By late evening the tables outside the bars along Via Vittorio Emanuele are full, and the smell of frying from the street kitchens drifts across the old centre. Groups drift between one small bar and the next, standing in the street with a glass rather than sitting down for a long session.
Palermo's nightlife is bound up with its food culture and its historic centre. The city draws visitors for its gastronomy, its music and its evenings as much as for its churches and palaces, and the night-time scene is concentrated in the old quarters rather than spread across the whole city. It suits people who like to move around on foot, eat late and keep things informal.
Where to go out in Palermo
1. The old centre around Via Vittorio Emanuele
The main artery of the historic centre carries a steady run of bars and small drinking places, with tables and a few seats spilling onto the street. It suits an early-evening start that can turn into a longer night without any need to move far.
The Bar Brothers on Via Vittorio Emanuele is one option here, open Wednesday to Sunday from 18:00 to 00:00, with beers and cocktails and a small number of seats outside. Beers there run from around €2.50 to €3.50.
2. Wine bars
Palermo's wine bars make a good base for an evening built around drinking slowly and eating as you go. They tend to be small, with a focus on the wine list rather than on volume, and they suit couples or small groups rather than large parties.
Enoteca Picone on Via Marconi is one such address. Dal Barone on Via Alessandro Paternostro, open Monday to Saturday from 18:00 to 00:00, is a wine bar with a good selection of wines and good cheeseboards.
3. The market quarters: Vucciria, Ballarò and Capo
These three historic markets sit at the heart of the city and are known for their fruit, vegetable and fish stalls by day. In the evening the same streets change character, and the surrounding lanes are where much of the city's informal night-time activity happens.
This is the area for a night that is about atmosphere and wandering rather than about a specific venue. Come with no fixed plan and expect to decide as you go.
4. A football evening
If your visit coincides with a home match, Palermo FC play in Serie B, the second tier of Italian football, at the Stadio Renzo Barbera. The ground holds 36,300 and sits about 5 km north of the city centre.
An evening at the stadium is a different kind of night out from the bars of the centre, and it needs a little planning for the trip out and back.
How a night out unfolds
The sources describe bars in the centre opening at 18:00 and running until 00:00, with the Bar Brothers trading Wednesday to Sunday and dal Barone Monday to Saturday. That gives a working shape to an evening: drinks from around six, and the centre still active at midnight. Beyond that, the sources do not set out when Palermitani eat or how late the night runs, so treat the hours above as the reliable part and let the rest of the evening find its own pace.
Festivals and events worth timing a trip around
- Feast of St Francis of Assisi — 4 October
- All Saints' Day — 1 November
- Feast of the Immaculate Conception — 8 December
- Christmas Day — 25 December
- St. Stephen's Day — 26 December
- New Year's Eve — 31 December
- New Year's Day — 1 January
- Epiphany — 6 January
- Ash Wednesday — 10 February
- Father's Day — 19 March
- Good Friday — 26 March
- Easter Sunday — 28 March
Separately, the Feast Day of Santa Rosalia, the patron saint of Palermo, is celebrated on 15 July.
Frequently asked questions
What time do bars in central Palermo open and close?
The bars named in the sources open at 18:00 and close at 00:00. The Bar Brothers operates Wednesday to Sunday; dal Barone operates Monday to Saturday.
How much should I expect to pay for a beer?
At the Bar Brothers, beers are priced from €2.50 to €3.50. The sources give no other prices.
Where can I find a wine bar with food?
Dal Barone on Via Alessandro Paternostro is a wine bar with a good selection of wines and good cheeseboards, open Monday to Saturday from 18:00 to 00:00. Enoteca Picone on Via Marconi is also listed among the city's drinking places.
Is there a football match I could go to in the evening?
Palermo FC play in Serie B at the Stadio Renzo Barbera, about 5 km north of the city centre. Check the fixture list for your dates before planning an evening around a match.
Decide which quarter you want to start in, check the opening days of anywhere specific, and build the rest of the evening around what you find once you are out.