How Many Days in Naples? — Trip Planner

What first-timers get wrong in Naples

The Circumvesuviana to Pompeii and Sorrento is hot, packed and the most reliably pickpocketed train in Italy; wear bags on your front. Validate tickets. Crossing the road works by moving steadily and predictably so scooters can read you, not by waiting for a gap that never comes. Restaurants add a coperto per head, and the free bracelet is never free.

What's actually worth your time in Naples

Cappella Sansevero is one small room and a ten euro ticket, but Sanmartino's Veiled Christ is worth the timed entry and the marble drapery repays standing close. Napoli Sotterranea drops forty metres into Greek quarries turned aqueduct turned wartime shelter. The Certosa di San Martino combines the best terrace over the bay with a collection of Neapolitan nativity scenes. Castel dell'Ovo costs nothing to walk.

Naples's museums, and which one to pick

The Museo Archeologico Nazionale holds what was carried out of Pompeii and Herculaneum, including the Alexander mosaic, the Farnese Hercules and the Gabinetto Segreto of erotic material once locked away; it closes Tuesdays. Capodimonte hangs Caravaggio's Flagellation and Titian in a Bourbon hunting palace and closes Wednesdays. Both join Domenica al Museo, free on the first Sunday of each month.

Naples with kids, realistically

Pizza makes Naples the cheapest city in this region to feed children in. The underground tour has genuinely narrow passages that rule it out for small children and anyone claustrophobic, so check before booking. The three funiculars up the Vomero hill are a ride in their own right, and Citta della Scienza in Bagnoli is hands-on. Cobbles and absent pavements argue for a carrier.

When the weather turns in Naples

The archaeological museum and Capodimonte each fill a long indoor day, and the Galleria Umberto I gives a glass-roofed crossing near the opera house. Napoli Sotterranea is unaffected by weather by definition. Drainage in the historic centre is poor, so kerbs turn into small rivers within minutes and the sloping vicoli run water. San Gennaro's treasure museum beside the Duomo is small and dry.

When to go to Naples

The month to avoid is January — around 13°C (55°F) with roughly 12 rain days. Prices and crowds track the weather here: June is the sweet spot, January the month most people skip.

Pack for peak season: Summer clothes, plus one light layer for air-con and evenings, High-SPF sunscreen, sunglasses, and a refillable water bottle, A packable rain shell or compact umbrella earns its space, Comfortable walking shoes — every guide on this site assumes you'll use them.