Fantastic building - well worth the entrance fee. The Norman ornate decor in the chapel was stunning, could have stayed there all day looking at the incredible paintings.

The tour - unfortunately, it was in Italian. Not sure if they did an English version and we bought the wrong one but that was a shame, as I'm sure the building had an amazing history.

The main entrance is located in Piazza Parlamento, the driveway and the entrance for tourists are in Piazza Indipendenza.
In August 2012 the area in front of the main entrance was under restoration and looked very sad, so I didn't immediately recognize it. There was no garden-beds, no trees. The fountain was in scaffolding.
But inside the palace is very beautiful. Especially in the Palatine Chapel.
There is a fixed number of people allowed in the halls of the Palace.
Once we waited about 30 minutes to get into one of the rooms.
Overall my impression of the visit is very good.

The chapelle palatinate was magnificent, the palace an odd mix of styles and functions. The palace tour is in Italian, with around 30 Italian words translated by the English guide into around 5, interesting if you like Norman / Italian history, otherwise more of a jolly to pass the time, and say you've been. Well worth reading up before hand so you can look out for the details, rather than risking missing them

Even if you are not an Art History geek, the Mosaics and architecture of this 12th century building are fascinating