Why you should make time for this awesome city

The MANN – National Archaeological Museum

Capodimonte Palace

The Capodimonte palace dates back to the 1700’s. The current king, Charles VII of Naples and Sicily, decided to build a grand palace on the top of the Capodimonte hill to be the home of his court and also to give him space to display the grand Farnese art collection he had inherited.

Ever since, the palace has acted as an art gallery, with different pieces being added by various royal family members. After the monarchy was abolished in Italy following World War II, the Capodimonte collection became a national museum, opening in 1950, and displays many interesting artworks.

As well as the National Gallery with pieces from Raphael, Caravaggio and Titian, you can also see ancient classic pieces from the Farnese collection (the ones that aren’t in the MANN) and admire the palace itself. The grounds surrounding the palace are also impressive, originally a forest where royalty would go hunting, and the views of Naples are pretty unbeatable!

Essential information: Open Thursday-Tuesday (closed Wednesdays) 8:30AM-7:30PM. The upper floors of the palace close earlier, at 5:00PM so make sure to see those rooms first when you visit.

Royal Palace of Naples

Built around the same time as the Capodimonte palace, the Royal Palace was the official royal residence of the Bourbon kings. Facing Piazza del Plebiscito on one side and the port on the other side, the palace was at the center of Neapolitan politics and high society in the 18th and 19th centuries, with many grand rooms and features.

The palace was unfortunately damaged by both bombing during World War II and the military occupation of the buildings, but after a long period of restoration it is now a museum.

Walk the many rooms that once housed royalty, with period furniture, artwork and statues on display, before heading out to the beautiful hanging gardens with a spectacular view of the port and Bay of Naples beyond.

Essential information: Open Thursday-Tuesday (closed Wednesdays) 9:00AM-8:00PM. To see the hanging gardens as well as the palace, make sure to include this option when booking as it is not included in the basic entry fee.

Other art galleries and museums in Naples

There are many more museums to visit in Naples, here are some great options:

• Castel Sant’Elmo – medieval castle on top of Vomero hill with long-reaching views and a museum inside about Naples through the 20th century. The castle is open Monday-Sunday 8:30AM-7:30PM. Twentieth Century Naples collection is open Wednesday-Monday (closed Tuesdays) 9:30AM-5:00PM.

• Madre Napoli – modern and contemporary art housed in the central 19th century Palazzo Donnaregina, with a mix of works by Italian and international artists. Open Wednesday-Monday (closed Tuesdays) 10:00AM-7:30PM, extended closing time on Sundays of 8:00PM.
• Pio Monte della Misericordia – incorporating a 17th century palace and beautiful church, the collection’s most famous piece is a wonderful altarpiece painted by Caravaggio, the Seven Works of Mercy. Open daily, Monday-Saturday 10:00AM-6:00PM, Sunday 9:00AM-2:00PM.
• Gallerie D’Italia Napoli – housed in the former headquarters of the Banco di Napoli on via Toledo, the collection tells the story of Naples’ historic and artistic heritage. This has a little of everything, from ancient Greek pottery to a Caravaggio painting, and is centrally located. Open Tuesday-Sunday (closed Mondays) 10:00AM-7:00PM, extended to 8:00PM closing on Saturday and Sunday.

• Museum of the Treasure of San Gennaro – San Gennaro is an extremely important figure in Naples and in this small museum next to the main cathedral you will learn more about him and his influence on the city, as well as seeing the many relics and treasures devoted to the saint. Open daily 9:30AM-6:00PM with an audio guide included in the entrance ticket.

Naples Cathedral

The cathedral of Naples, also known as the Duomo, sits at the heart of Naples historic center. There is no large piazza in front of the cathedral as there is in so many other Italian cities, but the inside of the church is just as impressive.

Built in the 14th century, the cathedral incorporated the early Christian church of Saint Restituta that already stood here, which is now a side room on the left of the cathedral. On the right hand side is the chapel of San Gennaro, patron saint of Naples.

Under the altar in the main nave you can go down the steps to the crypt and see the relics of San Gennaro, and it is in this cathedral that the Miracle of the Blood takes place three times a year.

Essential information: Open daily, hours vary according to the day and planned religious masses/celebrations. It’s free to enter the cathedral, but there is an additional charge for the chapel of San Gennaro (can be combined with the next door Treasures of San Gennaro museum).

Catacombs of San Gennaro

At the base of the Capodimonte hill, the catacombs of San Gennaro are carved into the stone and have been used as a burial site since very early Christianity started to become popular. The remains of San Gennaro himself were brought here in the 5th century to be reburied, giving the complex his name. This move resulting in the area becoming both a pilgrimage destination and also a place for high ranking church officials and bishops.

