Naples in 3 Days: tips, what to see, and much more

If you want to spend 3 days in Naples and you don't know where to start to optimize your days, don't worry because I have the perfect itinerary for you. You will know in depth all its historic center, visit the main basilicas and museums, walk through the subway network of streets and make a fascinating excursion to Pompeii and its emblematic volcano.

To have a first contact with the city, I have prepared a full day where you will visit some of the must-see places in Naples, such as the Cathedral or the Archaeological Museum. You can also taste some of the richest dishes of its gastronomy and stroll through the historic center knowing all its subway network.

Tour the Archaeological Museum and Dante Square

I suggest you get up early this first day to make the most of the day and go to one of the most important museums in Naples. The Archaeological Museum has a lot to see and is full of all kinds of remains and antiquities ranging from faraway places like Egypt and the Orient, to the very remains left by the eruption of Vesuvius.

It is considered one of the oldest and most important archaeological museums in the world and is certainly a must for your trip to Naples. To get there, you can take the subway or bus to the stop Napoli Piazza Cavour, although it is in a very central area and if you stay in a tourist hotel, you can certainly walk there. I recommend you to buy the ticket for the National Archaeological Museum in advance. Its price is around $26 but, if you are lucky and you are on the first Sunday of the month, it will be free!

Discover the subway Naples

Leaving the museum, you will have the entire old town of Naples to explore. I suggest you walk just 5 minutes to reach the entrance of one of the most popular Neapolitan tours; its subway city.

There are guided tours every hour and the entrance costs about $16, a great bargain to get into the whole network of tunnels. You can even come to the surface and see the remains of an ancient Roman theater.

These subway tunnels are one of the great treasures of Naples and, although it is not very suitable for people who suffer from claustrophobia, hire a tour of the subways of Naples is an excellent plan in which you can walk through streets thousands of years old that were even used during the bombings of World War II.

Take a rich gastronomic tour

As soon as you get to the surface, you are sure to get hungry. For lunch you can opt to try your luck in one of the restaurants in the center. Wherever you go, I assure you that the Neapolitan style pizza and pasta will be first class.

However, since you are in one of the most central areas of the city, I suggest you invest your lunch time in one of the best gastronomic tours to try all their specialties.

In this way, for about 16, you will have a specialized guide who will take you through the streets of the oldest areas and will give you to taste the best mozzarella, different types of fried pizza, local dishes and, of course, the typical gelatto. Booking a gastronomic tour of Naples will make your mouth water!

Visit the Cathedral and the Basilica di San Domenico Maggiore

With a full stomach everything looks better and, now that you've had lunch, I suggest you go and see two of the architectural emblems of the old town of Naples: its Cathedral and its Basilica of San Domenico Maggiore.

The Cathedral, also known as Duomo, is the most important religious center of the whole city and, although it may seem less striking than other cathedrals in Italy, it has a great relevance for Neapolitans. It was built in the fourteenth century and inside it has an extraordinary treasure of silver figures. Admission is free and, just after lunch, it is not usually crowded with tourists.

As for the Basilica of Domenico Maggiore, it is only a 10-minute walk from the Duomo and, although it tries to go unnoticed on the outside, inside it has a whole display of Gothic art that has made it a reference in the city. It is said that among its chambers came to live the very St. Thomas Aquinas. Admission is also free, although you can pay about 5 € if you want a guided tour.

Stroll around Piazza Garibaldi and Porta Nolana

To end this first full day in which you will have already done many of the things to see and do in Naples, I suggest that, leaving the basilica, you head west until you reach Piazza Garibaldi. This is one of the most important points of the city, as it serves as a connection point for all transportation. It has a statue dedicated to Giuseppe Garibaldi, the famous Italian politician and military man.

From here, you can reach in a few steps the famous Porta Nolana, a large marble arch with two towers that, in the past, was one of the access gates of the city.

Just 5 minutes from here, you can reach the Market Square, a place steeped in history where, given the time of day, you can stop to rest and have a bite to eat for dinner in one of the trattorias there.

For this second day I have prepared for you a whole itinerary around the area closest to the port that includes all kinds of cultural attractions, as well as time for shopping and delicious food. You will visit the Castel Nuovo in the morning and the Egg Castle at sunset, visit the great Galleries of Umberto I and see the treasures hidden in the Royal Palace, go ahead!

Visit the Castel Nuovo

You will start this second day by heading, either on foot or by metro, to Piazza Municipio, from where you can see the huge Castel Nuovo, located in the port area of Naples, one of its most historic and cultural areas.

This castle, built in the late thirteenth century, in the middle of medieval times, impresses all visitors with its five huge defense towers and its huge moat. The entrance costs only about 5€ approximately and is a great plan to do early in the morning without so many people.

Outside the views are amazing and worth going to see the small church of Palatina, located in the inner courtyard or the Barons' Hall, which has many paintings of the time.

Do your shopping at the Umberto I Gallery

At the exit of the Castle, and so that you do not get overwhelmed by seeing all the time during your trip historical remains, I have prepared a more dynamic and different plan. Taking advantage of the fact that from the Castle Novo you are just a few steps walk away, I suggest you go to visit the important Umberto I Gallery.

Originally, these famous galleries, formed by large glass and iron domes, were designed to clean up the bad reputation that had the entire port area. Today, it is one of the most important commercial points of the city.

