Palermo

Palermo is Sicily’s capital and the practical gateway to the island’s north and west coasts. It is a working city rather than a resort, loud and layered and much more interesting for it, with Norman, Arab and Baroque architecture stacked on top of each other across a few walkable streets.

For charter purposes it is mainly a base port with a very good day attached. A Sicily yacht charter that starts here can run west to the Egadi Islands or east along the north coast toward the Aeolians, which gives it more routing flexibility than any other Sicilian base.

What to see and do in Palermo

The Cappella Palatina inside the Norman Palace is the single most impressive interior in Sicily, a 12th-century chapel where Byzantine mosaics sit under an Arab wooden ceiling. The cathedral at Monreale, 20 minutes up the hill, is the larger version of the same idea and worth the trip.

The street markets are the other reason to spend a day here. Ballaro and Capo are working food markets rather than tourist attractions, and they are where crews provision. If your chef offers to take guests along, say yes.

West of the city, Mondello is the local beach with an anchorage in front of it, and further round the coast San Vito lo Capo and the Zingaro reserve give you the clearest water on this side of the island.

Berthing and getting there

Palermo has proper marina capacity, which is not true of most Sicilian ports. Marina Villa Igiea and Marina Yachting Palermo both take large yachts and sit close to the city, and the commercial port handles anything bigger. This is the most straightforward embarkation on the island.

Palermo Falcone Borsellino airport (PMO) is about 35 minutes from the marinas and has direct flights from most of western Europe through the summer. For guests arriving from further afield, connecting through Rome or Milan is usually cleaner than routing via Catania.

The north coast between Palermo and Milazzo is exposed to the north and has few genuinely sheltered anchorages, with Cefalu the main exception. It is a coast to transit on a settled forecast rather than to linger on, which is worth knowing when planning a week that starts here and finishes in the islands.

Fitting Palermo into an itinerary

Palermo works best as an embarkation or disembarkation point rather than a mid-week stop. The two strong routes out of it are west to the Egadi Islands off Trapani, which are quiet and underrated, and east along the coast to Cefalu and on to the Aeolian Islands.

That eastward run is roughly 100 miles to Vulcano, so it is a full day or an overnight, and it is the main reason we more often recommend Portorosa or Milazzo for an Aeolians-focused week. Palermo earns its place when guests want the city and the west coast as well.