This guide is for you if you are staying in Palermo, or arriving there by ship, and want the old town, the cathedral at Monreale and the seaside town of Cefalù in one day. It covers what to sort out before you book: the day of the week, which matters more here than the month, what to wear in the churches, the train to Cefalù, and who the day suits.
What links the three stops
The day is built around one story. In 2015 UNESCO listed nine monuments from the Norman Kingdom of Sicily, built between 1130 and 1194, as a single World Heritage site: Arab-Norman Palermo and the cathedral churches of Cefalù and Monreale. Three of them are on this route: Palermo cathedral, Monreale cathedral and Cefalù cathedral. A fourth, the Palatine Chapel in the Royal Palace, can be added. UNESCO describes them as a meeting of Western, Islamic and Byzantine cultures, and of the Muslim, Byzantine, Latin and Jewish communities who lived side by side under the Norman kings.
Knowing that before you go changes the day. You stop seeing three churches and start comparing them: the gold mosaics at Monreale against those at Cefalù, and both against the cathedral in Palermo, which you see first.
Pick the day of the week first
These are working cathedrals, and Sunday changes their hours more than any season does. The Comune di Palermo's tourist office has published these times:
- Monreale cathedral: Monday to Saturday in the morning and the afternoon, with a break at lunch. On Sundays and holidays, open only in the afternoon, from 14:00; Sunday morning is for mass.
- Monreale cloister: Monday to Saturday through the day; Sundays and holidays in the morning only. It has been free on the first Sunday of the month.
- Palermo cathedral: Monday to Saturday from early morning; Sundays and holidays from midday.
On a weekday, the plan on the tour page works as it is: Palermo early, Monreale mid-morning, Cefalù for lunch. On a Sunday, it does not. Because the car and the order are yours, we can turn the day round: the cloister at Monreale in the morning, Cefalù at lunch, and the cathedral at Monreale after 14:00. Tell us if your date is a Sunday or a public holiday and we plan it that way. Hours change, so check the official sites before you go.
When to go
The biggest date in Palermo's year is the Festino of Santa Rosalia, the city's patron saint. Its main night runs from 14 into 15 July and draws large crowds, and extra night trains have been added for it, including to Cefalù. Check this year's programme. If your day falls around it, expect a full city and slower roads in the centre. It is worth seeing, but make it a separate evening.
Otherwise, the early start is what protects the day. You are in the old town at 07:30, as the stalls at Ballarò fill up, and you are out of the city by mid-morning.
How the day fits together
Eight hours, from 07:00 at your hotel to about 15:00. Palermo takes the first two hours on foot: the cathedral, the Quattro Canti, Piazza Pretoria and the market. Monreale is a short drive up the hill above the city. Cefalù is the longer drive, east along the coast, and you spend lunch there.
Entrance to the cathedrals and lunch are not included. In Italy, guiding inside the monuments is for licensed guides, so your driver takes you to the door. If you want someone to explain the mosaics in front of you, we can book a guide to meet you at Monreale or in Palermo.
The Palatine Chapel is the one extra most people ask about. It runs on timed tickets, so tell us when you book and we fit it in. The Comune's list showed shorter hours for it on Sundays and gave the Royal Palace as closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so check your date against the official site.
The train, or a driver
Cefalù is easy by train: regional services run from Palermo Centrale along the coast. If Cefalù is the only place you want to see, the train is the simple answer, and you can stay for the evening.
Putting all three together is harder. Monreale is on a hill inland and Cefalù is on the coast in the other direction, so on public transport you go back through Palermo between them, and the cathedral hours decide when you can arrive.
The private day takes you from your door to each one in order, with fuel, tolls and parking included. The price depends on the size of your group; see it on the tour page.
What to book and what to bring
- Clothes for the churches. Shoulders and knees covered in all the cathedrals. A light scarf or a shirt over a vest solves it in summer.
- Timed tickets for the Palatine Chapel, if you want it. Ask us when you book.
- A guide, if the mosaics are the reason you are going. We book one to meet you.
- Swimwear, if you want a swim at Cefalù before or after lunch.
- A card or some cash for the entrances, lunch and the market.
At Cefalù, the cathedral has offered several ticketed routes, some of them climbing into the towers. Check what is running on your date if you want to go up.
Who it suits, and who should think twice
It suits anyone staying in Palermo who wants the Norman story told in its three best places in one day, and cruise passengers with a full day in port. We collect from the cruise terminal in Palermo; message us with the ship.
- Your date is a Sunday or a holiday. The day still works, in a different order. Tell us when you book.
- You are staying in Taormina or Catania. Palermo is on the other side of the island. Our Mount Etna and Taormina tour starts on the east coast, and our guide to private tours in Sicily helps you choose.
- You would rather go west. Segesta and Erice are west of Palermo and make a different day. Ask us.
- You are more than 16. Two vehicles travel together on one booking.
Questions people ask
Is the order fixed?
No. The itinerary can change on the day, and on Sundays we plan it the other way round from the start.
What if we change our plans?
Cancel up to 24 hours before pick-up and you are refunded in full. See our cancellation page.
Booking the day
Check the day of the week, pack something to cover your shoulders, and tell us if you want the Palatine Chapel or a guide. The stops, the times and what is included are on the Palermo, Monreale and Cefalù private day tour page, where you choose the size of your group and book.