You’ll see ancient frescoes, early Christian images, underground churches and many different styles of tombs. There’s even some graffiti from when the catacombs were used as a bomb shelter during World War II.

While you can only visit with a guided tour, these are engaging and give you a glimpse of the art, faith and life of people who lived over a thousand years ago. The tours run every hour in English and Italian but during high season they get booked up fast so definitely book in advance to secure your spot!

Essential information: Open Thursday-Tuesday (closed Wednesdays) 10:00AM-5:00PM, last tour is at 5:00PM. The catacombs are not as deep and are more open than those in Rome for example, so are not as claustrophobic for visitors.

Other churches and religious sites in Naples

While a full list of all the churches in Naples would take up a lot more space, here are some other notable places to add to your visit itinerary:

• San Severo Chapel – Originally a private chapel in the gardens of the Sansevero family palazzo, it became the home of a sculpture collection designed to enhance the family prestige. The most famous piece is the Veiled Christ, an incredible depiction of Jesus in death carved from one piece of white marble by Neapolitan artist Giuseppe Sanmartino. Open Wednesday-Monday (closed Tuesdays) 9:00AM-7:00PM.
• Gesù Nuovo – The stark exterior of this church gives no hint of what is inside. Commissioned by the Jesuit order, they completely rebuilt a noble palazzo (keeping only the unique facade) and created a Baroque masterpiece. Miraculously, despite a bomb falling directly onto the roof of the church during air raids in World War II it did not explode – they decided to display the bomb inside once it was disarmed! Open daily 8:00AM-1:00PM and 4:00PM-7:30PM.

• Santa Chiara Complex – Opposite the Gesù Nuovo is the monastic complex of Santa Chiara, with a basilica, monastic rooms and lovely cloister. Unlike the fancy Baroque style of the other church, Santa Chiara is earlier and pure Gothic, with much starker decor. Unfortunately the miracle that saved the Gesù Nuovo did not save Santa Chiara, with bombing in 1943 causing significant fire damage to the basilica. Restoration work took place almost immediately, with the basilica reopening in 1953. Open daily 8:00AM-12:45PM and 4:30PM-8:00PM. The church is free to enter, but there is a charge for the cloister and museum, open daily, Monday-Saturday 9:30AM-5:00PM, Sunday 10:00AM-2:00PM.

• Catacombs of San Gaudioso – A different set of catacombs, dedicated to Saint Gaudioso, a North African bishop who was shipwrecked in Naples and lived here until he died. Buried in these catacombs around 450, the area was largely uninhabited and the catacombs were mostly forgotten until a new church was built above them in the 1500’s. Only accessible on a guided tour. Open Thursday-Tuesday (closed Wednesdays) 10:00AM-5:00PM, last tour is at 5:00PM.
• Fontanelle cemetery – Before the above catacombs were opened to the public, the bones of all those people laid to rest there over the centuries were carefully removed and re-interred in this cemetery. The cave network became a place to bring bodies of people who were unidentified or could not afford a full funeral. In the late 19th century a priest decided to catalogue and organize the bones, giving them back some dignity. Currently closed for restoration but due to reopen in the near future.

It should come as no surprise that there are many more churches in Naples, so if you pass an open church door, why not have a look inside and see what you find!

With origins stretching back to the ancient Greeks who founded a settlement here, Naples is one of the oldest urban areas continually inhabited anywhere in the world. You can therefore imagine how many layers of history there are to explore!

Underground Naples

There are many places you can go underground and see these layers, separate from the catacombs mentioned above. The complex of San Lorenzo Maggiore, also known as La Neapolis Sotterrata, allows you to see the ancient marketplace and Roman forum as well as the Franciscan monastic complex built on top.

The similarly-named (but separate) site of Napoli Sotterranea takes you down to the ancient theater and an ancient Greek quarry that was later turned into a water cistern, using old tunnels built for people working on Naples’ water supply.

These tunnels were also used during World War II as bomb shelters, as was the Galleria Borbonica, Bourbon Tunnel, built to link the Royal Palace to other parts of the city.

Naples Piazzas

While the most famous piazza in Naples, Piazza del Plebiscito, attracts many visitors, there are far more to see.

Piazza Dante skirts the edge of Naples old city walls, with a brooding statue of famous Italian poet Dante in the center of the open space. Opposite is the famous Caffè Mexico and behind is the start of Spaccanapoli, the long thin street with many of Naples’ top sights nearby. The famous ‘Christmas Alley’ of Via San Gregorio Armeno is close, with its many workshops showing and selling the handcrafted nativity figures known as presepi.

