It may not look like much from the outside, but once you see the amazing mosaics inside, you'll be happy you went. The palace has a beautiful garden with many seating areas and a small café, but like most touristy areas, it's a tad expensive. Apart from that, the palace is rather restricted, so there isn't too much to see inside and I payed €19 to get in, which is pricey. Despite that, I still think it's brilliant.

Frankly speaking, I don't think it's worth spending your time and money to visit place. The chapel is beautiful, yes, but everything else is not really that good. Also, note that you have to pay here for toilet... after purchasing an expensive ticket! I don't understand that. So, the next time I would just probably go to some beautiful church in the city instead of the palace.

Be careful with this one. At the entry you will get a whole lot of tickets but in the end the only thing worth seeing is the Cappella Palatina. The rest is two small rooms with some modern installations and a small garden with a coffeehouse. The most annoying thing is that they sell you the ticket but only when you enter, they tell you the Royal appartments can be seen only on weekends(and I was there on a Tuesday). Also, even though the ticket is 18, 50 euros (as of July, 2023) they asked me for additional 50 cents to visit the restroom.

Great place to visit, but the name is misleading We wandered around the area looking for a "Norman Palace" bit the local signage says something different. To be clear, yes it's the big castle thing with the ticket office out at the front on the road! Wasn't as much to see as I thought, and there was a focus on what I personally found to be a very tedious contemporary art exhibition when I visited, but they're was a lot of history to see if you took the time to read the explanations. There is little to no access for disabled visitors, with even the entrance area being deep cobble stones no chair could ever cross, but that's the normal situation in historic buildings. Watch out for the service charge at the café in the Royal Gardens, it's 25%!!! Well worth considering a visit to.

The palatine Chapel is world class, the rest is pretty nice but not quite up there. Kinda sad I was not invited to the rotary club event as the food looked very good. Buy tickets in advance as the queue is long and slow. Contrary to popular belief you cannot buy separate tickets for different areas.

The interesting thing about Italy is there is a Palazzo and Church on every corner like a Walgreens in the USA. But not all are equal. This place is historic and just awe inspiring amazing. A real cultural heritage. Many important buildings in Palermo are well preserved and a huge number are abandoned and in disrepair. This is a crown jewel, no pun intended. Go see it, it's truly amazing.

The Palatine Chapel was incredible, and a beautifully preserved example of Arabic-Norman-Byzantine architecture. The rest of the palace was also well worth a visit. One of the best places to go in Palermo!

If you don't get a chance to go to Monreale, this will be close... Just a smaller version. On the second floor you will find the church.. very gold and full of mosaics like Monreale. There is also lots to see around the palace and gardens, but don't miss the church. The bathroom is right by the metal detector when you come in..no other bathrooms were open

Chapel is amazing.... We thought visit to state rooms was included, but it was shut. There was an art exhibition, was OK. Small but beautiful garden. They charge extra to use the toilet !!!!!! Amazing church, not great value.

We visited in the week of September it was quiet , this place offers a museum at beginning , I love the architecture and stones . Stop at the garden and enjoy a coffee . And do not miss the palatine chapel . A gem . Toilets are located outside ,50€ very clean .

The Chapel is one of the best in Europe with the golden Byzantine dome and, my favourite part, the Islamic stalactites. The gallery is also fantastic as is the archaeological site tucked away beneath. Perfect for a nerd in the crossover between Catholic, Byzantine and Islamic worlds. Only advice is to try and go at a quiet time because the crowds take away from the magic.

If this is the only palace you will see in all of Italy then it is worth a visit. Otherwise, it is a 19Euro entry +5 euro for a guide +2 euros to use the bathroom. Not very much to see, and the guide is not as informative as ones we’ve gotten for free in other parts of Italy at palaces with cheaper entry fees and significantly more awe inducing.

The palatine chapel is really nice, but the cost of the ticket (the Norman Palace, the palatine chapel and the garden) is very expensive for what you get (compared with other touristic attractions from Europe and from Italy). If you do come, there is a reduced price for 3 days of the week (can't remember which), otherwise it is really expensive and not worth the money in my opinion. In the weekend the price is still higher, because you visit the royal apartments also.

Dramatically overpriced. €19?! The cathedral is something special and the courtyard is magnificent. We overpaid, went through security, then tried to use the bathroom. That was an irritating experience that felt almost like we were getting taken fir a scam. You have to pay to use the only bathroom in the entire building and the process was a mess. The architecture in the chapel is spectacular.

An absolutely must-see while you stay in Palermo. The price is fair for a 4 hours visit in an exceptional historic and artistic jewel. After being here you won’t be able to call the middle-ages “dark ages” anymore: the chapel is gold and art all-around, the archeological path shows you colourful pottery remains, the palace is full of art and history. Overall is well maintained, clean, with good lighting. Worth the price of the ticket. Guided tours are available, but there’s also a well made audio-guide (with 5th gen iPods) for 5€. If you are in Palermo, don’t miss this journey.

