Our family is going on a cruise in Europe, and one of the port stops is Naples. We were planning to stay in Naples, and not take any of the tours to Sorrento or Pompeii. Does anyone know of great places/sites to see in Naples? And, does anyone know if the Castel Nuovo & Del'Ovo are places you can tour? If so, how much are tickets and can they be purchased in advance? Would appreciate any guidance on Naples. Thanks
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
You have bought the RS book on Italy, right? He has a section on Naples.
Posted by
Florence
362 posts
The Archaeological Museum is world class - I would not miss it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naples_National_Archaeological_Museum
(note - the link to the official "site" on the Wikipedia page appears bogus to me)
Plus they have all of the best artifacts from Pompeii there, so you can still get a taste of Pompeii without visiting the site.
Posted by
Ex expat
38 posts
Castles Nuovo and Ovo are interesting, but not the best things to see on limited time. You'll want to go to the historic center (SpaccaNapoli) and see some of the great stuff there like Napoli Sotteranea, Santa Chiara church and it's cloisters, see the persepes on San Gregorio Armeno. The historic center is near the not-to-be-missed Archeological Museum. The opera house is amazing. And/or you can take a quick funiculare ride up to the Vomero neighborhood and walk down via Scarlatti and Villa Floridana. Don forget to have pizza and sfoliatella (a yummy pastry.) Good pizza in the historic center or in Vomero at Angolo d'Paradiso. have fun!
Posted by
Philadelphia, PA
1 posts
The museums mentioned in the other posts are great! I also recommend Ercalano, less touristy if you want to see something like Pompeii. The views of Naples from Sant'Elmo are great. Make sure you have the Napoli pizza, is is amazing! There are also catacombs such as the Sotterranea. You might want to look at getting a Campania Art Card if you are going to stay for more than 3 days.
If you have time and transportation go to Pozzuoli (close to Naples), see the Flavian Amphitheater(3rd largest in Italy) and Solfatara (volcanic crater).
*Naples is an interesting city, there is a lot of history, culture, art and great food. I enjoyed visiting, but I was disappointed with all the graffiti and trash.