Is Naples really a dangerous place to visit in 2022?

Good grief
What sort of travel planner is that?

If he/she thinks Naples is too dangerous as an overnight stay why wouldn’t it also be dangerous as a day trip?

You might find this thread informative
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/napoli-finally

Naples is somewhat 'gritty' when compared with some other Italian cities - Rome, Florence, Venice. And it certainly has some less than enticing neighborhoods, but that's pretty normal for large cities, including Paris, New York, Miami, Chicago, London, etc..

I really enjoyed staying in Naples for a few days and never felt I was in any physical danger.

I'm curious, has this travel planner ever been to Naples? Or are they just repeating stuff they've heard from people who prefer their tourist experiences to be sanitized rather than 'real'.

Please ask the "travel planner" to tell you about their last visit to Naples, for how long, where did they stay and in what century.

We have been there three times. I don't perceive it any more "dangerous" than Rome, Milan, Paris. Many European cities, more so than many US cities, have a problem with petty theft -- mostly pick pocketing. Exercise a little precaution and you will be fine. You cannot avoiding looking like a tourist but just don't look like a stupid, American tourist. Let someone else fill that role and you will be fine. Now, having said all of that, I would not encourage Naples as a first city visit for a novice traveler. You do need a little experience to full appreciate Naples.

Not proud of it, but Naples Italy has a better crime / safety score than my city, New Orleans, LA USA
https://bit.ly/3dfxZR9

In July 2017, I spent 3 nights in Naples. I went to the art museum - its in a bucolic uncrowded neighborhood in the northern part of the city - yeah when I travel I Iike to check out museums and sights that are not the most visited places; I walked past a castle and on a path partly around the shore of the bay of Naples, past a place where yachts were docked or tied up, past a little park with a miniature amusement park with children's rides at one end of the park, past a highly decorated but maybe not well known fountain, past street vendors; another day I went to the archaeology museum and bought something at an outdoor market before or after... there are a lot of neighborhoods I purposefully didn't go into because I was afraid the city is supposed to be u safe... i probably was persuaded wrong... some areas near the train station are or were supposed to be decrepit... from what I saw, where I walked, the buildings were in ok condition, I felt safe most of the time ... there was a place near the art museum where I had to turn around and back away from a stray barking dog 10 yards or less in front of me... that was the only scary part of Naples... if there are dangerous and/or decrepit neighborhoods, I didn't see them... my experience was fine... the neighborhoods I was in were in good or acceptable condition. See what neighborhoods the guidebooks recommend staying in. You others who replied are right...

Check your email for the email Rick Steves sent out today about extending your cancellation date beyond 12/31.

Neapolitans have two famous proverbs, the first says:

"Idiots' mothers are always pregnant"

but the second stresses that:

"Every cockroach is beautiful to its own mother".

In short, your travel planner has a big flaw, but some may think he has his merits. Just like Naples.

We spent 10 in South Italy after our terrific 2018 RS Greece tour, (think it was 2018 time has gotten muddy with this covid time) anyway we stayed Positano, Sorrento and then three days in Naples specifically to see the archeological museum that has all the amazing artifacts that were removed from Pompeii, we booked a hotel in a good district of Naples, the Chiana district, we are so glad we went, people were warm and friendly, lots of lovely restaurants and people out in that area in the evening, in the daytime we walked to the museum and it was absolutely stunning to see what had been found in Pompeii, really gives context to your visit to Pompeii, then we spent all day wandering the Spanish district, a terrific area of narrow streets full of fascinating vendors, wine bars and food, it was like walking through a movie, Neapolitans make an art form of espresso and pizza, yes there is graffiti, and a bit of grubbiness, but remember this city is thousands of years old, so worth visiting, book a hotel in a good district so the evenings are enjoyable, and get out and walk! Friendly people fabulous food and history living right in front of you

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/surviving-naples

Note that the title of the link is intended to be ironic.

others have pretty much said what i wanted to so i'll just cut and paste my comments from elsewhere in the forum!

'i spent 3 days in naples in july. additionally, i spent 28 days in sicily staying in cities like palermo, catania and several others. i also lived in los angeles for 32 years. i can tell without hesitation that i felt less threatened anywhere in italy than in la or any other city in the usa. just take common-sense precautions and you will be fine.'

by the way when i read 'travel planner' i thought you meant an online one. didn't know they even exist. obviously, this one is woefully ill informed.

To get context, ask him/her what he thinks about travel to certain places in the US.

The fact that that Naples is safe enough does not mean you will like it. We enjoyed it and found Sorrento bland by comparison (where we went next). But I was there for a conference and I would say about 1/2 the people hated it. I did notice that those of us who liked it were concentrated in hotels near the “egg” castle which was a pedestrian free zone. We had a beautiful room overlooking the water. I think the secret may be to have a nice area to come back too as the level of chaos in much of Naples could lose its charm.

