Palermo Airbnb

Though I’ve been to Palermo twice, I can’t recommend an area. But make sure you are aware of the ZTL’s in the city. Driving into one of the restricted zones will cost a lot in fines and rental agency’s fees to identify the miscreant. It seems that most of the city is a ZTL. Hotels can notify the police that your car is exempt. I don’t know if an Airbnb can do the same. Consider long-term parking at Palermo airport for about €9 a day and taking the bus or a cab to your destination.
Lastly, with your car rental get zero deductible insurance which protects you from almost anything that will happen to your vehicle.

Thank you so much for the info! I didn’t know about the ZTLs but will check into it. Great idea-parking at the airport.

I would also recommend against having a car in the city itself, especially around the oldest part of town. The streets are tangled and tiny, and some neighborhoods are a little sketchy. We got hopelessly lost just walking the streets of the old town; i’d hate to think what it would be like driving.

Much of the city is walkable. Public transportation is decent, and i’d say better than trying to drive.

Having said that, I guess where you stay depends on what you want to see and do while you’re there. What’s within walking distance of the lodging? The opera house and cathedral were interesting places to visit, as are the street markets. Monreal is worth a visit if you can take public transportation. Even then, I remember our bus being stuck in lots of traffic and it took a very long time to get up the hill and back. Again, I don’t think it would be any fun trying to drive yourself.

Not to scare you, but hoping to make your trip more fun and less stressful.

I, too, would discourage driving in Palermo. As a pedestrian in 2015, I often found it challenging to cross the street. There are not nearly as many traffic lights as one would expect in a city of that size. I can't imagine what it would be like to drive in that city.

Using the car to get to Monreale would probably be smart. You could do that on your first or last day in Palermo.

Don't leave anything visible in your car when you park it, and don't wait until you arrive at the parking spot to put things in the trunk.

We booked at bb delle vittorie for 4N in 2020. Unfortunately due to the lockdown we had to cancel. It was highly recommended by several posters on this forum. Centrally located. We were going to use public transportation to visit nearby towns. I too would not recommend a car there. We would definitely rebook again. The host was very kind & understanding when we had to cancel. https://www.bbdellevittorie.it/it/

We liked the Palermo Airbnb we stayed in “Loft with real private SPA”. Great location for walking to many markets and neighborhoods. Definitely within the ZTL. We dropped off our car as we entered Palermo. The apartment is only a block away from an airport bus stop.