Rainy day · Naples · Italy
8 things to do in Naples when it rains
Indoor sights that make a wet day feel planned rather than lost.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Dominik Matus, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Start with National Archaeological Museum, Sansevero Chapel and the Veiled Christ and Piazza del Plebiscito and the Royal Palace. Together the 8 picks below take roughly 11–11 hours across 5 areas; 1 is free. November is usually the wettest month, with about 11 rainy days.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 8
- Free entry
- 1
- Time to see them all
- 11–11 hours
- Areas
- Centro Storico, Santa Lucia and the Lungomare and Via Toledo
Naples on a rainy day
Museum · Centro Storico
1.National Archaeological Museum
Visit before Pompeii to understand what you will see there, and head first to the mosaics on the mezzanine.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
Religious site · Centro Storico
2.Sansevero Chapel and the Veiled Christ
Photography is not allowed inside; take time to look at the veil from several angles.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
Palace · Santa Lucia and the Lungomare
3.Piazza del Plebiscito and the Royal Palace
Combine the palace with Teatro di San Carlo and coffee at a historic café on Piazza Trieste e Trento.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
- Iconic
Historic site · Centro Storico
4.Naples Underground
Wear comfortable shoes and skip the narrowest passage if you are claustrophobic; there is a way around.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
- Off the beaten path
Architecture · Via Toledo
5.Galleria Umberto I
Look up from the centre of the cross to see the full height of the dome.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Gallery · Capodimonte
6.Museo di Capodimonte
Allow time for the royal apartments and the porcelain parlour, then picnic in the park.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- History
- Outdoors
Historic site · Rione Sanità
7.Catacombs of San Gennaro
After the tour, walk downhill through the Sanità for pizza and baroque staircases.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
- Art
Architecture · Via Toledo
8.Toledo metro art station
Buy a single metro ticket and ride the escalators down to see the light cone from below.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Architecture
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Centro Storico | National Archaeological Museum, Sansevero Chapel and the Veiled Christ and Naples Underground | 3 hours + 45 minutes + 1.5 hours |
| Santa Lucia and the Lungomare | Piazza del Plebiscito and the Royal Palace | 1.5 hours |
| Via Toledo | Galleria Umberto I and Toledo metro art station | 20 minutes + 20 minutes |
| Capodimonte | Museo di Capodimonte | 3 hours |
| Rione Sanità | Catacombs of San Gennaro | 1 hour |
Booking and timing
Of these 8, 1 free, 2 low cost, 5 mid-priced. Book ahead for Sansevero Chapel and the Veiled Christ. The longest visit is National Archaeological Museum; group the rest by area to save travel time.
- Sansevero Chapel and the Veiled Christ: Queues are long and entry is limited; book a timed ticket online.
How to fit them into 3 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Centro Storico): National Archaeological Museum → Sansevero Chapel and the Veiled Christ, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Centro Storico, Santa Lucia and the Lungomare and Via Toledo): Naples Underground → Piazza del Plebiscito and the Royal Palace → Galleria Umberto I → Toledo metro art station, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Capodimonte and Rione Sanità): Museo di Capodimonte → Catacombs of San Gennaro, at least 4 hours.
The wettest months
- November: highs of 18°C (64°F), about 11 rainy days, quiet crowds. Rainy but mild; San Gregorio Armeno's nativity workshops fill with Christmas figures.
- December: highs of 14°C (57°F), about 11 rainy days, moderate crowds. Festive, with presepi in churches, struffoli honey balls and New Year's Eve fireworks over the bay.
- January: highs of 13°C (55°F), about 10 rainy days, quiet crowds. Mild but often rainy; quiet sights and low prices, with clear days showing snow on distant mountains.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Centro Storico — Greek street grid of churches, pizzerias and nativity workshops
- Santa Lucia and the Lungomare — Seafront hotels facing Castel dell'Ovo and Vesuvius
- Quartieri Spagnoli and Via Toledo — Dense grid of washing lines and street shrines beside the main shopping street
- Rione Sanità — Working-class district of baroque palaces, catacombs and community projects
More of Naples
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Naples?
National Archaeological Museum. One of the world's great collections of Greek and Roman antiquities, with the Farnese Bull and Farnese Hercules, the Alexander Mosaic and frescoes and everyday objects from Pompeii and Herculaneum.
+Which of these are free in Naples?
Galleria Umberto I.