Palermo, Sicily
Sicily.. known as for its spectacular wine, culture and unforgettable beaches.
I would have loved to stay longer, however after 2 days in Palermo it was time to make our way up to Pisa. This blog will guide you through what a few days spent on the island looks like!
How’d we get there?
We flew on Ryan Air from Rome (FCO) to Palermo (PMO). Fares with Ryan Air range from $10 to hundreds. We paid $39 dollars a person one way which isn’t bad compared to airlines in the states!
Flight was only around an hour and a half, which flew by! I will say, my family and I were not pleased with the gate agents at our gate. We all paid for carry on baggage (which was additional) and they ended up saying we hadn’t paid for it, “if we wanted to go to Palermo we had to pay.” A lot of passengers faced the same issue with the same agent and we were pretty upset about the situation. However, we wanted to go to Sicily so we paid for it and made our way! Moral of the story, make sure you double check the dimensions and weight, I really don’t want you to face the same situation that we did!
Ryan Air as an airline is convenient and flight crews have only been nice and helpful! I will be booking flights on them again as I am preparing for my upcoming trips!
HOTEL
Name: Family Affair Palermo
Price per night: $150-$250 per night
Location Rating: 9/10
Cleanliness Rating: 9/10
Staff Rating: 10/10!!!
Wi-Fi Rating: 9/10
Breakfast Rating: 9.5/10
Overall Experience? 10/10
As you can tell from my ratings, we LOVED it here! Everyone was so sweet. They made sure we were comfortable at all times. Breakfast was outstanding! The only thing I would change would be to to assign us more than one hour to partake, I enjoy sleeping in on vacation sometimes.. our scheduled breakfast time was 8:45 am.. however it was worth getting up early! The building itself is very secure and very private (which I really appreciated.) As you can see in the picture above, those lattes were made for us as we were waiting for our room to be available, how can a coffee be so beautiful?!
I will attach the booking.com link below! (:
https://www.booking.com/hotel/it/family-affair-b-amp-b-palermo.html
MONDELLO BEACH
15-30 minutes away from downtown Palermo.
Beachfront restaurant Touring Café Beach I highly recommend!
Touring Café Beach is known for their cocktails and tapas, views are amazing!
Easiest parking for the beach is located a few blocks off the beach, 5 euros- 10 euros per car.
Activities such as volleyball, futbol (soccer), pedal boats and much more are available for anyone who wants to join!
Perfect beach for a run, beach day or a family picnic!
PALAZZO DEI NORMANNI/ PALATINE CHAPEL
Open from 8:30 am - 4:30 pm everyday (holidays may differ)
You DO need to have a ticket to enter, around 17.5 euros per adult, can be purchased right outside or online prior to visit
Also known as the Royal Palace of Palermo
Palatine Chapel (Cappella Palatina), which is located on the second floor, became the Royal family’s private chapel
The chapel is a blend of Byzantine, Latin and Islamic traditions
The walls and domes inside the Palatine Chapel are completely covered in golden mosaics, its unreal, you can see some pictured below
Palazzo dei Normanni is said to be the oldest royal residence in Europe
PALERMO CATHEDRAL
Visiting the church itself is free, however in order to visit the tombs, crypt and roof areas a ticket is needed to enter
Hours include; Monday- Saturday 7am- 7pm & Sunday 8am- 1pm, 4pm- 7pm
The Cathedral is dedicated to the Virgin Mary
The tombs of Constance; the Queen of Sicily & William II; Duke of Athens as well as 9 others are buried at the cathedral
Built in 1184, is the largest Norman cathedral in Sicily
LUNCH AT MARINO/ PORTICCIOLO DI MONDELLO
Porticciolo di Mondello in English is the Marina of Mondello.
Famous “Love Mondello” sign is located here on the pier.
If you are craving some fresh seafood right from the Tyrrhenian Sea, Marino is the spot!
Local vendors with homemade jewelry, pottery & souvenirs are all around! I spent way too much time making sure I stopped by every stand, LOL.
Fantastic views of the coast.
