Zisa Palace — Attraction in Palermo

A Total Scam — AVOID AT ALL COSTS! Visiting Zisa Palace was one of the most disappointing and misleading experiences of our entire trip to Palermo. Let’s start with logistics: we took Bus 124, which only comes every 30 minutes or so — not ideal if you’re trying to plan your day efficiently. When we finally arrived, the surrounding area felt unsafe and deeply neglected. We were lucky to have visited around 3pm; I would not want to be walking around that neighborhood after dark. The area felt “off” — not in a romantic, historical way, but in a way that made us uneasy. The palace grounds were overgrown with weeds and shrubs, giving the impression of abandonment. Photos online paint a completely different picture. In reality, there were construction barriers surrounding parts of the structure, making it feel more like a restricted work site than a historic attraction. Inside, the experience didn’t improve. The palace is nearly empty, with very little to engage visitors. The restoration efforts appear haphazard — layers of cosmetic work with no clear narrative or cohesion. The main hall, the supposed centerpiece with the famous fountain niche, is completely blocked off. You can only see it from a side doorway — and even then, your view is partially obstructed by the wall. When I asked if I could access the room or get a frontal photo, I was told no. There was no signage or warning about this at the ticket counter. We paid 16 euros for two people, and it felt like we were robbed. Honestly, I can’t understand how this place gets five-star reviews unless they’re coming from staff or people with very low expectations. This visit completely killed the positive momentum we had...

Hi.. Quite a terrible place I must say...

Admission is now 6 euros. You are not given a printed guide or anything as such. All signs and explanations inside are in italian, so they do neglect billions of non-italian speakers. If you are over 65 yrs old, you get 50 % discount BUT if you are non-EU visitor, then no discount.. So for this weird administration, you need to be an aging european to get a discount. This is not only bollocks but also discriminative.

The castle is almost empty, nothing to see. There are some amphoras laying around, without any explanation. Perhaps they are not historic stuff after all, bought by the administration at a street market stall for 5 euros!!! Who knows ???

None of the people in charge speak english. Ticket seller speaks broken english and has not been introduced the word "please". She spoke to us more like the female version of mussolini. That was a historic moment in our visit !!

I asked a lady in charge on 2nd floor if she spoke english, she shouted NO as if I told her she had AIDS, left the room running to another section. The garden is totally neglected, in ruins. There is really nothing to see here.

Best is, go by the castle, see from outside, take a few pics and move on. Giving 6 euros to go inside is totally waste of time & money. The British Museum that you go in for free offers 100 times better things than this one as an example.

I just got back 3-4 days ago, happy to reply any questions or...

The lady who works in the shop was lovely and a real gem but other than that this place needs to be avoided! How on earth it is a UNESCO site is beyond me.

The area is incredibly bleak, depressing and feels dangerous.

The place itself is a slapdash of styles and cleaning attempts to present it to the world and keep it in a nice way, but it has pigeon nets up with feathers everywhere and potentially trapped birds, it has almost nothing on display and you have to pay 8€ for the privilege.

Seriously save yourself the time and money and don’t come here unless you want a sad experience because realistically it should have the funds to at least have the gardens maintained with some money to the local area, but the money is being sucked up somewhere by someone or some organisation…so ask yourself how ethical it is to spend...