Capuchin Catacombs in Palermo: tickets, opening times and whether a tour adds anything
Updated October 13, 2026 · 4 min read
You do not need a tour to visit the Capuchin Catacombs: the official ticket is €5 (€3 reduced), and you buy it at the entrance. If you want the story told, the Catacombs and Cemeteries of Palermo guided tour is the one to book: €28 per person for two hours, 4.3 stars from 195 reviews.
What you are going into
The catacombs lie under the Capuchin convent on Piazza Cappuccini and date from 1599. The city’s tourism portal describes a rectangular cemetery with around 8,000 mummified remains, arranged by gender, social status and profession. The best known is Rosalia Lombardo, a two-year-old girl in a glass coffin, whose picture has become the symbol of the place.
One of the tour listings is blunt about it: “Not for the faint of heart”. That is fair. These are real bodies, and one of them is a child. Decide that for yourself before you bring anyone younger with you. None of the listings we looked at gives a minimum age, so ask the operator if it matters.
Tickets and opening times
The catacombs’ own website gives the entrance price as €5, with a reduced price of €3. It does not say who qualifies for the reduction, so ask at the desk.
On opening times the official sources do not quite agree, and it is worth knowing why. The catacombs’ hours page lists two sessions, 9:00 to 12:30 with last entry at 12:10, and 15:00 to 17:30 with last entry at 17:10, every day of the week. The city’s tourism portal gives one block, 9:00 to 17:30, last entry 17:10. Plan to arrive in the morning session or before 17:00, and check the catacombs’ own page the week you travel.
We could not confirm from those pages what the rules on photography are. Ask at the entrance and assume that rules apply.
The city portal also says the site is not accessible to visitors with mobility or visual impairments. Confirm with the convent before you go if that is a factor: the contact number on the official page is +39 091 6527389.
The tours compared
| Tour | Duration | From | Rating | Reviews | What stands out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beyond the Veil: Catacombs and Cemeteries of Palermo | 2 hours | €28 | 4.3 | 195 | Catacombs plus a legend-heavy cemetery |
| Palermo Experience: Monreale, Catacombs and Mondello with Food | 5 hours | €76.50 | 4.8 | 107 | Van tour with Monreale, Monte Pellegrino, Mondello and a tasting |
| Capuchin Catacombs and Monreale Cathedral Private Tour | 3 hours | €220 | 4.7 | 73 | Private, adds the Norman cathedral of Monreale |
| Monreale, Catacombs and San Giovanni degli Eremiti | 5.5 hours | €210 | 4.6 | 5 | Per group of up to three, with a local driver |
What a tour is worth
There is no ticket-only listing for the catacombs on GetYourGuide. Every option above is a guided visit or a combination, so you pay for context or transport and not for admission, which you can buy on the spot for €5.
The two-hour tour is the plain choice if you want a guide. Its rating, 4.3, is the lowest of the group, and the listing pairs the catacombs with a second site, a cemetery, so the catacombs are only part of the two hours.
The five-hour van tour is the better value if you were going to see Monreale anyway: the catacombs, the Norman cathedral at Monreale, the sanctuary of Santa Rosalia on Monte Pellegrino and Mondello with a food tasting, for €76.50 and a 4.8 rating on 107 reviews. It is a lot of ground for five hours, so ask about the time you get at each stop.
The two private options come in at more than €200 and only make sense for a group that wants a driver for the day. The one with five reviews has too few to be judged either way.
Check dates and prices for the Catacombs and Cemeteries guided tour
Where it fits
Plan roughly an hour for the catacombs on your own; they fit between two other visits. If you are combining it with a day trip, our article on Monreale and Cefalù from Palermo shows how to pair the Norman cathedral with another stop, and the things to do in Palermo page lists the rest.
Our recommendation for most visitors is to buy the ticket at the door and go on your own; if you want a guide, the Catacombs and Cemeteries tour is the only one that is mostly about the catacombs themselves.
