Naples public transport: tickets, passes and apps

The decision is arithmetic, not loyalty. Count your rides for the day. One or two rides: single tickets. Three: singles are still usually cheaper. Four or more, or any day mixing metro, funicular and buses: the day pass wins. Five or more days of city travel in one calendar week: the weekly pass.

Naples is compact and walkable in the centre, so many visitors ride only to the archaeological museum, the station or up to Vomero. If that is your pattern, singles are the right buy and a pass is wasted money.

For Pompeii, Herculaneum, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, you are on the Circumvesuviana or a ferry, not on ANM. Those are separate tickets and separate operators, so a Naples city pass does not cover them.

Fares below are 2026 estimates for the Naples city network (ANM). Confirm at the ticket machine or the ANM app before you travel; prices change and the airport link is priced separately.

Ticket machines at metro stations take coins, notes and most bank cards, and have an English menu. Tabacchi shops (look for the black-and-white T sign) sell singles and passes and are often the fastest option when a machine queue builds. The ANM app sells the same tickets on your phone.

Contactless bank cards and phones work on metro turnstiles and on some surface routes: tap in, and the system charges the best fare for the day. This is convenient but not universal, and it does not cover the Circumvesuviana or Trenitalia regional trains. If you plan those trips, buy a paper or app ticket.

Paper tickets must be validated in the machine at the entrance before you board. An unstamped ticket counts as no ticket, and fines are issued on the spot. Keep the ticket until the end of the journey.

ANM tickets cover the city of Naples: metro Line 1, Line 6, the three funiculars (Chiaia, Montesanto, Mergellina), buses and trolleybuses. That is enough for the historic centre, the station, the port and Vomero.

Trips beyond the city, such as Pozzuoli, the Phlegraean Fields, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Sorrento or the airport, need an UnicoCampania zone ticket or a separate operator ticket. UnicoCampania tickets are priced by how many zones you cross, so tell the seller your destination rather than asking for a day pass.

Ferries to Capri, Ischia and the Amalfi Coast are separate companies with their own fares, sold at the port or online.

Naples Capodichino (NAP) sits about 7 km from the centre. The Alibus shuttle runs to Piazza Garibaldi (the central station) and on to Piazza Municipio near the port; the trip is about 20–30 minutes depending on traffic, and the ticket is around €5 (2026 estimate), bought on board, at a machine or in the app. It is the default for most arrivals.

A taxi from NAP to the centre is a fixed fare by zone; agree or confirm the fixed price before you get in, and check the current amount on the official notice at the rank. Ride-hailing is limited in Naples.

If you are heading straight to Pompeii or Sorrento, the Circumvesuviana leaves from Napoli Porta Nolana and Napoli Centrale (Garibaldi), not from the airport; take the Alibus or a taxi to the station first.

The Circumvesuviana is the practical way to Pompeii and Herculaneum, but it is crowded and pickpocket-prone. Keep bags in front, avoid the doorways, and buy a return ticket before you leave Naples if the queue at Pompeii Scavi looks long. Trains are frequent but not punctual.

Metro Line 1 stations such as Toledo and Università are worth a look in their own right, and the line is the fastest way under the city when traffic is bad. Buses are slower and less predictable; use them for short hops, not for timed plans.

Validate every paper ticket. Inspectors work the metro and the main bus lines, and the fine is far more than the fare. Keep your ticket until you exit the last vehicle.

Strikes (scioperi) are announced in advance and can stop metro, bus and rail for a day. Check the operator site the evening before a travel day, and have a walking or taxi plan.