Naples is a huge sprawling city but luckily, as a visitor you’ll likely only need to navigate a small area. Here we’ll take you through all the details you need to successfully navigate the Naples transportation system.

Naples is served well by lots of different types of transport, with subway lines, trams, many bus routes and taxis, so you won’t struggle for choice. You can of course walk to a lot of places in the city, but there are definitely times when being able to take a quicker route or get out of the sun is the better option.

Being prepared in advance is always the better choice, so here’s an overview of all the different options for Naples transportation available to get around the city and the wider Campania region, including:

Naples Metro lines

The Naples metro is not huge, similar to Rome there are not many lines, so it is easy to navigate. The main metro line that you will use is metro Line 1, which starts at the Piazza Garibaldi station (adjacent to Napoli Centrale train station) and stops near the port, the Duomo, via Toledo, and the National Archaeological museum.

The trains are generally pretty modern and run roughly every 10 minutes, seven days a week from 6.30AM to 11PM.

The metro stations and line are deep so there are a series of escalators and stairs to get up and down. Many stations have elevators but they aren’t always signposted well so ask a member of staff for assistance is needed.

Naples buses

While there are numerous bus routes that travel around Naples, this is the least effective and most frustrating form of public transport in the city.

Traffic in Naples is always bad, and there aren’t many dedicated bus lanes or routes that allow them to escape this traffic. This means that schedules quickly get forgotten and journey times can be much longer than they should be, even with a lot of buses on the road.

If you do take a bus, make sure you’re heading in the right direction. At the bus stop there will be a sign with the different routes that stop there, and a list of stops. Anything listed after the stop you’re at is where you’re going, so if your destination is before the current stop, you’re in the wrong place.

Trams in Naples

The trams are a far more efficient method of public transport as they have dedicated tracks and do not get caught in the traffic in the same way as buses.

However, they do not have as much coverage as the buses and do not connect with many of the major sights so you probably won’t use them much during your trip.

The trams have dedicated stops and platforms and are clearly labelled with their end destination and number so are simple to use.

Funicular and other local lines

Naples has another public transport link which you may well use, which falls under the same organisation (ANM) who runs the buses, trams and metro.

These are the funicular lines, which take people up and down the tallest of Naples’ hills. The Montesanto and Centrale funiculars connect the historic center with the Vomero hill, and the Chiaia funicular connects that neighborhood to the same hill.

There is a separate one, Mergellina, which links to the beautiful coastal neighborhood of the same name.

Tickets for Naples public transportation system

All Naples public transport falls under the same tickets, so you can use the same tickets on all forms of transport (as long as the right fare is chosen).

A single journey on Metro line 1 costs 1.50€ per person, and on a bus, tram or funicular 1.30€. You can also purchase a ticket which is valid for 90 minutes across all forms of Naples transportation which costs 1.80€, which is necessary for Metro line 2 and other longer distance routes.

If you think you will be using public transport a lot during your trip, you can buy tickets for unlimited day or weekly usage which cost 4.50€ and 13.50€ respectively. Be careful if you are planning to explore outside of the city center, these costs are for the urban area of Naples and the further out you get, the more expensive the tickets are!

You can buy your tickets in various ways and tap and go machines are in place at most metro stations, but I would highly recommend relying on paper tickets. I buy a few at a time at the ticket machines and restock if I see a machine without a queue.

On a recent busy Sunday the queue at Toledo for using the tap and go machine was extremely long because only one was working, but I was able to walk straight through with my regular paper ticket.

The only time I do the tap and go is at Napoli Garibaldi station. With it being the start of the line, the ticket machines are always super busy and it isn’t worth waiting there. So, I tap my card for that journey and then wherever I get off, I will buy some paper tickets on my way out.

The central station of Napoli Centrale connects to lots of places in Campania as well as the local railway lines and further afield so you’ll likely take a train at some point in your trip.

Taking trains around the Campania region

Trains are the most effective way to get around Italy, with a very good network and ticket system in place.

In terms of Naples transportation, trains run regularly to Caserta, Paestum, Salerno, Benevento, Rome, Florence and beyond, some high speed and others normal.

You can purchase tickets at the train station using the machines in the main entrance hall, but it’s easier and more convenient to book using Trainline, which has all the schedules, live departure information and stores all your tickets in one place.

Using the Circumvesuviana trains

Unfortunately there is a Naples transportation company operating in Campania that is not connected to Trainline, EAV. This company runs the Circumvesuviana line connecting Naples with Sorrento (via Pompeii and Herculaneum), as well as other above ground railway lines that head out to the Phlegraean Fields area, stopping at places like Pozzuoli.

