Where to stay in palermo

We stayed in an apartment a 4-minute walk northeast of the cathedral on the via del Celso and liked the neighborhood very much --- we could walk to everywhere we wanted. So, in the old part of town and 7 minutes from the Quattro Canti, but not at all busy or noisy. 16-minute walk to the train from the airport. I guess I'm saying, stay in the city center, but in a quiet untouristed neighborhood.

If you are there in summer you could stay at the Mondello beach. I’ve never taken that tour but I see on the website that the tour spends a minimum amount of time in Palermo. Basically the tour takes you to the Basilica up in Monreale and at a palace, but basically you are on your own the rest of the day and Palermo has so much that you should probably stay in the city center and in the extra two days you are adding you should visit as much as you can of the many places the tour is not touching. Below is a list of must see places in Palermo. Only the Duomo of Monreale is part of your tour.

https://wearepalermo.com/what-to-see/

Don’t stay in an outlying area. Public transit is not great and you want to be able to walk to the many attractions in Central Palermo. Hotel Porta Felice in the Kalsa area near the water is very nice — quiet street, near a lovely garden, supermarket, restaurants and anything else you need, about 15 minutes walk to the central intersection (Quattro Canti), even closer to some of the other highlights such as la Martorana church. Or find out which hotel the tour will use and stay there so you won’t have to relocate.

Contrary to previous advice, I'd say it's fine to stay outside the city, ideally near a train station connecting the airport to Palermo. Trains run regularly, and with a bit of searching, you could even find accommodations near the sea in a quieter area. Absolutely avoid commuting by car, but train travel works fine.

I would also just stay in the city center (roughly between Quattro Canti and Teatro Massimo.) The main drag here is fully pedestrianized leading to a city center I would describe as active and lively, but not oppressive or noisy. Palermo is a seriously underrated city imo, and is great for exploring. While its general character is “faded grandeur” it’s still grander than most places. I think expectations of Palermo are that it’s much like Naples, but I found it quiet, safe, clean, as well as sophisticated and hip.

The RS tour actually spends little time just in the city itself, and I think extra time is warranted. Now, if you wanted to stay in a place like Cefalu for a few days prior, that’s fine too. But I’d stay there because you want to stay there, not because you don’t want to be in Palermo.

We recently stayed in an Airbnb north of the historic center near Parco Piersanti Matterella. The walk along Via della Liberta was extremely pleasant. Much of the way is on pedestrian pathways in the center of the boulevard. The neighborhood is a mix of residences and local businesses and restaurants. It is less than 2 km walk to the opera house. We would definitely stay in the area again.