Naples in 2 days
Two days in the city: the old centre and the museum, then royal Naples and the seafront.
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Naples in 2 days
Two days in the city: the old centre and the museum, then royal Naples and the seafront.
You are hereNaples in 3 days
A balanced route for a first trip.
Naples in 3 daysThis route covers the historic centre and the Museo Archeologico Nazionale on the first day, and Via Toledo, Piazza del Plebiscito, the Royal Palace and the seafront at Santa Lucia on the second. It stays inside the city. Metro Line 1 connects the Museo, Dante, Toledo and Municipio stations.
Day 1: The historic centre and the archaeological museum
Guide to the historic centre →
Duomo di Napoli
Founded in 1272 by Charles I of Anjou and completed in 1313. The complex includes the Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro (1608-1637), which holds the reliquary bust and the ampoules with the saint's blood.
Cappella Sansevero
Home of the Veiled Christ (Cristo Velato) by Giuseppe Sanmartino, carved in 1753. Tickets can be bought online on the museum's website.
Pio Monte della Misericordia
Founded in 1602 by seven young Neapolitan nobles. Caravaggio's Seven Works of Mercy (1607) is on the high altar of its church.
Via San Gregorio Armeno
Lined with workshops and shops selling nativity figurines, open all year round. The tradition of handmade figurines began around the 18th century.
Museo Archeologico Nazionale
The palace that houses it was built at the end of the 16th century and was the seat of the University of Naples from 1616 to 1777. The collections include the Farnese collection, begun by Alessandro Farnese (the future Pope Paul III) and inherited by Charles of Bourbon from his mother, Elisabeth Farnese; the finds from Pompeii and other Vesuvian sites such as Herculaneum, Boscoreale and Stabiae; and the Egyptian collection, assembled between 1817 and 1821, which in Italy is second only to the Egyptian Museum of Turin. Some rooms are temporarily closed, and the museum publishes a schedule of open rooms on its website.
Day 2: Via Toledo, royal Naples and the seafront
Via Toledo
Named after Don Pedro de Toledo, the 16th-century Spanish viceroy of Naples, and begun in the late 1530s. The Spanish Quarters, a grid of narrow streets built to house Spanish troops, lie just above it.
Galleria Umberto I
Designed by the engineer Emanuele Rocco as part of the urban renewal that followed the 1884 cholera epidemic, and named after King Umberto I. It has a Greek-cross plan under a glass-and-iron dome 57 metres high, and a floor of polychrome marble mosaics showing the signs of the zodiac.
Teatro di San Carlo
Founded in 1737 by Charles of Bourbon and designed by Giovanni Antonio Medrano. It is the oldest opera house in the world still in operation.
Piazza del Plebiscito
One of the largest squares in Naples. Its semicircular Doric colonnade was ordered by Gioacchino Murat in 1809. King Ferdinand I later built the basilica of San Francesco di Paola, with a façade modelled on Rome's Pantheon, as a votive offering for the recovery of his kingdom. Two bronze equestrian monuments stand in the square, of Charles of Bourbon (by Antonio Canova) and Ferdinand I.
Palazzo Reale
Founded in 1600 and designed by Domenico Fontana. It was the seat of power of the Spanish and Austrian viceroys, then of the Bourbon monarchs and, later, of the House of Savoy. Today it is open to visitors as a museum.
Castel Nuovo
Construction began in 1279 under Charles I of Anjou, who wanted a castle that was both a royal residence and a fortress. A triumphal arch between two of its towers celebrates the entry of Alfonso I into Naples. The castle houses the Civic Museum.
Castel dell'Ovo
On the islet of Megaride, one of the oldest castles in Naples, with Norman-era architecture. According to legend, its name comes from the egg of the siren Parthenope, hidden by the poet Virgil in the castle's underground chambers. At its foot lies Borgo Marinari, a small harbour with restaurants and historic nautical clubs.
Opening days, tickets and booking rules change, so check each sight's official website before you go.
Frequently asked questions
What does this 2-day route include?
Day 1 covers the historic centre (Duomo, Spaccanapoli, Cappella Sansevero, Via dei Tribunali, Via San Gregorio Armeno) and the Museo Archeologico Nazionale. Day 2 covers Via Toledo, Galleria Umberto I, Teatro di San Carlo, Piazza del Plebiscito, the Royal Palace, Castel Nuovo and Castel dell'Ovo.
Are day trips included?
No. The route stays inside the city. Pompeii, Herculaneum, Capri, the Amalfi Coast and other places outside Naples have their own guides on this site.
Which metro line connects the stops?
Line 1 connects the Museo, Dante, Toledo and Municipio stations, among others.
Where is Galleria Umberto I?
Opposite the Teatro di San Carlo, near Via Toledo and Piazza del Plebiscito.
What is in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale?
The Farnese collection, finds from Pompeii and other Vesuvian sites such as Herculaneum, Boscoreale and Stabiae, and an Egyptian collection that is second in Italy only to the one in Turin. Some rooms are temporarily closed, and the museum publishes a schedule of open rooms on its website.
How many days do you need in Naples
It mainly depends on whether you also want day trips outside the city.
Day trips from Naples
Naples is an excellent base for day trips.
Getting around Naples
Everything you need to get around without stress.
Got a third day?
The ready-made 3-day itinerary adds a day trip or the Vomero hill.