To call a taxi, dial tel. +39-091-513-311, +39-091-513-374, or +39-091-682-5441.

You would mainly only need to use the taxi if you find yourself lost at night in the city. Otherwise, you should avoid having to use a taxi around town. If you can afford it, some visitors rent a taxi for the day to explore Palermo attractions; it will cost about €70 to €100. Most drivers speak only a few words of English, but you can request an English-speaking driver which may or may not be available. For further information on taxi sightseeing, call tel. +39-091-512737.

There are taxi stands at:

-Palermo train stations

-Piazza Verdi (Teatro Massimo)

-Piazza R. Settimo (Teatro Politeama)

-Piazza Indipendenza

The vast network of buses will get you to all the main sites in Palermo and its surrounding area, including Monte Pellegrino, Mondello, and Monreale. Municipal bus service is run by AMAT, Via Borrelli 16 (tel. 848-800817; www.amat-pa.it).

A ride on a bus costs about €1.30. Tickets are sold at AMAT kiosks and at most tobacco shops and newsagents (tickets expire after 90 minutes). Once on board, put the ticket in the validating machine, or, if that`s not possible, on the top part of your ticket write the date and start time of your journey (month/day/year and time, using a 24 hr. clock). Not having a validated ticket will land you a fine, and ticket checkers are always looking out for unknowing tourists. If you plan on using the bus extensively during the day, a good option is to purchase a 24-hour ticket (about €3.50), which expires at midnight of the day you use it. If you are not venturing beyond the city center, you can use one of the three convenient circular bus lines (Linea Rossa, Linea Gialla, Linea Verde) at a fraction of the cost of a regular bus ticket (around €0.52, valid all day).

The following ticket options/costs are available:

-Daily ticket – €3.50
-2-day ticket – € 5.70
-3-day ticket – €8.00
-4-day ticket – €10.20
-5-day ticket – €12.50
-6-day ticket – €14.60
-7-day ticket – €16.80

A tourist bus called City Sightseeing, also operated by AMAT, begins and ends its circuit at the landmark Teatro Politeama (the Emerico Amari side). It stops at many major monuments, including the Duomo and the Royal Palace. From April to November 4 departures are daily at 9:30 am; from November 5 to March 31, departures are at 10 am. Tickets are sold on board; there are no advance reservations. The cost is around €20 per person, children 11 and under cost around €10. For information, call tel. 091-589429.

Another sightseeing bus, a red double decker, is operated by WorldWide City Sightseeing (www.city-sightseeing.com) and offers a 24-hour hop-on, hop-off service on two different routes around the city. Adults ride for about €20, children 15 and under for around €10; families (2 adults, up to 3 children) ride for about €50; advanced booking is available. Departures are from Via Emerico Amari (Politeama) on the corner of Via Wagner.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

We do not recommend driving in Palermo due to major traffic congestion, reckless and aggressive drivers and lack of parking spaces. If you want to rent a car for side trips however, rentals can be arranged at the airport desks or at offices within central Palermo.

If you do have a car, check with your hotel about parking; many hotels have a local parking garage they are partnered with offering special rates to their guests (typically between €12 and €20 per day). Alternatively, you`ll need to find a legal space on the city`s streets or piazzas. For spaces marked by blue lines, you must get a ticket from a machine (usually every day except Sunday; see the hours of operation posted at the machine nearest your vehicle). For spaces with signs stating a maximum parking time but with no ticket machine in evidence, you`ll need to purchase a form called a scheda , available from tobacco shops, and place it on your dashboard, first making sure to scratch off the circles corresponding to the time and date you parked there. If you neglect to do this, or if you park longer than the time allowed, you may be fined.

If you choose to park your car in a garage you`ll find one near the rail station, Garage Stazione Centrale (tel. 091-6168297), which charges about €15 per night (closed Sun). Two other convenient garages are at Via Stabile 10 (tel. 091-321667), charging around €15 per night, and at Piazza Oliva (tel. 091-325444), charging around €20 per night. Piazzale Ungheria, an outdoor municipal car park, charges hourly and up to €30 in a 24-hour period.

Cycling is not that advisable in Palermo because of the limited availability of dedicated bike paths. There are some roads with bike lanes, but these can be a bit risky due to the erratic drivers. Palermo is not a bicycle friendly city in our opinion.

Central Palermo is divided into an Old Center to the south and a New City to the north by Via Cavour.

There are two main north-south roads, Via Maqueda/Via R. Settimo, which starts just left of the train station and crosses Via Cavour at the central Piazza Verdi, also called Teatro Massimo after the theater at its center. And roughly parallel to Via Maqueda to the east is Via Roma, a busier and more commercialized boulevard that starts directly across from the train station.

Palermo’s Old City: Running east-west through the heart of the Old Center is Corso Vittorio Emanuele, which crosses Via Maqueda at the Quattro Canti, neatly dividing the Old Center into traditional quadrants.

To the southeast of this intersection and stretching to the harbor lies La Kalsa, which 1,000 years ago was the Saracen Emir`s walled quarter for his and other Arab nobles` palaces. These were later replaced with medieval palazzi and baroque oratories, but the neighborhood was badly bombed during World War II and is still partly in ruins. Many of Palermo`s central sights are here.

To the southwest of Quattro Canti lies the residential Alberghiera, home to the vast Ballarò market and more bombed-out zones, and less than salubrious after dark.

The center`s northwest quadrant is Sincaldi, and aside from the Capo market holds relatively little of specific interest to the visitor.

Finally, the northeast Amalfitani district is the smallest of the quarters (La Cala harbor intrudes to fill half of it), home to the Vucciria fish market. It`s so small that the Via Roma division down its middle helps keep the zone less mazelike, a bit brighter, and more commercially oriented. Palermo`s New City: The New City is an easily navigable grid of broad roads.

Its center is Piazza Castelnuovo/Politeama, where Via Maqueda (now called Via R. Settimo) crosses Via E. Amari.

Hotels, bars and restaurants fill the southern half of the New City, centered on such streets as the wide Via Mariano Stabile to the port and the pedestrian-only Via Principe di Belmonte. The section to the north is more urban residential.

Beware of pickpockets and motorcycle-riding snatch thieves targeting handbags, wallets and mobile phones. It is not recommended to walk alone at night in the historical center of Palermo and travelers should be wary of La Kalsa, the neighborhood between Via Roma and the water, at night. The area is being renewed and gentrified, but is probably still one of the riskier places to be at night.

Vehicle theft is a major problem in Palermo, so the use of private, secure car parks are preferred.

Avoid going outside the city center, except for Mondello (beach and clubs), Sferracavallo (great restaurants), Monreale.

The best time to visit Sicily is from May to June or September to October. These late spring and early fall months typically offer beautiful temperatures in the 70s. As such, these are the most popular times to visit, as well as the most expensive. If you plan a July or August vacation, you`ll contend with fewer crowds, fewer open businesses and high temperatures that can reach the triple digits. Still, if you can take the heat, you can find deals. Winter temps are typically in the 50`s; you can find greatly reduced hotel rates, however, swimming and beach days are out.