Harbours in Palermo (Sicily): arrival, harbour information and sailing destinations

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Palermo lies on the north coast of Sicily on the Gulf of Palermo. Yachts berth in the city mainly in two places: in the old harbour La Cala on the edge of the old town, and in Marina Villa Igiea in the northern district of Acquasanta. Here you can read how to arrive for the start of your trip at the harbours in Palermo, where each harbour is located, where to shop, what wind to expect, which sailing destinations are nearby and what skippers should know when entering.

Which harbours are there in Palermo?

In Palermo yachts berth in two places: in La Cala, the old harbour at the southern end of Palermo's large harbour directly in front of the old town, and in Marina Villa Igiea in the Acquasanta district. Marina Villa Igiea lies around two and a half kilometres north of La Cala, on the other side of the commercial harbour.

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In addition there are three smaller facilities: at Molo Trapezoidale right next to La Cala are berths for superyachts, the harbour Arenella north of Marina Villa Igiea is only approved for boats up to 2 metres draught, and the small harbour Sant'Erasmo south of the old town is too shallow for sailing yachts.

Arriving for the trip start in Palermo

For the last leg it depends whether your boat is in La Cala by the old town or in Marina Villa Igiea in the north of the city.

From Palermo airport to the harbours

Palermo Falcone-Borsellino Airport (PMO) lies west of the city near Punta Raisi, around 35 kilometres from the centre on the A29 motorway. Most convenient is a taxi directly to the harbour. For the journey into the city there are fixed fares depending on the city zone, from €39 to €50 (as at October 2026). At the airport you can also hire a car.

Cheaper is the train. The airport railway station is in the lower ground floor of the terminal. Trains generally run twice an hour, at some times of day only once, and take 34 to 36 minutes with few stops to Palermo Centrale. En route they stop amongst other places at Palermo Notarbartolo. From the main station it is a good kilometre as the crow flies to La Cala, straight through the old town. The current timetable for the airport trains you'll find at the Italian railways. A bus also runs from the airport to the main station in around 50 minutes.

Marina Villa Igiea is just under four kilometres as the crow flies from the main station, and a good two and a half kilometres from Notarbartolo station. With luggage, a taxi from the station is the easier option.

By ferry, train or car

Palermo is connected by ferry to Genoa, Naples and Civitavecchia near Rome, as well as to Tunis. The ferries dock in the port of Palermo at Calata Marinai d'Italia, around two kilometres from the main station. City bus lines 101, 102, 107 and 230 connect the centre with the ferry port, and taxis also run to the terminal.

By train you reach Palermo Centrale along the route following the north coast from the direction of Messina. By car you reach the city from the airport and from the direction of Trapani via the A29, and from the direction of Messina via the A20.

Which harbour is mine?

If you're arriving for cabin charter: which harbour and which pontoon it is will be stated in your trip documents. The name is crucial: La Cala lies right in the city next to the old town, Marina Villa Igiea is in the Acquasanta district next to the villa of the same name, further north on the other side of the commercial port. In La Cala several private operators share the pontoons. So tell the taxi driver "Marina Villa Igiea, Acquasanta" or "La Cala" and, if you know it, the name of the pontoon operator.

Showers and sanitary facilities

Marina Villa Igiea has showers; you can have laundry washed there on request. As things stand now (October 2026), the marina's sanitary facilities are being renovated. In La Cala the larger pontoon complexes have their own sanitary facilities, but not all pontoons do.

Shopping for the trip

Supermarkets are close to both harbours. From La Cala a Familia supermarket is around 500 metres away as the crow flies, a Sisa around 800 metres. From Marina Villa Igiea it's around 400 metres to the discount shop Paghi Poco, around 700 metres to a Sisa and around 900 metres to a Eurospin. For a big shop by car, Palermo has several Lidl branches, for example on Via Imperatore Federico, around 2 kilometres from Marina Villa Igiea.

For fresh produce the old markets of the old town are the first port of call. The closest to La Cala is the Vucciria at Piazza Caracciolo, around 700 metres from the harbour as the crow flies. The market runs along Via Argenteria as far as Piazza Garraffello. Here you'll find meat, fish, fruit and vegetables; it's open daily mornings and afternoons.

