Naples

Naples International Airport, Capodichino (NAP), sits about 5-6km — a 15-20 minute drive — north of the city center and is the main gateway to southern Italy. It's well connected: budget carriers Ryanair and easyJet run frequent direct routes from London (Stansted and Luton) and dozens of other European cities, British Airways flies direct from London too, and Lufthansa connects via Munich or Frankfurt if you're coming from further afield. United Airlines runs a direct route from New York (JFK), currently the most convenient nonstop option from North America — otherwise, connecting through Rome, Milan, or a major European hub is the norm.

From the airport, the Alibus shuttle (about €5, 15-20 minutes) runs straight to Napoli Centrale station and on to the port at Piazza Municipio; official taxis charge fixed rates (roughly €18-27 into the city depending on the neighborhood) — use the official rank, not anyone approaching you at arrivals.

If you're coming from elsewhere in Italy, the train is usually the better option. High-speed Frecciarossa and Italo trains connect Roma Termini to Napoli Centrale in as little as 70-75 minutes, with departures roughly every 30 minutes throughout the day — genuinely faster door-to-door than flying once you factor in airport time. Milan is about 4.5-5 hours by direct high-speed train. By sea, Naples is also a major hub for ferries and hydrofoils to Sicily, Sardinia, and the Bay of Naples islands (Capri, Ischia, Procida), departing mainly from Molo Beverello and Calata Porta di Massa — an easy add-on if you're planning a longer southern Italy or islands trip rather than a single-city visit.

The historic center is compact and best covered on foot — most of Spaccanapoli and the Spanish Quarter have streets too narrow for buses anyway, and you'll get around faster walking than waiting for anything on wheels. Crossing the street here is its own skill: traffic doesn't stop for pedestrians the way it does further north, so watch what locals do and cross with steady, purposeful pace rather than hesitating at the curb — scooters will generally go around you.

For longer hops, Naples' Metro Line 1 (the "art metro," with stations like Toledo and Municipio worth riding just to see — Toledo in particular is often ranked among the most beautiful subway stations in the world) runs roughly every 10-14 minutes from about 6am to 11pm and connects the center to Vomero and the museum district; Line 2 is faster but less tourist-friendly. A single UnicoCampania ticket covers metro, bus, and funicular for 90 minutes and costs around €1.10-1.50, with day passes worth it if you're moving around a lot — validate your ticket every time at the yellow machines or risk a fine, since inspectors do check, especially on the funiculars. The four funiculars (Centrale, Montesanto, Chiaia, Mergellina) are the easiest way up to Vomero for views over the bay, and are genuinely worth using rather than a taxi.

If you're heading out to Pompeii, Herculaneum, or Sorrento, the Circumvesuviana commuter train is how most people go — trains leave from the lower level of Napoli Centrale (Piazza Garibaldi) roughly every 30 minutes, taking about 10 minutes to Herculaneum (Ercolano Scavi stop) or 30-35 minutes to Pompeii (Pompei Scavi–Villa dei Misteri stop). Double-check the destination board before boarding — a similarly-signed train goes to Sarno, not Sorrento — and validate your ticket before getting on. The carriages have a well-earned reputation for pickpockets and summer heat, so if you'd rather pay more for guaranteed seating and air conditioning, the Campania Express runs the same route stopping only at the major sites. For the islands — Capri, Ischia, Procida — hydrofoils and fast ferries leave from Molo Beverello, right in front of Castel Nuovo, while slower car ferries use Calata Porta di Massa a short walk further along the port; Capri is about 45 minutes by hydrofoil, Procida around 30-40 minutes.

From the airport, the Alibus shuttle runs to Napoli Centrale and the port area for about €5 and takes 15-20 minutes; official white taxis charge fixed rates (roughly €18-27 depending on your neighborhood) — always confirm it's a metered or fixed-rate taxi from the official rank, not someone offering a ride at arrivals. Keep bags zipped and phones in front pockets on the metro, on crowded buses, and especially on the Circumvesuviana — pickpocketing is the main practical risk here, not violent crime.

UnicoCampania is the app and ticketing system for metro, bus, and funicular passes — worth downloading and setting up before you land so you're not fumbling at a machine with a queue behind you. For the Circumvesuviana and regional trains out to Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Sorrento, the EAV app sells the same tickets and lets you check timetables in English before you go. For taxis, FreeNow and Uber both work in Naples, but note Uber here just dispatches licensed taxis (no UberX) with in-app payment, which is genuinely useful for avoiding the "which fare is fair" conversation near tourist sights. Google Maps handles walking and transit routing reliably, including funiculars and the metro.

