Discover Palermo Past & Present: City Center Walking Tour in Palermo, Afghanistan - A unique experience

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Things to do Palermo Past & Present: City Center Walking Tour

We’re a team of professional local guides, passionate about sharing the city’s true spirit. Our tip-based walking tours blend iconic squares with hidden alleys, weaving together history, legends, and local life to share authentic stories in a relaxed atmosphere. Follow us to discover Palermo’s contrasts and explore its rich history, diverse cuisine, and fascinating legends. We will also grant you a mini guide of Palermo with all the tips you need! QUALITY FIRST This is the only free tour in town that provides guests with headphones to overcome city noise. MORNING TOUR Teatro Massimo, crossroad Quattro Canti, Townhall square, Arab-Norman churches. Visit to a hidden gem, backstreeting around Ballarò district and market. End at the Cathedral. Perfect introduction to the city. EVENING TOUR Teatro Massimo, Olivella aperitif area, crossroad Quattro Canti, Kalsa district, Townhall square, Arab-Norman churches. Perfect kick off for a fun evening! IMPORTANT - We only accept cash tips in € - Please book only if you seriously plan to come. Not showing up is disrespectful. - We cannot wait for latecomers - Tours may occasionally end 10–15 minutes late

Included

Piazza Bellini

Quattro Canti

Massimo Theater

Cattedrale di Palermo

Via Maqueda

Piazza Pretoria

Guided walking tour

Main opera house (outside)

Quattro Canti (outside)

Backstreets

Cathedral (outside)

Small group

Local guide

Meeting point

Via Maqueda, 461, 90133 Palermo PA

Reviews (150)

2025-10-04 08:13:09

“Interesting informative tour ”

Our great tour guide Angelo showed us interesting places and informed us about past and present times in Palermo. ????????

Thomas Schmidt (English)

2025-09-29 15:07:05

“Palermo Past & Present: City Center Walking Tour ”

Fabio was our guide, very friendly and knowledgeable. A really interesting tour with lots of fun and historical facts about Palermo. Would definitely recommend.

Anna Nicholls (English)

2025-09-29 12:32:22

“Great guide”

Marco was an excellent guide. I liked the way he layered stories and history and generally the order he presented information. You can tell a lot of thought went into preparation. Personally, I wish i had fone the morning tour instead because we missed the markets and more parts relating to every day life. I would prioritize another tour with Marco’s company in the fufutre.

Tim (English)

2025-09-27 08:25:07

“Prima Marco”

Die Führung hat Spaß gemacht. Es war sehr informativ.

Karl-Heinz Huß (German)

2025-09-26 12:34:23

“Excellent background of Palermo history. ”

Angelo our guide was entertaining and full of information about Palermo historical events.

Elaine Russell (English)

2025-09-24 11:00:49

“Very good tour!”

Very good tour!

Tamara (English)

2025-09-23 11:03:41

“Brilliant walking tour ”

We loved this walking tour of Palermo! Marco was friendly and interesting and loves the city. You will get a great overview of the central area and lots of tips about what to go back to, see places to eat etc, and a good amount of history and detail. The pace was relaxed but we covered a lot of ground. Loved it!

Peta Drayton (English)

2025-09-23 10:05:49

“Palermo ”

Nice tour. Interesting history data about Palermo. Engaging tour guide.

Iveta Promberga (English)

2025-09-22 13:25:57

“Best walking tour I’ve attended ”

Marco is an excellent guide.His English is really good and he has a great sense of humor! I learned so much about Palermo during the two hours tour and thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you!

Zhen Zhu (English)

2025-09-22 10:18:00

“The perfect introduction to Palermo”

Marco gives a fun and informative introduction to Palermo and the headphones provided really make it easy to follow the tour in this busy loud city

Antonia Frank (English)

2025-09-14 11:11:18

“Amazing tour”

Guide was fantastic! Very engaging and entertaining. Highly recommended! Gracie mille Marco!!!!

Dalia Folgado (English)

2025-09-12 17:37:54

“Highly recommended!????”

