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Offered languages
- German
- Portuguese
- English
- Italian
- French
- Dutch
- Spanish
Palermo's cathedral started as a church, became an Arab mosque, then returned to a cathedral — and a Quranic verse carved into one of its columns survived the Inquisition untouched. This self-guided audio walking tour takes you along the Cassaro, one of Europe's oldest streets, from the Teatro Massimo opera house to the sea. You'll hear how a Caravaggio was stolen by the Mafia and possibly eaten by pigs, taste street food with thousand-year-old Arab roots, and stand inside a chapel where three civilisations built a single ceiling together. Start whenever suits you, pause for markets and sfincione, resume when you're ready — no group, no schedule. Works offline.
Over 20,000 travelers have used our self-guided tours, and a full refund guarantee means no risk. If you want a Palermo walking tour that lets you go at your own pace and actually understand what you're looking at, this is it.
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
This is a self-guided audio tour on our self-guided tour app. To activate the tour, check your email for instructions from us sent right after booking. Can’t find it? Search for our company in your email inbox and spam folder. OR contact us via support.
Itinerary
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Teatro Massimo (Pass by)
Find the step where skeptics still trip, cursed by a nun whose tomb was disturbed during construction.
Admission ticket free -
Capo Street Market (Pass by)
Taste rice balls born from Arab rule in lanes that haven't changed their layout in a thousand years.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
Stand above tunnels where a secret society may have met — and where the Mafia later claimed its origin story.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
Spot the Quranic verse carved into a column that somehow survived the Spanish Inquisition untouched.
Admission ticket free -
Villa Bonanno (Pass by)
Look up at the figures holding the gate and notice what's been done to their limbs.
Admission ticket free -
Norman Palace (Pass by)
Step inside a chapel where three civilisations built a single ceiling — and none agreed on whose king it honoured.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
Trace the line from two assassinated prosecutors to the civic uprising that reopened an opera house.
Admission ticket free -
Quattro Canti (Pass by)
Notice how a local architect quietly rearranged the Spanish king's position on each facade — and why it mattered.
Admission ticket free -
Piazza Pretoria (Pass by)
Count the nude statues a sculptor shipped across the sea in sixty-nine crates — then hear what the nuns did about them.
Admission ticket free -
Piazza Bellini (Pass by)
Learn why every admiral in every navy carries a title invented by a Greek refugee serving a Norman king here.
Admission ticket free -
La Vucciria (Pass by)
Order your spleen sandwich "married" or "bachelor" — and hear how Jewish butchers created the tradition centuries ago.
Admission ticket free -
Chiesa di San Domenico (Pass by)
Pause at the tomb of the prosecutor whose murder changed Palermo more than any conqueror did.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
Search the stucco for a hidden lizard — the artist's signature pun on his own name.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
See the empty space above the altar where a Caravaggio hung until the Mafia took it — and no two informants agree on what happened next.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
Read prayers scratched into prison walls with blood by Inquisition captives going blind in the dark.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
Walk the elevated promenade reserved for widows — whose mourning clothes may have signalled something else entirely.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
Face the sea where a boy supposedly dove beneath Sicily and never came back — because the island needed holding up.
Admission ticket free
Additional info
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Tags
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Rating
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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