Day trips from Palermo

During our week’s holiday in Palermo (read more here), we did a couple of day trips to explore a bit more of Sicily- including a day trip to Cefalu, and then slightly further away to Agrigento.

In this post, we’ve put together our recommendations for things to do and things to see, as well as a few places to visit for some great food… read on to find out more!

Cefalu houses

Shopping in Cefalu

Piazza Duomo and the Chiesa di Cefalu

The twin-towered cathedral- Chiesa di Cefalu-  is located on the Piazza Duomo, and was stunning- very certainly worth a visit (it is free as well). From walking around, you can see that there have been some recent restorations- the Byzantine mosaics in particular are incredibly impressive.

The Cathedral is actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site (see here for more information) and construction began in early 12th century, in Norman architectural style (after the island was conquered in the Romans in 1091). The building is very impressive and almost fortress-like, and certainly stands out amongst the red-tiled roofs of the buildings below.

The piazza itself is also beautiful, and you can find some nice, quaint restaurants and cafes dotted around here.

Sea views at Enoteca Le Petit Tonneau, and some of their delicious dishes

Day trip to Agrigento

Located south of Palermo, around a two hour drive away, Agrigento is a must visit for any archaelogical fan, but also for anyone keen to see one of the world’s greatest ancient cities. Whilst it is quite a way for a day trip, it is doable- and this is exactly what we did, setting off from Palermo early on, and getting back rather late in the day.

It is worth saying that those visiting Agrigento do so not for the city itself, but more so for the row of temples located a short drive out of the city- the Valle dei Templi (Valley of the Temples).

This is well signposted, and there are a few car parks for visitors- right near the entrance, and also a short walk away, near the archaeological museum (which is where we parked). Just a word of warning- the parking by the archaeological museum is paid for, but only takes cash- so be sure to have some change with you (we learnt the hard way!). 

Museo archaelogico regionale Pietro Griffo

If you are vising the Valle dei Templi, then it also makes sense to visit this museum as it has on display many archaeological artefacts excavated nearby- ranging from terracotta figurines to vases.

Particularly impressive is one of the rooms which has reconstructions from the Tempio Di Zeus Olympios, including an impressive reassembled stone atlas.

Overall we spent around an hour or so walking around- and we would recommend visiting the museum first, then going down to the Valle dei Templi, as a visit here certainly gives you a bit more context and background information.

There is also a small cafe just outside the museum- serving a small selection of snacks and coffees, as well as a gift shop and bathrooms. We had some arrancini here as a snack- which were delicious!

On the eastern side, you’ll first see the Tempio di Ercole (Temple of Hercules), one of the oldest temples here dating back to the 6th Century BC. It which was predominantly destroyed by an earthquake, leaving behind only some of the columns standing, and some of the altar.

The Tempio della Concordia (Temple of Concordia) is perhaps one of the most impressive- and is one of the best preserved. Built in the second half of the fifth century BC, it has four steps leading up to the main platform. Interestingly, the temple was turned into a church in the 6th century AD.

Continuing along the Via Sacra (Sacred street), you come to the Tempio di Giunone (Temple of Juno), built by the Greeks in around 450BC, then restored by the Romans. Around 30 or so columns are still standing, giving visitors an idea of just how big and grand this temple was.

As well as the temples, the Via Sacra offers incredible views down to the sea as you can see from the photos, and overall an incredible environment to take in the history of the place.

To the west of the road, you can find a few more temples- but none as well preserved as those on the eastern side, so much more imagination is needed!

The largest of these appears to have been Tempio Di Zeus Olympios (Temple of Olympian Zeus), and as you walk around you can see some remains of the stone atlases (huge stone figures, one of which is on display at the nearby archaeological museum).

There are also a number of other temples dotted around you can explore- so overall, you can easily spend a whole day here wandering around….

In terms of amenities, we found a small cafe on site (as well as bathrooms)- but we didn’t have food here so cannot say what it was like. To find out more about visiting and buy tickets, check out the website here.

Scala dei Turchi (Stair of the Turks)

Moving away from archaeology, this is a rocky cliff located around a 15 minute drive from the Valle dei Templi, between Realmonte and Porto Empedocle. We popped by here on the drive back to Palermo from Agrigento.

Whilst it does not sound particularly exciting, it is rather an impressive sight- of white sedimentary rocks cascading down to the sea like a staircase.

As with most things these days which look impressive, during our visit, there were many tourists on both the cliff and nearby sandy beaches- sunbathing or just walking around, which somewhat spoilt the visit. But if you are in the region or passing through, certainly worth a visit.

Just to note- apparently in 2020 site has now been seized by Italian prosecutors for preservation and monitoring. To find out more about the Scala dei Turchi, see here.