Naples, Italy-3-day-itinerary

Pizza Margherita was invented in Naples in 1889, the story goes, to honour Queen Margherita of Savoy, using the red, white, and green of the Italian flag. That origin story is almost certainly exaggerated. What is not exaggerated is that a wood-fired pizza here, made with San Marzano tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella at 480 degrees Celsius, still bears almost no resemblance to what the rest of the world sells under the same name. Naples is the reason that matters, and three days here is enough to understand why the city has been impressing, offending, and obsessing visitors for centuries.

Getting There and Getting Around

Naples Capodichino Airport (NAP) sits 7 kilometres north of the centre. The Alibus airport shuttle runs every 20 to 30 minutes to Piazza Garibaldi (Napoli Centrale station) and Piazza Municipio for €5. Official fixed-fare licensed taxis charge €19 to Piazza Municipio or €23 to the train station; agree the fixed fare before you set off. Avoid unmarked or unofficial cabs near the arrivals hall.

Within the city, a single metro or bus ticket costs €1.50. A daily pass costs €4.50 and is worth buying if you plan more than three journeys. Naples has two metro lines and four funicular railways; the funiculars are underused by tourists and are one of the cheapest ways to reach the Vomero hilltop neighbourhood. The Circumvesuviana commuter train to Pompeii (€2.80 each way) leaves from Porta Nolana station; keep bags in front of you on this line, where bag-snatching and distraction pickpocket schemes targeting tourists are well documented.

Day 1: The Old City and the Bay

Start at the National Archaeological Museum (MANN) when it opens at 9am. The ticket price is €20 for adults, with reductions available. The collection covers Pompeii and Herculaneum in a depth no on-site visit can match; the Secret Cabinet (Gabinetto Segreto), which holds erotic art excavated from Pompeii, requires a separate booking but is included in the standard ticket. Two hours is the minimum to cover the highlights.

Walk south from the museum along Via Toledo, one of the city’s main commercial streets, then cut east onto Spaccanapoli, the razor-straight Greek-era street that bisects the centro storico. The street changes names along its length but runs from Piazza del Gesù Nuovo in the west toward the churches and palaces of the old university district. Stop at a pastry counter for a sfogliatella (the ricotta-filled shell-shaped pastry that originated here in the 18th century; about €1.50 to €2 each) and eat it standing up like everyone else.

For lunch, L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele on Via Cesare Sersale serves only two pizzas: Margherita and Marinara. Queues form before opening. Cash only. A Margherita costs around €5 to €6. The alternative, if you want to sit quickly without queuing, is Pizzeria Starita in the Materdei neighbourhood, a 15-minute walk, with a slightly wider menu and no queue on weekday lunchtimes.

In the afternoon, visit Castel Nuovo (also called Maschio Angioino) near the waterfront. The castle houses the Civic Museum and has sweeping views of the port from the battlements; entry is €6. From there, walk the short distance to Piazza del Plebiscito, then along Via Chiaia into the elegant shopping neighbourhood of the same name, which is also where the best aperitivo bars are concentrated.

Dinner at Trattoria da Nennella in the Quartieri Spagnoli neighbourhood is the kind of communal, long-table, cash-only meal that defines Neapolitan trattoria culture. Tables fill fast; arrive at 7:30pm or earlier. Expect pasta e fagioli, sauteed clams, and house wine for roughly €15 to €20 per person.

Day 2: Art, Architecture, and the Hilltop

Morning at the Cathedral of San Gennaro (Duomo), free to enter, which houses the Chapel of the Treasury of San Gennaro. The silver reliquary containing the dried blood of the city’s patron saint is kept here; three times a year the blood supposedly liquefies, and the whole city holds its breath. The Duomo’s interior is worth at least an hour.

Take the Centrale funicular from Piazza Fuga up to Vomero. The hilltop Castel Sant’Elmo has arguably the best 360-degree view of the city and bay; the ticket costs €5 and includes access to the Museo Nazionale di San Martino next door, which holds a substantial collection of Neapolitan baroque painting. Budget two hours.

Back in the centro storico in the afternoon, walk the Via dei Tribunali street which runs parallel to Spaccanapoli one block north, past more churches, street food vendors, and booksellers than you can reasonably process in one afternoon. The church of San Lorenzo Maggiore has excavations beneath it exposing an entire layer of the ancient Greco-Roman city; entry is around €9 and the underground section is worth it.

Dinner at La Locanda Gesù Vecchio, just off the main Spaccanapoli drag, serves precise, ingredient-led Neapolitan cooking at mid-range prices. The pasta e piselli (pasta with peas) is a dish that looks nothing but tastes exceptional. Book ahead or arrive at 7pm; the room fills by 7:30.

Day 3: Pompeii Day Trip, Then Departure

The Circumvesuviana train from Porta Nolana to the Pompeii-Villa dei Misteri stop takes about 35 minutes and costs €2.80. Trains run every 30 minutes from around 6am. Buy the ticket from the machines to avoid queues at the window. The standard entrance to the Pompeii archaeological site costs €18 for adults. The Grande Pompei ticket at €26 adds the Villa dei Misteri, Oplontis, and Stabiae, and is valid for three days; worth it only if you are spending more time in the region.

Pompeii can absorb a full day but three to four hours covers the essential Forum, the bathhouses, the brothel (Lupanare), and the plaster casts of the eruption victims. Download the official Pompeii app before you go; it provides maps and audio commentary that render a paid guide optional. Return to Naples by mid-afternoon.

Spend the last couple of hours at the Castel dell’Ovo on the small island of Megaride, connected to the seafront by a short causeway. Entry is free. The views west along the Posillipo coast from the battlements are the best in Lomé-level calm: a flat bay, distant islands, fishing boats. Then walk the Lungomare seafront promenade back toward the centre.

Farewell dinner, if budget allows: La Paranza in the Borgo Marinari quarter, directly below Castel dell’Ovo, serves extremely fresh seafood at prices slightly above trattoria level (expect €30 to €45 per person with wine). The fritto misto di paranza (mixed fried small fish) is the dish to order.

Where to Stay

Hotel Piazza Bellini sits in the centro storico near the archaeological museum; doubles from around €80 to €120 per night. It is well-positioned for walking most of the old city. For budget stays, the guesthouse strip around Piazza Garibaldi is cheap (€30 to €50 per night for a private room) but the immediate area around Napoli Centrale station is one of the less relaxed parts of the city; head a few streets west toward the Spanish Quarter for a similar price and much calmer surroundings. The Chiaia and Vomero neighbourhoods are quieter and slightly more expensive, and suited to visitors who prefer a calmer base at the cost of a longer walk to the centro storico.

Practical Notes

Cash: Naples is significantly more cash-dependent than Rome or Milan. Many trattorias, pizzerias, and market stalls do not accept cards.

Pickpockets: The biggest risk is on the Circumvesuviana train, around Napoli Centrale station, and in crowded parts of the centro storico. A cross-body bag worn in front is the standard countermeasure. Do not put anything in a back pocket.

Sundays: Many churches have reduced access from around 12:30pm due to services. The archaeological museum is open but closes early.

Noise: Central Naples, especially the Spanish Quarter and Spaccanapoli, is very loud until late. If you are a light sleeper, ask for an interior room or book in Vomero.

The best purchase you can make on your last morning, if you are taking a flight home, is a small container of sfogliatelle from a Spaccanapoli bakery. They travel surprisingly well and are a useful reminder, once you are home, that what most bakeries call Italian pastry is something entirely different.