3 days in Naples

Sansevero Chapel Museum

A small 18th century chapel that holds the Veiled Christ, a marble figure under a shroud that looks like real cloth. The visit is short and tightly timed.

45 min visitOpen 9:00 am–7:00 pm · last entry 6:30 pmAdult ticket €12

Book the first slot of the day, when the chapel is quiet.

Every visit must be reserved in advance. Online tickets go on sale about two months ahead, with more released two days before, so check again if your date shows full. Online purchases cannot be changed or refunded.

Closed on Tuesdays. Last admission is 30 minutes before closing. The museum opens late on a few dates, which its official page lists.

Source: Museo Cappella Sansevero, checked October 5, 2026

Santa Chiara Monastery and Majolica Cloister

A Gothic church and monastery with a cloister covered in painted majolica tiles, plus a museum and an archaeological area. The cloister is the reason to come.

1 h 15 visitOpen 10:00 am–2:00 pm · last entry 1:30 pmAdult ticket €7

Go on a weekday morning, when the cloister is quiet and you can look at the tiled benches without a crowd.

Monday to Saturday 09:30 to 17:00, Sunday 10:00 to 14:00. Last entry is 30 minutes before closing. Tickets are sold only at the site.

Source: Complesso Monumentale di Santa Chiara, checked October 5, 2026

National Archaeological Museum (MANN)

The main collection of Roman finds from Pompeii and Herculaneum, plus the Farnese marbles and an Egyptian section. It is long, spread over several floors, and worth doing before you visit the ruins.

3 h 30 visitHours not confirmed. Check the official site.

Go in the morning, start with the mosaics and the Farnese rooms, and keep the upper floors for when you still have energy.

Tickets are sold at the door, but queues build in busy months. A timed online ticket or a guided visit saves the wait.

Hours and the weekly closing day are set by the museum, so check its official page for your date before you go.

Source: Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, checked October 5, 2026

Villa Comunale and Via Caracciolo

A long public garden on the Chiaia waterfront, free to enter, with shaded paths and the Anton Dohrn aquarium inside. It is the easiest place in the centre to sit in the shade.

1 h 15 visitOpen 7:00 am–9:00 pm

Come in the hour before sunset and finish with a walk along the seafront promenade of Via Caracciolo.

Open 07:00 to 21:00 from September to June. In July and August it stays open until midnight.

Source: Comune di Napoli, checked October 5, 2026

Naples Cathedral

The cathedral of Naples with the chapels of San Gennaro, the older basilica of Santa Restituta and an early baptistery. The visit is free and runs in hourly groups.

1 h 15 visitOpen 9:30 am–5:00 pm

Arrive a few minutes before an hourly departure so you do not wait for the next one.

The free visit runs in guided groups from 09:30 to 17:00, with the last group leaving at 17:00. Services can limit access to parts of the building.

Source: Duomo di Napoli, checked October 5, 2026

Via San Gregorio Armeno

A short lane of nativity workshops where figures and miniature scenes are made and sold all year, busiest in the weeks before Christmas.

45 min visitAlways open

Visit on a weekday morning outside December, or accept a slow shuffle in the weeks before Christmas.

Source: Comune di Napoli, checked October 5, 2026

Napoli Sotterranea

A guided walk about 40 metres under the old town, through Greek and Roman cisterns and tunnels. The meeting point is on Piazza San Gaetano.

1 h 30 visit (official site suggests 1 h)Hours not confirmed. Check the official site.Adult ticket €18

Bring a jumper, because it is cool at depth even in summer. The one narrow passage is optional.

Small groups can turn up without a reservation, but a queue-jump ticket from the official booking page saves waiting for the next slot in busy periods. Tours in other languages need a booking.

Tours run through the day in Italian and English. Departure times and any closing days are on the official page, so check them for your date.

Source: Napoli Sotterranea, checked October 5, 2026

Spaccanapoli and Via Benedetto Croce

The long straight street that splits the old Greek grid in two, lined with churches, palaces and small squares. It is a walk, not a single sight, and it is free at any hour.

2 h 30 visitAlways open

Start early. By midday the street is full of tour groups and scooters share the same narrow strip.

Source: Comune di Napoli, NapoliForMe, checked October 5, 2026

Quartieri Spagnoli

A dense grid of steep, narrow streets west of Via Toledo, laid out in the 16th century for Spanish troops. It is a place to walk through, not a sight with a gate.

1 h visitAlways open

Walk in daylight, keep bags zipped and stay on the busier lanes after dark.

Source: Comune di Napoli, NapoliForMe, checked October 5, 2026

Piazza del Plebiscito

The great semicircular square in front of the Royal Palace, car free and open at any hour. It is a place to cross slowly and look at the domed church opposite.

30 min visitAlways open

Come in the early evening, when the heat drops and the square fills with locals.

Source: Comune di Napoli, NapoliForMe, checked October 5, 2026

Royal Palace of Naples

The royal palace on Piazza del Plebiscito, with a long run of decorated state rooms. The visit is indoors and mostly flat, so it works on a hot or wet day.

2 h 30 visitOpen 9:00 am–8:00 pm · last entry 7:00 pmAdult ticket €15

Visit in the morning and finish on the square outside. The gardens use the same ticket, but the Romantic Garden is under restoration.

Closed on Wednesdays, 1 January and 25 December. The State Apartment stays open until 20:00, with last entry at 19:00. Other sections of the palace close earlier, so check before you go.

Source: Palazzo Reale di Napoli, checked October 5, 2026

Certosa and Museo di San Martino

A former Carthusian monastery on the Vomero hill, now a museum of Naples history with cloisters, a church and terraces over the bay. The view of the city is part of the visit.

2 h 30 visitHours not confirmed. Check the official site.

Pick a clear day for the terraces and go in the morning, before the heat and the haze build.

Hours change during the year, so check the official page for your dates before you climb the hill.

Source: Ministero della Cultura, Certosa e Museo di San Martino, checked October 5, 2026

Castel Nuovo (Maschio Angioino)

The medieval and Renaissance castle beside the port, with a civic museum inside. Its round towers are the landmark of the waterfront.

1 h 15 visitOpen 9:00 am–6:00 pm · last entry 5:30 pmAdult ticket €10

Look at the marble arch at the entrance before you buy a ticket, then go in for the courtyard and chapel.

Open Monday to Saturday and closed on Sundays except for special events. Last entry is at 17:30. Some rooms can close for municipal events or maintenance.

Source: Comune di Napoli, checked October 5, 2026

Borgo Marinari and Castel dell'Ovo

A small harbour on a rock islet joined to the shore by a causeway, under the walls of Castel dell'Ovo. The castle itself is closed to visitors, but the waterfront around it can still be walked.

1 h visitAlways open

Walk out in the last hour before sunset and look back along Via Partenope to Vesuvius.

The castle is closed for renovation with no reopening date set, so there is no interior visit for now.

Source: Comune di Napoli, checked October 5, 2026