What to Do in Naples, Italy on a First Visit to the City and the Bay

Naples divides travelers. Some arrive from Rome or Florence, find it loud, and leave for Sorrento the same afternoon. Others stay three nights and call it the best city in Italy. The difference is almost always whether they had a plan for the first day and someone to walk them through the historic center.

This guide covers the things to do in Naples itself, the day trips that make it the best base in southern Italy, and the practical details for 2026. It is written for a first visit of two to three days.

Is Naples worth visiting?

Yes, and for three reasons that no other Italian city offers together. It is the gateway to Pompeii, Herculaneum and Vesuvius, all within an hour. It has a historic center that is still lived in rather than preserved, a UNESCO-listed grid of Greek streets, Baroque churches and open-air markets. And it is where pizza was invented, which for many visitors is reason enough.

Naples has a reputation for chaos, some of it deserved. Traffic is anarchic, the streets are noisy, and the historic center is dense. None of that is a reason to skip it. It is a reason to see it with someone who knows it, at least on the first day.

In the city

1. Walk Spaccanapoli and the historic center

Spaccanapoli is the straight street that "splits Naples," running the length of the ancient Greek-Roman grid through the heart of the old city. Along and just off it are Piazza del Gesù, the church of Santa Chiara with its majolica cloister, San Domenico Maggiore, and the Sansevero Chapel, home to the Veiled Christ, a marble figure so finely carved that the veil appears transparent. The parallel Decumano Maggiore (Via dei Tribunali) has the Duomo and the best-known pizzerias.

This is the part of Naples that overwhelms people. Our authentic Naples street food tour with a local guide walks it in about three hours with tastings along the way, which is the easiest first introduction to the center there is.

2. Go underground

Beneath the historic center lies a second city. Napoli Sotterranea takes you deep beneath the streets through quarries opened by the Greeks in the third century BC to cut tuff blocks for the walls of Neapolis, into the network of Roman aqueduct tunnels of the Augustan age that once fed the city's fountains and houses, and through the cavities used as air-raid shelters in the Second World War, where furniture, graffiti and objects left by the people who sheltered there survive. The route also includes the remains of the Greek-Roman theater.

Tours in English leave hourly through the day, and groups of fewer than 10 do not need to reserve. The passages are narrow in places and it is not for anyone uncomfortable in enclosed spaces.

3. Eat pizza where it was invented

Neapolitan pizza is a specific thing: a soft, puffy rim, a thin center, a very hot wood oven, and two classic versions, the marinara (tomato, garlic, oregano, oil) and the margherita (tomato, mozzarella, basil). The historic pizzerias on and around Via dei Tribunali are the pilgrimage sites, and the lines outside them at lunchtime are part of the experience.

Beyond pizza, the city's street food is a meal in itself: pizza fritta, the deep-fried folded pizza; the cuoppo, a paper cone of fried seafood or vegetables; sfogliatella, the ridged shell pastry; and espresso taken standing at the bar. Our food tour covers all of it.

4. See the National Archaeological Museum

The MANN, at the top of the historic center, holds the finest finds from Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae: the mosaics, wall paintings, bronzes and everyday objects that were removed from the sites for safekeeping. Seeing it before or after the ruins turns empty rooms at Pompeii back into furnished houses. Allow two hours.

5. Climb to Castel Sant'Elmo

The star-shaped fortress on the Vomero hill above the city has the best view in Naples: the whole bay, Vesuvius, the historic center below and Capri on the horizon. Funiculars climb the hill from the center, then it is a short walk. Entry includes the Novecento museum of 20th-century Neapolitan art. Go in the late afternoon for the light. Our Castel Sant'Elmo visit with audio guide covers the fortress and the terraces.

6. Walk the waterfront

From Piazza del Plebiscito, with the Royal Palace and the Teatro San Carlo opera house at its edge, the Lungomare runs along the sea past the Castel dell'Ovo on its islet and along Via Partenope and Via Caracciolo to Mergellina, with Vesuvius across the water the whole way. It is the city's evening walk. The Villa Comunale park along the way shelters the Aquarium, founded in 1872 and the oldest in Europe.

