This open air concourse at Palermo Centrale links the trains to the main building

Palermo Centrale (Palermo)

The rather beautiful station in the Sicilian capital is a welcome sight after a long journey by train and it's also comparatively simple to use.

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At a Glance

Services

Left Luggage
Onward Travel

Bus Station
Taxi Rank
Accessibility

Step Free
Misc

Terminus Station
Palermo Centrale's most beautiful feature is the stunning portico on its right hand side Palermo Centrale's most beautiful feature is the stunning portico on its right hand side
A portico still used an exceptionally elegant taxi rank A portico still used an exceptionally elegant taxi rank
The side entrance to Palermo Centrale by the taxi rank and tram stop The side entrance to Palermo Centrale by the taxi rank and tram stop
The signage at Palermo Centrale is comparatively subtle The signage at Palermo Centrale is comparatively subtle
The elegant frontage at Palermo Centrale, the bus stops are here The elegant frontage at Palermo Centrale, the bus stops are here
Trains depart from here to Messina and on to the Italian mainland Trains depart from here to Messina and on to the Italian mainland

Palermo Centrale is a terminus station so the access from and to the trains is step-free, but in common with most large stations in Italy, the binario (platforms/tracks) which the trains arrive at and depart from, are some distance from the station’s main exit/entrance on Piazza Giuilo Cesare.

When you arrive on the initial concourse directly in front of the trains, you will see a branch of McDonalds to the left and a Chef Express pizzeria to the right of it, these are the main food and drink outlets within the station.
The left luggage office is over to the right of this open-air concourse.

Onward connections:

Despites it's name, the central station in Palermo is located towards the south of the heart of the city.
Bus lines/routes 101, 102 and 124 which do head towards the city centre depart from stops just outside the front of the station.
Follow the passage ways straight ahead, to the left of the McDonalds, or to the right of the pizzeria – and keep going, you’ll eventually get to the exit.

All three of those bus lines head into the city along a main street named Via Roma, it’s a three stop ride to the stop named ‘Lattarini’.
This bus stop is within a three minute walk of the Piazza Pretoria – which is right by two of the city’s churches which are included within its list of UNESCO World Heritage sites – the Chiesa della Martorana and the Church of San Cantado.
Though the route to Piazza Pretoria from the bus stop isn’t particularly obvious.

If the weather is fine, you can head off on foot to the Piazza Pretoria, as it is a 12 – 20 min walk from Palermo Centrale.
When leaving the trains head down the passage way to the left of the McDonalds, go out of the station and cross diagonally top right to the corner of the street named Via Maqueda.
On either side of this street at the intersection there is a pair of columns – the Porta di Vicari, so once you’re by these, you’ll know you’re heading in the right direction.
This street leads directly to the Piazza, so you won’t miss it over on the right-hand side.

The Piazza Pretoria is one of the closest historical landmarks to Palermo Centrale, so it makes a good landmark to head to, if you want to set off on foot from the station to explore the city.
No bus routes/lines, penetrate the historical heart of Palermo, which is located to the west of the piazza.

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If you want to take a taxi, use the side exit of the station which leads on Via Balsomo, head over to the right of the first open-air concourse and use the passage way which leads off to the right, by the pizzeria.
The tram stop on line 1 is also located here, but this line doesn’t go to the city centre.

Accessing the Norman Palace:

The Norman Palace is 20 – 30 minute walk from Palermo Centrale, but it is within a 5 minute walk of the station named after it – ‘Palermo Palazzo Reale-Orleans.
There are usually two trains per hour to this station from Palermo Centrale – some of the trains heading to Punta Raisi will call at Palazzo Reale-Orleans.
On exiting this station, turn left when you reach the main road and you’ll see the palace ahead of you on the other side of the street – though the pavement/side walk here is exceptionally narrow.

By train to and from Palermo airport:

The full name of Palermo Airport used to be Palermo Punta Raisi, hence the name of the rail station which is located directly beneath the airport terminal being Punta Raisi.
The station is served by local trains which depart every 30 minutes until shortly before 22:20, but the journey time between the airport and the city's main rail station, Palermo Centrale is an hour.
The trains are local suburban railway services and Palermo Centrale is located on the opposite side of the city from the airport, so the trains call at multiple stations adjacent to the city centre.
Therefore taking the trains to and from Palermo Centrale is obviously the way to go if you will be travelling by train between Palermo airport and other destinations in Sicily - though check the schedule of the trains before you commit to a flight.
However, when travelling between the airport and Palermo city centre, it's definitely worth checking if one of the other stations will be more convenient for your start and end points:

To and From the ferry terminal:

Bus line/route 107 connects Palermo Centrale station to the ferry terminal on Mondays to Saturdays there are usually four buses per hour, but the service is less frequent on Sundays, take buses heading to ‘Stadio’.

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