Today we joined a walking tour in Sicily with Marco, and it was absolutely wonderful! We could hear everything clearly throughout the tour, and Marco made sure the group was always comfortable. His explanations were engaging, detailed, and easy to follow — he really managed to capture our attention and make the whole experience both interesting and enjoyable. We truly appreciated his care and professionalism. Highly recommended!

Ana Amorim (English)

2025-09-10 20:02:02

“Great tour”

Wonderful tour; would definately recommend for your first day in Palermo

Zuzana (English)

2025-09-06 12:35:36

“Informative and humorous!”

The tour and guide were wonderful. Simona had lots of information, told it humorously, with little fun facts about Sicilian habits and quirks and a few nice insider tips to explore after the tour. Definitely would recommend!

Bonnie Schaafsma (English)

2025-08-11 13:15:48

“Incredible Tour thanks to Simona”

We were a group of friends and we loved that walking tour with Simona. Especially, her way of telling stories, her humor, her vibe and her insights as a local. If one day we come back to Palermo, we will recommand it to our friends. Bisous

Camille Berjonneau (English)

2025-08-11 11:32:43

“Nice walk through Palermo”

Nice walk through Palermo! Recommend.

ivna miljanovic (English)

2025-08-09 11:57:31

“Great tour”

Great tour on the main highlights of palermo

Joao (English)

2025-08-09 10:36:39

“Amazing tour ”

It was a really nice tour! We got many interesting informations about the city and a overview about the city structure. Our Guide Simona was super funny and friendly. Thank you

Dani Trop (English)

2025-08-08 16:39:17

“Really nice”

Really nice

Oliwia (English)

2025-08-05 07:16:12

“The perfect start in the holiday”

We arrived yesterday in Palermo and shortly decided for a walking tour. The tour guide Simona was amazing: she gave us all the details of the important places mixed her knowledge of Palermo’s history with fun facts and her personal experience of life in Sicily. All with the greatest enthusiasm and friendliness. The tour lasts 2 hours but we would have stayed the whole night listening to her. Afterwards you can appreciate the true soul of the city and feel grateful and happy for coming here (+ you have some locals tips for things to do, eat, visit). Highly recommend (especially at the beginning of your stay)!

Chiara Meggiato (English)

2025-07-21 06:08:18

“Walking tour Palermo ”

Great

sandra kronenberger (English)

2025-07-19 05:19:45

“Fantastic Tour”

The tour was amazing and the tour guide was exceptional. Her knowledge and humour made this tour a delight

Robyn Mitchell (English)

2025-07-16 18:32:38

“Very interesting tour”

Martina was very kind and provided thé group with very good explanations of Palermo history and monuments, highly recommended!

sara macchiavelli (English)

2025-07-11 14:01:56

“Amazing tour”

So worth it to go on this tour! Very interesting information and the guide was amazing! You can definetly see the city with a new perspective after this tour.

Carolina Dantas (English)

2025-07-09 12:59:57

“Super tour”

We loved the tour - Marco was a friendly tour guide. His stories were interesting and with a lot of humour. The devices were also really practical. 100% recommended

Anna Hennes (English)

2025-07-06 10:10:57

“Free walking tour”

Amazing tour, with a lot of information. I would recommended it, to everyone.

Rachel (English)

2025-06-28 17:50:01

“Great tour of Palermo ”

The two and a bit hours just flew by with our guide Martina who English was one of the best I have heard by a guide in Italy. She conveyed a sense of passion as she explained the city's history, culture and architecture. Definitely recommended!!

Oren Zauder (English)

2025-06-27 08:11:54

“Eine kleine Geschichte der Stadt”

Die Tour hat wirklich Spaß gemacht. Anhand vieler kleiner und großer Geschichten könnten wir die Geschichte Palermos und die Hintergründe der Menschen hier kennen lernen. Sehr zu empfehlen!

Leo (German)

2025-06-22 13:55:20

“Tour”

Great

Ebbe Vestberg (English)

2025-06-20 12:15:28

“Perfect”

Everything was Perfect: Route, Tour Guide And The weather ???? thanks a lot

Michael Konrad (English)

2025-06-17 13:06:24

“Walk Palermo tour”

Simona in marcos group was very good, light, funny, great history. June 17 2025

Mitchell (English)

2025-06-17 11:56:45

“Great tour ”

Such a great tour, learnt a lot about Palermo. A very helpful, friendly and knowledgable tour guide! Highly recommend

Rosie Henderson (English)

2025-06-16 20:42:02

“Great tour”

Tour was interesting and helpful.