Larger is the Ballarò market between Piazza Casa Professa and Corso Tukory, the oldest and largest market in the city, around 1.3 kilometres from La Cala as the crow flies. Another food market is in the Borgo Vecchio district near the Politeama, between the old town and the harbour. Around La Cala there are also restaurants, bars and shops. At Marina Villa Igiea there are some restaurants nearby; the marina office hires out bicycles and motor scooters.

distress call

These numbers apply in Palermo and at sea:

• 112: single European emergency number for ambulance, police and fire brigade
• 1530: coastguard emergency number for emergencies at sea, free of charge and available around the clock
• At sea: VHF channel 16

What do La Cala and Marina Villa Igiea offer?

La Cala is the smaller, central harbour with up to 370 berths; Marina Villa Igiea is the larger facility in the north with around 400 berths. The key details compared:

Feature	La Cala	Marina Villa Igiea
Location	Southern end of the port of Palermo, next to the old town	Acquasanta, north of the commercial port
Position	38° 07,2′ N, 13° 22,1′ E	38° 08,6′ N, 13° 22,4′ E
Berths	up to 370	around 400, for yachts up to 75 m
Average water depth	7 m	6 m, isolated shoals down to 2 m
Pontoons	Floating pontoons of private operators	fixed concrete pontoons and floating pontoons
VHF channel	11 and 16 (harbour), 74 (individual pontoon operators)	74
Fuel station	yes	yes, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Way to the old town	on foot	taxi or hire bike

La Cala

La Cala is the city's old harbour and lies in the historic centre, close to many of the major sights. A long, curved quay encloses the basin, and two breakwaters protect it seaward. Boats lie well sheltered here in all winds. The floating pontoons have various private operators, so facilities differ from pontoon to pontoon.

Marina Villa Igiea

Marina Villa Igiea lies in the basin of Acquasanta, which is reserved exclusively for leisure craft. It has around 400 berths for yachts up to 75 metres, including a separate area for very large yachts. Water and electricity are available at the pontoons, plus showers, Wi-Fi and a fuel station open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Reception is staffed around the clock and the marina is guarded day and night.

What's the weather like in Palermo for sailing?

Off Palermo the wind usually blows from the west to northwest. The northwest wind, the Maestrale, blows mainly in late autumn and winter, bringing cool, changeable weather and often rough seas off the coast. Atlantic lows also send strong west-northwest winds to the coast at all times of year.

The warm scirocco from the southeast is most frequent and strongest in winter; in summer it barely blows. During warm spells a sea breeze sets in during the day; otherwise it is often calm off the town. In Marina Villa Igiea you are well sheltered from winds between southwest and northwest; the marina is open to the grecale from the northeast.

The Italian weather service issues strong wind and gale warnings from force 7 onwards.

Which destinations lie near Palermo?

From Palermo you can sail north to the island of Ustica, east towards Cefalù and the Aeolian Islands or west to San Vito lo Capo and the Egadi Islands. You can reach the first destinations in a full day's run.

The distances are rounded over-water distances on the usual course from La Cala; refer to the chart for precise planning. From Marina Villa Igiea it is about one nautical mile less in each case.

• Cefalù: around 32 nm, past Capo Zafferano. Cefalù Cathedral belongs to the same UNESCO World Heritage Site as the Arab-Norman buildings of Palermo.
• Ustica: around 36 nm north-northwest over open water to the small volcanic island.
• San Vito lo Capo: around 35 nm west, past Capo Gallo and Punta Raisi.
• Alicudi: around 53 nm, the westernmost of the Aeolian Islands.
• Favignana in the Egadi Islands: around 60 nm, round Capo San Vito and past Trapani.
• Filicudi: around 62 nm, Salina: around 76 nm, Vulcano: around 77 nm.

The seven Aeolian Islands are of volcanic origin and have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. Ideas for walks ashore can be found in our article on Sailing and walking on the Aeolian Islands. Closer to the islands lies the Capo d'Orlando Marina further east on the north coast.

What can you do on a day in harbour in Palermo?

From La Cala you can reach the old town with its cathedral, markets and theatre on foot; for Monreale and Mondello take a bus or taxi. From Marina Villa Igiea it is best to go into town by taxi or hire bike.