Piazza Bellini is the ideal place to relax with a spritz, combining a wide choice of bars with ancient ruins and Piazza Carità is full of interesting architecture from the late 1930’s.

Castles in Naples

While not found in the immediate historic center, Naples has a number of castles to see. Unusual for major cities, Naples needed multiple castles in order to defend naval attacks.

Castel Sant’Elmo that sits high up on the Vomero hill is a huge six-pointed star building with excellent views, whereas the Norman Castel Nuovo sits down on the base of the same hill right on the water. Currently surrounded by works to extend Naples Metro system, the castle with its round turret towers and imposing arch entrance is everything you want a castle to look like!

Further along the waterfront is the Castel dell’Ovo, situated on a small island close to one of Naples’ beaches. The oldest castle in Naples, originally founded by the ancient Romans, there have been many versions but what we see today largely dates back to the 1500’s.

Other sights in Naples’ historic center

Naples’ more recent history under the Bourbon kings left just as many influential buildings as the ancient inhabitants of the city did. The oldest opera house continuously in use anywhere in the world is the San Carlo theatre, adjacent to Piazza del Plebiscito, with rich red and gold decor.

Opposite is Galleria Umberto, a shopping area opened in the late 1800’s and dedicated to the then king of Italy, Umberto I, with a soaring glass roof and fascinating zodiac mosaics in the flooring under the central dome.

Walk out of the Galleria and up via Toledo to the Toledo metro station for a particularly Neapolitan sight, the art installations within many of the city’s metro stations. The Toledo station is one of the most popular but keep a look out for other special features as you travel the city!

As with pretty much anywhere else in Italy, it’s tough to go too wrong with eating and drinking in Naples.

As long as you avoid the overly touristy places, Neapolitan restaurants are consistently great, and of course it’s extremely hard to beat the wonderful pizza here!

There are some must visit foodie spots, such as L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele, made famous internationally by Julia Roberts in the film ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ but a Neapolitan institution since 1906 when their first pizzeria opened. Offering only four types of pizza, the beauty of these are in their simplicity – we recommend the Marita, half Margherita and half Marinara.

Gran Caffè Gambrinus opposite the Royal Palace of Naples is another institution, serving coffee, gelato and elegant desserts since 1860. As popular with locals as tourists, it’s worth paying the higher price to sit back and enjoy the Neapolitan chaos!

As delicious as it is, you probably won’t want to just eat pizza everyday, so here are some other Neapolitan dishes to look out for:

• Neapolitan ragù – beef and pork slow cooked with tomatoes until the meat is tender and falling apart. Generally served with ziti, long tubes of pasta.
• Genovese – a pasta sauce made from slow cooking onions until soft and caramelised, with a little beef and aromatic vegetables

• Spaghetti alle Vongole – spaghetti tossed with clams, dressed with olive oil, herbs and a little lemon or white wine. Simple but unbelievably delicious when using local shellfish.
• Pasta con le Cozze – pasta with mussels, tomatoes, sometimes a little chilli.
• Spaghetti alla Puttanesca – spaghetti with tomato sauce, black olives and capers.
• Baccalà – salted cod, served either fried or cooked with tomatoes and potatoes
• Parmigiana di Melanzane – eggplant parmesan, layers of smoky charred slices of eggplant with tomato sauce and plenty of cheese. Very different to the heavy equivalent found outside Italy nowadays!

• Salsiccia e Friarielli – Grilled sausage and a type of bitter green which are often served together, also a popular pizza topping.

If you’re wanting to eat something quick but don’t want to sit down at restaurants, Naples also has a strong street food culture. Choose from these options, but be aware that often street food spots will specialize in just one type of food:

• Frittatina – pasta mixed with a thick white sauce, often with peas and ham, that is then breaded or battered before being fried
• Crocchè di patate – mashed potato coated in breadcrumbs and then fried.
• Cuoppo or Cuppetiello – a paper cone of mixed fried food, mostly small pieces of fish but also other savory fried delights!
• Pizza fritta – small pizzas filled and folded before being fried
• Taralli – twists of dough baked until crispy. Savory and sweet options are both available
• Sfogliatelle – classic Neapolitan pastries. Sweet pastry encases a heavenly mix of ricotta and candied fruit, and you can choose from Riccia (crisp filo pastry) or Frolla (crumbly shortcrust pastry).