Milica Becenjag (English)

2025-06-15 11:11:57

“A distillation of Palermo in two hours--amazing!”

Marco does quite an amazing job. There is enough (but not too much)history to give a foundation for his intimate perspective in what creates the modern Palermo and it's people. It's a big ask to give feel for a city and its people in 120 minutes, but Marco achieves it. He is quite a genius. There's history, food culture, sport, language, religion, politics all in such a short period. It was very much appreciated!?

Allan Alderson (English)

2025-06-15 07:34:00

“Really good tour”

We liked the tour with Marco very much.

barbara komadina (English)

2025-06-14 20:46:49

“Good experience ”

Our tour was entertaining and so interesting. We have visited a number of the recommended places and been impressed.

Diane Devine (English)

2025-06-14 14:13:58

“Packed with information”

Nice, knowledgeable guide and a tour packed with information. Totally worth it

Natalia Rodriguez (English)

2025-06-14 13:26:22

“Enjoyed it !!”

Very nice tour. Guide was enjoyable and she hadden good stories about Palermo but also inside information about food. The tips she gave were very good and we visit tjem afterwards enjoy it very much

Natasja Schilperoord (English)

2025-06-13 19:01:29

“Nice walk in Palermo”

Rebecca was a perfect guide, full of interesging szories and good tips. We realy enjoyed the walk. Maja

Maja Zulim (English)

2025-06-13 08:32:00

“Nice & fun ”

Nice & fun

Ana Seguro (Swedish)

2025-06-10 15:07:22

“Perfect start to get to know Palermo”

Wonderful tour! Our guide was Simona - she gave a perfect overview of Palermo with historic and modern facts, in a very nice and humorous way :) can highly recommend & you get some further information & tools at the end of the tour to dive deeper into this gem of a city

Claudius E (English)

2025-06-08 15:14:35

“Palermo free walking tour”

Martina was awesome!

Ian Fairwell (English)

2025-06-08 11:47:18

“Great Tour”

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour with Martina. Very knowledgeable and funny

Paula Miller (English)

2025-06-07 14:36:22

“Lovely tour”

Free walking tours are a wonderful way for anyone who wanta to get an orientation on the city they are in. This particulare tour gave a nice overview of Palermo and some amazing tips on what to visit. The guide was very friendly and always ready to answer questions. She also knew a lot outside of the tour material about Palermian and sicilian history which made the tour even more worthwhile!! 11/10 would recommend!

Jana (English)

2025-06-03 21:39:28

“Very good tour!”

Gives a good overview of Palermo with many recommendations, very good and funny guide, learned a lot! :) thank you!

Sophie (English)

2025-06-03 10:31:11

“Super”

I can really recommend a freewalking tour- very interesting, useful! I got much Information about history, life style and authentic atmosphere of Palermo!

Marlene Neumann (English)

2025-06-03 10:03:43

“Review”

The guide did an amazing job

Saad (English)

2025-06-02 14:57:32

“Fun and informative walking tour!”

We did the walking tour of Palermo historic town centre with Simone. She took us past all the major points of interest and told us lots of interesting information about the history of the city, along with some funny stories and local recommendations. Thankyou for a lovely morning!

Erin (English)

2025-05-29 18:15:04

“Orientation Palermo”

Everything was perfect. Grazzie

Lucija Rogina (English)

2025-05-25 13:31:15

“Orientation Tour”

Enjoyable tour. Worth doung

Roz Wright (Photobuzza) (English)

2025-05-25 08:30:22

“informational and useful”

Thank you for a great introduction to Palermo. Simona is a lovely tour guide and her stories and island myths are interesting and full of a good Sicilian humor. This tour is well recommended.

