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The Quattro Canti crossroads in Palermo, two curved baroque facades with statues in niches facing each other across the street

Where to stay in Palermo

Photo: Benjamin Smith, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Palermo

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About Palermo

Palermo's old city is a limited traffic zone on weekdays and on Friday and Saturday nights, but unlike most Italian centres it sells a day pass to anyone. The areas differ in whether a pass is needed at all.

Italy. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Airport
Falcone Borsellino (PMO), run by GES.A.P. with its terminal at Punta Raisi in the comune of Cinisi; about 34 km by road to the Quattro Canti. Source
Tourist tax
Per person per night on at most four consecutive nights: non-hotel accommodation and short lets EUR 4.00; hotels and residenze turistico alberghiere EUR 3.00 at 1 star rising to EUR 5.00 at 5 stars. Rates set by council resolution 34 of 30 April 2025, in force from 1 July 2025. Source
Tax exemptions
Children under 12, residents, coach drivers, guides, interpreters and tour escorts with organised groups, patients and up to two carers each, school groups, ERSU university residents and people housed by public authorities in emergencies. Source
Short-term rental rules
Sicily issues a regional code, the CIR, for accommodation and for homes let to tourists for under 30 days; hosts, agents and portals publish it beside the name in every advert and booking, and report arrivals within 24 hours. The penalty is EUR 500 to 5,000. Source
ZTL centrale
ZTL 1 runs from piazza Giulio Cesare to via Cavour and from Porta Nuova to Porta Felice. Day zone Monday to Friday 08:00 to 20:00; night zone Friday and Saturday 23:00 to 06:00 from 1 November to 30 April and 20:00 to 06:00 from 1 May to 31 October. The perimeter streets are free to drive. Source
ZTL day pass
EUR 5.00 for ordinary petrol and diesel cars, EUR 2.50 for hybrid, methane and LPG vehicles, free for electric ones, activated before entering by the online platform, SMS or the Ztl Palermo app. Hotels inside can register clients' cars for temporary passes. Source
Parking with a rental car
Blue bays in zones A, B, C and G cost EUR 1.00 an hour Monday to Saturday from 08:00 to 20:00, continuous since 11 August 2026; Mondello and Sferracavallo are charged every day from 08:00 to 24:00 between 1 May and 31 October. Source
Car park in the centre
Piazzale Ungheria charges EUR 1.50 per hour or part from 08:00 to 20:00 and EUR 1.00 flat from 20:00 to 08:00; a subscription does not guarantee a space. Source
Monthly parking
The ordinary blue-zone subscription costs EUR 35.00 a month and has been open to anyone, with no residence or work condition and no self-declaration, since 17 August 2026. Source
Monthly stays
Up to 30 days a flat is a short let. Beyond 30 days in the year the lease is registered with the Agenzia delle Entrate within 30 days, and an unregistered lease is void. Source
Short stays for non-EU visitors
90 days in any 180 across the Schengen area. The EU Entry/Exit System has been fully operational since 10 April 2026. Source
Currency
Euro (EUR) Source
Emergency number
112 Source

Areas of Palermo

Palermo Cathedral in sunshine, with its arched porch, the dome and the clock tower above the clipped hedges and palms of the square in front
Photo: Berthold Werner, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Centro storico

The old city between Porta Nuova and Porta Felice, with the Quattro Canti crossroads of baroque facades at its middle, the cathedral and its palm garden to the west and the Kalsa running down to the sea. Markets, churches and museums are all within a walk. It suits a first visit, short stays and anyone who would rather not drive at all.

Palermo airport
about 34 km
Mondello beach
about 12 km

Car and parking

This is ZTL 1. A car may enter on a day pass of EUR 5.00 for ordinary petrol and diesel vehicles or EUR 2.50 for hybrid, methane and LPG ones, bought and activated before entering through the online platform, by SMS or in the Ztl Palermo app; electric vehicles enter free. Hotels and other businesses inside can register a client's plate for a temporary pass. Blue bays cost EUR 1.00 an hour Monday to Saturday from 08:00 to 20:00, and the Piazzale Ungheria car park charges EUR 1.50 an hour by day and EUR 1.00 flat overnight.

