Naples city guide

Things To Do In Naples

Chaotic, loud, crumbling and magnificent, with the best pizza and coffee in Italy and Vesuvius over the bay. The base for Pompeii, Capri and the Amalfi Coast.

Where to stay What it costs

Hostels in the city

8.7

Average, from 46,301 reviews

€5

A margherita in the city that invented it

€1

An espresso at the bar

35 min

By train to Pompeii

The most Italian city in Italy

Naples is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe, founded by Greeks nearly three thousand years ago, and for centuries it was one of the biggest and richest capitals on the continent. It has the grandeur to show for it, and the decay: palaces with washing strung across their balconies, churches full of Baroque gold on streets of scooters and shouting.

The historic centre, built on the Greek street grid, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the most densely lived-in old town in Italy. Beneath it is a second city of tunnels, cisterns and catacombs.

Naples has a reputation, and some of it is deserved, but it is a warm, generous city that most visitors end up loving. Give it two or three days, and use it as the base for Pompeii, Herculaneum, Vesuvius and the islands.

Where to stay

Stay in or near the historic centre. The station area is convenient for Pompeii but the least pleasant part of town.

Centro Storico

First-timers

The historic centre on the Greek grid: Spaccanapoli, pizzerias and churches.

Quartieri Spagnoli

Atmosphere

Steep, narrow lanes of washing lines and Maradona murals, just off Via Toledo.

Chiaia

A calmer stay

The elegant quarter by the seafront, with smart shops and baretti.

Vomero

Views

The hilltop district reached by funicular. Residential, calm and local.

Piazza Garibaldi

Transport

Around the central station and the Circumvesuviana. Convenient and rough.

Orange labels are neighbourhoods, dots are the 12 top-rated hostels. Map © MapTiler © OpenStreetMap contributors.

How long have you got?

The routes we would take, in the order we would take them.

24 Hours

Duomo di Napoli, Castel Nuovo, museums and awaterfront promenade.

2 Days

Adds Pompeii and Herculaneum, underground tunnels and a day trip to Amalfi Coast.

3 Days

Adds Castel Dell'Ovo, Bay of Naples, a lively nightlife and more.

Things to do

Things to do in Naples

Walk Spaccanapoli, the long straight street that cuts through the historic centre along the line of the Greek city, and the parallel Via dei Tribunali. Via San Gregorio Armeno, between them, is lined with workshops making nativity figures all year round.

The Cappella Sansevero holds the Veiled Christ, a marble figure under a shroud so fine it looks transparent. Book ahead; it is small and sells out. Go underground at Napoli Sotterranea, through the Greek and Roman cisterns and tunnels beneath the centre, or at the catacombs of San Gennaro in the Sanità district.

The National Archaeological Museum has the best of what came out of Pompeii and Herculaneum, including the mosaics and the Farnese sculptures. See it before or after the ruins.

Take the funicular up to the Vomero for Castel Sant'Elmo and the Certosa di San Martino and the view over the bay to Vesuvius. Walk the seafront, the Lungomare, from Castel dell'Ovo at sunset.

Free things

Free things to do in Naples

The historic centre is free to walk, and it is the main attraction. So are the churches, many of them extraordinary, and the Baroque spires in the squares.

Castel dell'Ovo, the castle on the seafront, is free, with views across the bay. The Lungomare, the seafront promenade, is where the city walks in the evening.

Several metro stations on line 1 are designed by artists and architects, and Toledo station, with its blue mosaic shaft, is one of the most beautiful in Europe. It costs a single ticket to see.

The murals of Maradona in the Quartieri Spagnoli are a pilgrimage site. State museums, including the Archaeological Museum, are free on the first Sunday of the month.

Food and drink

Eating and drinking in Naples

Naples invented pizza, and it is still the best place to eat it. A margherita at a classic pizzeria costs €5 to €8, and a pizza a portafoglio, folded in four and eaten on the street, costs a few euros. Fried pizza is the other local version.

The pastries are as good: the sfogliatella, a shell of crisp layered pastry with ricotta, and babà, soaked in rum.

Coffee is short, strong and sweet, drunk standing at the bar for about €1 to €1.20. The caffè sospeso, a coffee paid for in advance for a stranger who cannot afford one, is a Neapolitan tradition.

The Porta Nolana and Pignasecca markets are the places for cheap food. Naples is one of the cheapest big cities in Italy to eat in.

Nightlife

Going out in Naples

Naples goes out late and outdoors. Piazza Bellini, in the historic centre, is the student and bohemian centre, with bars around a square that has Greek walls exposed in the middle.

The baretti of Chiaia, small bars in the lanes near the seafront, are where the city's well-dressed crowd drinks. The Vomero has a younger, more local scene.

Drinks are cheap: a beer is €3 to €5, a spritz a little more. The night starts around ten and runs late, especially in summer.

Getting around

Getting around Naples

Naples is walkable in the centre, but it is hilly and the traffic is chaotic. The metro, the funiculars, buses and trams are run by several companies, which makes the ticketing confusing; a single city ticket costs under €2, and ANM also sells a day ticket.

From the airport, the Alibus runs to the central station and the port for €5 in about twenty minutes.

For Pompeii, Herculaneum and Sorrento, take the Circumvesuviana train from Garibaldi, under the central station. A city ticket is not valid; buy an extra-urban ticket, about €3.30 to Pompeii. The trains are crowded and slow; watch your bag.

Ferries and hydrofoils to Capri, Ischia and Procida leave from Molo Beverello and Calata Porta di Massa. High-speed trains reach Rome in about seventy minutes.

Costs

What Naples costs

Naples is one of the cheapest big cities in Italy. Dorms start around €18, a pizza is €5 to €8, a coffee about €1, and street food makes lunch almost free. A careful day is €45 to €60.

