Why Naples Belongs on Every Italy Itinerary
Naples is the city that Italy keeps for itself. While Rome, Florence and Venice absorb the vast majority of international visitors, Naples sits at the southern end of the peninsula radiating a raw, passionate and utterly authentic energy that is completely unlike anything else in the country. It is a city of volcanic intensity in every sense of the word, a place where the greatest pizza in the world is made in wood fired ovens that have not changed in two centuries, where one of the most spectacular archaeological sites in human history sits just 30 minutes away by train and where street life happens with a noise and a vividness that makes everywhere else feel slightly muted by comparison. The things to do in Naples span an extraordinary range of experiences that reward every traveler who arrives with an open mind and a genuine appetite for one of the most fascinating and most deeply human cities in all of Europe.
This Naples travel guide is designed to help you navigate and genuinely experience a city that reveals itself as one of the most rewarding and most emotionally resonant travel destinations in Italy the more time and attention you give it. Naples has been shaped by Greeks, Romans, Normans, Aragonese and Bourbons over three thousand years of continuous habitation and the result is a city of extraordinary historical depth, artistic richness and human complexity that no other Italian city can quite match.
What Makes Naples Worth Your Time
The best places to visit in Naples span a city of remarkable density and variety where world class museums, ancient underground tunnels, magnificent Baroque churches, legendary pizzerias and one of the most vibrant street markets in the entire Mediterranean exist within an area compact enough to explore largely on foot. Naples is also the finest base in Southern Italy for some of the most extraordinary day trips available anywhere in Europe including Pompeii, Herculaneum, Mount Vesuvius, Capri and the Amalfi Coast.
Essential Attractions and Things to Do in Naples
Things to do in Naples begin with the cultural and historical landmarks that have made this city one of the most significant in the Mediterranean world and extend outward into the neighborhoods, street food culture and remarkable artistic heritage that reveal the extraordinary living character of Neapolitan life.
Naples National Archaeological Museum
The Naples National Archaeological Museum is without question one of the greatest and most important archaeological museums in the entire world. The museum houses the finest collection of Greco-Roman artifacts in existence including the extraordinary Farnese collection of ancient sculpture, the magnificent Alexander Mosaic from Pompeii showing Alexander the Great’s victory over Darius III and an extraordinary collection of frescoes, bronzes and everyday objects recovered from the excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Allow at least half a day for a meaningful visit.
Spaccanapoli Naples Guide
Spaccanapoli meaning Naples Splitter is the long straight street that cuts directly through the Historic Center of Naples following the line of the ancient Greek city of Neapolis laid out over 2,500 years ago. Walking its full length is one of the most extraordinary urban experiences in all of Italy, a journey past magnificent Baroque churches, ancient Roman ruins, street shrines, pizza makers working in plain view and a street life of such density and raw vitality that it can feel simultaneously overwhelming and completely exhilarating. The street passes through some of the finest Baroque churches in Naples including the Gesù Nuovo with its extraordinary faceted stone facade and the Santa Chiara complex with its magnificent majolica tiled cloister.
Castel Nuovo and the Royal Palace
The Castel Nuovo also known as the Maschio Angioino is a magnificent medieval and Renaissance castle on the Naples waterfront that has served as the residence of kings, popes and emperors since its construction in 1279. The extraordinary marble triumphal arch built into the entrance tower between 1453 and 1466 is one of the finest examples of early Renaissance sculpture in Southern Italy. The adjacent Royal Palace of Naples is a magnificent Bourbon royal residence of the 17th century housing an outstanding collection of royal apartments, art and historical artifacts that provide a fascinating insight into the extraordinary cultural ambitions of the rulers who made Naples one of the largest and most important cities in Europe.
Best Neighborhoods in Naples
Understanding the best neighborhoods in Naples is absolutely essential for experiencing the full character and variety of this extraordinary city.
Quartieri Spagnoli
The Quartieri Spagnoli or Spanish Quarters is the most densely inhabited and most authentically Neapolitan neighborhood in the entire city. Built in the 16th century by the Spanish Viceroy to house his troops, it is a grid of extremely narrow streets running steeply uphill from the Via Toledo where laundry hangs between buildings across streets barely wide enough for two people to pass and where the famous street shrines to Diego Maradona are among the most moving and most distinctly Neapolitan sights in the entire city.
Chiaia
Chiaia is the most elegant and affluent neighborhood in Naples, a quarter of beautiful 19th century boulevards, excellent restaurants, sophisticated bars and the magnificent Villa Comunale park stretching along the seafront. It represents a completely different face of Naples from the chaotic energy of the Historic Center and is the finest area of the city for an evening passeggiata along the seafront promenade.
Posillipo
Posillipo is a magnificent hillside neighborhood above the western bay of Naples offering some of the most breathtaking views over the Bay of Naples, Mount Vesuvius and the islands of Capri and Ischia available from anywhere in the city. The neighborhood is home to some of the finest seafood restaurants in Naples and the beautiful Parco Virgiliano offers extraordinary panoramic views across the entire bay.