Dimi Yakub (English)

2025-05-22 11:47:06

“Tour”

We were at the meeting point 3 minutes after the start. Couldnt find the tour guide.wrote a message before, that we will be few minutes late. As I read the info online that people who are late dont wait, still 3 minutes, and everybody gone, was surprised, so we missed the tour unfortunately. So be ahead of time, Palermo is chaotic traffic

Helga Kenebuka (English)

2025-05-19 20:38:32

“Good intro to Palermo and Sicily”

It was a great introduction to Palermo and Sicily. It helps you understand where the myths of the island come from.

Aitor García Manso (English)

2025-05-19 18:58:56

“Perfetto!”

All was good!

Kostas (English)

2025-05-19 12:04:48

“Great!”

Everything was great!

Miljana Bilibajkic (English)

2025-05-14 16:15:07

“Orientation Free Tour of Palermo ”

Great way to start the vacation in Palermo with this amazing tour

Silvio Di Giambattista (English)

2025-05-14 13:30:02

“It was really great. Got a good Impression and good advices of P”

Great

Heiner Friedrich (English)

2025-05-10 16:19:47

“10.5. 10.00h”

Thank you Simona ist was Great… I get the Most famous canolli and a Good Beer in the Blue bar Mandy greetings sabine

Sabine (English)

2025-05-10 15:50:40

“palermo tour”

Amazing experience in Palermo! Our guide shared fascinating insights and led us through some truly unique corners of the city. A great way to connect with its history and atmosphere.

Emiliano Ferrara (English)

2025-05-09 06:01:17

“Great introduction to Sicily ”

Very knowledgeable guide - interesting and helpful facts. Enjoyed very much

S Chacko (English)

2025-05-08 17:04:25

“A Must-Do in Palermo!”

This tour of Palermo was really great! The guide was excellent – very knowledgeable and made the city's stories come alive. I especially loved exploring the different corners of Palermo and soaking in its rich history. The whole experience was just wonderful! Seriously, if you're visiting Palermo, you absolutely HAVE to do this!

Claudia (English)

2025-05-08 10:03:06

“Amazing tour!”

Wow! I loved every aspect of the tour!! Thanks so much! 5 stars!!

Federica (English)

2025-05-07 10:40:54

“Awesome and unforgettable Introduction to Palermo!”

I recently took part in a 2-hour guided tour of Palermo’s historic center, and it was the perfect way to begin my stay in the city. Our guide was absolutely fantastic—knowledgeable, engaging, and full of passion for Palermo's rich history and culture. The tour was well-paced, and the group was fun, friendly, and respectful, which made the experience even more enjoyable. Not only did I learn a lot about the city's major landmarks and hidden gems, but I also made great connections with fellow travelers. After the tour, a few of us continued exploring together and shared a lovely time soaking up the Palermo vibe. I highly recommend this tour as a first step when arriving in Palermo—it gives you context, orientation, and a deeper appreciation for what you’ll see next. A must-do experience! This was a free tour, but at the end the Guide deserved more than a tip! Grazie Marco!

Jack frost (English)

2025-05-07 07:03:06

“Recommendation ”

The tour was funny and informative! I would definitely recommend to book it to get an orientation in Palermo

Annika Wenke (English)

2025-05-03 12:32:15

“A very worthwhile overview of Palermo”

We throughly enjoyed our tour this morning. Although the group was quite large, the addition of personal ear buds made it very easy for us to hear and follow our guide. She was very informative, teaching us about the history and traditions of the wonderful city of Palermo. On pur own, we would never have found all the places that she took us. Highly recommend this excellent tour

Rosemary Heller (English)

2025-04-26 15:13:19

“Excellent 2hr Tour of Palermo”

Marco is very professional

William McAlister (English)

2025-04-24 12:39:04

“.”

Marc (English)

2025-04-20 06:53:44

“Truly recommend”

First of all, book your tour ahead! This trip to Palermo was very spontaneous for us, and I managed to book this tour only for the last day of our 2.5 day stay (the only available and not yet fully nooked). So, for 2 days we were discovering Palermo on our own, following the recommendations for the tourists. Our guide Raffaella showed us very different Palermo! Beautiful Palermo! And gave sense to all we felt and saw prior. I was a bit sad that we won't manage to see an opera or visit a famous Sicilan puppet theatre, but happy we've learned about them. Thank you, Raffa, for the wonderful tour, all the stories and insides, tips and recommendations, for your kind and cheerful attitude. ????

