Palermo, Sicily Taxi Tour

Walkable into city proper.

We'd also like a cab tour to smaller towns close to Palermo. Has anyone done a cab tour?

Thanks,

Jean

Not much response so I'll say something based on our one non-cruise experience there. I am not sure what you will be able to see by taxi, since the major sights are indoors, or sprawling areas like the outdoor markets. The traffic is horrible, drivers are fearless, and parking anywhere near sights has got to be a challenge. The new Rick Steves Sicily guidebook might have some clues.

If it were me, and you don't have a specific museum, church, building, etc., that you want to visit, I'd just take a taxi from the dock area and head for Monreale (up the mountain), and look down on Palermo from there. Just plan your time right, or you'll get caught in major traffic jams getting back to the ship.

Thanks Stan; might just as well walk the town...

Jean

The two most obvious out-of-town excursions are Cefalu by train (coastal, very touristy during high season, perhaps not #1 for folks on a cruise) and Monreale (primarily for the cathedral) by bus or taxi. Monreale's definitely outside the city, so the cab fare will not be low, but I think it would be worthwhile on a cruise stop for the substantial time saved.

I'd do one of the out-of-town spots first then return to Palermo for the rest of the day so there'd be no concern about missing the ship. Palermo has many days' worth of sights, so consulting a guidebook is highly recommended. I think most visitors would enjoy seeing one of the large food markets, but I don't know how late in the day they operate. I believe both are closed on Sunday.

Is Cefalu worth the trip? Or would you suggest the Cathedral in Monreale? The cruise arrives at 8a.m. & departs at 5p.m. so that gives us a good 7 hours in port. We'll be spending time in Rome post cruise & have seen a couple Cathedrals there as well as the Duomo in Milan...

Thanks acraven,
Jean

Both are worthwhile, but I imagine you may visit other touristy former fishing villages during your cruise. Many folks like Cefalu more than I did.

The Cathedral at Monreale has stunning mosaics and is definitely one of the top sights in Sicily. It's not a clear-cut choice. If you don't go to Monreale, you should make a serious effort to see the Capella Palatina, a smaller mosaic site located in Palermo. But check hours of operation.

Monreale is considered one of the most beautiful churches in the world. Don't miss it!

I would not miss the cathedral in Monreale. The mosaics are amazing. We enjoyed our time in Cefalu but I would not go there with only 7 hours on the ground. There is plenty to do in Palermo. It will take several hours to go up to Monreale and see the cathedral. We took one of those open top tourist buses up to Monreale. The city buses are not very frequent.

In September a friend and I used Rosario Pizzuto of NCC Taxi Privato. I found him on Trip Advisor website and contacted him because he had very good reviews. This is his website, NCC Taxi Privato
He was punctual, friendly, spoke basic English, and the car was clean and comfortable with AC. Just remember that he is a driver, not a tour guide. I found his prices to be reasonable compared to others I looked into. We used him for two all day excursions. Our first was an all day introduction to Palermo and surrounding area. We visited the catacombs, Monreale, the Sanctuary of Santa Rosalia on Monte Pellegrino and key sites in the city. We were in Palermo for six nights so after this intro we were able to walk or bus to the sites we chose to visit. Our second excursion included Segesta, Erice and Marsala and the Salt pans. He offers a variety of excursions or you can tell him what you want to see. We were pleased with his service.

No experience with Sicily. Just some general comments about setting up taxi tours or using local tours. Over the years we have done a number of taxi tours off of cruise ships. None were prearranged. Generally when you get off the ship there will be gauntlet of tour operators and taxi drives offering all kinds of tours. We would just go down the line asking questions. It takes 15, 20 minutes to find someone we were comfortable with. We would engage taxi drivers just to judge our understanding of their English. There was always four of us, so a taxi was often cheaper than a tour. If there were not many choices or we didn't find anything we liked then it was on to the nearest TI to see what was offered. The TI was almost always walking tours. Being doing this for over 20 years and never had a bad tour and some where absolutely great.

Hi Pat, the website you gave us was not in English and I tried to contact to please convert in English but to no avail; do you have the English site?
Thanks,
Jean

Jean,
I don't think there is an English website but email him. Rosario replied to me in English and sent me a list of the daytours he offers and prices. There is a link on the website and I will send you a PM with his email.

Thanks Pat, I tried to email but wasn't sure as I couldn't decipher his site; just clicked on something and asked for English?
Would appreciate his email address.

Jean

I sent you a PM with his email. Pat

We had intended to take a regular tourist tour of Palermo but as we set out on foot from our Hotel, we were approached by Tony in his 3 wheeled motorized vehicle, kind of a motorcycle with a bench seat in the back. I was sceptical but my husband hired him and off we went, Tony took us through the back alleys and neiborhoods we wouldn't have otherwise seen, to a church than looked plain and boring but was amazing inside and to a beautiful park. He was fearless driving through the streets that he was obviously very familiar with. We side swiped pedestrians, went the wrong way down one way streets, flew down tiny passages and cut off a police car. We couldnt stop laughing. It was like a ride at the fair and the best experience in Palermo.
When we returned to the Hotel Del Centro at the end of our adventure, the concierge slapped his hand to his forehead. He couldn't believe that was what we chose to do. It was wonderful!