Naples is one of the highlights of southern Italy, a gem of a city and a great location to explore more of the region.
There is something fairly foreboding about a volcano, especially one that is not extinct and hasn’t erupted for seventy years. When will it go again you may be thinking?
Vesuvius and the wonderfully preserved ruins of Pompeii receive huge numbers of tourists each year and if you are considering a trip to Italy you should look at Naples and its surroundings very closely indeed.
Naples Travel Resources
These are my favourite companies to use when I travel.
• Find cheap flights with Skyscanner.
• Get the best deals on hotels on Booking.com.
Top Attractions
Naples is perfect for a short city break, but if you have more time you will be able to take in more of the popular destinations in the city and surrounding area.
These are some unmissable places to add to your Naples travel itinerary.
• Mount Vesuvius
• Naples National Archaeological Museum
• Castel Nuovo
• Ovo Castle
• Royal Palace of Naples
• San Carlo Theatre
• Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte
• Museo Cappella Sansevero
• Piazza del Plebiscito
• Live Napoli football game at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona
Naples Tours
Find the best city sightseeing tours & attraction tickets on GetYourGuide or Viator.
Food and Drink
Pizza
Italy is home to some of the best food and restaurants on the planet, fact! There is the richness that can be found throughout Italy, the wonderful Italian cuisine that has evolved over the years based upon olive oil and locally produced fresh produce. View my guide for where to buy the best pizza in Naples.
Chocolate
Put all thoughts of a block of strawberry, chocolate and vanilla out of your mind and head to Gay Odin in Naples. With ten stores in the city, you’ll never be too far from the creamy delights of this master chocolatier’s iced treats, but why not skip the cocoa flavours and try the unusual cottage cheese and pear concoction instead?
Best Day Trips from Naples
No other city though can offer you the chance of going to see such a famous volcano.
Pompei and Pompeii
If your base is Naples, one of the tours you should certainly do is a trip that incorporates the modern town of Pompei, the ruins of Pompeii and Vesuvius itself. Pompei gets tourists in its own right. It is where many go to pay their respects to the Madonna in a place where a 19th century miracle cured a child suffering from epilepsy. Many hope for similar miracles to cure their ailments and the revenue they have brought to the town has been most welcome.
International travellers may concentrate more on the Roman ruins. Daily life in ancient Rome is portrayed in the Antiquarium di Boscoreale with a whole variety of exhibits. They range from fishing rods to dormice cages. The riches of Pompeii are held in many museums in the world and as a result photographs of exhibits held elsewhere are also displayed on the walls.
The eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD had the benefit of preserving Pompeii far better than the weather worn remains in Rome. The frescoes still adorn the walls of the buildings which are largely complete. The excavation project is far from complete and fairly recently a large frescoed leisure complex was found when roadwork was being done on a local motorway.
Vesuvius
It is certainly worth taking one of the many official tours from Naples because you can then be certain of getting official and accurate information on what you are seeing rather than rely on local guides who are not always as knowledgeable as they seem.
Vesuvius was probably 600 metres higher before the 79AD eruption. It was green and well vegetated; it would not really appear to be much of a threat. It is a rich and fertile area that today’s population use to their benefit; all 700,000 of them that would be close enough if another eruption occurred.
Sorrento
If you decide to mix your enjoyment of Naples to see other attractions you may also decide to go down to Capri or Sorrento neither of which are quite as chaotic as Naples and there is time to relax away from the bustle and just take in the surroundings over a coffee. This is a beautiful and dramatic coastline and well worth the effort to jump aboard a tour to let the locals show you its delights.
Capri & Amalfi Coast
Two of the unmissable destinations on any southern Italian itinerary, the Amalfi Coast is spectacular and Capri is an island which is stunning and popular with local and international celebrities. Both can be visited on day tours or longer excursions. View my tips for driving the Amalfi Coast.