Irena Hlushchuk (English)

2025-04-19 14:27:46

“Superb way to start exploring Palermo”

Our guide - Marco - was excellent having great local knowledge, an excellent communicator with a good sense of humour. The tour flower logically and Marco covered the history, architecture to good and most importantly the culture of Palermo and Sicily. The 2 hours flew by and was enjoyed by all of us (group of 4). Overall I like smaller group sizes but Marco handled this group very well (about 20)

Craig Warren (English)

2025-04-19 05:35:41

“Tour durchs centro storico”

Die Tour mit Rafa war sehr informativ und hat Spaß gemacht. Vor allem ihre persönlichen Einblicke in das Leben in Palermo waren spannend. Würden wir jederzeit wieder mitmachen.

Dagmar Kroemer (German)

2025-04-17 06:38:33

“Relaxed and interesting ”

Our tour with Rafael was relaxed and didn't involve too much walking. She was engaging and has excellent English. The tour group was very large however (36 people) and it was difficult to hear at times. We would also have liked more information on the history of Palermo itself and found ourselves doing our own research afterwards. All in all though, we enjoyed our tour with Rafael and it's a good way to start your trip.

Dee (English)

2024-11-04 22:12:59

“Palermo tour”

Raffaella passion, knowledge and skills made the tour a wonderful experience. We made the tour our very first day in Palermo and I think it was a good way to discover the city. Thank you Raffaella....AMMUNIIIIIII :)

Andrea Fantini (English)

2024-10-28 22:20:06

“Awesome tour with a knowledgeable and entertaining guide”

Marco was terrific. We thoroughly enjoyed the history and tips for seeing the best of Palermo. We came away with a love of the culture, history and food of Palermo. Thank you Marco

Karen (English)

2024-10-28 09:15:22

“Perfect tour with many great info”

Perfect tour with many great info, the story telling is very interesting. He is the best tour guide

Christian Lioe (English)

2024-10-26 20:38:53

“Tour with Marco”

Gut gemacht: Wissen und Geschichte unterhaltsam unter die Leute gebracht. Hat einfach Spass gemacht. Marco hat eine gute Stimme und gutes Englisch: trotz der (zu) großen Gruppe immer gut hörbar. Mir wäre weniger zu Essen&Trinken noch besser gewesen - trotzdem auch das gut präsentiert.

Andrea Schliesske (German)

2024-10-26 00:09:44

“Quite an entertaining tour”

Quite a good experience and chance to see the city attractions in the night light ????

Abhishek Joshi (English)

2024-10-12 18:52:39

“I wish we have done this just a day earlier.”

We had only a short time in Palermo and we realised that the tour could give us tips and clues for our following day if we have done it in the first afternoon. Marco showed us around and talked about history and gave us a lot of practical tips about cuisine and things to see. We absolutely loved it.

Gabor (English)

2024-10-11 22:08:40

“Perfect City Tour”

It was really nice and we had a great time with Marco and we get a lot of interessting Information about Palermo

Melanie Naglschmidt (English)

2024-10-09 20:19:58

“Palermo tour”

Our guide had interesting facts about Palermo’s history with how it came to be today. Also, informed us of the do’s and don’ts with regards to the locals. Very important in today’s world of anti tourism.

Laurie (English)

2024-09-29 21:17:35

“Very good tour”

Marco Romeo is very knowledgeable to Sicily history , culture. Well structured material. Perfect timing. Will recommend to my friend. Nancy (party of three)

Nancy Huang (English)

2024-09-29 16:16:11

“Great time”

With much knowlegde and a great sense if humor. Complimenti!

sonja payer (English)

2024-09-27 19:21:12

“A great tour”

So much knowledge is given in a friendly manner and with laughs

PURUSHOTTAM MITRA (English)

2024-09-11 18:40:54

“Very thankful”

We were informed, entertained and warm wellcomed at its best! Thanks a lot it was great!

