In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · Italy
Naples
Napoli
Give Naples 3 nights: one for the Centro Storico and pizza, one for Pompeii or Herculaneum, one for the bay or Capri. Skip it only if ruins and street life bore you.
Naples is Italy's third-largest city and one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in Europe, a UNESCO-listed historic centre of Greek, Roman, Norman and Spanish layers. It works as a base for Pompeii, Herculaneum, Vesuvius, Capri, Ischia and the Amalfi Coast, so most travellers sleep here and day-trip out rather than the reverse. The centre is walkable and cheap by Italian big-city standards; the friction is traffic, taxi pricing and summer heat.
- Country
- Italy
- Local name
- Napoli
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (heat and crowds), Easter week
- Stay
- 3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Cards and contactless are widely accepted in cities; small cafés, markets and rural places may prefer cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget €55–85 excl. bed · Mid €90–150 excl. bed · High €160+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- TIM, Vodafone, WindTre and Iliad sell prepaid SIMs in shops and at airports; a passport and an Italian tax code (codice fiscale, issued in-store) are needed.
- Emergency
- Europe-wide emergency 112 · Police 113 · Fire 115 · Ambulance 118
- Plugs
- Types C, F, L · 230 V · 50 Hz · Italian type L plugs have three pins in a row; most sockets also take two-pin Europlugs (C), and bivalent sockets take Schuko (F).
- Tipping
- Bar: Leave €0.10–0.20 of change on the counter if you like.; Restaurant: Coperto or service may already be on the bill; leave €1–2 a person or round up for good service.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel porter or housekeeping: €1–2 per bag or per night.; Tour guide: €5–10 per person for a half day.
- Water
- Tap water is safe unless signed otherwise; Rome's nasoni fountains run all day. Restaurants serve bottled water (naturale or frizzante) unless you ask for tap (acqua del rubinetto).
- Toilets
- Few public toilets; use bars (buy a coffee), museums and stations, where some charge €1.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Espresso at the bar | €1–1.50 |
| Pizza margherita | €5–8 |
| Pasta or a plate of seafood | €10–18 |
| Beer: draught / bottle at a bar | €4–6 / €2–4 |
| Metro or funicular ride | €1.50–2 (check) |
| 5 km taxi3.1 mi taxi | €12–20 |
| Museum entry (National Archaeological Museum, Pompeii) | €15–22 (check) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- NAP · Naples International (Capodichino)
- Alibus shuttle to Napoli Centrale and Piazza Municipio, about 20–30 min; fixed taxi fare to the centre is €18
Typical fares
- Alibus NAP → Napoli Centrale or Piazza Municipio
- €5, about 20–30 min
- Taxi NAP → centre, fixed fare
- €18 per car, luggage included
- Circumvesuviana Napoli → Pompei Scavi
- about €3, 35–40 min (check)
- Ferry Molo Beverello → Capri
- about €20–25 one way, 45–80 min (check)
Get around
Walk the centre: Spaccanapoli and Via dei Tribunali are 10–15 min apart on foot. Metro Line 1 links the station, Museo, Toledo and Vanvitelli; Line 2 and the Circumvesuviana run from Garibaldi to Pompeii, Herculaneum and Sorrento. Funiculars climb to Vomero. Buses and trams fill the gaps but are slow in traffic. Taxis are licensed or not: agree the fixed fare or meter before you get in.
See and do
Known for
- Pizza napoletana
- Centro Storico and Spaccanapoli
- National Archaeological Museum
- Pompeii and Herculaneum day trips
- Bay of Naples and Vesuvius
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Pompeii | Circumvesuviana from Napoli Garibaldi to Pompei Scavi–Villa dei Misteri, about 35–40 min | About 1 h |
| Herculaneum | Circumvesuviana to Ercolano Scavi, about 20 min, then a 10-min walk downhill | About 45 min |
| Capri | Ferry or hydrofoil from Molo Beverello, 45–80 min depending on boat | 1–1.5 h |
| Sorrento | Circumvesuviana from Garibaldi, about 65–75 min | About 1.5 h |
| Procida | Ferry from Molo Beverello or Pozzuoli, 30–60 min | 1–1.5 h |
| Pozzuoli | Cumana railway from Montesanto, about 20 min | About 40 min |
Sleep
- Centro Storico
- Spaccanapoli, Via dei Tribunali, Duomo; walkable to everything, noisy at night, few lifts in old buildings.
- Chiaia and San Ferdinando
- Waterfront, Via Partenope, Royal Palace; quieter, pricier, good for couples and first-timers who want calm.
- Vomero
- Hilly residential district with bay views; funicular to the centre, better value, less street life.
- Near Napoli Centrale (Garibaldi)
- Best for early trains to Pompeii or Rome; the surrounding streets are the least pleasant at night.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | ScusiSKOO-zee |
| Thank you | GrazieGRAH-tsyeh |
| How much is it? | Quanto costa?KWAN-toh KOS-tah |
| The bill, please | Il conto, per favoreeel KON-toh per fah-VOH-reh |
| Can I pay by card? | Posso pagare con la carta?POS-soh pah-GAH-reh kon lah KAR-tah |
| Where is the toilet? | Dov'è il bagno?doh-VEH eel BAH-nyoh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say buongiorno (until mid-afternoon) or buonasera on entering shops and bars; avoid: Walking in and pointing without a greeting
- Cheek kisses: Two kisses, right cheek first, among friends; follow their lead; avoid: Kissing strangers or in business settings
- Dress: Smart-casual in cities; covered shoulders and knees in churches; avoid: Beachwear, bare chests and flip-flops away from the beach
- Queues: At delis and pharmacies take a number (numerino); avoid: Assuming the crowd at a bar counter is chaos — pay at the till first where asked
- Restaurants: Wait to be seated and ask for the bill; avoid: Splitting a bill item by item with a large group
- Conversation: Food, football and family are safe openers; avoid: Mafia jokes and north–south stereotypes
- Dinner at a home: Bring pastries, wine or flowers (not chrysanthemums, which are for funerals); avoid: Refusing seconds too firmly
Scams and watch-outs
- Unlicensed taxis and drivers who refuse the meter or claim 'cash only' — licensed cabs must take cards and show fixed fares.
- Pickpockets on crowded buses, the Circumvesuviana and around Garibaldi station.
- Summer heat and humidity from late June to August; plan indoor or shaded blocks midday.
- Cobblestones and uneven pavements — wear shoes you can walk in.
- Ferry and Circumvesuviana timetables change seasonally: check the operator the day before.
Naples is a normal big city with a bad reputation it does not fully deserve: violent crime against visitors is rare, but pickpocketing, scooter bag-snatching and taxi overcharging are real. Keep bags zipped and in front, avoid unlit side streets around Garibaldi at night, and agree taxi fares before moving.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Naples yet. Suggested stay: 3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Pizza napoletana
- Centro Storico and Spaccanapoli
- National Archaeological Museum
- Pompeii and Herculaneum day trips
- Bay of Naples and Vesuvius
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Comune di Napoli — official city site: www.comune.napoli.it/
- Trenitalia: www.trenitalia.com/en.html
- Wikivoyage: Naples, revision 5320293 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5320293
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
NaplesNapoli
A questo indirizzo, per favore
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
The US has a consulate-general in Naples; most other countries keep embassies in Rome (check addresses).
Coperto (cover charge) is normal on restaurant bills; tipping is not expected.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/naples). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.