Campania
Naples
Loud, scruffy and brilliant if you arrive expecting that: take three nights in the Centro Storico or Chiaia, eat your way down Spaccanapoli, and ride the Circumvesuviana to Pompeii, Amalfi and Capri.
Best length
3-4 nights
Airport
Naples Capodichino (NAP), ~6km northeast of the centre
Airport to centre
Alibus ~25-35 min; fixed-fare taxi ~15-20 min
Best base
Centro Storico for atmosphere; Chiaia for quieter, seafront calm
In short
Naples at a glance
Naples works best as a 3-night base rather than a polished city break: stay in the Centro Storico or quieter Chiaia, eat your way through Spaccanapoli, see the Veiled Christ and go underground, then use the cheap Circumvesuviana line and ferries to reach Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast and Capri. It is loud, scruffy and brilliant if you arrive expecting that.
The short version
- Stay in the Centro Storico to be in the thick of it, or Chiaia by the sea if you want quieter evenings and a calmer base.
- Book the Sansevero Chapel slot for the Veiled Christ ahead; it is tiny and sells out, unlike most Naples sights.
- Use Naples as a base: Pompeii is 30 minutes and about £3 each way on the Circumvesuviana, not a separate trip.
- Take the Alibus from Capodichino for £4-£5, or a fixed-fare white taxi for £18-£25 with luggage.
- April-May and September-October are the sweet spot; July-August is hot, cruise-busy and pricier.
Naples is the city most UK travellers under-rate. It is loud, scruffy and densely lived-in, with washing strung over the lanes of Spaccanapoli and scooters threading through crowds that never quite thin out. If you arrive expecting a polished Florence-style city break you will be rattled; arrive expecting the rawest, best-fed old city in Italy and you will love it. The pizza is the real thing here — a margherita from Sorbillo or Da Michele still costs under €6 — and the sights reward the few you book ahead, chiefly the marble Veiled Christ in the tiny Sansevero Chapel and the layered tunnels of Napoli Sotterranea.
Three nights is the sweet spot, because Naples is as much a base as a destination. The Circumvesuviana line from Napoli Centrale puts Pompeii 30 minutes and about €3.30 away, Herculaneum even closer, and Sorrento within reach of the Amalfi buses and Capri ferries. Plan one day for the old town and its food, one for the ruins, and one for the National Archaeological Museum — where the best of Pompeii actually ended up — or a coast or island day. Stay in the Centro Storico to be in the thick of it, or in seafront Chiaia if you want quieter evenings near Castel dell’Ovo.
The honest caveats are noise and petty crime, not danger. The cobbled lanes rarely fall silent before the small hours, so light sleepers should pick a room off the main drag, and the streets immediately around the station are best skipped late at night. Keep your phone away and your bag zipped in crowds and you will be fine. Below, the structured planning — where to stay, what to book, the airport run from Capodichino, and a realistic budget in pounds — picks up from here.
Plan your Naples trip
Keep a first trip focused: book the big timed sights, then leave room for neighbourhoods and food.
Top things to do in Naples
National Archaeological Museum of Naples
This is where Pompeii's best frescoes, mosaics and bronzes actually ended up — including the Alexander Mosaic and the colossal Farnese sculptures — so it pays off most as a companion to a Pompeii or Herculaneum day, before or after. It's closed on Tuesdays, which catches people out. Head upstairs to the Pompeii mosaics and frescoes and the Secret Cabinet first, leave the Farnese marbles and the Egyptian basement for last, and allow about two to three hours.
Pompeii Archaeological Park
Take the Circumvesuviana from Naples Piazza Garibaldi to Pompei Scavi–Villa dei Misteri (about 35–40 minutes, ~€3.40 each way); the park entrance is a five-minute walk from the platform. Book a timed ticket online before you go — the site caps entry at 20,000 a day and named tickets are required. The €20 standard ticket covers the main city; pay €25 for Pompeii Plus if you want the Villa of the Mysteries and the suburban villas (or add €8 at the Herculaneum Gate on the day). There is almost no shade and the streets are baking stone, so bring water (refill fountains are dotted around), a hat and proper shoes. Allow a half day, and seriously consider a guide — the ruins are silent without one.