These trains run regularly but are not always the most comfortable as they were designed to be commuter routes. Check out our pages on how to get to Pompeii, Herculaneum and Sorrento for more details, but the main thing to remember is that you will have to buy tickets in person as online/booked in advance tickets don’t really exist!

The main transport to and from Naples Capodichino airport is a bus, called the Alibus.

The Alibus travels from the airport to Piazza Garibaldi (right by Napoli Centrale) and then to the ferry ports before looping back, so is a very straightforward way to connect to onward trains, a ferry or the Naples metro.

The bus runs all day, starting at 5.30AM and finishing at midnight, and at 5€ per person for a single trip is very reasonable. You can purchase tickets on board from the driver as well as certain travel apps.

The only other way to get to the city center is by taxi, there is no other public transport that connects directly to the airport.

Make sure you wait in the official taxi line and ignore anyone offering you a ride in or around the terminal! There are fixed fees between 18€ and 27€ depending on what neighborhood your final destination is, with clear signs on display in the cars for you to refer to.

There are many ferry services that run from Naples, including to the islands of Ischia, Procida and Capri as well as down to Sorrento, Amalfi and Positano. At these ports you can also connect to other ferries taking you to other places along the Amalfi coast.

Ferries are almost all passenger only, and you can take luggage with you (often this comes with a small extra fee) but you are responsible for your bags at all times.

During the summer ferries run regularly, but in the winter many routes are put on hold due to the rough water and bad weather, so they are not available all year round.

You can book tickets online in advance, which is a necessary step during the busy summer months.

When it’s quieter, as there are a number of ferry companies who operate on the same routes, I prefer to get to the port, see which one is going next and then purchase tickets for that company. Prices are all pretty much the same and this gives you some flexibility.

For the return journey you can do the same thing, but don’t plan to get the very last ferry if you don’t already have your ticket. I’ve heard many times that people got stuck on Capri for the night or had to pay for a very expensive taxi back from Positano because they couldn’t get on that final ferry!

Taxis in Naples are a good way to get around if you’re doing quick journeys, but there are a few things to be aware of first.

You can flag one down anywhere in the street but you’ll have more luck at an official taxi rank, indicated by an orange sign saying ‘taxi’. Tell the driver where you want to go (having Google maps open on your phone with the address is helpful for overcoming language barriers) and when you get in the car, make sure the meter is on.

There are fixed fees for certain routes, and certain supplements always apply. These supplements are higher on Sundays and holidays so don’t be worried if there is already a few euro on the meter when you start your journey.

Cash is always accepted, card payments less so. You should always check before you get in if the driver can take a card payment to avoid any problems at the end of your trip!

If you prefer to use an app, Uber does work in Naples, it connects you with a regular taxi driver not an independent one. There is another app called FreeNow which operates in very much the same way which we use all the time.

You can of course hire bikes, mopeds and rental cars when in Naples, but my advice is simply to not do any of these.

Traffic in Naples is overwhelming if you’re unfamiliar with Neapolitan driving, and if you’re thinking of hiring a car to get to the Amalfi coast or Sorrento, the traffic situation only gets worse as the roads get smaller and narrower!

It is also very dangerous to get on a moped or bike and navigate this traffic as a tourist. Cycle lanes are virtually non-existent and so you are in among the regular traffic, buses, tour coaches and more – not enjoyable in the slightest.

Locals zoom around on their scooters up and down narrow streets, swerving from side to side to avoid people and making it look easy but they start young and it takes actual years of experience to be this competent!

Make your life easy and avoid these Naples transportation options altogether during your trip.

You can of course hire cars with a private driver to get around if you prefer, or join tours that come with transportation included.

I wanted to finish with some of the apps I use all the time. These don’t need to have an Italian phone number to work either which can be a hurdle with some of the local Naples transportation companies own apps!

Google Maps is always in my top apps, it’s just so useful for planning routes as well as checking public transportation information.

For taxis you can either use FreeNow or Uber, both of which send you a regular taxi but payment is handled in the app and you still have the tracking details and other app features. There are no private drivers in Italy because this market is heavily regulated and each taxi driver must have a specific permit.

As mentioned before the Trainline app is very handy for train travel, all tickets are stored in your account as a QR so you don’t have to worry about paper tickets or printing anything out.

Finally, an app I have discovered quite recently is MooneyGo. This is an Italian based app that allows you to access public transport tickets for regions all over Italy, so is really helpful if you’re moving around a lot as you can buy metro tickets for Naples, bus tickets for Rome all in one place. Even though it’s an Italian app, you can set the language to English and is simple to use.