Palermo Bike Tour

Why ride rather than walk

The Palermo: Guided Bike Tour with Street Food Tasting from Sicilyland (our breakdown) is $53 per person, runs 3.5 hours and holds a 4.8 rating from 663 reviews. The bike covers more of the city than a walk does, including the waterfront, and the food is a single stop, not the point of the day.

That is the main difference from the walking formats. On the street food walking tour and the market tour, you eat several times. Here you ride for most of the three and a half hours and taste once, so it suits you if the sights and the saddle matter as much as the food.

The route

You ride through the old centre at a leisurely pace along backstreets and through squares. The listing names Piazza Bellini and Piazza Pretoria, then the Cassaro, San Francesco church and Piazza Marina, where a large Moreton Bay fig stands. The route then follows the waterfront, with views over the sea and the harbour, and the old port of La Cala.

Palermo is very flat, and the listing says the tour suits all ages and fitness levels. A radio guide lets you hear the guide while you ride, which helps in traffic. The only exclusion listed is pregnancy.

What you eat

The listing says there is a street food and drink tasting at a stop on the route, and does not list the dishes. Expect a snack, not lunch. If you want a meal, book a walking tour or plan a lunch afterwards, and our guide to what to eat on a Palermo street food tour explains the usual dishes.

The tour starts at the operator’s base on Discesa dei Giudici, so you only need to get yourself to that one address. Group size is not stated in this listing, which is one reason to compare it with the other two bike tours below, where the size or the tasting is spelled out.

Two other bike tours with food

The Historic Center Guided Bike Tour with Food Tasting from SICICLA (our breakdown) is $50 per person for 3 hours and has 104 reviews at 4.7. It rides through Ballarò old market and Vucciria and past Fontana Pretoria, Quattro Canti and the Cathedral. The tasting is described as a sample, or an almond pastry, and reviewers mention a few narrow or steeper sections.

The Guided Bike Tour of Palermo with Street Food from PalermOnBike (our breakdown) is $50 per person for 3 hours, in groups of up to 15, with 17 reviews at 4.8. The tasting is panelle and crocchè, or an almond dessert on Sundays. The listing expects previous cycling experience and lists several groups as unsuitable, so read its notes before booking. The table below sets the three side by side.

When to go and who it suits

A bike tour works best when you want to cover the old centre and the sea front in one outing, and when you are comfortable on a bike in a busy city. Heat matters on the water, where there is little shade, so a hat and sunscreen are sensible in summer. Reviewers describe guides who were knowledgeable and funny, and one group praised the guides for looking after them through bad weather and the chaotic streets.

Families with teenagers who ride confidently can join, but the listing does not set a minimum age, so ask the operator if you are bringing children. If you would rather not ride in traffic at all, the night tour page covers an evening on foot instead.

Practical notes

• Meeting point: Sicilyland Palermo Bike Tours, Discesa dei Giudici 21b, 90133 Palermo.
• Bikes, helmets and radio guides are included. Hotel pickup, gratuities and extra food and drinks are not.
• Wear comfortable clothes and shoes you can pedal in. Quiet streets are not the same as empty ones, so ride with the group and follow the guide.
• On busy stops, keep your phone and wallet in a front pocket or a zipped bag.
• Not sure which format? Our guide to which Palermo tour is right for you compares them.

Check dates for the Sicilyland bike tour.