A whole sliced pizza on a wooden board beside cherry tomatoes and rosemary

europe

NaplesTravel Guide

Italy5 stories

The raucous port city beneath Vesuvius — and the birthplace of pizza. A UNESCO-listed historic center and some of the best street food in Italy.

When to come

April–June, September–October

What it costs

Cheap by regional standards — eating, sleeping and moving around all cost little.

What we've planned, and who for

We have a weekend here planned hour by hour.

A weekend, hour by hour

Naples is inKind to a budget Enough for a long weekend Deepest in Europe Where the food is the reason Ancient wonders

When to go

April–June, September–October

Budget level

Budget

Typical cost profile for visitors

Combine it with

Rome190 km
a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in April, May, June · a different price level (mixed)
Matera200 km
a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in April, May, June · a different price level (mid)
Palermo310 km
a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in April, May, June
Split, Croatia350 km
a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in May, June, September · a different price level (mid)

Plan itWhere to stay in Naplesad · Booking.comTours and tickets

On the map

Finding Naples

Open in Google Maps Larger map

The stories

Reading Naples

A classic Neapolitan margherita with melted mozzarella, tomato sauce and fresh basil leaves on a marble table

Food

Where to Eat Real Pizza in Naples: The Complete Guide

Italy · 12 min

Planning

Naples, place by place

Everything below is named in one of our own stories about Naples. The line under each is the sentence that recommended it, and the link goes to the piece it came from.

Where to stay

The areas and addresses our writers put first

Josef Faustmann
Vomero
Up the hill by funicular, Vomero is leafy, middle-class and blessedly composed, with mid-range hotels, panoramic terraces and cooler air in summer.
Naples Stays for Every Budget: The Areas That Make Sense Check prices
Luca Basili
Posillipo
Farther along the coast, Posillipo is villas, gardens and sunset views back across the whole bay.
Naples Stays for Every Budget: The Areas That Make Sense Check prices
Lungomare and Santa Lucia
Naples
The palace hotels lining the seafront promenade have been hosting the famous since the nineteenth century; the Grand Hotel Vesuvio, the most storied of them, is long associated with Enrico Caruso, the great Neapolitan…
Naples Stays for Every Budget: The Areas That Make Sense Check prices
Chiaia
Naples
Behind the seafront, Chiaia is the elegant shopping-and-aperitivo quarter, full of boutique hotels and guesthouses carved out of noble apartment buildings.
Naples Stays for Every Budget: The Areas That Make Sense Check prices
Centro storico
Naples
Sleeping among the ancient lanes off Spaccanapoli means B&Bs in faded palazzi, frescoed ceilings above budget beds, and the city's full theatre outside your door from early morning.
Naples Stays for Every Budget: The Areas That Make Sense Check prices
Around the station
Naples
The Piazza Garibaldi area has the cheapest beds and the best transport links, including airport buses and trains to Pompeii and the coast.
Naples Stays for Every Budget: The Areas That Make Sense Check prices

Where to eat

Tables worth crossing the city for

L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele
Naples
L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele, a few minutes on foot from Piazza Garibaldi on the edge of Forcella, has been open since 1870 and still serves only margherita and marinara.
Where to Eat Real Pizza in Naples: The Complete Guide See on the map
Gino e Toto Sorbillo
Naples
Gino e Toto Sorbillo sits on Via dei Tribunali, the narrow canyon that works as the city's pizza street.
Where to Eat Real Pizza in Naples: The Complete Guide See on the map
Di Matteo
Naples
A short walk along the same street, Di Matteo has been working since 1936 and is as well known for its street window as its dining room, passing fried pizza and portafoglio straight out to the pavement for a couple of…
Where to Eat Real Pizza in Naples: The Complete Guide See on the map
Palazzo Petrucci Pizzeria
Naples
Palazzo Petrucci Pizzeria, on Piazza San Domenico Maggiore, is the centre's serious contemporary room, with an upstairs terrace looking onto the square's obelisk.
Where to Eat Real Pizza in Naples: The Complete Guide See on the map
Pignasecca
Naples
West of the old grid, in the market streets of the Pignasecca, Da Attilio has been going since 1938 and earns a detour for one thing in particular: the pizza carnevale, a sun-shaped pizza whose eight points are stuffe…
Where to Eat Real Pizza in Naples: The Complete Guide See on the map