By the standards of American cities it is very safe.
The statistics say that, In spite of its reputation, Naples is actually safer than most Italian cities. It doesn’t even make the top 10 in Italy (Milan is the most dangerous city in crime per capita, followed by Rimini and Bologna).
Naples makes the top 1 only for two types of crime (on a per capita basis)
PURSE SNATCHING (furto con strappo, in Italian)
ARMED ROBBERIES (banks, stores),
both are however very low in absolute numbers.
https://lab24.ilsole24ore.com/reati2018/

The city is however somewhat chaotic and gritty, with lots of graffiti and certainly not the city with the cleanest streets, therefore many are turned off by that and that total lack of neatness adds to the overall feeling of unsafety. Just stay around Piazza Plebiscito/Via Chiaia, probably the nicest area in the historical center.

You just ruined my opinion of Milan. Always thought that Milan was underrated. The big issue (IMO) that most American tourist have is that we associate in US cities a high level of graffiti, street clutter, rundown buildings, gritty etc., with poverty, high crime rate, etc. and make the same assumption in Europe. It is just cultural differences.

I'd stop talking to that travel planner.

I wouldn't put Naples at the top of my recommended Italian destinations but if you want to explore the area (Pompeii, Ischia, even Capri, Sorrento) its a convenient base and it's well worth spending a couple of days just seeing the city.

I was alone in Naples for several days about 5 years ago (single retired woman) and while there were a couple places I felt were dicey, it was just my imagination in overdrive. Nothing happened. Crossing streets is a skill that you need to learn, the best advice is to cross with locals. Unlike Rome, there aren't a lot of pedestrian nuns or mothers with baby carriages to help you out.

Sorry Frank for having ruined your image of Milan.
These are the most dangerous cities in Italy for the various crimes:

MURDERS/ATTEMPTED MURDER:
1. Vibo Valentia (Calabria)
2. Nuoro (Sardinia)
3. Foggia (Puglia)

ROBBERIES:
1. Naples (Campania)
2. Milan (Lombardy)
3. Rimini (Romagna)

SEXUAL ASSAULT:
1. Trieste (Friuli VG)
2. Bolzano (Alto Adige/Sud Tirol)
3. Milan (Lombardy)

THEFT (PURSE SNATCHING)
1. Naples (Campania)
2. Rimini (Romagna)
3. Milan (Lombardy)

THEFT (PICKPOCKETS)
1. Rimini (Romagna)
2. Bologna (Emilia)
3. Milan (Lombardy)

THEFT (HOME BURGLARIES)
1. Savona (Liguria)
2. Lucca (Tuscany)
3. Modena (Emilia)

THEFT (COMMERCIAL/STORE THEFT)
1. Milan (Lombardy)
2. Florence (Tuscany)
3. Bologna (Emilia)

THEFT (AUTO THEFT)
1. Andria-Barletta-Trani (Puglia)
2. Bari (Puglia)
3. Catania (Sicily)

Thanks, Roberto - these are interesting. I guess I'm most surprised by Puglia's statistics: Foggia for murder??? Wha?

When we spent several nights in Naples, we stayed IN the Spanish quarter, which many people say you shouldn't even walk through. No problems and we found it extremely interesting.

Janet.

Puglia, like other regions of Italy, has a problem with the mafia, organized crime organizations which take different names in the various regions:
Cosa Nostra (Sicily)
‘Ndrangheta (Calabria)
Camorra (Campania)
Sacra Corona Unità (Puglia)

However, don’t worry. Murderers don’t target tourists. Also, in absolute numbers, murders in Italy are at a historic low.

In 2020, maybe because of the pandemic lockdowns, there were a total of only 271 murders in Italy, down from 300-350 average in previous years. That is nothing for a country of 60 million people when you consider that Cook County, Illinois (Chicago), which has a population of only 5 million, just passed 1000 murders this year.

Unfortunately more than half of the murder victims in Italy were women killed by their significant other. Organized crime went down because of the pandemic, but domestic violence (uxoricide) increased. Being locked down at home 24 hours a day with your spouse I guess is not always that great.

Foggia for murder??? Wha?

It all started with the iron curtain and the heavy taxes on cigarettes...
Then when the Cold War ended, they discovered that the same routes used to smuggle cigarettes from Albania could be used to bring AK47s, immigrants and drugs.

...and German cars in the opposite direction if you wondered why there are so many car thefts in Puglia. The victory of capitalism improved everything in eastern Europe, even crime.

Good grief.
Has your "travel planner" actually traveled anywhere, or just watched Godfather movies? :O
I sincerely hope this person is not actually employed as a travel agent.

I have been to Naples twice, and loved every minute.
I'm a female.
I stayed in apartments in the Spanish Quarter both times.
First trip for a week in 2013, alone for two days till my friend arrived; second for 5 nights in 2019.
The people were so friendly and very helpful too.
My first trip I was looking for a grocery store after I had arrived at dusk.
I asked a shopkeeper on my way, and he shut his shop and walked me two streets away to the grocery store.
The food is really good, there is much to see, and the street life is amazing.
You would just take all the usual safety precautions, as for any other trip.

Go!!