Best Museums in Naples
The best museums in Naples extend far beyond the National Archaeological Museum to encompass a remarkable range of collections that reveal the full depth of Neapolitan and Southern Italian art, history and culture.
The Museo di Capodimonte housed in a magnificent Bourbon royal palace on the hill above the city is the most important art museum in Southern Italy housing an extraordinary collection of Italian painting from the 13th to the 18th century including masterpieces by Simone Martini, Titian, Raphael and Caravaggio. The Museo Nazionale di San Martino in the magnificent Certosa di San Martino monastery above the Vomero Hill district houses an outstanding collection of Neapolitan decorative arts and the finest collection of traditional Neapolitan presepe nativity scenes in the entire world.
Naples Food Guide
The Naples food guide reveals a culinary tradition of extraordinary vitality, simplicity and depth that has influenced food culture around the entire world. Neapolitan cuisine is built on the finest ingredients of Southern Italy including San Marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella from the Campanian plains and an abundance of fresh seafood from the waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Naples Pizza Guide
The Naples pizza guide is perhaps the most important section in this entire blog for many visitors because Naples is the birthplace of pizza and the Neapolitan pizza tradition is recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The authentic Neapolitan pizza is made with a specific dough that is hand stretched, never rolled, topped with San Marzano tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella and cooked in a wood fired domed oven at approximately 485 degrees Celsius for 60 to 90 seconds. The two classic Neapolitan pizzas are the Margherita and the Marinara. The most celebrated pizzerias in Naples include L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele on Via Cesare Sersale which has been making only Margherita and Marinara since 1870 and Pizzeria Sorbillo on Spaccanapoli which is one of the most beloved and most visited pizzerias in the entire world.
Essential Neapolitan Dishes Beyond Pizza
Spaghetti alle Vongole is one of the greatest pasta dishes in the entire Italian culinary canon, fresh clams cooked with white wine, garlic, olive oil and parsley tossed with perfectly cooked Spaghetti. Ragù Napoletano is a slow cooked meat sauce of extraordinary richness and depth that requires many hours of patient cooking and is one of the most celebrated dishes in the Neapolitan culinary tradition. Sfogliatelle is the most distinctive Neapolitan pastry, a shell shaped pastry of extraordinary crispness filled with a sweet ricotta and citrus peel filling that is one of the finest pastry eating experiences in all of Italy.
Pompeii Day Trip From Naples
The Pompeii day trip from Naples is without question the most important and most rewarding excursion available from the city. Pompeii was a prosperous Roman city of approximately 11,000 inhabitants buried under volcanic ash in the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD and preserved in extraordinary detail for nearly 1,700 years. Walking through the streets of Pompeii today is one of the most immediately overwhelming and emotionally powerful historical experiences imaginable. The Circumvesuviana train from Naples Porta Nola station reaches Pompeii Scavi station in approximately 35 minutes. Allow at least four hours for a meaningful visit.
Capri Day Trip From Naples
The Capri day trip from Naples takes you to one of the most glamorous and most beautiful islands in the entire Mediterranean. Capri is a small island of approximately 10 square kilometers in the Bay of Naples famous for its dramatic limestone cliffs, crystal clear turquoise water and the legendary Blue Grotto sea cave where bioluminescent light creates an extraordinary effect of electric blue illumination throughout the interior. Ferries from Naples Molo Beverello to Capri run frequently throughout the day with a journey time of approximately 80 minutes by ferry or 45 minutes by hydrofoil.
Amalfi Coast From Naples
The Amalfi Coast from Naples is one of the most spectacular coastal landscapes in the entire world and is easily accessible as a day trip from Naples. The Amalfi Coast stretches for approximately 50 kilometers along the southern edge of the Sorrentine Peninsula with dramatic cliffs dropping hundreds of meters into extraordinarily clear turquoise water and the colorful villages of Positano, Amalfi, Ravello and Praiano clinging to the cliff faces above. The most practical way to reach the Amalfi Coast from Naples is to take the Circumvesuviana train to Sorrento and connect with the SITA bus service that runs along the coast road.
Day Trips From Naples
The day trips from Naples available to visitors are among the finest available from any city in Italy. Herculaneum is a smaller but even more remarkably preserved Roman city than Pompeii just 20 minutes from Naples by Circumvesuviana train. Paestum is an ancient Greek city approximately 100 kilometers south of Naples containing three of the most perfectly preserved Greek temples in the entire world. The Reggia di Caserta is one of the largest royal palaces in the entire world, a magnificent 18th century Bourbon palace approximately 40 minutes north of Naples by train that was intended to rival Versailles in scale and ambition.
Getting Around Naples
Getting around Naples is considerably more straightforward than the city’s chaotic street life might initially suggest. The Naples Metro has two lines of which Line 1 known as the Art Line is the most useful for visitors connecting the city center with the Vomero Hill district. The Circumvesuviana commuter rail line is the most important transport connection for visitors providing direct access to Pompeii, Herculaneum and Sorrento. Walking is the finest way to explore the Historic Center. Taxis are metered and reliable but always ensure the meter is running from the start of your journey.