7. Via San Gregorio Armeno

The street of the nativity makers, where family workshops carve and paint presepe figures all year round, from the Holy Family to footballers and politicians. It links Via dei Tribunali to Spaccanapoli and is a natural stop on any walk through the center.

Day trips from Naples

This is the other half of the answer to "is Naples worth visiting." No Italian city has better day trips.

Pompeii, Herculaneum and Oplontis

Pompeii is 23 km southeast of the city, reached by the Circumvesuviana to Pompei Scavi Villa dei Misteri or by regional train to Pompei plus the Pompei Link bus. Tickets in 2026 are named, capped at 20,000 a day and split into morning and afternoon windows in summer, so book ahead or go with a tour that includes entry. Herculaneum, smaller and better preserved, is a few stops closer on the same line. Oplontis, the villa attributed to Poppaea at Torre Annunziata, sits between them and is almost empty. Our Naples, Pompeii and Oplontis tour with an archaeologist pairs the sites with the museum context; the Pompeii tour with wine tasting from Naples adds a vineyard on Vesuvius. Our Herculaneum vs Pompeii guide compares the two.

Mount Vesuvius

The crater trail starts from the piazzale at 1,000 meters, and the park caps the shortest round trip at two hours. Tickets are online only, released 30 days ahead in 10-minute slots, and the trail closes in bad weather. From Naples, take the Circumvesuviana to Ercolano Scavi for shuttles up, or to Pompei Villa dei Misteri for the EAV public bus. Our Pompeii to Mount Vesuvius guided tour with transfer includes the crater ticket. Full rules in our Mount Vesuvius guide.

The Amalfi Coast

Positano, Amalfi and Ravello are a day from Naples by road or, in season, by boat. The coast road is slow and beautiful; the boat is faster and shows you the coast the way it is meant to be seen. Our Amalfi Coast tour to Positano, Amalfi and Ravello from Naples and the Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and Ravello tour from Naples do it by road; the Amalfi and Positano relax by boat and the Positano and Amalfi boat tour with drinks do it from the water. Our Rome to Amalfi Coast guide explains the coast's geography.

The islands: Capri, Ischia and Procida

Ferries and hydrofoils to all three leave from the port below the historic center. Capri is the famous one, Ischia the largest with its thermal springs, Procida the smallest and most colorful. A boat day is the best way to see more than one: our Procida and Ischia sea day from Naples cruises the bay with swimming stops.

A suggested three days

Day 1: the city. Morning food tour through the historic center, afternoon at the National Archaeological Museum, sunset from Castel Sant'Elmo, evening on the waterfront.

Day 2: the ruins. Pompeii in the morning window, then either Vesuvius in the afternoon or Herculaneum and Oplontis.

Day 3: the water. The Amalfi Coast by boat, or an island day to Procida and Ischia.

Practical Naples

Getting there. Napoli Centrale is the hub for high-speed trains from Rome, just over an hour away. The Circumvesuviana to Herculaneum, Pompeii and Sorrento leaves from the lower level, Napoli Garibaldi. The port for the islands is a short walk or a taxi from the historic center. Naples Capodichino airport is connected to Piazza Garibaldi and Centrale by the Alibus shuttle.

Getting around. The historic center is walkable and is best on foot. Metro Line 1 links the station with the historic center, the museum and Vomero, and funiculars climb to Vomero for Castel Sant'Elmo.

Safety. Naples is a big southern European city. Keep phones and bags in front of you in the crowded streets of the center and around the station, avoid empty streets late at night, and use the same sense you would in any major city. The historic center is busy and lively well into the evening.

When to go. April to June and September to October for mild weather and open boats. July and August are hot and the coast and islands are packed. Winter is quiet and the city is pleasant, but the boat trips stop.

Where to stay. The historic center for atmosphere and walking distance to everything; Chiaia and the waterfront for a quieter, more elegant base; near Piazza Garibaldi only if you have an early train.

See Naples with a local

Our Naples experiences are led by local guides: the street food tour through the historic center, Castel Sant'Elmo, and the day trips to Pompeii, Vesuvius, the coast and the islands. Browse them all on our Naples tours page.