For restaurants, especially the well-known pizzerias, TheFork lets you book ahead and sometimes skip the worst of a queue — genuinely worth it for places like Sorbillo or Starita on a Friday night. For food delivery, Glovo and Deliveroo both operate in the city if you want dinner without leaving your apartment. If you're island-hopping, Ferryhopper is the easiest way to compare and book hydrofoil and ferry times to Capri, Ischia, and Procida across different operators in one place.

Almost every restaurant bill includes a coperto (cover charge, usually €1-2 per person) — it's standard, not a scam, and covers bread, table setting, and service, so don't argue about it. Tipping isn't obligatory the way it is in the US: rounding up or leaving a few coins for great service is appreciated but not expected, and locals often just leave 10-20 cents at the espresso bar. Be wary of restaurants near major sights with touts hustling at the door or English-only menus — walk two streets back for better, cheaper food, and be a little skeptical of anyone who approaches you unprompted near the station or the port.

Many small shops and some restaurants still close for a few hours in the early afternoon (riposo) and on Sunday afternoons, so don't plan a shopping run around 2-4pm without checking first. Cash is still king at market stalls, small trattorias, and street food counters — carry small bills and coins, since a €50 note for a €3 cuoppo will not go over well. Dress modestly (shoulders and knees covered) for the Duomo and other churches; it's enforced a bit more strictly here than in some other Italian cities.

Neapolitans are warm but direct, and a bit of effort with basic Italian — even just "buongiorno" and "grazie" — goes a long way in a city that doesn't always feel geared toward tourists the way Rome or Florence does. If you order a coffee, drink it standing at the bar like a local; it's cheaper than sitting and it's simply how espresso is done here. And if you ever see someone pay for a caffè sospeso — a coffee left "on hold" in advance for a stranger who can't afford one — that's a real and lovely Neapolitan tradition, not a scam aimed at you.

Centro Storico / Spaccanapoli — the historic core, all narrow lanes, baroque churches, and street life; stay here for atmosphere and to be a five-minute walk from the city's best pizza at places like Sorbillo and Starita, but expect noise late into the night and avoid ground-floor rooms if you're a light sleeper. Chiaia — the polished, upscale seafront district with the Lungomare Caracciolo promenade and boutique shopping on Via Chiaia; calmer and safer, best for couples, families, or anyone who wants Naples without the full chaos, and an easy walk to Piazza del Plebiscito. Vomero — up on the hill above the center, reached by funicular, with tree-lined streets, sea views, and a quieter, more residential vibe; a good base if you want distance from the noise but still want the center ten minutes away. Santa Lucia / Chiatamone — the waterfront strip near Castel dell'Ovo, with harbor views and a more resort-like feel; good for first-timers who want to be near the water without being deep in the old town's grit. Mergellina — a bit further along the bay past Chiaia, less touristy again, with a lively evening gelato-and-passeggiata scene along the seafront and good ferry and hydrofoil access if you're island-hopping to Capri or Ischia early the next morning.

The centro storico, especially Via dei Tribunali and the streets around it, is ground zero for Neapolitan pizza — this is where you'll find the queues outside Gino e Toto Sorbillo and Starita, both consistently among the highest-rated in the city, along with L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele near the station, the no-frills original that's been doing two toppings only (margherita and marinara) since 1870. Pizzeria Laezza and Pizza 3.0 Ciro Cascella are both well-regarded alternatives if you'd rather skip the most famous lines entirely and still eat brilliantly. For something beyond pizza, Piazza Bellini and the surrounding streets are full of easy, well-loved spots for lunch and aperitivo, with wine bars like Il Mantegno Vineria drawing a mixed local-and-visitor crowd in the evening.

Near Santa Chiara, Lombardi a Santa Chiara is a solid, reliable choice if the Sorbillo line is out the door, and WineCafè Da Mario is worth seeking out for a more relaxed, well-reviewed sit-down meal. For proper Neapolitan home cooking beyond pizza — ragù, tripe, offal, the dishes locals actually grew up eating — Antonio La Trippa is the name to know, and Signora Bettola and Januarius both do reliably excellent, unfussy Neapolitan food without a tourist-menu feel. La Locanda Del Grifo is a good middle-ground option that does both pizza and a full restaurant menu well.

For street food and market energy, head to La Pignasecca, the city's oldest and largest outdoor market just off Via Toledo — it's the place to try a proper cuoppo (a paper cone of mixed fried things: potato croquettes, arancini, fried zucchini flowers, salt cod) alongside stalls selling fish, cheese, and produce. Don't skip a sfogliatella or babà from a proper pastry counter — Armando Scaturchio is a well-regarded stop for exactly that.

