Best Place to Exchange Money in Palermo

Where to change money in Palermo

We could not back any Palermo exchange office with two separate sources, so this page names none. Italia.it, the national tourist board, lists airports, big stations, banks and exchange agencies for euros, but a debit card in a bank's cash machine is usually simpler.

• UniCredit cash machines, Falcone Borsellino Airport - Listed by the airport: one in the ground-floor arrivals hall, one in the first-floor departures area by the A gates.

Changing money at the airport

Falcone Borsellino Airport (PMO) lists no exchange counter, only the UniCredit machines, so draw euros there or in town and read any operator charge before you confirm.

Trenitalia's regional trains reach Palermo Centrale in 34 to 36 minutes, calling at Notarbartolo, for EUR 6.80 per adult. Most hours have two trains, some only one; the first leaves the airport at 05:18 and the last at 00:25.

The Prestia e Comandè shuttle takes around 50 minutes to Stazione Centrale, via Politeama and Via Roma, every half hour, with tickets sold on board for cash or card. Its July 2026 leaflet prints both EUR 6 and EUR 6.50 for an adult single (EUR 10 or 11 return), so check the price as you board.

Taxis wait outside arrivals and charge fixed prices by zone: EUR 39 to the Viale Michelangelo and Viale Lazio area, EUR 44 to Corso Calatafimi and Corso Vittorio Emanuele, and EUR 50 to the Central Station and Brancaccio. The airport does not say how to pay, so ask first and keep some cash in reserve.

ATMs and cards in Palermo

By law, Italian shops, tradespeople and professionals must take cards, as ANSA reported when fines began in mid-2022, and a June 2026 law widened the duty to payment apps and digital wallets. A Visa or Mastercard debit card handles most bills; keep coins for market stalls.

For cash, prefer a bank's machine to a free-standing one on a tourist street, check the fee screen, and expect your UK bank to add its own non-sterling fee. If a machine or terminal lets you choose pounds or euros, select euros: the pound option uses the operator's rate.

Paying for transport in Palermo

AMAT runs Palermo's buses and four tram lines. A single costs EUR 1.40 bought in advance and lasts 90 minutes, or EUR 1.80 from the driver; a day ticket is EUR 3.50, and two-, three- and seven-day passes cost EUR 6, EUR 8 and EUR 16.50. Buy at AMAT offices such as Stazione Centrale and Piazzale Ungheria, at tobacconists and newsagents, or in the PalerMobilità and MyAmat apps. Trams run daily from about 06:00 to 22:00. The city's tourism portal mentions no bank-card tapping on board, so carry a ticket.

Lines 806 and 628 serve Mondello beach. In summer 2025 the comune cut the app fare on them to EUR 1 from 20 June to 30 September; see whether the offer returns next year. The historic centre is compact enough to walk.

Good to know

• Tourist tax: since 1 September 2023 the comune has charged EUR 1 a night in a 1-star hotel, EUR 1.50 in a 2-star, EUR 3 in a 3-star, EUR 4 in a 4-star and EUR 5 in a 5-star, and EUR 2 in non-hotel lodgings and short lets.
• Tipping is optional. Italia.it says around 10% is usual for good service, and Lonely Planet suggests a euro or two in trattorias and pizzerias.
• Many restaurants add a cover charge, the coperto, even if you leave the bread untouched; it is not a tip.