Getting to Monreale - car rental or bus

Take the bus. Traffic on the road up is bad and it is kinda chaotic leaving the city and returning. I flew into Palermo, took the shuttle into the city for three nights and then picked up my rental car at the airport when I left. Easy traffic at the airport and only give up 30 minutes taking the shuttle back out.

My fist trip to Palermo was in 2008 and I picked up my rental in downtown Palermo. If it weren’t for a GPS, I’d still be driving around Palermo. Take the €2 bus ride from INDIPENDENZA - PALAZZO REALE and in about a half hour you’ll be in Monreale. Just a short walk to the Cathedral.

Alk,

I also took the city bus to Monreale, which was convenient, albeit crowded.

The Monreale Cathedral is magnificent!

The traffic in Palermo is atrocious and I would not choose to drive there.

Enjoy your trip!

The bus is much easier. Going all the way to the airport then back through Palermo-area traffic is a terrible idea if you are heading west once you get the car. Go to Monreale on the bus, pick up the car once you are fully done with Palermo (and Monreale, being 8 miles away, is essentially a suburb therefore part of Palermo area sightseeing options).

If you are desperate you can take a cab. It’s like $25 each way (confirm with driver). I took the bus there, then just missed it on the way back. It would have been an hour wait so I took a cab back. It’s an option - remember Palermo and Monreale just aren’t that far apart.

Thanks, all. Just to confirm, we had no intention of driving around Palermo in the car. I just wondered whether it was feasible to rent a car in Palermo, head direct to Monreale, and then head out of town from there. Is it really necessary to go back to the airport to rent a car, even after we've arrived in Palermo? It's a lot of back and forth on a short 10-day trip that we have planned.

I don’t think it’s necessary to return to the airport to rent a car. If you have a GPS or smart phone to route you out of the city, it shouldn’t be a problem. Just make sure you know where the ZTL’s are and you might want to ask the clerk at the rental office on the preferred route to use to your next destination.

"I just wondered whether it was feasible to rent a car in Palermo, head direct to Monreale, and then head out of town from there. "

Absolutely - a friend and I did it with no difficulty in 2014, and my friend did it again the next year from a different car rental company the next year, again with no difficulty.

I can't speak for all car rental locations, but Hertz (in a new section near but not in the old center) and Europcar (near the station) do NOT require driving in the old center to get out of town. A few turns on local streets, and you're either on the highway out of town, or the local road direct to Monreale. We took the local road, even though it was very clogged with traffic, because we knew we couldn't get lost on it.

We shared your concern, but were very glad we didn't waste time going out to the airport just to pick up the car.

So, your plan should work fine. Of course, get directions from the car rental place on how to get out of town, making sure they show you how to avoid the oldest sections of Palermo (even the owners of our guesthouse didn't want to drive through there!)

If you want ALL the details of my car rental, and lots else about my Sicily 2014 trip, here's my trip report: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/sicily-palermo-caltanisetta-siracusa-taormina