I recommend that you take a leisurely stroll and, apart from taking pictures, take a look at the windows of the many stores in the lower part, either to buy gifts or a whim of your vacation.

Try the best pizza in Naples

After a morning of sightseeing and shopping, you're sure to feel like stopping to recharge your batteries. Don't worry because you are in an area full of restaurants and local food. You can opt for a bite to eat at one of the restaurants inside the Galleria, but if you don't want your wallet to suffer too much, you can walk around the surrounding area.

Naples is full of top quality pizza places. Whether you want to eat on the go or sit down in front of a knife and fork, in this area of Naples you can find places that specialize in the popular Neapolitan fried pizza.

Visit Piazza del Plebiscito and enter the Royal Palace

After lunch, you can't miss another must-see stop; Piazza del Plebiscito, just a few minutes walk away. This is one of the most important places and, due to its enormous extension, it has become the place where all the important events of the city are held. This huge square has the famous Basilica of San Francesco di Paola, in neoclassical style, with which you can marvel at its facade and even go inside to see its interior.

There is also another of Naples' treasures, due to its excellent state of preservation, the Royal Palace. This building took almost 200 years to build and today, you can enter to tour all its rooms and chambers, which will transport you to the seventeenth century.

The entrance fee is around $28 and buying a ticket to the Royal Palace is definitely a must to get to know a little better the modern history of the city.

Watch the sunset at the Ovo Castle

To end this second day, I suggest you walk about 10 minutes south and watch the sunset at one of the most photographed castles in Naples: the Ovo Castle, or egg in Spanish whose entrance, moreover, is free.

Its curious name comes from a legend by which Virgil would have placed an egg inside, predicting that, if it were to break, Naples would be doomed to a great tragedy.

It is one of the oldest buildings still standing in the city and just walk through what were once the dormitories and cells of the castle impresses. If you are passionate about castles and their history, I recommend you to book the tour of the castles of Naples. You will love it!

In these first two days that you have been in Naples, you have had time to get to know the whole fabric of its streets and visit some of the most essential places.

That's why, to make your trip even more complete, for this last day I have reserved for you an excursion that will leave you speechless; visit the Vesuvius volcano and the ruins of Pompeii.

There are many excursions from Naples to Vesuvius and Pompeii so you can choose the one that best suits your tastes. Even if you are very short of time, you can choose to go just to see Vesuvius, which is no more than 30 minutes from the center. However, I am going to tell you a complete one-day itinerary so you won't be left wanting for anything.

Visit Pompeii on an organized tour

Most of these tours are all-inclusive and, for around $129, you can even arrange to be picked up at the hotel where you are staying. From here, you will start the tour with a group of tourists, usually no more than 15 people.

In just over 30 minutes you will have reached the impressive ruins of the ancient city of Pompeii, which was razed to the ground centuries ago by the volcano Vesuvius. The tour includes entrance to this impressive site, which is considered one of the largest archaeological sites in Europe.

Take a walking tour of the city of Pompeii

Upon arrival, you will be met by a guide who will take you on a tour of about 2 hours throughout the ancient city. Pompeii has a lot to see and do; you will see the ancient Forum, the baths and even the brothels. Having been completely buried under lava, you can also see among its streets preserved objects of the time and even human remains of people who could not escape the eruption.

If you prefer, you can do the tour on your own by buying the ticket for about 10€ and get to Pompeii in a rented car or a regional train. However, I recommend you to book an excursion to Pompeii from Naples, as it will ensure that you will be able to see the whole city in one morning and not miss any detail.

Make a lunch stop in Pompeii

If you have finally decided to come on your own to visit Pompeii, you are probably wondering where to eat in Pompeii that is cheap and tasty so that you can continue your tour. One of the best places in the area, no doubt, is I Matti, where you can eat a good Mediterranean dish and recharge your batteries.

However, if you choose to make an organized tour, lunch will be included and you can sit down to eat a nice pizza while you rest to continue on your way to the fatal crater.

Climb to the top of Vesuvius

Just 40 minutes from Pompeii is the volcano that eventually wiped the city off the map; Vesuvius. One of the best panoramas is to take an accessible hike that is perfectly signposted and that will take you in just over an hour to the top of the volcano, from where you can see the crater.

This volcano is one of the few that is still active in Europe and, despite being asleep, if you look out you can see the columns of smoke rising from its bowels. In addition, from the top of this imposing place, you can have a privileged view of the entire port of Naples.

You can also choose to go on your own from Pompeii or from Naples to Vesuvius by taking a bus for less than 5€.

As you will have seen from this itinerary, Naples is a city that is easy to walk around and generally has all of its tourist attractions grouped together in one area. Even so, if you are staying in a remote area, the city has both a bus and subway system.

If you are coming for a few days to visit Naples, you can also consider the idea of taking one of the city's tourist buses, which will take you quickly and comfortably to the most emblematic places so you can condense your visit and see everything.

This is also an ideal scenario in the hot months as Naples in summer usually has a large increase in temperatures and humidity and, believe me, you will appreciate being able to sightsee with air conditioning.

Naples is a city full of history that you discover with every step you take. If you have a few days off or want to take advantage of a 3-day long weekend, do not hesitate and come and fall in love with this beautiful Italian city.