What to see

The things that justify the trip

Selma Ali
Certosa di San Martino
Just below the castle, this former Carthusian monastery pairs its baroque cloisters with terraced gardens that hang directly over the city.
Naples From Above: The Best Viewpoints, Ranked See on the map
Vincenzo De Simone
The Lungomare at Castel dell'Ovo
From the causeway by the medieval Castel dell'Ovo, the view back across the water — Vesuvius rising behind the seafront palaces — is the postcard Naples has been sending for two centuries.
Naples From Above: The Best Viewpoints, Ranked See on the map
Castel Sant'Elmo
Naples
The star-shaped fortress crowning Vomero hill is the definitive Naples view.
Naples From Above: The Best Viewpoints, Ranked See on the map
Monte Echia
Naples
The bluff of Pizzofalcone, where the ancient city began, rises directly behind the seafront.
Naples From Above: The Best Viewpoints, Ranked See on the map
Eremo dei Camaldoli
Naples
The highest hill in the city, northwest of the centre, is topped by a hermitage whose belvedere surveys the entire gulf from above the Vomero.
Naples From Above: The Best Viewpoints, Ranked See on the map

Eat & drink

Where to eat

Di Matteo

9.0/10

Neapolitan pizza · signature: Pizza fritta

A beloved institution famous for its fried pizza — true Neapolitan street food.

Via dei Tribunali, Naples

Gino e Toto Sorbillo

9.2/10

Neapolitan pizza · signature: Margherita

One of the city's most famous names, on the historic pizza street.

Via dei Tribunali, Naples

L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele

9.4/10

Neapolitan pizza · signature: Margherita

Open since 1870, serving only margherita and marinara — a Neapolitan institution.

Near Piazza Garibaldi, Naples

Our picks

What we'd do in Naples

See and do

Castel Sant'Elmo
The star-shaped fortress crowning Vomero hill is the definitive Naples view.
Read: Naples From Above: The Best Viewpoints, Ranked
Find tickets
Certosa di San Martino
Just below the castle, this former Carthusian monastery pairs its baroque cloisters with terraced gardens that hang directly over the city.
Read: Naples From Above: The Best Viewpoints, Ranked
Find tickets
Monte Echia
The bluff of Pizzofalcone, where the ancient city began, rises directly behind the seafront.
Read: Naples From Above: The Best Viewpoints, Ranked
Find tickets
The Lungomare at Castel dell'Ovo
Sea level counts too.
Read: Naples From Above: The Best Viewpoints, Ranked
Find tickets

Eat and drink

Worth leaving the city for
Two detours justify a day each, and both are inland rather than coastal.
Read: Where to Eat Real Pizza in Naples: The Complete Guide

Where to stay

Chiaia — polished and residential
Behind the seafront, Chiaia is the elegant shopping-and-aperitivo quarter, full of boutique hotels and guesthouses carved out of noble apartment buildings.
Read: Naples Stays for Every Budget: The Areas That Make Sense
Check ratesad · Booking.com
Centro storico — maximum Naples
Sleeping among the ancient lanes off Spaccanapoli means B&Bs in faded palazzi, frescoed ceilings above budget beds, and the city's full theatre outside your door from early morning.
Read: Naples Stays for Every Budget: The Areas That Make Sense
Check ratesad · Booking.com
Vomero — above the fray
Up the hill by funicular, Vomero is leafy, middle-class and blessedly composed, with mid-range hotels, panoramic terraces and cooler air in summer.
Read: Naples Stays for Every Budget: The Areas That Make Sense
Check ratesad · Booking.com
Posillipo — the romantic ridge
Farther along the coast, Posillipo is villas, gardens and sunset views back across the whole bay.
Read: Naples Stays for Every Budget: The Areas That Make Sense
Check ratesad · Booking.com

Before you go

Practical essentials for Italy

Money

Euro (EUR)

Language

Italian; English is spoken in hotels and tourist businesses but thins out quickly in smaller towns

Power

Type C/F/L, 230V 50Hz (Type L is the Italian three-pin)

Getting around

Frecciarossa and Italo high-speed trains link the major cities in a few hours; in town you buy a local paper ticket such as Rome's €1.50 BIT and validate it as you board.

Tipping

Service is included and tipping is uncommon — a few euros for genuinely good service is plenty, and the coperto on the bill is a cover charge, not a tip.

Tap water

Tap water is safe to drink everywhere, although restaurants will normally bring bottled.

Driving

Right-hand side; a UK or EU photocard licence is accepted, though hire companies commonly require an International Driving Permit as well.

Emergency

112 (single European number; the old 113, 115 and 118 route to it)

Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.

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