Naples Itinerary
Naples Itinerary 3 Days
A Naples itinerary of 3 days gives you enough time to experience the essential highlights of the city while also making the most important day trip to Pompeii.
Day 1 is devoted to the Historic Center beginning with the Naples National Archaeological Museum in the morning followed by an afternoon walk along Spaccanapoli visiting the Gesù Nuovo and Santa Chiara and ending with the first pizza eating experience of the trip at one of the legendary pizzerias on Spaccanapoli.
Day 2 is the Pompeii day trip departing early on the Circumvesuviana train and allowing a full morning and afternoon at the archaeological site before returning to Naples for an evening exploring the Quartieri Spagnoli neighborhood.
Day 3 is devoted to the Capri day trip departing on the first morning hydrofoil and spending the day exploring the island including the Blue Grotto and the Piazzetta before returning to Naples for a final seafood dinner in the Chiaia neighborhood.
Extended Naples Itinerary
A Naples itinerary of five or more days allows for a much more complete exploration including the Museo di Capodimonte, Herculaneum, the Amalfi Coast and Paestum alongside deeper immersion in the extraordinary food culture and neighborhood character of this remarkable city.
Best Time to Visit Naples
The best time to visit Naples is from April to June and September to October when the weather is warm and pleasant, the Bay of Naples is at its most spectacular and the summer crowds at Pompeii and Capri have not yet reached their overwhelming peak. July and August are the hottest and most crowded months with temperatures regularly exceeding 35 degrees Celsius. November to March is the quietest period with very short queues at all attractions and the most affordable accommodation prices of the year.
Is Naples Safe for Tourists
Is Naples safe for tourists is the question that most first time visitors ask about the city and it deserves a direct and honest answer. Naples is safe for tourists who exercise the same basic precautions they would apply in any large and busy Southern European city. Petty theft can occur in the most crowded areas of the Historic Center and it is advisable to keep bags and cameras close to your body and avoid displaying expensive items openly. Basic awareness and common sense are all that is required to have a safe and enjoyable experience in Naples.
Naples Travel Budget
Naples is the most affordable major city in Italy and represents outstanding value for money at every budget level. Budget travelers staying in hostels and eating pizza and street food can manage comfortably on 50 to 70 dollars per day. Mid-range travelers staying in comfortable hotels and dining at good restaurants should budget between 100 and 160 dollars per day. Luxury travel in Naples including boutique hotels in the Chiaia district and fine dining starts from 250 dollars per day.
Closing Thoughts
Naples earns its place at the very top of the Southern Italian travel experience not despite its complexity and rawness but precisely because of them. Whether you are eating the greatest pizza of your life on a simple chair in a Spaccanapoli pizzeria, walking through the silent ghost streets of Pompeii feeling the full weight of two thousand years of buried history or watching the dawn light spread across the Bay of Naples with Vesuvius smoking quietly above the horizon, the things to do in Naples create a quality and an intensity of experience that stays with you for a very long time.
This Naples travel guide has covered the essential landmarks, neighborhoods, museums, food culture, pizza tradition and day trips to Pompeii, Capri and the Amalfi Coast alongside all the practical information you need to plan an extraordinary visit to one of the greatest cities in all of Europe.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best things to do in Naples?
The best things to do in Naples include visiting the National Archaeological Museum, walking Spaccanapoli, eating authentic Neapolitan pizza and taking the day trip to Pompeii.
How many days do I need in Naples?
A Naples itinerary of 3 days covers the essential highlights and the Pompeii day trip comfortably while a Naples itinerary of five days adds Capri, the Amalfi Coast and the Museo di Capodimonte.
Is Naples safe for tourists?
Yes. Is Naples safe for tourists is a common concern but Naples is safe for visitors who keep belongings secure in crowded areas and exercise basic common sense.
What is the Naples pizza guide most useful for?
The Naples pizza guide helps visitors understand the authentic Neapolitan pizza tradition and identify the most celebrated historic pizzerias in the city where this extraordinary food was invented.
How do I get to Pompeii from Naples?
The Pompeii day trip from Naples is best made on the Circumvesuviana train which reaches Pompeii Scavi in approximately 35 minutes from Naples Porta Nola station.
How do I get to Capri from Naples?
The Capri day trip from Naples begins at Naples Molo Beverello where hydrofoils depart regularly and reach Capri in approximately 45 minutes.
How do I reach the Amalfi Coast from Naples?
The Amalfi Coast from Naples is most practically reached by taking the Circumvesuviana train to Sorrento and connecting with the SITA coastal bus service along the coast road.
What are the best day trips from Naples?
The best day trips from Naples include Pompeii, Herculaneum, Capri, the Amalfi Coast, Paestum and the magnificent Reggia di Caserta royal palace.