2 days in Naples

Day by day

1. Day 1: National Archaeological Museum and Sansevero Chapel and the Veiled Christ

   National Archaeological Museum, Sansevero Chapel and the Veiled Christ, Spaccanapoli and the decumani and Via San Gregorio Armeno, then Teatro di San Carlo in the evening.

   1. Morning

      National Archaeological Museum

      The Secret Cabinet displays erotic art from the buried cities.

   2. Late morning

      Sansevero Chapel and the Veiled Christ

      Allegorical statues line the walls, and the crypt holds two eerie 18th-century anatomical models of the human circulatory system.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Neapolitan pizza

      Historic pizzerias on Via dei Tribunali and in the Sanità and Quartieri Spagnoli; expect queues at the famous names.

   4. Afternoon

      Spaccanapoli and the decumani

      Along it stand the Gesù Nuovo church with its diamond-point stone facade, Santa Chiara and dozens of small shops, while parallel Via dei Tribunali is lined with famous pizzerias.

   5. Late afternoon

      Via San Gregorio Armeno

      Busiest from November to Christmas, it is lively all year.

   6. Evening

      Teatro di San Carlo

      If you cannot see a performance, the short guided tour shows the auditorium and royal box.

2. Day 2: Piazza del Plebiscito and the Royal Palace and Castel dell'Ovo

   Piazza del Plebiscito and the Royal Palace, Castel dell'Ovo, Lungomare promenade and Naples Underground, then Piazza Bellini and the historic centre in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Piazza del Plebiscito and the Royal Palace

      Inside are a grand double staircase, royal apartments and a court theatre.

   2. Late morning

      Castel dell'Ovo

      Legend says the poet Virgil hid a magic egg in its foundations. Its terraces, free to visit, give views across the bay to Vesuvius, and the Borgo Marinari harbour below is lined with seafood restaurants.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Fried pizza

      Friggitorie and pizzerias in the historic centre and Sanità.

   4. Afternoon

      Lungomare promenade

      Locals swim from the rocks in summer, and the Villa Comunale park runs alongside.

   5. Late afternoon

      Naples Underground

      Some tours also visit remains of the Roman theatre hidden inside a ground-floor home.

   6. Evening

      Piazza Bellini and the historic centre

      Student bars, cheap drinks and crowds spilling into the square near the university.

Before you go

• Sansevero Chapel and the Veiled Christ: Queues are long and entry is limited; book a timed ticket online.

If it rains

• Swap in Galleria Umberto I (Via Toledo): Look up from the centre of the cross to see the full height of the dome.
• Swap in Museo di Capodimonte (Capodimonte): Allow time for the royal apartments and the porcelain parlour, then picnic in the park.
• Swap in Catacombs of San Gennaro (Rione Sanità): After the tour, walk downhill through the Sanità for pizza and baroque staircases.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 12–15 hours of visiting over 2 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 9.3 hours in December to 15.1 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Walking. The historic centre, Via Toledo, Piazza del Plebiscito and the seafront are all within about 20–30 minutes' walk of each other.

More or fewer days

• One day in Naples
• 3 days in Naples
• 4 days in Naples
• 5 days in Naples
• 7 days in Naples

Questions travellers ask