When you visit Naples it becomes clear quite how much Mount Vesuvius looms over the city. Incredibly, before the eruption in AD 79 which devastated Pompeii and Herculaneum the volcano was even larger, but the force of the eruption helped create the iconic double ridge shape we see today.

Visiting the volcano, as well as the archeological sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum, are simple to incorporate into your Naples trip, with a huge range of tours and experiences to choose from.

Pompeii

The ruins of Pompeii need no introduction. We are privileged to be able to walk the streets of the ancient Roman city and get a glimpse of what life was like before the fateful day when Vesuvio erupted, complete with everything from noble villas, street cafes, workshops, temples, public baths and a theater.

You can choose from a wide variety of tour options to suit your level of interest, time and mobility, or purchase entrance tickets and explore by yourself. For a first time visitor we recommend booking a tour as the signage is limited and a good tour guide will really help bring the site to life!

The site is huge, so be prepared to do a lot of walking on often uneven surfaces – comfortable and practical shoes are essential. Bring plenty of water with you as well as snacks or a packed lunch, the food and drink options inside the ruins are limited so you’ll want to be prepared. There is also very little shade so if you’re visiting during the summer months, try and avoid being outside during the middle of the day.

If you haven’t booked a tour that includes transport to Pompeii, you can reach it in a number of ways. First, and most popular, is the Circumvesuviana train. This leaves from the main Napoli Centrale train station, on the lower level of the station, and you must purchase your ticket in person from the dedicated desks. If you are coming from Sorrento it is the same train line.

You can also take a local bus from Naples or a taxi, but the train is the best option. Be aware that there is a modern town of Pompeii but this is not the archeological site so you should search for ‘Pompeii Scavi’ when planning your travel.

Herculaneum

While Pompeii is a must-see sight, the nearby site of Herculaneum offers a different experience. Smaller in size (the ruins form the foundation of the modern town so haven’t been fully excavated), Herculaneum is much more manageable to explore. It was also much wealthier in ancient times than Pompeii so there is more luxury to see here.

Take the same Circumvesuviana train as you would for Pompeii, getting off at the ‘Ercolano Scavi’ and then taking a 5-10 minute stroll straight down the hill to the site entrance.

Lots of tour providers offer a combination of both sites in one day but this is a lot to take in and our recommendation would be to combine one of the locations with a visit to Vesuvius instead.

Mount Vesuvius

Traveling up the slopes of Vesuvius before the final walk up to the crater is something truly special.

The volcano is a national park, with official trails that lead up to the very top, 1281 meters/4203 feet high. While experienced hikers can walk all the way, most visitors ride up in one of the many buses that take you to the ticket office. Generally the price of the bus ticket includes the cost of walking up to the crater, but if you take one of the local buses, you will need to pay separately. Buses leave from both Pompeii and Herculaneum Circumvesuviana train stations.

From the drop off point, it’s about a 30-40 minute walk up to the crater. The path is steep at points and the loose gravel underfoot means wearing proper shoes is essential – we’ve seen many people unsuccessfully attempt it in sandals – but trust us, seeing the crater and the views are well worth it!

Naples is the regional capital of Campania, meaning there is so much to see and do nearby!

As well as exploring the world famous Amalfi Coast and Sorrento, you could keep heading south and visit the vibrant city of Salerno with its beautiful cathedral, or walk through the evocative ancient Greek ruins at Paestum.

If ancient ruins are your thing, the sites that make up the Phlegraean Fields north of Naples are well worth visiting. The Roman amphitheater in Pozzuoli and remains of the ancient vacation destination at Baiae are particularly impressive, and you can even do a boat trip out into the bay to see the remains of Baiae that are now underwater!

You can also visit the ancient Roman amphitheater at Capua, second only to the Colosseum in size and home to the gladiator school Spartacus escaped from before starting his rebellious uprising.

Not far from Capua is the grand palace of Caserta, built in the 18th century along with vast gardens. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, seeing the huge throne room, grand staircases and royal apartments before seeing the gardens really makes you understand how rich and powerful the Kingdom of Naples was before the unification of Italy.

Don’t forget about the islands of Ischia and Procida, easily reached by ferry from Naples. Both islands can be visited as a day trip, but if you have time, we highly recommend staying overnight to fully experience all they have to offer.

As you can see there is no shortage of things to do in Naples and Campania! This guide is only the tip of iceberg and we encourage you to check out our other pages and insights to learn more about visiting this incredible city and region.

For lots more Naples and Campania travel tips, tricks and recommendations, be sure to subscribe to our 100% free Napleswise newsletter. Subscribers also get exclusive discounts and perks from our friends and partners helping saving you money on your trip here!