Pizza is the obvious headline — true Neapolitan pizza (now UNESCO-protected as an intangible cultural tradition) means a soft, blistered, wood-fired crust, and the debate over whether Sorbillo, Starita, or the historic L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele (doing only margherita and marinara since 1870) does it best is a genuinely fun one to have while you're here. Try pizza fritta too — a folded, deep-fried version stuffed with ricotta, provola, and cicoli (pork cracklings) — a completely different experience from the baked kind and just as essential.

Beyond pizza, look for ragù napoletano (a Sunday-lunch tomato-and-meat sauce simmered for six-plus hours with whole cuts of beef or pork, traditionally served over ziti) and pasta alla Genovese (despite the name, a purely Neapolitan dish — pasta with a rich, sweet sauce of beef slow-cooked down with a huge quantity of onions, no tomato involved). Spaghetti alle vongole, parmigiana di melanzane, and impepata di cozze (peppered mussels) are all classics worth seeking out, and mozzarella di bufala campana — the real, semi-liquid buffalo mozzarella from the area around Caserta — bears almost no resemblance to what's sold as mozzarella elsewhere.

For street food, hunt down a cuoppo — a paper cone of mixed fried things (potato croquettes, arancini, salt cod, fried zucchini flowers) — best found around La Pignasecca market, and taralli, a savory ring-shaped snack of lard, pepper, and almonds that Neapolitans eat the way other people eat pretzels. For dessert, sfogliatella comes in two forms — riccia (crisp, shell-shaped layers) and frolla (a softer, shortcrust version) — both filled with ricotta, candied citrus, and semolina, and Armando Scaturchio is a reliable, well-loved place to try either. Babà, a rum-soaked sponge cake, is the other essential sweet, and a proper Neapolitan espresso — strong, sweet, taken standing at the bar — rounds it all off. If someone offers to buy you a caffè sospeso, that's the local tradition of pre-paying for a stranger's coffee, not a scam.

Via Toledo is the main shopping artery — a long pedestrian strip mixing international chains with local shops, and it's also home to the Toledo metro station, one of the most striking subway stops in the world, worth a look even if you're not buying anything. Via Chiaia and the streets feeding into it (Via dei Mille, Via Calabritto) are where the tailoring and luxury boutiques cluster — this is Naples' answer to a designer shopping district. For something you won't find anywhere else, Via San Gregorio Armeno in the historic center is the famous nativity-scene alley, lined with workshops of artisans who've been hand-making presepe figurines for generations — it's touristy but genuinely unique, and open (and busiest) well beyond Christmas season, with figurines ranging from traditional shepherds to whichever footballer or politician is currently in the news.

For food to bring home or just to browse, La Pignasecca market off Via Toledo is the real deal — cheese, cured meat, spice, and produce stalls that have been trading for centuries, with none of the polish or markup of a tourist market. The Spanish Quarter's narrow streets are worth a wander too, for small independent shops, secondhand clothing, and local designers tucked between the more famous street-food stalls.

Start at Piazza del Plebiscito, the vast, elegant square in front of the Royal Palace, then let yourself get lost walking the length of Spaccanapoli, the dead-straight street that literally splits the old town in two — it's chaotic, loud, and the single best way to feel the city's texture. Inside the centro storico, the Cappella Sansevero holds the Cristo Velato (Veiled Christ), a marble sculpture so technically astonishing that legend claims the sculptor turned to alchemy to achieve it — it's small, it sells out, and it's absolutely worth booking a timed ticket in advance.

Go underground: Napoli Sotterranea takes you through 2,400-year-old Greco-Roman cisterns and WWII bomb shelters beneath the streets, and the Catacombs of San Gennaro offer an entirely different, quieter side of the city's history — both are guided-tour only, so book ahead. The Museo Archeologico Nazionale (MANN) holds most of the best mosaics and frescoes actually excavated from Pompeii and Herculaneum, and pairing an hour here with your day trip to the ruins makes both sites make a lot more sense.

Ride one of the funiculars up to Vomero for Castel Sant'Elmo and the Certosa di San Martino, both with sweeping views over the whole bay, and if you have half a day, the Museo di Capodimonte in its Bourbon palazzo holds an extraordinary collection (Caravaggio, Titian, Raphael) with far shorter lines than Rome's big museums. In the evening, Piazza Vincenzo Bellini is a favorite spot to sit outside with a drink and watch the city go by — it's got real neighborhood energy without feeling staged for visitors. If you're up for a proper outing, the hike to the rim of Mount Vesuvius (about 30 minutes uphill from the car park, reached by bus from Ercolano Scavi station) rewards you with a look down into the crater and one of the best views of the whole bay you'll get anywhere.