DIY: Palermo

[dav964]

Just returned from an MSC Fantasia cruise that stopped in Palermo. Here's what we did...

 

Firstly, don't be put off by other posters saying that the town is unsafe, falling down, dirty etc. This is just not true - I don't know what sanitised bubble some folks expect.

 

It was raining when we got there so four of us set off with brollies into the town. The ship docks literally 200m from the town so this is really easy. Our friends were diverted onto the tourist train (10 euros for a 40 minute tour) but we walked. When we met up their view was that Palermo contained three impressive buildings and 2000 grotty buildings. Not only that, but the train sat in traffic jams and the commentary was inaudible.

 

We on the other hand fared better. We walked up the main street directly in front of the boat. At one point we diverted for 400m down one of the side streets where Mrs dav964 saw a chinese shop, but the retraced our steps and continued walking away from the ship. We arrived at some large square and turned left intending to find the cathedral. We got as far as the opera house (Theatre Massimo) but the a small side street directly opposite the building caught our eye and we went down it. This was much more to our liking. The street was a narrow pedestrian alley with street cafes on either side - some places had their fares out on display which was very interesting. This area continued for some time and for us this was the real Palermo.

 

Finally we made our way back to the ship via a music school (opera/piano being played) and the monument to those who lost their lives fighting the mafia.

 

All told a reasonable stop seeing that we paid nothing. Palermo is not one of Italy's tourist towns so you have to seek out what you're interested in. For us, we were happy.

 

Above all - don't worry about other posters negatives. You'll be safe here!

[souto]

Thank you for share.

[General Max]

We spent 11 days in Palermo in September 2014 and found plenty to do on our own. Use the public bus system from Centale Station for several bus adventures. We recommend routes 101 and 806 which goes to the beach at Mondello