Andrea Domanig (English)

2024-08-07 21:21:58

“A tour with Martina”

I recently had the pleasure of taking a free tour in Palermo, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Our guide, Martina, was absolutely excellent. She exuded passion for the city's history and culture, which made the tour incredibly engaging and informative. Martina was not only extremely knowledgeable but also very friendly and professional, making everyone feel welcome and comfortable. Her enthusiasm was contagious, and she went above and beyond to ensure that we had a memorable experience. If you're in Palermo, don't miss the opportunity to take this tour with Martina—you won't be disappointed!

Viliam (English)

2024-08-06 07:51:04

“Tour with Martina”

I absolutely loved Martina! She spoke a perfect English and The tour was interesting since the first minute. I liked how age made us all introduce outselves in The beggining, it really opened the way for interaction. Would reccomend her to any person!

Henrique Moser (English)

2024-08-01 21:35:22

“Dynamic, knowledgeable guide”

Marco is an excellent guide and shows his passion for the job. He is open to all questions you can throw at him, and explains not just the historical information of the city, but weaves in stories and tidbits of culture that make you learn more about the city and its people. Entertaining, educational and a fabulous experience. Highly recommended to anyone looking to learn more about Palermo, but more than just a superficial look at main sights.

Noreen (English)

2024-07-21 09:27:21

“Amazing, charming walking tour! ”

Absolutely recommend! Tour guide is a charming, intelligent and funny story teller and makes you fall in love with Palermo, its food and culture! 10/10

Betia Berenz (English)

2024-07-20 13:24:49

“Captivating and Funny”

Me and my dutchie boyfriend (Jerome) joined Marco’s two-hour orientation walk tour of Palermo. We had a lovely calm stroll around the city. Marco puts everybody immediately at ease. He knows plenty about the history of Palermo. He is a good storyteller and does this in a very funny and captivating way. He is able to include everybody in the group based on their nationalities and background. He is open to all questions. He even recommended us a very good restaurant after the tour. Join Marco’s walk, you won’t regret it!

Marina Campenni (English)

2024-07-14 18:26:17

“Fantastic introduction to Palermo ”

As a local, Marco was able to introduce us to the history, culture and food of Palermo. Highly recommend as an introduction to Palermo!

Daniela (English)

2024-07-13 10:33:34

“Fabuloso”

Thanks for the fantastic tour! Highly recommended

Stefanie Brackemeier (English)

2024-07-11 11:51:08

“Perfect Introducing to Palermo”

Thank you

Lara Fuchs (English)

2024-06-26 14:44:48

“Orientation Walk with a Laidback Guide”

Great walk with a lots of useful information to start good prepared in a new city! ????

Yvonne Aniol (English)

2024-06-16 10:52:07

“Welcome to Palermo ”

Marco was very informative & great fun. Really pleased we took this tour at the beginning of our holiday. It helped us get our bearings & get a better understanding of Palermo’s history & culture.

Lesley (English)

2024-06-09 16:40:24

“Orientation Walk with a Laidback Local Guide by Freely Tours”

Our tour guides name was Martina, a local to Palermo. She was so friendly, and interested in getting to know us a little as she shared the multi layered history of Palermo! I learned so much. Highly recommend

Siobhán Shinnick (English)

2024-06-09 14:32:12

“Interesting and entertaining tour through Palermo’s city center ”

Really enjoyed the tour with Martina as our guide. Her tour was both, extremely interesting and also very entertaining because of her knowledge and humour. Can absolutely recommend!

Jule (English)

2024-06-04 11:39:50

“Nice Palermo walking tour”

The Guide was nice, knowledgeable We learned a lot from her , good content & covered nice sites . I strongly recommend her.

Riad Coussa (English)

2024-06-03 10:04:19

“Great tour and gread guide”

Great tour with so many interesting facts. Marco is a great guide!

Marija Radman (English)

2024-06-02 17:23:12

“Cool”

It was cool

Nerijus (English)

2024-06-02 14:14:04

“Palermo orientation ”

One of the best we’ve been on. Couldn’t have been better for what was promised.

Ashley Rowlands (English)

2024-06-02 12:05:13

“Just what I looked for”

Perfect tour to get to know Palermo with a nice combo between a little history and fun facts, takt the tour for a great start of your visit i Palermo!

Nils Håkansson (English)

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