot of places around the area to choose from. Many Italians still eat their main meal at lunch time so if you want a big meal, it should be easy to find.

The main places in the city to see are the Cathedral and the Norman Palace, which contains the Palantine Chapel. We walked around but it was quite a lot of walking and we did find it tricky to find our way at times. I would highly recommend seeing the beautiful Cathedral at Monreale and with your limited time, a short tour probably would fit in best.

The food is extremely regional in Sicily;in Palermo my husband could not find his favourite type of cannoli (which we've eaten in Sydney, New York and London) because they come from the Catania side of Sicily.

The info in the port section here on CC seems quite good on Palermo. However we did not find it at all scary and felt safe wandering around. Lots of English is now spoken and the traffic is much quieter than even in 2004, since bipping has become illegal (it happens, but not like before)

I dont know if you are considering a private tour, but if so, they may have a lunch option to think about.

[Bet & Peg]

Karennella ~ thanks again for all your info!! Happy to hear that some stores might be open if a ship is in port - that might be us!!! I only wish we had more time or different time there!

 

We are considering a private tour or more like half/tour! There's many of us who would like to see the Catacombs - maybe that sounds too touristy but we've seen photos and would like to get there.

 

We are considering eating first - still have plans taking shape and waiting to hear back from the tour company!!

 

We appreciate any information!! Thanks again!!

[Cornishpastyman1]

Karennella ~ thanks again for all your info!! Happy to hear that some stores might be open if a ship is in port - that might be us!!! I only wish we had more time or different time there!

 

We are considering a private tour or more like half/tour! There's many of us who would like to see the Catacombs - maybe that sounds too touristy but we've seen photos and would like to get there.

 

We are considering eating first - still have plans taking shape and waiting to hear back from the tour company!!

 

We appreciate any information!! Thanks again!!

Hello Peg

 

I went to the Catacombs last month. If you do it yourself it is a 2 bus job (but only 1 ticket as you will be within the 75 minute limit from when you first validate it)

 

As you leave the port area you will soon see a small information booth where you can pick up a map. Tell the assistant you want to go to the catacombs and he/she will mark the bus stops and numbers on it. From memory it was the 104 to start, and you get out at the Palazzio de Normanni. Can't remember what number the second bus is, but if it isn't there quickly you can walk there (3/4 mile) going down the utterly unremarkable Via Cappucini until you come to a small crossroads. Turn right into Via Pindermonte, and you will see the Catacombs in 20 yards

 

If you go straight on instead of turning right, Via Cappucini becomes Via Guiseppe Pitre and you've gone too far so stop and turn around !

 

Entry to the catacombs costs 3 Euros and it is open 9-12 and 3-7, so only that afternoon session is for you. No photography is permitted. It's a one-trick attraction but I was very glad I went, and the story is fascinating. Max half an hour needed in there. From leaving the ship reckon on an hour to get there. If you get lucky with the buses you could do it in 45 minutes, but time seeps away buying tickets from the tabacchi and locating the nearest bus stop.

 

Coming back I took that second bus back to the Palazzio and was going to get the 104 back to near the port but at the last minute decided to walk it, and I'm glad I did as I went into the cathedral saw a fair bit of intriguing architecture. And when I make the video I will find out what it was called and exactly what it was all about it :)

 

All the best

Tony

[Bet & Peg]

Tony ~ thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU for confirming that the Catacombs are worth seeing!!! So far we have 12 people interested. Originally I had read about the bus and that was what we were going to do but this "outing" has grown, just as our Roll Call has, and now someone is checking into a tour! If things get too complicated DH and I may "go it alone"!

 

I really appreciate your answer and bus info! I've run across many of your post and value your suggestions and judgments.

 

Thanks much - Peg

[Karennella]

Actually they are starting to switch more to all day shopping in Sicily., but the change will be gradual. Our cousins there strongly recommended that we drive for an hour to see the "wonderful" shops at Misterbianco, which we did. To find a new shopping mall, open all day, nearly identical to the Westfield mall five minutes from our home in Sydney. Even with many of the same retailers. The only real difference we noticed was that they did not have the same amount of fast food outlets ( but there were some) which probably helps explain why their obesity problem is much less than in the Anglo countries.

They are starting to operate a lot more to European Union regulation over there and I hope they dont lose their identity.

My husband couldn't cope with the lunch time shut down initially, but after a month we actually enjoyed it!