A Casa di Amici
Politeama's long-running social hostel — shared terrace, on-site bar, 10 min to Vucciria
A Casa di Amici is the most-reviewed Palermo hostel and still the default social pick — 20 rooms on Via Dante in Politeama, a ground-floor bar and shared terrace, an honest blend of dorms and private rooms, rating 8.9 across 1,629 reviews. Beds from around €24, privates from €60. Literally 'at a friend's house', and it shows.
A Casa di Amici sits on Via Dante 57 in Politeama, the modern axis of Palermo — wider streets, Teatro Politeama one block away, Via della Libertà shopping within a 200-metre walk, and the historic center starting at Teatro Massimo 10 minutes south on foot. It opened in the early 2000s, making it one of Palermo's longest-running backpacker hostels, and the 1,629 reviews reflect a hostel that has kept its rhythm for two decades rather than reinventing itself every season.
The building is a restored Palermitan townhouse with a central courtyard, tiled floors, and a shared terrace that gets sun from late morning until early evening. The ground-floor bar opens at 17:00 and functions as the social heartbeat — guests, reception staff, and the occasional neighbor mixing Aperol spritzes and Birra Moretti until closing. The kitchen is open 24 hours, stocked with basics, and the fridge has shelves tagged by dorm number.
Dorms are 4-bed and 6-bed, mixed and female-only, with wooden bunks, individual lockers, and shared bathrooms on each floor. Privates are doubles and twins with en-suite bathrooms and some with small balconies over the courtyard. The 'amici' (friends) concept is genuine: reception knows your name by the second morning, breakfast is a proper Italian cafè affair with focaccia and espresso, and the house does its own walking tour of Vucciria and Ballarò three evenings a week.
The trade-off is the Via Dante location — traffic in the morning, the occasional car alarm, and a 10-minute walk to the Vucciria drinking scene. The hostel's own bar and terrace make up for it most nights, but light sleepers should ask for a courtyard-facing room. Rating 8.9 puts it solidly in the top quartile of Palermo hostels, and the repeat-guest rate is the giveaway: this is the Palermo hostel backpackers book a second time.
- 01The 20-year track record — same families running it, staff stability you feel on arrival
- 02Courtyard + terrace combination means sun all afternoon, shade when you need it
- 03In-house bar crawl three nights a week — free, guided, actually goes to real Palermo places
- 04The breakfast focaccia — proper Palermitan, not continental filler
- 20-room townhouse with central courtyard and sun-catching shared terrace
- On-site bar open 17:00 to late, ground-floor social hub
- House bar crawl through Vucciria and Ballarò three nights per week
- 10-minute walk to Teatro Massimo, Via Maqueda, and Vucciria's night scene
“Loved everything. The room was huge. The bathroom was huge. Lots of amenities provided. Breakfast was great for the price. Great kitchen. Cheap beer available to buy — comes with snacks. We absolutely loved the terrace.”
“Big kitchen to cook (with filtered tap water), good location (quite close to historic center and bus station to airport), room size is fair, bed is comfortable. Common area and terrace is spacious.”
“Great location, the staff was exceptionally good and super helpful. The different options for breakfast were great and good in price. The terrace was super for a chill Aperol and meeting people.”
- Teatro Politeama2 min walk
- Teatro Massimo (opera)10 min walk
- Vucciria night-drinking district12 min walk
- Mercato di Ballarò (morning market)15 min walk
- Prestia e Comandè airport bus stop3 min walk
- Bar Touring (granita di gelsi)6 min walk
