Things to Do in Naples: History, Food & the Bay of Naples

Naples is Italy’s most kinetic city — loud, dense, full of contradictions, and genuinely rewarding for visitors who engage with it rather than treating it as a stopover to Pompeii. The historic centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, contains extraordinary art and architecture within a living, functioning urban fabric.

Essential sights

Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli (MANN)

One of the great archaeology museums in the world. The Pompeii and Herculaneum collections justify the visit alone: mosaics from the Villa of the Faun (including the Alexander Mosaic — 5 metres wide, depicting the Battle of Issus), Roman sculpture, the Secret Cabinet of erotic art from Pompeii, and the Farnese collection (including the Farnese Hercules and the Farnese Bull — the largest ancient sculpture ever recovered). Entry approximately €18 as of 2026. Open Wednesday–Monday 9am–7:30pm, closed Tuesday. Allow 3–4 hours minimum. Essential if you’re visiting Pompeii — the best finds are here, not on site. Metro Line 1 (Museo station) or Line 2 (Cavour station).

Spaccanapoli and the Centro Storico

The straight street (officially Via Benedetto Croce / Via San Biagio dei Librai) that cuts through the historic centre along the path of the ancient Greek city of Neapolis. The churches clustered along it are architecturally extraordinary and generally free to enter:

Gesu Nuovo (Piazza del Gesu Nuovo) — A church with a rusticated stone exterior (originally a 15th-century palace) and a baroque interior covered in frescoes. Free entry. The piazza outside has one of Naples’ finest baroque spires.

Santa Chiara (Via Santa Chiara 49) — A 14th-century Angevin church with a famous majolica-tiled cloister — columns covered in hand-painted ceramic tiles depicting gardens, mythological scenes, and daily life. Cloister entry approximately €6 as of 2026. The church itself is free.

San Domenico Maggiore (Piazza San Domenico Maggiore) — Gothic church with baroque additions, holding works by Caravaggio and Titian. The adjoining rooms contain the coffins of Aragonese princes. Church free; guided tour of the sacristy approximately €5.

Cappella Sansevero

A small private chapel containing Giuseppe Sanmartino’s Veiled Christ (1753) — a marble sculpture covered by a transparent marble veil so realistic that many viewers believe it’s actual fabric. One of the most extraordinary sculptures in the world. Also contains the anatomical machines — two human circulatory systems preserved in the 18th century by unknown methods. Entry approximately €10 as of 2026. Open Wednesday–Monday 9am–7pm, closed Tuesday. Book online — the chapel is small and fills quickly. A 5-minute walk from Spaccanapoli.

Castel Nuovo (Maschio Angioino)

The 13th-century Angevin fortress on the waterfront, with five cylindrical towers and a Renaissance triumphal arch between the main towers. The interior houses the Museo Civico with paintings from the 14th–19th centuries. Entry approximately €6 as of 2026. Open Monday–Saturday 9am–6pm.

San Gennaro Catacombs

Early Christian burial catacombs under the hill of Capodimonte, dating from the 2nd century. Two levels of tunnels with well-preserved frescoes and mosaics — some of the earliest Christian art in southern Italy. Guided tours only (approximately 1 hour), approximately €12 as of 2026. Departures hourly from the Basilica del Buon Consiglio (Via Capodimonte 13). The Rione Sanita neighbourhood surrounding the catacombs is one of Naples’ most authentic — baroque churches, street markets, and the pizzeria Concettina ai Tre Santi.

Palazzo Reale

The Bourbon royal palace on Piazza del Plebiscito — Naples’ grandest square. The Royal Apartments contain the Throne Room, the Court Theatre, and a chapel with a spectacular nativity scene. Entry approximately €10 as of 2026. Open Thursday–Tuesday 9am–8pm, closed Wednesday. The piazza itself is impressive — a semicircular colonnade facing the palace, modelled on St Peter’s in Rome.

Underground Naples (Napoli Sotterranea)

A network of tunnels, aqueducts, and chambers 40 metres beneath the street surface, carved from the tufa rock on which the city stands. Used as quarries by the Greeks, water channels by the Romans, and air-raid shelters during World War II. Guided tours (approximately 1.5 hours) from Piazza San Gaetano 68, approximately €12 as of 2026. Departures every 2 hours. Parts of the tunnel network are narrow — not recommended for those with claustrophobia.

Street food and pizza

Naples is where Italian street food is most alive. Key things to eat: pizza fritta (deep-fried pizza pocket, approximately €2–4), cuoppo (paper cone of fried seafood or vegetables, approximately €4–6), sfogliatella (shell pastry with ricotta, approximately €1.50–2.50), and a margherita pizza at Da Michele (Via Cesare Sersale — margherita approximately €5) or Sorbillo (Via dei Tribunali — margherita approximately €5).

Day trips

Pompeii — 35 minutes by Circumvesuviana train from Piazza Garibaldi (approximately €3.60 each way, station: Pompei Scavi). Entry approximately €18 as of 2026. Book at ticketone.it. Allow 4–5 hours minimum. Guided tours of Naples combining Pompeii access, a guide on-site, and transport from the city centre remove the logistical pressure entirely.

Herculaneum — 20 minutes by Circumvesuviana (approximately €2.80, station: Ercolano Scavi). Entry approximately €13. Smaller, better-preserved, fewer crowds than Pompeii.

Capri — 50–70 minutes by hydrofoil (approximately €22) or ferry (approximately €15) from Molo Beverello port. The Blue Grotto, the Faraglioni rocks, Villa Jovis. Book ahead in July–August.

Amalfi Coast — Ferry from Molo Beverello to Positano (approximately 50 minutes, approximately €20) and Amalfi (approximately 80 minutes, approximately €16). Seasonal — typically April through October. SITA bus year-round from near Piazza Garibaldi, but slow (2+ hours due to coastal road traffic).

Mount Vesuvius — Circumvesuviana to Ercolano, then Vesuvio Express bus to the crater rim (approximately €10 return). Entry to the crater approximately €10 as of 2026. 30-minute walk to the rim. Combine with Herculaneum for a half-day. For the full day trip breakdown with train times, costs, and tips for each destination, see our day trips from Naples guide.

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Back to the full Naples travel guide for history, food, and logistics. For Pompeii with a guide to get more from the site — skip-the-line options and what experts add — see our Pompeii tours guide. For food and street food in detail: the Naples food guide covers pizza, pastries, and markets. Plant-based travellers: our vegan guide to Naples identifies the naturally meat-free Neapolitan dishes and the best vegan restaurants. For a deeper look at the history behind Pompeii and ancient Naples, our ancient Rome guide provides context that transforms the site visit.