Cruise Passenger Safety in Palermo

Medical facilities are available, but may be limited outside urban areas. Public hospitals, though generally free of charge for emergency services, sometimes do not maintain the same standards as hospitals in the United States, so you are encouraged to obtain insurance that would cover a stay in a private Italian hospital or clinic. It is almost impossible to obtain an itemized hospital bill from public hospitals, as required by many U.S. insurance companies, because the Italian National Health Service charges one inclusive rate (care services, room and board). Check with your insurance carrier to assure you have coverage out of country. Italy has a moderate rate of crime.  You should exercise extra caution at night and at train stations, airports, nightclubs, bars, and outdoor cafes.  Thieves in Italy often work in groups or pairs. Pairs of accomplices or groups of children are known to divert tourists' attention so that another can pick-pocket them. As a matter of personal safety, it is advisable that you travel in groups, or go to places where there are large crowds of tourists when you are in Palermo, Sicily.

The Palermo, Sicily Police can be contacted by calling 112

The contact information for the US Embassy in Italy is Palermo

Via Vaccarini 1. Palermo, Italy

Telephone: 39-091-305-857

Facsimile: 39-091-625-6026

Important Notice:

Before you travel, always exercise the utmost of caution with respect to your safety and personal security. Please consult multiple, authoritative sources for the latest update on safety in Palermo, Sicily. Authoritative resources you should consult before visiting a foreign port include the staff onboard the cruise ship who should be able to update you regarding current safety conditions of the ports of call, and the US State Department web site featuring current safety and crime advisories for Palermo, Sicily at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1146.html.