Cappella Palatina and the Norman Palace in Palermo: tickets, opening times and whether a tour is worth it
Updated October 13, 2026 · 5 min read
You can see the Cappella Palatina and the Norman Palace without any tour: the official ticket is €14.50 from Thursday to Monday, and an audio guide costs €5 on top. If you want a guide, the Cappella Palatina and Palazzo dei Normanni Tour is the one to book: €39 per person for two hours, 4.8 stars from 409 reviews, but the listing says tickets are not included.
What you actually pay
The palace and the chapel are run by the Fondazione Federico II, and its visitor page gives the prices. They depend on the day of the week.
| Day | Full price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday to Monday and public holidays | €14.50 | Palatine Chapel, Royal Apartments, Royal Gardens |
| Tuesday and Wednesday | €10 | Palatine Chapel, Royal Gardens |
Reductions are listed on the same page: €12.50 for teachers and EU citizens aged 18 to 25, €11 for EU citizens aged 65 and over, and €9 for ages 14 to 17 (on Tuesday and Wednesday those become €8, €8 and €6). An audio or video guide is €5.
The Tuesday and Wednesday ticket is cheaper because the Royal Apartments are closed to visitors on those days. If the apartments matter to you, go on one of the other five days. If you only came for the chapel, Tuesday or Wednesday is the same chapel for €4.50 less.
When it is open, and when the chapel is not
The visitor page gives these opening times, which are also the last entry times:
- Monday to Saturday: 8:30 to 16:30
- Sundays and holidays: 8:30 to 12:30
- Closed on 25 December and 1 January
Every Sunday the Palatine Chapel is closed to the public from 9:30 to 11:00. That leaves only two short windows on a Sunday: 8:30 to 9:30, or 11:00 to 12:30. Anyone with a single free day and a choice of weekday should avoid Sunday for this.
The page also lists dates when the Royal Apartments close, and warns that parts of the complex may close without notice for institutional or religious reasons. Look at the page the week you travel, and buy the ticket online if you can.
The tours compared
| Tour | Duration | From | Rating | Reviews | What stands out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cappella Palatina and Palazzo dei Normanni Tour | 2 hours | €39 | 4.8 | 409 | Mosaics and architecture, tickets not included |
| UNESCO Walking Tour with Norman Palace Option | 3 to 5.5 hours | €28.70 | 4.8 | 675 | Cathedral, monuments and a cannolo; palace combo is an option |
| Golden Palermo: Cathedral, Royal Palace and Palatine Chapel | 2 hours | €72 | 4.8 | 100 | Cathedral and palace in one visit |
| Norman Palace, Palatine Chapel and Walking Tour Option | 1.5 to 5.5 hours | €62.90 | 4.7 | 352 | Guided palace visit, old-town walk optional |
| Palatine Chapel and Norman Palace Tour with ticket | 2 to 4 hours | €49 | 4.4 | 26 | Local guide, ticket included |
| Norman Palace Ticket and Audio App | self-paced | €14 | 4.1 | 274 | Ticket and a downloadable audio guide, no guide |
Which one for whom
If you are fine with reading the room for yourself, the plain ticket plus the €5 audio guide is the cheapest sensible visit, about €19.50. The €14 ticket-and-app listing is rated 4.1 on 274 reviews, noticeably below the guided options, so read what recent reviewers say about the audio app before choosing it over the official page.
The €39 two-hour tour is the straightforward guided choice, but add the ticket to its price: with the full €14.50 entry you are at about €53.50 per person. That is the figure to compare with the €49 listing that includes the ticket, which has only 26 reviews and a rating of 4.4, against 4.8 from 409 reviews for the €39 tour.
If you also want the cathedral and some of the old town, the UNESCO walking tour at €28.70 is, among the guided options here, the cheapest way to get a guide through the centre, and it is the most reviewed of the group with 675 reviews. The palace and chapel are an option within it. Check on the booking page what that option costs and whether entry is included before you book. The €72 two-hour listing covers the cathedral, the palace and the chapel together and is the dearest of the group.
Check dates and prices for the Cappella Palatina and Palazzo dei Normanni Tour
How to fit it into a day
The sensible order is the palace and chapel first, because the last entry is 16:30 from Monday to Saturday and 12:30 on Sundays, and the walk through the old town afterwards. Start at 8:30 on a Sunday and you are inside before the chapel closes at 9:30.
If you are planning another big day outside the city, the Norman churches continue at Monreale. Our article on Monreale and Cefalù from Palermo covers that, and the guided walking tours and things to do in Palermo pages list the rest.
Our recommendation for most visitors is the Cappella Palatina and Palazzo dei Normanni Tour with the entry ticket bought separately: it has a 4.8 rating on 409 reviews, and the guide is what explains the mosaics.
