Beaches in Palermo
Mondello for sand and Liberty villas, Sferracavallo for the fishing village and rocks, Addaura for coves under Monte Pellegrino.
- Mondello
- Sand, about 1.5 km
- Time to Mondello
- about 25–45 min (depending on traffic)
- Ticket to Mondello
- €3.20, both directions
Palermo has the sea inside the city, and three beaches that really differ. Mondello is a sandy bay, Sferracavallo a fishing village with sand and rocks, and Addaura a narrow shore under Monte Pellegrino. You choose by what you want: a wide sandy beach, a fishing village by the sea, or narrow coves under a mountain.
Mondello — sand in a bay
Mondello is a bay between Monte Gallo and Monte Pellegrino, with a sandy beach about a kilometre and a half long. La Favorita park of 400 hectares separates it from the centre. The place was once a marsh, drained from 1889 after malaria epidemics, and it became a resort for wealthy Palermitans around 1912, when Liberty-style villas by Ernesto Basile and his students went up. A bus goes there: 806 bus (AMAT), direct from Piazza Politeama, about 25–45 min (depending on traffic), €3.20 return. Season: Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct.
Sferracavallo — a fishing village with rocks
Sferracavallo is an old fishing village around a cove, in a protected part of the sea. The beach alternates sand and rock, and along the shore paid bathing establishments alternate with free bathing spots. To the north in the bay is Baia del Corallo, with rocks and ramps into the sea, and to the south Barcarello. Along the shore there are also fish restaurants overlooking the boats.
Addaura — narrow coves under Monte Pellegrino
Addaura is a village on the northern coast, at the foot of the northern slope of Monte Pellegrino. The shore is narrow, with rocks and sandy coves. Addaura has caves with Palaeolithic and Mesolithic engravings, four main ones: Perciata, Caprara, the Cave of Bovidae and the Cave of Engravings.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Which is the best beach in Palermo?
Mondello is the best known: a sandy beach in a bay, about a kilometre and a half long. For sand and rocks go to Sferracavallo, and for narrow coves to Addaura.
How do you get to Mondello?
Bus 806 leaves from Piazza Politeama. A return ticket is €3.20, and the ride takes about 25–45 min (depending on traffic).
When do you go to the beach in Palermo?
Season: Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct. In July and August Mondello is packed.
Ready for Palermo?
Where to next
Palermo in 3 days
→Kalsa and the cathedral on day one, the Palatine Chapel and the opera on day two, the market and the oratory…
Catania · 165 km
→Black Baroque built from lava stone, a fish market behind the cathedral and a volcano at the end of the main street.
How well does Palermo suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
Front row for the next trip
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