PALERMO WITH KIDS: 7 Fun Things to Do With Children

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If you’re heading to Sicily with your kids and will spend time in Palermo, check out my suggestions below for inexpensive or free fun things to do with children! Heck – even if you’re not traveling with kids there are a few cool things in this list to do without ‘em!

Helpful hint – many of the websites I’ve linked are in Italian – check the page to see if there’s an English version – you may see the flag of the UK to designate it is available – or add Google Translate to your browser and most websites and pages will automatically translate for you. 

Here are 6 fantastic things to do in Palermo, plus 1 fabulous (and easy to do) day trip to consider – 

1. You’ll have a grand ole time wandering the city in general! Palermo has such amazing energy – you’ll find noisy stinky and crowded markets (there are 3 main markets – Ballarò, Vucciria and Capo), colorful shops full of cheap and cheerful souvenirs, incredible architecture, and plenty of funky street art. Don’t discount “just walking around” as something to do. While you’re out gallivanting, try the street food! Stop for a slice of pizza or sfincione (Palermo’s version of focaccia pizza) or a delicious arancine – a deep-fried rice ball – enjoy a few cannoli…and don’t forget to try allll the gelato!

2. Visit Radici – a lovely, well-planned “small museum of nature” (the word means “roots” in Italian) in the city center, found on a tiny street behind Rinascente department store. This almost new hands-on, exploratory museum is housed in the former Bellotti De Magistris stationery shop, an iconic writing supply store that was an integral part of Palermo for 100 years. The original antique wood cabinets with dozens of drawers that once held writing paper, fancy pens, and journals have been repurposed and filled with handfuls of seashells, fuzzy moss, jigsaw puzzles, microscope slides, dried flowers and all sorts of interesting – and touchable – items for kids (and the grown-ups!) There’s a cafe where you can get delicious light items like quiche and coffee or tea, and a bookstore with gorgeous, high-quality books, puzzles, and toys for kids and adults. 

3.  Need to burn off some steam and run around a bit after viewing too many cathedrals? (That goes for you and the kids!)  Head to the sea and check out the Il Parco della Salute playground! It’s on the waterfront at Porta Felice, one of the ancient gates to the city. Although it’s not in pristine condition (there are broken parts to some of the stuff) it’s a good place to be a kid – to shout, run, climb and play…with a gorgeous view of the Tyrrhenian Sea along the Palermo Esplanade. There’s a fitness circuit with exercise equipment for adults and big kids, too. On the weekends you’ll find vendors selling food, ice cream, kites of all shapes and colors and people out strolling, biking, exercising, flying those kites, rollerskating, running and enjoying a day at the Italian seaside. There’s another beautiful park near the Norman Palace – Villa Bonanno. Let the little ones run amok amongst the palm trees – it’s usually pretty quiet on this end of town, so grab a coffee or a gelato and find a bench to relax!

4. Another museum perfect for kids is called “miniMUPA” – MUseum of PAlermo.  Located in the ancient Arab quarter of the city called Kalsa, this interactive museum was built just for kids. From their website: “The space is set up with installations, educational and multimedia and analog games, which allow you to discover the history of Sicily and Palermo from prehistory to the present day.” They offer events such as “Jurassic Night at the Museum” so make sure to check the website for upcoming fun! 

5. Ok, I am not sure if this recommendation will be for everyone…but it’s a unique, unusual, macabre and somewhat freaky experience – the Palermo Cappucin Catacombs. 

Yes, there are catacombs all around the world, but this one is unusual in that it is filled with mummified bodies – over 1000 mummies and more than 8000 corpses!! Men, women, children, infants, clergymen…dressed in their finest funerary clothes of velvet, lace, suits and ties. It was an expensive endeavor to be mummified, so mainly the wealthy and royals partook to show off their ability to be preserved – and admired – for all eternity. 

