What are the top things to do in Naples?

Spaccanapoli and Centro Storico, Naples National Archaeological Museum, Cappella Sansevero, Naples Cathedral and San Gennaro Chapel, and more. Paste your own list into Tripsapien and it checks each place's hours, closures, and booking pressure for your exact dates.

Which neighborhoods should I explore in Naples?

Centro Storico and Spaccanapoli, Quartieri Spagnoli and Via Toledo, Chiaia, Santa Lucia, and Lungomare, Vomero. Tripsapien groups your places by neighborhood so each day stays in one or two areas instead of zig-zagging.

When is the best time to visit Naples?

May, October, September balance comfortable temperatures with fewer rainy days. Pick your month below to see that month's events, public holidays, and seasonal timing.

Will the places on my list be open when I'm in Naples?

Tripsapien checks each place against the exact dates you're in Naples and flags closures, limited hours, and sell-outs before the trip.

Naples Italy

Things to do in Naples

By Tripsapien Research / Updated May 20, 2026

Naples is the Bay of Naples port city where Spaccanapoli cuts through a UNESCO historic center, Mount Vesuvius anchors the horizon, and ferries, funiculars, markets, and pizzerias keep the city moving at street level. The essential map runs from Centro Storico and Quartieri Spagnoli to Chiaia, Vomero, Sanita, and the waterfront castles, with Pompeii, Herculaneum, Capri, and the Amalfi Coast close enough to shape almost every itinerary.

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About Naples

City overview

Food & drink

Naples food is pizza and street frying before fine dining: pizza marinara uses tomato, garlic, oregano, and oil, margherita adds mozzarella and basil, pasta e patate cooks pasta with potatoes until creamy, and ragu napoletano is a long-simmered meat sauce. Via dei Tribunali, Pignasecca market, Porta Nolana fish stalls, Chiaia dining rooms, and Vomero pizzerias add spaghetti alle vongole, cuoppo fritto, sfogliatella, baba, espresso, and Campania buffalo mozzarella.

Top sights

Ranked for suitability using weather, setting, ratings, and review volume.

Map of Naples with pinned top attractions (1 through 10)

1
Spaccanapoli and Centro Storico
4.7★ · 1,684
Spaccanapoli is the long east-west street line that visually splits the old center through Via Benedetto Croce and Via San Biagio dei Librai. Churches, artisan workshops, palaces, shrines, and pizzerias crowd the UNESCO-listed street grid.
2
Naples National Archaeological Museum
4.6★ · 36,620
The museum occupies the former Palazzo degli Studi and became one of Europe's great archaeology collections in the Bourbon period. Farnese sculpture, mosaics, frescoes, and objects from Pompeii and Herculaneum make it the best pre- or post-ruins stop.
Wikipedia
3
Cappella Sansevero
4.7★ · 42,568
The chapel dates to the late 16th century and was transformed in the 18th century by Raimondo di Sangro. Giuseppe Sanmartino's 1753 Veiled Christ, anatomical machines, and marble allegories sit in a small chapel near Spaccanapoli.
Wikipedia
Timed tickets are important because the chapel is small and sells out during heavy visitor periods.

Show 7 more sights

4Naples Cathedral and San Gennaro Chapel
5Castel dell'Ovo
6Castel Nuovo - Maschio Angioino
7Royal Palace of Naples and Piazza del Plebiscito
8Teatro di San Carlo
9Certosa di San Martino and Castel Sant'Elmo
10Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte

Neighborhoods

1
Centro Storico and Spaccanapoli
The old center is dense and intense, with Via dei Tribunali, San Gregorio Armeno, the Duomo, Cappella Sansevero, shrines, pizzerias, scooters, and layered history.
2
Quartieri Spagnoli and Via Toledo
The Spanish Quarter is steep and packed, with laundry lines, murals, trattorias, street life, Toledo metro, and quick access to Piazza del Plebiscito.
3
Chiaia, Santa Lucia, and Lungomare
The waterfront side is polished and scenic, with Castel dell'Ovo, Via Partenope, Chiaia shops, seaside restaurants, hotels, and views toward Vesuvius.
4
Vomero
Vomero is hilltop and residential, with funiculars, Castel Sant'Elmo, San Martino, shopping streets, pizzerias, and the cleanest wide views over the bay.
5
Sanita and Capodimonte
Sanita is historic and raw-edged, with catacombs, palazzi, markets, street art, local pastry shops, and routes up toward Capodimonte.
6
Forcella, Porta Nolana, and Garibaldi
The station-side edge is busy and practical, with fish markets, budget hotels, Circumvesuviana access, old gates, and some of the city's most famous pizza addresses.

Day trips

25km / 35-45min by Circumvesuviana from Napoli Piazza Garibaldi to Pompei Scavi
Pompeii
The Roman city buried by the AD 79 eruption has streets, houses, frescoes, baths, theaters, and Vesuvius context that reward a full day.
13km / 20min by Circumvesuviana to Ercolano Scavi, then bus or taxi toward Vesuvius
Herculaneum and Mount Vesuvius
Herculaneum is smaller and better preserved than Pompeii in places, while Vesuvius adds the crater walk above the bay.
35km / 45-80min by hydrofoil or ferry from Molo Beverello or Calata Porta di Massa
Capri
The island adds Marina Grande, Capri town, Anacapri, chairlift views, sea caves, and a very different pace from Naples streets.

Getting around

Metro lines, funiculars, buses, Circumvesuviana trains, ferries, hydrofoils, and Unico Campania tickets cover Naples, but the historic core is best walked. Use Line 1 for Toledo, Municipio, and Vomero links, funiculars for hill climbs, and ferries or trains rather than rental cars for the bay.