OK but easily forgettable Palace. A lot of steps and quing. An underground art installation. The artist dipped boxing gloves in paint and punched a canvas. Some old walls and some stately rooms. Some average gardens at the end.

The chapel is really beautiful, but the rest of the palace is closed off and you can’t see the apartments. It was a shame considering the €15 per person it costs to enter. The art gallery they have in right now is very average. The underground was cool! I’d skip it next time and would recommend visiting a different chapel if you want to avoid the high entry fee.

Magnificent. Worth visiting Palermo just to see it. Royal rooms (incl. the magnificent Roger's room with amazing mosaics - pics attached) is open only on weekends (incl friday); those days the tkt price is higher. The Palatine Chapel is a real jewel...

Don’t miss the Palatine Chapel! Totally worth it! The rest is missable. Not much information at the site so read up before you go. Tickets are bought at a small booth some 100 meters in front of the entrance to the castle

Palazzo dei Normanni in Palermo, Sicily, is a historical marvel that encapsulates centuries of political and cultural significance. Originally built as an Arab fortress in the 9th century, it later served as a Norman palace. The impressive structure, with its mix of Arab, Norman, and Gothic architecture, houses the stunning Cappella Palatina, adorned with intricate mosaics. As the seat of Sicilian government for centuries, the palace exudes regality. Exploring its halls and courtyards is a captivating journey through Sicily's complex and fascinating history. A must-visit for those seeking an enriching cultural experience in Palermo.

The nicest surprise was that there was an exhibition about spirituality and it was contemporary art which was amazing but you couldn't take pictures which is understandable. The rest of the place plus the garden were awesome. When in Palermo you should go and check out this place. Oh and the chapel was amazing

a very negative experience. tourist trap. I paid 15.50 euros and you could only see the chapel and a couple of good works of modern art as well. and the toilet was chargeable ... stay out of this place!

Another historic place not to miss in Palermo. The Norman Palace great of history, art and contemporary politics in Sicily. Inside the building the beautiful architectural design from Norman Arab and Byzantine influenced. The most interesting one to see is the church. The Palatine Chapel within inside the Norman Palace which actually most amazing to see. Highly recommended to see this historical land mark in Palermo, Sicily. Worth it.

Beautiful palace. Did expect to see more rooms than were available for the public. Buy your tickets online so that you don’t have to wait in line in front of the palace.

Nice but short visit and not much to see

Went for a visit yesterday but what a shame it was we couldn't visit the apartments (closed on tuesdays), so we visited the palatine chapel and the gardens. The chapel is unique, and worth a visit, the gardens are quite nice, with old huge trees but imo, the 10€/pax price in unjustified!

Went in October. Short self-tour. The royal apartments were not open to tour when we were there. The chapel and gardens were short to tour (~30 to 40 min total). Nothing remarkable about this place. Wouldn't do this again.

You need to get inside to have a view of the magnificent chapel (arabo-normand style)

I am from Palermo but I haven't visited the palace since I was probably 8yo. The price (19€) it's a bit high so I was expecting something extraordinary...and this is exactly what I have got. Absolutely recommend as you can see different styles of the old town and population.

Norman Palace is nice but we couldn't enter in all of the rooms and the ticket was 15.5 eur. The Palatine Chapel is definitely worth a visit.

It's definitely overpriced, but nevertheless a pleasant way to pass 45-60 minutes on the way to the airport. Crowds are managed well. Luggage can be stored with the security team in the foyer (you'll be asked to hand suitcases and bulky bags over after finishing the airport-style screening). That doesn't cost any money or time. The toilets cost 50c per person, coins only. There's a small bookshop but no food/drinks outlet. The most impressive part of the building is the chapel, by far. It gets exceptionally overcrowded and a tour guide would go a long way to understand what you're looking at.

Beautiful art pieces beautiful scenery about what you'd expect from a museum I preferred to look at the garden myself, other than that the Chapel and paintings themselves are really something to look at

Don't get to see a great deal considering size of the building but what you do see, particularly the Chapel and Gardens are worth while. Strange dog sculptures around.

There for the afternoon so much to see so little time..Palace was fantastic no restrictions we were lucky had a fantastic guide..

It's worth considering if you have a lot of time in Palermo and want to see all of the available mosaics - but there are better places to visit.. to include the only bathrooms here were outside and were 50 cents to use.

Antonio was our guide and he gave a great tour. It was very informative, funny and well paced. I would very much recommend going to visit this place.

The chapel is outstanding, fantastic, awesome and mind blowing. Fantastic gardens with a nice cafe and great staff. We could not see the apartments as they are only open Friday till Monday. So there is a reduced ticket price.