Sicily in early May - Parking Issues Palermo, Cefalu, etc

First thing to do is contact the owner of your rentals. In some cities hotels can submit their clients’ license plate #s and submit to police for white listing. Here’s a link to info on ZTLs in Cefalu. Theres a little check box on the left side for parking. Check it and it’ll show parking outside the zone. You can change the location for Palermo.

I have had the miserable, horrible, never again experience of driving in Palermo. If that’s your last stop, return the car out of the city and use public transportation to get to your lodging. The one thing you should do is use a GPS or smart phone for navigation. You should also be able to locate parking using them BUT they won’t warn you about ZTLs.

I've been in Palermo on foot, and that's as close as I ever hope to come to driving there. You do not want to do that. None of the places you've mentioned will benefit from a car (all have rail service), but I guess you're planning to see some more challenging spots after Palermo?

The one place a car would be handy--though not essential, because there are buses--is for seeing the basilica at Monreale, outside Palermo. Plan to see it on your way from Cefalu to Palermo.

Really, take another look at your itinerary and consider picking up the car when you're ready to leave Palermo, making Monreale your first stop after renting the car. Catania-Taormina-Cefalu-Palermo is simple enough by rail with no worries about parking or traffic tickets.

The average water temperature for May in Cefalu is 18C/65F, but the first half of the month will probably average lower than that. I'm not a beach person; I don't know what 65F feels like.

I already have rented car for 16 days, and WILL be arriving in Palermo (from Cefau) in the car. I need to know where I can park it for 2 days safely. It's a done deed. I will have a car.

Can you leave the car in Cefalu and take the train to Palermo, then back to Cefalu after your Palermo nights to retrieve the car? Or if you are going west after Palermo then leave the car at the airport parking lot, get a bus or taxi into Palermo, then back at the end of your stay to get the car.

Do not attempt to drive in central Palermo. I was in Sicily with a car last year, no trouble in Etna, Siracusa, the West like Erice and Trapani area etc. But I ended in Palermo and so returned the car at the airport before visiting the city for 4 nights.

I need to know where I can park it for 2 days safely.

Since you're very unlikely to find anyone on this forum who voluntarily drives in Palermo (my Mom and her cousins did it, much to their regret), why not ask the Airbnb owner? They are most familiar with the parking situation on the ground and they should be able to tell you where to park.

Granted the truism that everyone is different, 65 F would be way too cold for me to venture into the water. Europeans tend to flock to beaches when air and water temps are high. Also during vacation periods. May 1 is a holiday, and falls on a Tuesday. There may be a lot of people turning it into a 4 - day weekend.

Thank you Mira. I was just thinking of doing what you suggest. There is no way I would ever drive in central Palermo under any circumstances. We decided to park for 3 days at Palermo airport because after Palermo we are headed WSW. The wrinkle is that we are in/out of Catania airport. I was wondering if we will be allowed to park at Palermo airport because we are not flying there. Is anyone sure we can park at Palermo airport under these circumstances ?

If you want to find parking in any city, go to ViaMichelin.com, choose map, enter the destination, clear the “Create a Route” pop up by tapping the screen. In the upper left corner of the map, choose 🅿️ and the map will populate with garages. I would not bother trying to park at the airport.