• Arab-Norman Palermo: Nine buildings from the period of the Norman Kingdom of Sicily between 1130 and 1194 have been UNESCO World Heritage Sitesince 2015, among them the cathedral and the churches of San Cataldo and Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio. The cathedral on Corso Vittorio Emanuele is around 1.4 kilometres as the crow flies from La Cala.
• Palazzo dei Normanni: The royal palace is considered Europe's oldest royal residence and is today the seat of the Sicilian regional parliament. On the first floor is the Cappella Palatina with its great Christ mosaic in the dome. Just under two kilometres as the crow flies from La Cala.
• Markets of the old town: Vucciria, Ballarò and Capo are worth a walk round even without a shopping list. Ballarò arose in Arab times; here you can find street food such as panelle, fried chickpea-flour fritters.
• Teatro Massimo: Opera and ballet are staged at the city's great opera house. It is a good kilometre as the crow flies from La Cala.
• Monreale and Mondello: Monreale Cathedral with its gold mosaics is around eight kilometres southwest of La Cala as the crow flies; it also belongs to the World Heritage Site. For swimming you drive through the La Favorita park to the beach at Mondello with its Art Nouveau villas.

For skippers: berthing and sea weather in Palermo

You can reach Marina Villa Igiea before entering on VHF channel 74. For La Cala channels 11 and 16 apply; several berth operators also monitor channel 74. Channel 16 is the distress and calling channel.

Registration and Berthing

At Marina Villa Igiea you book a berth online or contact the marina office on channel 74 before arrival. Keep to the agreed arrival and departure times or additional charges may apply. Mooring is to fixed concrete pontoons or floating pontoons with mooring lines; water and electricity are included in the berthing price. You can reach the marina by telephone on +39 091 364123.

In La Cala the individual berth operators allocate the berths; in high season a reservation is worthwhile. With some operators water and electricity are included in the price, with others they are not. Fuel stations are available in La Cala and in Marina Villa Igiea.

Approach

Palermo has a large commercial and ferry port. On the way to La Cala at the southern end of the harbour you therefore cross the fairway of ferries and cruise ships. The entrance to La Cala is at 38° 07.5' N, 13° 22.2' E.

Marina Villa Igiea lies north of the commercial harbour, around half a nautical mile south-southwest of Punta Arenella. The entrance at 38° 08.7' N, 13° 22.4' E is easy to approach even in strong winds, but is difficult to see from seaward until late. The Villa Igiea with its yellow walls, around 200 metres northwest of the entrance, serves as a landmark. A wreck lies at 15 metres depth about 0.2 nautical miles southeast of the entrance. In the Acquasanta basin there are shoals of up to 2 metres; the harbour at Arenella further north is only approached by boats of up to 2 metres draught. Italian charts 256 (Gulf of Palermo) and 255 (harbour plan) apply to the area.

Which sea weather forecast applies in Palermo?

For Italian waters the weather service of the Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare) issues the official marine weather forecast. It is updated every six hours and broadcast by the Coastguard over the radio.

The warnings (Avviso di burrasca) apply from force 7 onwards, i.e. from 28 knots mean wind. They appear every three hours in Italian and English and also between times if necessary. Palermo belongs to the coastal section Sicilia Settentrionale between Punta Raisi and Punta del Faro. Warnings and the sea state chart can be found on the Weather service page.

Trips from Palermo on Törnfinder

In October 2026 there are 9 trip dates on Törnfinder in the next twelve months with departure or destination in Palermo. Most depart in April, November and October; the typical duration is 8 days.

Offers along the Italian coasts and on the islands can be found under Sailing in Italy, trips throughout the Mediterranean under Sailing in the Mediterranean. All current dates are listed in the trip overview.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get from Palermo airport to the harbour?

The easiest way is by taxi; the fare into town is between 39 and 50 euros depending on the zone. Cheaper is the train, which takes just over half an hour to the main station. From there it's a good kilometre to La Cala and just under four kilometres to Marina Villa Igiea.

Which harbour is closest to the old town?

La Cala. The old harbour lies directly on the historic centre; the Vucciria market is around 700 metres away.

Are there showers in the harbours of Palermo?

Yes, Marina Villa Igiea has showers; their sanitary facilities are currently being renovated. In La Cala the larger pontoon facilities have their own sanitary facilities, but not all pontoons do.

Where do I shop for the trip in Palermo?

Supermarkets are 400 to 900 metres from both harbours; for major shopping by car there are several Lidl branches in the city. You can get fresh produce at the old markets in the old town: the Vucciria is near La Cala and is open daily; Ballarò is the largest market in the city.

What wind can I expect off Palermo?

Usually wind from west to northwest. The maestrale often brings strong wind in late autumn and winter; in winter the warm scirocco from the southeast is added. In summer a sea breeze often dominates the day.

How far is it from Palermo to the Aeolian Islands?

To Alicudi, the westernmost island, it's around 53 nautical miles across the water; to Salina around 76 and to Vulcano around 77. Closer are Ustica and Cefalù at a good 30 nautical miles.