My 6-½-year-old grandson thought it was super cool and didn’t have nightmares after his visit; but my 62-year-old friend couldn’t get out of there fast enough! Use your discretion and maybe look at the photos online (with or without your child) and discuss what it’s all about to deflate the “scary factor” before deciding to go. Explaining that the catacombs are a place of reverence and honor, and not a “spooky” place could be helpful. (NOTE: a small child’s body in her casket is on display in the last room; she was the final mummified body to be added to the catacombs – you may want to forego this exhibit, as it’s pretty obvious that it’s a young girl and may be a bit disconcerting for most – children AND adults. )

6.  My absolute favorite thing to do in Palermo, with or without kids? Go to a puppet show. No, really!! It’s an amazing and enchanting experience declared a UNESCO “masterpiece of oral and intangible heritage of humanity.”  The tickets range in price from €1 to 5, depending on the day/time/theater. I have seen a wonderful performance at the ancient and intimate Argento Theatre (Via Pietro Novelli, n1/a, 90134 Palermo) (Psst!! If you’re lucky, you might catch the owner at work soldering and painting new and old marionettes at his workshop nearby the Theatre, at Via Vittorio Emanuel, 113 close to the Cathedral.)

I’ve also seen a show at the Antonio Pasqualino International Puppet Museum and Theater. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time before a show at this theater to view the hundreds of marionettes on display. There are stunning and interesting marionettes and hand puppets from Italy, Africa, Rajastan and Burma, shadow puppets from Indonesia, China, and Greece, and intriguing water marionettes from Vietnam. Spend a few moments and watch the videos explaining and showcasing this art form’s beauty. The museum also houses a library containing over 7000 books about folk art and puppetry, and a lovely gift shop with marionettes, magnets, bookmarks and more. 

The ancient tales feature the Paladins of Charlemagne and the Saracens (the Moors), and the “bloody” battles featuring Rinaldo and Ganelon, along with the fair maiden, Angelica.

The drama is accompanied by live music or a barrel organ (similar to a player piano) There’s a lot of swashbuckling, decapitation, sword fighting, shouting and stomping, fiery dragons and fair maidens. Although it would be helpful to understand Italian, the show is simply outstanding regardless!

7. If you’d like to take a day trip and get out of the city, consider shuffling off to Cefalú (pronounced “Shef-a-loó”). An easy train ride of less than an hour from the Palermo Centrale train station (that’s “Chen-trá-lay”) or a quick drive from Palermo if you’ve got a car. (BTW – on TrenItalia trains, kids under 4 ride free, and tickets for ages 4-12 are half-price). It’s ok to bring snacks and drinks on the train and yes, there’s a bathroom on the train (not necessarily the cleanest though!)

Once in Cefalú, wander around and enjoy the shops, bars (coffee shops) and restaurants. I highly recommend hiking up to the ruins of the castle high above the city on the imposing Rock of Cefalu. La Rocca is a bit of an uphill climb and the trail is pretty rocky so wear appropriate shoes. There was a sign saying “no open-toed shoes” but I was wearing my Chacos (of course!) and they didn’t try to stop me. There’s the Temple of Diana on the way up (or down!), and an archaeological site too. When you get to the Castle at the top, the panoramic views of the town and sea, spread out before you, are absolutely stunning. The hike is 1.5 or 1.8 miles/3km (depending on the internet source!) and the climb is around 850 feet/260 meters in elevation – it should take about an hour or so to reach the top – more if you stop for the archeology and the Temple and for photos along the way. There’s a small fee to access the trail – maybe 5 euros per person and you can buy the ticket from a little machine that looks like a parking ticket device at the entrance to the hike. Plan to pay with cash, as the machine doesn’t always have the credit card thingy working. There are no concessions (water or snacks) so bring your own (and there are no bathrooms). 

After you’re back in town, grab some lunch or head to the beach for some toes-in-the-sand time! We popped into a small convenience/souvenir shop to buy the requisite bucket and shovel, and my grandkids had a blast digging, splashing, body surfing, shell-seeking and simply enjoying the water. During the season, you can rent lounge chairs (sunbeds) and umbrellas at one of the lidos and enjoy a relaxing afternoon. We were there in November and it wasn’t crowded at all, but still warm enough (maybe 75F/23C) to enjoy the day. The water was gorgeous, the sand was soft and clean – a perfect day! 

I’ll admit I was a bit concerned that there wouldn’t be much to do in Palermo geared to kids, but with a bit of research (thanks in large part to my daughter-in-law, Tess!) it turns out there are plenty of wonderful, educational, delicious, exciting and fun adventures waiting for you. 

Life is playfulness…we need to play so that we can rediscover the magic all around us.”

~ Flora Colao