Self-Guided Tours in Palermo

On foot, Palermo works as a game of the old centre, because the distances are short and the streets bend. A route links the Royal Palace and Palatine Chapel, the cathedral, the Gesù church, La Martorana, Piazza Pretoria, Quattro Canti, San Domenico, the Salinas archaeological museum and Teatro Massimo. La Martorana was founded in the 1140s by Roger II's admiral. The fountain in Piazza Pretoria earned the nickname Fountain of Shame for its nudes. Salinas keeps the sculpted metopes of Selinunte. You choose where to finish.

The walk is app-led. Puzzles use the outside of each sight, narration is optional, nothing is guided and nobody waits at the start. It takes about two hours, and you can pause for a lemon granita or an arancina and continue later. The same city is also where our self-drive routes begin. The car is collected at the airport on arrival, but the Palermo days are written as walking days, and the driving starts afterwards. The five-day route reaches Catania by way of Cefalù, with a day for Taormina and Etna; the seven-day one to Trapani and Marsala, the eleven-day one all the way round.

Practical. Summer days pass 30C, so start in the morning. Tickets are not needed because the puzzles stay outdoors, but entry to the palace, chapel and museum is paid separately. Help comes through a chat, not a phone line. For the self-drive routes, the car is released against a credit card issued to the driver, and prepaid cards are refused. Fuel and windscreen cover are extra.