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Palermo · Italy

Car hire and driving in Palermo

Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.

OverviewFlightsHotelsHostelsTrainsBusesCar rentalTours

In Italy traffic drives on the right. Picking up at PMO means 25 km (16 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1061257 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q11185210 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648804.

Drives from Palermo

Car rental from Palermo: distances and estimated journey times
RouteCountryDistanceEstimated time
Palermo to CataniaItaly165 km (103 mi)about 2 h 31 min
Palermo to MessinaItaly192 km (119 mi)about 2 h 55 min
Palermo to Reggio CalabriaItaly201 km (125 mi)about 3 h 4 min
Palermo to SiracusaItaly205 km (128 mi)about 3 h 8 min
Palermo to SalernoItaly310 km (193 mi)about 4 h 44 min
Palermo to NaplesItaly314 km (195 mi)about 4 h 47 min
Palermo to CagliariItaly389 km (242 mi)about 5 h 56 min
Palermo to Acilia-Castel Fusano-Ostia AnticaItaly415 km (258 mi)about 6 h 20 min
Palermo to FoggiaItaly416 km (258 mi)about 6 h 21 min
Palermo to TarantoItaly424 km (263 mi)about 6 h 28 min
Palermo to RomeItaly426 km (265 mi)about 6 h 30 min
Palermo to Vatican CityVatican428 km (266 mi)about 6 h 32 min
Palermo to IstanbulTurkey1,372 km (853 mi)about 20 h 56 min
Palermo to AnkaraTurkey1,692 km (1,052 mi)about 25 h 48 min
Palermo to MadridSpain1,489 km (925 mi)about 22 h 42 min
Palermo to BursaTurkey1,371 km (852 mi)about 20 h 55 min
Palermo to İzmirTurkey1,202 km (747 mi)about 18 h 20 min
Palermo to ParisFrance1,485 km (923 mi)about 22 h 39 min
Palermo to BucharestRomania1,273 km (791 mi)about 19 h 25 min
Palermo to BudapestHungary1,141 km (709 mi)about 17 h 24 min

Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.

Where to compare car hire

ExpediaCar hire from the major suppliers, and the one to look at if the flight or hotel is already booked there. Part of Expedia Group.Check car hire on Expedia (opens www.expedia.com in a new tab)
DiscoverCarsCompares local and international suppliers. Read the counter reviews before you pick.Check rental cars on DiscoverCars (opens www.discovercars.com in a new tab)
Auto EuropeA broker specialising in Europe, often with clearer all-in pricing for US renters.Get European rates on Auto Europe (opens www.autoeurope.com in a new tab)
Rentalcars.comBooking.com's car arm, with wide airport coverage worldwide.Compare suppliers on Rentalcars.com (opens www.rentalcars.com in a new tab)
Every link above leaves this site.

We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.

Common questions

Which side of the road do they drive on in Palermo?

The right, as everywhere in Italy.

How are the journey times on this page worked out?

From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.

Where these facts come from

  • GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
  • Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
  • OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
  • Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines

Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.