Naples Underground
Naples Underground is a guided-only walk through Greek-Roman aqueduct cisterns 40 metres below the historic centre — you cannot wander it on your own, so the tour time matters more than the ticket. Book an English-language slot rather than turning up: Italian tours run hourly but English ones are only every two hours or so. The entrance is on Piazza San Gaetano, Via dei Tribunali, not a separate site. Expect a 136-step descent, narrow tuff passages, and a candle-lit squeeze that rules it out if you are seriously claustrophobic.
Royal Palace of Naples
The Royal Palace of Naples sits on Piazza del Plebiscito and walks you through the Bourbon kings' state apartments, the Galleria del Tempo and the gold-and-red Court Theatre — up the grand double-flight marble staircase that's the building's calling card. The single thing to know: it closes every Wednesday, not Monday like most Italian museums, so plan around that. You don't need to book ahead; just buy the €15 ticket at the door. Allow about an hour to 90 minutes.
Where to stay first
The areas that make a first visit easier — not an exhaustive directory.
Centro Storico
£ valueThe UNESCO old town around Spaccanapoli and Via dei Tribunali: best pizza, most atmosphere, and the densest concentration of sights. The trade-off is noise and unforgiving cobbles, so light sleepers should pick a room off the main lanes.
Best for: First-timers, food-led trips, atmosphere
Chiaia
£££ premiumNaples' smart seafront district of designer shops, calmer cafes and waterfront walks near Castel dell'Ovo. Quieter and safer-feeling at night than the old city, but a 20-25 minute walk or short metro hop from the main sights.
Best for: Couples, quieter evenings, seafront
Vomero
££ mid-rangeA leafy hilltop residential quarter reached by funicular, with great views from Castel Sant'Elmo and good value. It feels more like a normal Italian neighbourhood than the chaotic centre, which is the point if that appeals.
Best for: Repeat visitors, families, value
Near Napoli Centrale
£ valueHandy if Pompeii, Sorrento and Circumvesuviana day trips are your main plan, since every regional train leaves from here. The streets immediately around the station are scruffy and not where you want to wander late, so weigh convenience against atmosphere.
Best for: Day-trip-heavy trips, early departures
Airport to city centre
| Option | Time | Cost | Book ahead? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alibus to Napoli Centrale and the port | ~25-35 min | about €5 / £4 (buy onboard slightly more) | Simplest with luggage |
| Fixed-fare white taxi to Napoli Centrale | ~15-20 min | set fare about €21 / £18 | State 'tariffa predeterminata' |
| Fixed-fare taxi to Via Partenope / seafront hotels | ~25-30 min | set fare about €28.50 / £25 | Good for Chiaia / Santa Lucia |
| Shared taxi (Taxi Collettivo) | ~30 min | about €6 / £5 per person | Leaves once three passengers gather |
When to go
Sweet spot: April, May, late September and October are the sweet spot: warm enough for the seafront and day trips, comfortable for long old-town walks, and without the worst of the cruise-ship and summer crush.
July and August are hot, busy with cruise crowds and pricier; winter is quiet, cheap and atmospheric but wetter and not for the Amalfi or Capri ferries. Easter and the festive presepe season around Via San Gregorio Armeno are lovely but busy.
What it costs
UK return flights to Naples are often £45-£130 outside school holidays when booked ahead from Gatwick, Stansted, Manchester or Edinburgh; summer and half-term fares climb well past that, so spring and autumn weekends are the value play.
Daily budget per person
Naples is one of Italy's cheapest big cities for food: a margherita from a serious pizzeria like Sorbillo or Da Michele is still under €6, and a sfogliatella with coffee is a couple of euros. The day trips, not the city itself, are where the budget goes.
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