The Teatro Politeama Garibaldi in Palermo, a round neoclassical theatre with a bronze chariot group above its arch
Photographed in 2012. Photo: Berthold Werner, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Politeama and via Liberta

The nineteenth-century quarter around the Teatro Politeama Garibaldi, a round theatre with a bronze chariot group above its arch, at the foot of the long shopping street of via Liberta. It suits travellers who want shops, restaurants with the old city a short walk away.

Palermo airport
about 33 km
The Quattro Canti
about 2 km

Car and parking

The quarter lies north of ZTL 1, so no pass is needed to reach it. Blue bays are charged EUR 1.00 an hour Monday to Saturday from 08:00 to 20:00, with no midday break since 11 August 2026, and the Piazzale Ungheria car park charges EUR 1.50 an hour by day and EUR 1.00 flat from 20:00 to 08:00.

Stazione Centrale and piazza Giulio Cesare

The station quarter at the southern corner of the old city, where piazza Giulio Cesare marks the end of the limited traffic zone. It suits arrivals by train at Palermo Centrale and travellers who want the old city on foot while the car stays on the open perimeter streets.

Palermo airport
about 35 km
The Quattro Canti
about 1 km

Car and parking

Piazza Giulio Cesare sits on the ZTL perimeter, and the perimeter streets themselves are free to drive, so a car can reach the square without a pass at any hour. Blue bays nearby are charged EUR 1.00 an hour Monday to Saturday from 08:00 to 20:00. Driving on into the old city needs the day pass.

The sandy beach at Mondello with Monte Pellegrino behind and the Charleston pavilion out on the water
Photo: Joefromthebay, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Mondello

The city's own beach, a bay of pale sand under the bulk of Monte Pellegrino with the Charleston pavilion standing out on the water. It suits a beach stay with trips into the city, and families who want to swim before breakfast.

Palermo airport
about 27 km
The Quattro Canti
about 12 km

Car and parking

Mondello is blue zone D. Parking is charged EUR 1.00 an hour from 08:00 to 24:00 every day, Sundays and holidays included, from 1 May to 31 October; outside those months the bays are not charged. It lies well outside ZTL 1, so no pass is needed.

Painted wooden fishing boats pulled up on the sand at Sferracavallo, with the village and headland across the bay
Photographed in 2018. Photo: Jorge Franganillo, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sferracavallo

The fishing village at the north-west corner of the city, where painted wooden boats are pulled up on the sand below the headland. It suits a quieter seaside base, and it is the shortest airport run of the areas here.

Palermo airport
about 22 km
The Quattro Canti
about 15 km

Car and parking

Sferracavallo is blue zone E, charged EUR 1.00 an hour from 08:00 to 24:00 every day from 1 May to 31 October and free the rest of the year. It lies well outside ZTL 1, so no pass is needed, and the Quattro Canti are about 15 km by road.

Guides

Questions

How much is the tourist tax in Palermo?

Per person per night, on at most four consecutive nights: EUR 4.00 in non-hotel accommodation and short lets, and EUR 3.00 to EUR 5.00 in hotels by stars. Children under 12 and residents are exempt.

Can a car drive into the Palermo ZTL?

Yes, with a day pass bought and activated before entering: EUR 5.00 for ordinary petrol and diesel cars, EUR 2.50 for hybrid, methane and LPG vehicles, free for electric ones. Hotels inside the zone can register a guest's plate for a temporary pass.

When is the Palermo ZTL in force?

The day zone runs Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 20:00. The night zone runs on Fridays and Saturdays from 23:00 to 06:00 between 1 November and 30 April, and from 20:00 to 06:00 between 1 May and 31 October. The perimeter streets stay open.

What does street parking cost in Palermo?

EUR 1.00 an hour in the blue bays, Monday to Saturday from 08:00 to 20:00 without a midday break since 11 August 2026. Mondello and Sferracavallo are charged every day from 08:00 to 24:00 between 1 May and 31 October.

Which area suits a beach stay?

Mondello, on the bay under Monte Pellegrino about 12 km from the centre, or Sferracavallo at the north-west corner of the city, which is also the shortest run to the airport of the five areas here.