Real Traveler Experiences

City guide / Italy

Naples, verdict by verdict

Naples is Italy at full volume. Our verdicts cover Catacombs of San Gennaro in Naples, Herculaneum and pizza or street food tour in Naples, the airport route and where to stay.

All 10 verdicts What to skip in Naples
Bay of Naples and Mount Vesuvius seen from Castel Sant Elmo
Photo: Wolfgang Moroder, CC BY-SA 3.0 (source)

Explore the decisions

Sights and tickets

3 verdicts
Underground gallery inside the Catacombs of San Gennaro in NaplesAre the Catacombs of San Gennaro in Naples worth it?Go
Photo: Dominik Matus, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)
Roman fresco fragment on display at the Naples archaeological museumIs the Naples National Archaeological Museum worth it?Go
Photo: Phyrexian, Public domain (source)
The Veiled Christ sculpture inside the Sansevero Chapel in NaplesIs the Sansevero Chapel in Naples worth it?Go
Photo: David Sivyer from United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0 (source)

Explore the decisions

Tours

2 verdicts
The Spaccanapoli street splitting the old town of NaplesIs a guided walking tour of Naples old town worth it?Go
Photo: Velvet, CC BY-SA 3.0 (source)
Margherita pizza baked in a Naples pizzeriaIs a pizza or street food tour in Naples worth it?Go
Photo: CDibisceglia, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)

Explore the decisions

Day trips

2 verdicts
Ruins of Herculaneum with the modern town and Mount Vesuvius behindIs a Herculaneum day trip from Naples worth it?Go
Photo: Sumit Surai, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)
The Forum of Pompeii with Mount Vesuvius in the backgroundNaples to Pompeii: which way?Our pick: Circumvesuviana commuter train
Photo: Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China, CC0 (source)

Explore the decisions

Big choices

3 verdicts
Taxis outside Napoli Centrale railway stationNaples airport to the city: which way?Our pick: Alibus
Photo: CAPTAIN RAJU, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)
Panorama over the rooftops of RomeNaples or Rome?Our pick: Both cities by train
Photo: Livioandronico2013, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)
Maradona memorial shrine in the Quartieri Spagnoli of NaplesWhere should you stay in Naples?Our pick: Centro Storico (historic center)
Photo: Superchilum, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)

The review

Naples in short

Naples is Italy at full volume: the country's best street food and pizza in the city that invented them, the [archaeological museum](/naples/naples-archaeological-museum/) that holds Pompeii's treasures, a UNESCO-listed centro storico still lived in, and the [Sansevero chapel](/naples/sansevero-chapel/) for good measure. Vesuvius, [Pompeii](/naples/naples-to-pompeii/), [Herculaneum](/naples/herculaneum-day-trip/) and the Amalfi coast all sit inside day-trip range, which no other Italian city can match.

The cost is chaos. Scooters run down lanes you thought were sidewalks, litter and touts come with the territory, petty theft is a real risk on crowded transit, and the noise level either thrills or exhausts. Anyone after a polished resort version of Italy, or who would spend the trip on edge, should weigh that.

Two to three days covers the centro storico, the museum and a Chiaia evening, plus one or two for Pompeii, Herculaneum or the coast. Stay in the centro storico or Chiaia, keep valuables boring, come April to June or September to October (December adds the San Gregorio Armeno nativity market), and use the Circumvesuviana for the ruins and the [Naples airport to city](/naples/naples-airport-to-city/) options for arrival.

Go if

  • [Pompeii](/naples/naples-to-pompeii/) and [Herculaneum](/naples/herculaneum-day-trip/) on the doorstep
  • The [archaeological museum](/naples/naples-archaeological-museum/) and [Sansevero chapel](/naples/sansevero-chapel/)
  • Pizza and street food in the city that invented them
  • A base for the Amalfi coast, Capri and Vesuvius

Skip if

  • Noise, grit and scooters would read as stress rather than atmosphere
  • You want a polished, resort version of Italy
  • Traffic chaos and petty-theft risk would keep you on edge
When to go
April to June and September to October for warm, workable days; December adds the San Gregorio Armeno nativity market. August is hot and half the city decamps to the coast.
How long
2 to 3 days for the centro storico, museum and a Chiaia evening; add one or two for Pompeii, Herculaneum or the coast.
Getting around
The centro storico is walkable; metro lines 1 and 2, the Circumvesuviana for Pompeii and Sorrento, and funiculars for the hills cover the rest. The Alibus shuttle reaches the center in about 20 to 30 minutes (see [Naples airport to city](/naples/naples-airport-to-city/)).

Where to stay

Hotels that fit this trip in Naples

We are checking our Naples hotel picks against live rates. Meanwhile: Search Naples hotels on Expedia partner site

In pictures

Naples, frame by frame

Underground gallery inside the Catacombs of San Gennaro in Naplesthe Catacombs of San Gennaro in Naples worth it
Photo: Dominik Matus, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)
Ruins of Herculaneum with the modern town and Mount Vesuvius behinda Herculaneum day trip from Naples worth it
Photo: Sumit Surai, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)
Taxis outside Napoli Centrale railway stationNaples airport to the city: which way
Photo: CAPTAIN RAJU, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)
Roman fresco fragment on display at the Naples archaeological museumthe Naples National Archaeological Museum worth it
Photo: Phyrexian, Public domain (source)
Panorama over the rooftops of RomeNaples or Rome
Photo: Livioandronico2013, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)
Margherita pizza baked in a Naples pizzeriaa pizza or street food tour in Naples worth it
Photo: CDibisceglia, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)
The Forum of Pompeii with Mount Vesuvius in the backgroundNaples to Pompeii: which way
Photo: Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China, CC0 (source)
The Spaccanapoli street splitting the old town of Naplesa guided walking tour of Naples old town worth it
Photo: Velvet, CC BY-SA 3.0 (source)

Keep exploring

If Naples works for you

AthensGreece · culture, food, budgetGranadaSpain · culture, food, budgetLilleFrance · culture, food, budgetLisbonPortugal · culture, food, budgetMalagaSpain · culture, food, budgetMostarBosnia and Herzegovina · culture, food, budget

Pack for it

Gear verdicts from our sister site, Real Buyer Experiences: