Getting around in Palermo: public transportation, bike-sharing and carpooling

In Palermo you can use a rental car, cab or public transportation — bus, streetcar or metro-electric.

Palermo (Metropolitana) trains

Palermo doesn’t really have a subway. The «metropolitana» here is the city’s network of electric trains, which are part of the state-owned railroad company Trenitalia.

Electric trains operate on three lines:

• A: Stazione Centrale — Punta Raisi (where Palermo Falcone-Borsellino Airport is located);
• B: Stazione Notarbartolo — Giachery;
• C: Central Station — Bagheria — Altavilla Milicia.

Unlike buses or streetcars, electric trains have no usual stops — they stop at train stations. All lines meet at the Palermo Centrale train station, which is located in Piazza Giulio Cesare.

• Ticket costs 1,70 € per city. Valid for 90 min from the moment of validation. Detailed timetable with stops and times can be found on the website.
• You can buy a Metro 7 pass for 10 €, which allows you to move around the city during the week from Monday to Sunday. A one-month subscription costs €26.50.
  
• A single ticket for trains, streetcars and buses costs €5.50 per day. You can buy it on the Trenitalia website, on the mobile app and at vending machines in stations.
• A fare to Falcone — Borsellino Airport in Punta Raisi is €5.90.
  
• AMAT city bus tickets cannot be used on electric trains.
  
• Tickets can be purchased online, in a mobile app, in specialized machines located at each station and at ticket offices. Remember that the ticket must be stamped before boarding.
• Trenitalia ticket office at Stazione Centrale: every day from 06:00 to 21:00. The ticket office at Notarbartolo station is open daily from 06:10 to 20:32.
  

Palermo buses

The most common public transportation network in the city is by buses. They run as close as possible to all attractions, going to remote areas. Palermo has a flexible system of day, week, month passes — for any time and purpose of staying in the city. There is even a free tourist «orange bus» running through the main attractions of the capital of Sicily — Navetta Centro Storico.

Buses to Palermo rarely arrive according to schedule, so don’t calculate your route by the minute or rely on their punctuality.

• The regular ticket price is 1.40 €. It is valid for 90 min from the moment of composting.
• A 90-minute ticket bought on the bus itself costs €1.80.
• A MultiDay ticket for two days is €6, for three days €8, and for a week €16.50.
• A package of 20 regular tickets costs €23.50, of 20 day tickets €45.80.
• All passes can be purchased at official resellers (bars, kiosks) or at points of sale, the list of which is provided on the carrier’s website.
• The most convenient way to purchase a ticket is through the PalerMobilità app.
• More information about bus lines and routes on AMAT’s website.

Palermo streetcars

The third form of municipal transportation in Palermo is the streetcar. It is also the most comfortable way for people with disabilities: streetcars have a low floor and many doors, no steps.

The streetcar routes run along 4 main lines:

• TRAM 1 connects Central Station with Stazione Centrale/Roccella. It is one of the most popular routes among tourists because it is close to the sights. It takes 22 minutes and runs at 5-minute intervals.
• TRAM 2 Borgonuovo — Notarbartolo. Traffic interval 10 min.

• TRAM 3C.E.P. — Notarbartolo. Interval 10 min.

• TRAM 4 Notarbartolo — Calatafimi — Notarbartolo. Interval 12 min.

You can buy a ticket online or at specialized places(list of points of sale). The ticket for buses and streetcars is universal.

• The price of a ticket for 90 min from the moment of composting is 1,40 €. All MultiDay ticket prices are the same as for bus travel.
• More information about the route on the carrier’s website.
• The streetcar’s operating hours are from 6:00 to 21:00.
  

Cab Palermo

The fastest, most comfortable, but also expensive way to reach the desired point in an unfamiliar city is to order a cab. You should take into account that the traffic in the city is very congested, and standing in a traffic jam is paid.

Each cab service may have its own rates, so check with the driver immediately and ask for a price list (usually the driver has it in writing).

• The minimum order within the city is €3.81. Here are detailed cab fares.

• On holidays and at night, the fare will be 1.5—2 times higher.
• Waiting time (if ordered in advance) and baggage fees are paid separately.
• There’s an unspoken 10% tip rule.

Palermo has a service called Apetaxi, which are three-wheeled carts that now take tourists around the city. This is an opportunity to see the sights while sitting in transportation very specific to Sicily of the second half of the twentieth century. There are several types of excursions. Prices for 1 hour from 40 € per person. More information on the website.

You can book a cab by calling one of the numbers listed on the website through the Apptaxi app .

Rent a bicycle, scooter

Biking around the city is a trend in recent years. It’s part of ecotourism, and it’s also simply useful and affordable. Sometimes there are even whole bike tours. Bike rentals in Palermo are provided by several services:

• Social Bike Palermo — apart from renting a bike, the company also offers a luggage storage service for 4 € per day near the Central Station. 6 hours of bike rental with helmet costs 12 €, 24 hours — 15 €.
• Mondello Rent Scooter & Bike — rent a regular city bike from 10 € per day. The more days you rent, the better the price. For example, a week’s rental will cost 60 €.

• Sicilymotorent — scooter and motorcycle rentals from 39 €. There are restrictions on kilometers.
• Rentalmotorbike offers rentals from 25 € per day.
• BiciPA is a bikeshare/bike-share service. The service provides a bike rental service on a subscription basis and subject to station availability. You can pick up and drop off your bike at any convenient parking lot. The subscription fee is 5 € for a day and 8 € for a week. You must have a credit card to subscribe.
  

Rental car

If you are not afraid of foreign roads, a confident driver with a license and plan a busy route to remote locations, then your ideal option is to rent a car in Palermo. Now you can easily do it online, sitting at home in a comfortable chair. And on arrival, your chosen car will be waiting for you. You can also rent a car in the offices of rental companies in the city, but it will be more expensive.

Terms and conditions for renting a car in Palermo:

• Age 21 years and older.
• Possession of an identification passport and an international driver’s license or a driver’s license with a name in Latin script.
• A credit card in your name.
• Refundable Security Deposit.

For example, on one of the popular car rental services Rentalcars the cost of renting a Citroen C1 for 3 days will be from 100 €. Changes to the order can be made free of charge. Cancellation of the reservation 48 hours before picking up the car is also free of charge.

Renting a personal car in Sicily can have a few unpleasant moments:

• High traffic congestion (sometimes you can get to your destination faster by public transportation even with transfers).
• The problem with parking spaces, which are few and paid. You are allowed to park only in the blue lanes. This is where modern apps and websites can help you: ParkMe, AccessibilitaCentriStorici, Parkimeter.
• In the historic center of the city there are zones of restricted traffic (ZTL — Zona a Traffico Limitato) in force on weekdays, Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 20:00. For more information, see the website.