Best Hotel Location in Palermo, Sicily

Posted by rlplag on 01/06/16 11:21 PM

Hi, I am looking for an area to stay with nearby restaurants and bars, and that we (a middle aged married couple) will feel comfortable walking around at night. How do you think these two areas compare?

1) The area around Grand Hotel Piazza Borsa, Via dei Cartari, 18, 90133 Palermo
Near Piazza Cassa di Risparmio

2) The area around Hotel GaribaldiVia Emerico Amari, 146, 90139 Palermo
near Piazza Verdi between Via Roma and Via Ruggero Settimo.

Or if you have any other suggestions, please let me know. Our goal is to find a 4-5 star hotel with a king bed.

Thank you.

Posted by Roberto da Firenze ⚜

San Francisco Bay Area (USA)

01/07/16 12:41 AM

16243 posts

The first one is in the Kalsa district. That is the old Arab quarter. Lots of small alleys (it's like a maze in an Arab casbah) and it looks run down with lots of graffiti. It's not necessarily bad, and there are lots of youngsters hanging around at the local restaurants and bars, but it might make you feel uncomfortable late at night, unless you are from NY or Chicago and are used to that type of city environs with lots of graffiti and such.

The second one is in a better looking area. I would say the top upscale area in the city center. It's perfectly located near the Politeama theater.

Whichever hotel you look for, I'd say the best area to stay is probably near the rectangle bordered by Via Ruggero Settimo/Via Maqueda (teatro Massimo) to the west, Via Vittorio Emanuele to the south,Via Roma to the east, and the Politeama theater to the north.

Posted by Frances

San Diego

01/07/16 04:50 AM

1540 posts

I stayed at the Hotel Posta on an RS trip and I thought the location was good. We walked so many places. Really enjoyed the outdoor market area. Never took a cab or bus - because I was able to walk everywhere I wanted to go. They have very large rooms and I know some of them have king-size beds.

Posted by Harold

New York, NY, USA

01/08/16 04:34 AM

11294 posts

Your second hotel is in a FAR nicer area than your first hotel. Despite Roberto's comment, I do live in New York and would not enjoy staying in the Kalsa at night.

I actually stayed at a B&B right near the Hotel Garabaldi, and liked the area a lot. It's near numerous eating places, and walking around in the evening felt perfectly safe. Right near your hotel is ciuri ciuri, at Via Principe di Belmonte, 119 - it's a great place for Sicilian snacks like arancini.