Naples in 2 days
The old town and what lies under it on day one, Capodimonte and the shore on day two — and the ruins as a third day of their own.
- How long
- 2 days for the city
- Getting around
- On foot in the centre
- Rhythm
- Museums in the morning
Two days in Naples are arranged around closing days: the Archaeological Museum and the Sansevero Chapel shut on Tuesdays, Capodimonte on Wednesdays. So day one, with the museum and the chapel, is not a Tuesday, and day two, with Capodimonte, is not a Wednesday. Pompeii and Herculaneum are a third day, and Herculaneum opens on Tuesdays too.
The museum, the old town and what lies under it
The National Archaeological Museum at opening; entry €20. A morning covers the Pompeii rooms and the Farnese collection, and last entry is 6.30 pm if you want to come back later.
Downhill from the museum along Via Costantinopoli to Via dei Tribunali and Spaccanapoli. Lunch is here, on the street of pizzerias.
Napoli Sotterranea from Piazza San Gaetano: guided tours leave every hour on the hour, in English too. You go forty metres down, through aqueduct tunnels just wide enough for one person — skip it if tight spaces bother you.
The Sansevero Chapel and the Veiled Christ, five minutes' walk away. Entry €12; last entry is 6.30 pm.
Capodimonte, Vomero and the shore
Capodimonte. Bus 3M leaves from Piazza Museo, by the Archaeological Museum, and climbs to the park gates. Entry €15; the collection and the park take the whole morning.
Bus 3M back to Piazza Museo, then metro 1 from Museo station to Vanvitelli in Vomero. Lunch up there, in the district where Naples lives rather than where it is toured.
The Chiaia funicular from Via Cimarosa down to Parco Margherita, then through Chiaia to the sea.
Along Via Caracciolo to Borgo Marinari, the little harbour of restaurants below Castel dell'Ovo.
Dinner in Borgo Marinari or in Chiaia.
Two things that break the plan
- Sansevero without a booking. Admissions are capped and there is no entry without a reservation; tickets are sold on the museum's site.
- Castel dell'Ovo as the goal of the walk. The castle is closed for works with no reopening date — you walk out for Borgo Marinari, not for the castle.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Are two days enough for Naples and around it?
For the city itself, yes; the surroundings need a further day each: Pompeii, Herculaneum with Vesuvius, Capri, the Amalfi coast. Of those, only Herculaneum and Vesuvius share a day.
Do I need to book Napoli Sotterranea?
No, for a group of fewer than ten; the last tour leaves at 6 pm. Booking is required for larger groups, for languages other than Italian and English, and for the Thursday evening tour at 9 pm.
Ready for Naples?
Where to next
Day trips from Naples
→Pompeii, Herculaneum, Vesuvius, Capri and the Amalfi coast — five trips from Naples, and only Herculaneum and…
Pompeii · 23 km
→The Roman town Vesuvius buried in AD 79 is a half-day trip from Naples, on one ticket and without a car.
How well does Naples suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
Front row for the next trip
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