Naples Walks: Decumani, Quartieri, Posillipo

Three walks, three moods

Naples rewards walking more than any other kind of touring, but the city is too big for one route. Three separate walks, each two to four hours, give a fair sample of it.

Walk one: the Greek-Roman decumani

This is the straight historic axis. Begin at Piazza del Gesu and follow Spaccanapoli east through Piazza San Domenico Maggiore. Return along Via dei Tribunali, the parallel street, with a stop for a pizza a portafoglio at EUR2 to EUR3.50. Santa Chiara and the Duomo di San Gennaro are free to enter; both ask for covered shoulders and knees. For something indoors, the Cappella Sansevero opens at 9:00 and sells booked slots only, EUR12, closed Tuesdays. See the Cappella Sansevero page .

Add San Gregorio Armeno on the way: a lane of workshops making nativity figures all year round.

Walk two: Quartieri Spagnoli and Via Toledo

This grid of steep alleys lies off Via Toledo, with laundry strung overhead. At Largo Maradona you will find the large Diego Maradona mural. Wear sturdy shoes and keep your phone zipped away, because the area is busy and pickpockets operate in crowds.

Finish at Toledo station on Metro Line 1. Robert Wilson’s blue mosaic ceiling, nicknamed the Sea Cave, is part of an ordinary metro ride with a single Unico fare of about EUR1.20 to EUR1.30. Then walk up Via Toledo to Piazza del Plebiscito and the Gran Caffe Gambrinus, open since 1860, for an espresso at EUR1.00 to EUR1.30 standing.

Walk three: Posillipo and Marechiaro

For sea air, go to Posillipo. Parco Virgiliano is a free hilltop park with views to Capri, Ischia and Nisida. From there, follow the coast down to Marechiaro, a small fishing hamlet, passing cliffside villas. Offshore at Gaiola, Roman ruins lie in the shallows of the marine protected area; they are best seen from the shore on a calm day. The walk is hilly, so allow about 3 hours.

For a gentler seafront option, Lungomare Caracciolo leads to Castel dell’Ovo and Borgo Marinari. The causeway is free. Check the castle interior hours on the day.

Add a guide

If you prefer a local guide for the old centre, look at Naples walking tours on Viator and compare meeting points and group sizes.

Underground addition

After walk one, Napoli Sotterranea at Piazza San Gaetano 69 runs a 90-minute tour every hour from 10:00 to 18:00. It descends 136 steps to Greek-Roman cisterns, with groups under 10 not required to book. The Napoli Sotterranea timetable lists departures.

Practical points

  • Start walk one before 9:30, when the lanes are quietest.
  • Carry water and wear shoes with grip.
  • Wear bags across the chest near Piazza Garibaldi and the Circumvesuviana station.
  • Do not drive in the centre. Traffic-limited zones have hours that vary by gate and fines of roughly EUR80 to EUR335.

Do walk one in the morning, walk two after lunch and walk three at sunset. For help with sequencing, see the 2-day itinerary .