When to go: I suggest avoiding the months of July and August as it gets too hot. If you are only visiting Naples, you can do so any month of the year! However if your plan is to extend your trip to Capri or Amalfi coast, I would do so when the ferries are running but avoiding the peak of the summer. So May, June, September and October would be the ideal months.
General advice: take cash with you. I am used to paying for everything with credit card nowadays however we found that a few places including restaurants and sightseeing only accepted cash.
Where to stay: in Naples this is a tricky decision… against all logic I would not stay in the city centre. The city centre is nice to visit and to explore the shops etc but I would not recommend it as an area to stay. I recommend to stay in Santa Lucia near Castel dell'Ovo. Another thing that I recommend to do before booking is to check the street of the apartment or hotel in google street view first, to ensure that you feel comfortable with the area and the street as some streets in Naples can feel a bit unsafe at night.
The recommended apartment is “Oasi Santa Lucia”, where we stayed. It was a massive flat, the location was great and we really liked the area. Super easy to get by foot to the city centre and surrounded by nice restaurants.
If you prefer a hotel, “Grand Hotel Santa Lucia” and “Eurostars Hotel Excelsior” are very good options.
Day 1: The city centre
For the first day in Naples I suggest the below itinerary that you can do in both directions (either starting at Chiostro di Santa Chiara or at Napoli Soterranea). Book as many tickets as you can in advance as this will save you some queuing time.
Napoli Sotterranea - Forty metres below the streets of the Center of Naples, you find the place where the city was born. Originally dug by the Ancient Greeks for material to build Neapolis in the 4th century BC, these underground tunnels were later used by the Romans as aqueducts to supply water to the city. Later on, during the Second World War these tunnels were used as bomb shelters. The visit lasts around one hour and half and has to be done with a guide (you cannot visit it on your own). Check in advance the times of the guided tours as they vary depending on the language. There are guided tours in Italian, English and Spanish. I would recommend to go in advance to buy the ticket which costs 10EUR. We really enjoyed the experience and in my opinion is a must do when visiting Naples.
Via S. Gregorio Armeno (Christmas Alley) – this is a narrow and charming street full of artisan shops selling hundreds of nativity scenes. I think this was my favourite thing of Naples because it is very particular and something that I have never seen anywhere else in the world.
Spaccanapoli / Via San Biagio Dei Librai – exit Via S Gregori by Via San Biagio Dei Librari, one of the most popular streets in the city.
Museo Cappella Sansevero - The Chapel Museum is home of the famous Veiled Christ, well known for the remarkable tissue-like quality of the marble. I would strongly recommend to buy the tickets online in advance as the queues can be huge. The ticket entrance is 10 EUR.
Chiostro di Santa Chiara - The construction of the complex began in 1310, by the will of King Robert of Anjou and his wife Sancha of Majorca. The Franciscan citadel was set up by erecting two convents: one for the Clarisses, and the other for Franciscan Friars Minor. Over the centuries, the cloister has undergone various transformations. The most important was performed by D.A. Vaccaro between 1739 and 1742. Vaccaro built two avenues which, intersecting, divide the area into four areas. Octagonal pillars line the perimeter, coated with majolica ceramic floral decorations. The pillars are connected by benches covered with tiles of popular, rural, maritime and mythological scenes. The four walls of the cloister were covered with seventeenth century frescoes depicting Saints, allegories and scenes of the Old Testament. Inside the complex you can see a nativity scene featuring shepherds of the eighteenth and the nineteenth century. A visit that you shouldn’t miss, unfortunately when we went it was raining but on a sunny day it has to be even more beautiful and the ticket entrance is only 6 EUR.
During your first day for sure you want to try one of the incredible Napolitana pizzas. The most famous pizzerias are located near the sightseeing spots listed above so you can pop by “L’ Antica Pizzeria Da Michele” or “Gino e Toto Sorbillo”. Both are very famous and the queues tend to be insane. If you don’t fancy waiting but you are in the area and want to try an authentic pizza an amazing option is “Pizzeria Imperatore 1906”
For dinner, some recommended restaurants in the area of Santa Lucia are “La Cantina dei Lazzari” and “Il Ristorantino dell’Avocado”. Both offer pasta and other mains like fresh fish.
Day 2: Piazza del Plebiscito and Quartieri Spagnoli
Your last day... don't forget to visit:
Piazza del Plebiscito - Named after the plebiscite taken in 1860, that brought Naples into the unified Kingdom of Italy under the House of Savoy, the piazza is bounded by the Royal Palace and the church of San Francesco di Paola. Other noted adjacent buildings include the Palazzo Salerno and, its mirror, the Prefecture Palace.
San Carlo Theatre - the San Carlo is the oldest opera house still functioning in Europe. It was built in just seven months in 1737. The project of the theatre was awarded to Giovanni Antonio Medrano, who studied engineering in Spain and returned to Naples together with Charles of Bourbon, who would soon be crowded king of Naples and Sicily and later king of Spain. Ideally, you could enjoy the theatre during one of the opera performances, however you can also join one of the guided tours that take place in the morning and last for 30 min.
Galeria Umberto I – a shopping gallery located across from the San Carlo opera house. It was built between 1887–1890 and was the cornerstone in the rebuilding of Naples called the “risanamento” after the unification. It was designed in the Stile Umbertino by Emanuele Rocco, who employed architectural elements reminiscent of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan.
For lunch, a great spot is “Osteria Della Mattonella”, it is a classic osteria, super small with only few tables so make sure you book in advance!
Quartieri Spagnoli – this is one of the neighbourhoods of Naples that as you will probably know, if you have been doing a bit of research, is famed for being dangerous. It is true that I would not recommend it to sleep here however, in the past few years it has become one of the trendy neighbourhoods in the city and it is quite nice area to explore bars and have a drink in the afternoon.
For dinner, if you want to say good bye to Naples with of course another pizza you can go to “Pizze D’autore Pizzaiolo Gigi Sorbillo” in Santa Lucia that feels less touristic and more local and of is course delicious as well.
If you have more days in Naples, I would recommend visiting Pompeii as it’s mind blowing! It is incredible that you can still see today a city buried by the lava and you can see the houses and the people right on the spot where the lava got to them.
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