The costs that add up are the day trips: Pompeii and Herculaneum each have their own ticket, the ferries to Capri are expensive, and the Circumvesuviana adds a few euros each way.

State museums are free on the first Sunday of the month.

Safety

Staying safe in Naples

Naples is safer than its reputation, but it needs more care than most Italian cities. The main risk is bag and phone snatching, sometimes from scooters. Carry your bag on the side away from the road, keep your phone in your hand close to you, and leave expensive watches and jewellery at home.

The area around Piazza Garibaldi and the central station is the roughest part of the centre, especially at night. The Circumvesuviana trains are crowded and targeted by pickpockets.

The traffic is the other hazard. Scooters use pavements and one-way streets in both directions. Cross with confidence and with the locals.

Emergency number is 112.

Day trips from Naples

Naples is the base for some of the most extraordinary sites in Europe.

Pompeii

About 35 minutes · Circumvesuviana from Garibaldi to Pompei Scavi

The Roman town buried by Vesuvius in 79 AD. Huge and shadeless: go early, with water, and book the ticket online.

Herculaneum

About 20 minutes · Circumvesuviana to Ercolano Scavi

Smaller and better preserved than Pompeii, with upper floors and wooden beams still in place.

Vesuvius

About 1 hour · Bus from Pompeii or Ercolano, then a walk to the crater

The volcano itself, with a timed ticket for the path to the rim.

Capri

About 50 minutes · Ferry or hydrofoil from Molo Beverello

The famous island: cliffs, the Blue Grotto and very high prices. Go early.

Procida

About 40–60 minutes · Ferry or hydrofoil

A small, colourful fishing island, quieter and cheaper than Capri.

What's on

What is on while you are there

The city's patron saint performs a miracle three times a year. Everything else comes second.

Staff pick

18 October

Neapolis Marathon

The Neapolis Marathon invites runners to experience Naples, Italy, in a unique way, with a scenic route that winds through the city’s historic heart…

16 May – 11 Nov

Giro Giro Napoli: The City Told to Children

Kids aged 6 to 10 can explore Naples through free guided tours, workshops, and interactive activities that bring the city's history, art, and science…

24 Sep – 1 Oct

Mitridate, Re di Ponto

Mitridate, Re di Ponto is a serious opera in three acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The production features a distinguished cast and…

24 Sep – 1 Oct

Mithridates, King of Pontus

Mitridate, Re di Ponto is a serious opera in three acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and libretto by Vittorio Amedeo Cigna-Santi. The…

1 October

Gianni Morandi

One of Italy's most beloved artists, Gianni Morandi, will perform at Arena Flegrea in Naples on October 1, 2026. This concert is part of…

2 October

Anita Rachvelishvili

Anita Rachvelishvili, a renowned mezzo-soprano, performs a rich program of classical pieces accompanied by pianist Vincenzo Scalera. The concert includes works by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov,…

2 October

Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Taktakishvili, Tosti, de Falla, Verdi, Saint-Saëns, Bizet & Cilea (Anita Rachvelishvili & Vincenzo Scalera)

This concert brings together works by a remarkable lineup of composers including Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, and Verdi. It takes place at the historic Teatro di…

4 October

La Scuola Napoletana in Russia

La Scuola Napoletana in Russia is a chamber music concert featuring works by Domenico Cimarosa, Giovanni Paisiello, Antonio Caldara, and Ferdinando Sebastiani. The performance…

All events in Naples

Hostels

Where to stay in Naples

Naples has good-value hostels, most in the historic centre and near the station. These are the top-rated right now, live from Hostelworld.

9.4 651

When to go

April, May, September and October are ideal. July and August are hot, and the islands are packed.

13°

Jan

Mild and quiet

14°

Feb

Carnival season

16°

Mar

Spring

19°

Apr

Easter processions

23°

May

Excellent. San Gennaro and the monuments

27°

Jun

Warm. The sea opens

30°

Jul

Hot. Islands packed

31°

Aug

Very hot. Many locals leave

27°

Sep

Excellent. San Gennaro on the 19th

23°

Oct

Superb. Warm sea still

18°

Nov

Quiet and wet

14°

Dec

Nativity street at its busiest

Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets: quiet busy peak

Average highs. Naples is warm most of the year, and the sea is swimmable from June to October.

What your trip will cost

Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in euros.

Transport assumes city tickets and the Circumvesuviana. Pompeii and Herculaneum each have their own entry ticket.

Nights 3

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Beds—
Food and drink—
Getting around—
Doing things—

Naples travel questions

The ones we get asked most.

Is Naples safe?

Safer than its reputation, but take more care than in most Italian cities. Keep your bag away from the road, your phone close, and leave expensive jewellery at home. The station area is roughest at night.

How do I get to Pompeii from Naples?

Take the Circumvesuviana from Garibaldi station, under the central station, to Pompei Scavi, which takes about thirty-five minutes. Buy an extra-urban ticket; the city ticket is not valid.

Pompeii or Herculaneum?

Both if you can. Pompeii is vast and famous; Herculaneum is smaller, less crowded and better preserved.

Where is the best pizza in Naples?

The classic pizzerias of the historic centre, around Via dei Tribunali, are the famous ones. Almost any busy pizzeria in the city is excellent, and a margherita costs €5 to €8.

How do I get from Naples airport to the centre?

The Alibus runs to the central station and the port for €5 in about twenty minutes.

How many days do you need in Naples?

Two or three for the city, plus a day each for Pompeii and Herculaneum, Capri or the Amalfi Coast.

Can I visit Capri from Naples?

Yes. Ferries and hydrofoils leave from Molo Beverello and take about fifty minutes. Go early, as the island is busiest in the middle of the day.

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