Sightseeing passes are available for hop-on, hop-off bus tours of the city (website: www.palermo.city-sightseeing.it; tel: (091) 589 429). Tickets are valid for unlimited use across both routes for 24 hours. Starting from the Teatro Politeama, tours take in the Teatro Massimo, Santa Maria della Catena, San Giovanni degli Eremiti, the Palazzo Reale and Cappella Palatina, the Cattedrale and the Duomo di Monreale. Tickets can be purchased on the coach. Multi-lingual commentary is available.

Sicilia & D'intorni (tel: (091) 812 1312; website: www.siciliaedintorni.it) offers various guided cultural tours lasting half a day (morning or afternoon), which focus on Arab, Norman, baroque and 17th-centrury Palermo.