Things to Do in Naples, Sorted by Price

Free first

The best money-saving fact about Naples is how much of it costs nothing. Spaccanapoli and the parallel Via dei Tribunali, the straight Greek-Roman streets that cut through the old centre, are free to walk all day. The nave of the Duomo di San Gennaro is free, as are Piazza del Plebiscito, Galleria Umberto I and the nativity-figure workshops of San Gregorio Armeno, where craftsmen sell hand-painted presepe figures year-round. The seafront at Borgo Marinari and Castel dell’Ovo’s exterior cost nothing either, and the terrace at Parco Virgiliano in Posillipo looks across the Gulf to Capri and Ischia.

The Duomo has a date worth knowing. The blood of San Gennaro is shown at the Saturday before the first Sunday of May, on 19 September and on 16 December.

Under EUR10

  • Espresso at the counter: EUR1.00 to EUR1.30.
  • Pizza a portafoglio on Via dei Tribunali: EUR2.00 to EUR3.50. Fried pizza is EUR3.50 to EUR5.50.
  • Metro Line 1 to Toledo station, famous for Robert Wilson’s blue mosaic ceiling: one Unico fare of about EUR1.20 to EUR1.30, valid 90 minutes.
  • The Circumvesuviana to Ercolano Scavi or Pompei Scavi: roughly EUR2.60 to EUR3.60 each way from Napoli Garibaldi.
  • Vesuvius crater trail: EUR10 (EUR8 for under 25s) plus a small booking fee.

The Vesuvius trail needs planning. There is no ticket booth at the top, and tickets are sold only online, in timed slots, at vesuviopark.vivaticket.it . Hours depend on the month. October runs 9:00 to 16:00, November to February 9:00 to 15:00. If an orange weather alert is issued the visit is cancelled and refunded. The Vesuvius National Park page lists the details.

EUR10 to EUR25

  • Cappella Sansevero: EUR12, closed Tuesdays, booking mandatory. Arrive early for your slot.
  • Herculaneum: EUR16. Opening hours are 8:30 to 19:30 until 14 October, then 8:30 to 17:00 from 15 October.
  • MANN: EUR20, or EUR10 with the Artecard.
  • Pompeii: EUR20 for the Express route, EUR25 for Pompeii+ with the suburban villas, and EUR30 for the 3-day pass.
  • Napoli Sotterranea: roughly EUR12 to EUR15.

Pompeii is 25 km away and takes about 35 minutes by Circumvesuviana towards Sorrento. The park limits entry to 20,000 people a day and issues named tickets, so book through Pompeii’s official ticketing page . Each first Sunday of the month entry is free at Pompeii, Herculaneum and MANN, but the MANN free tickets cannot be reserved ahead.

Splurge days

A pizza masterclass with a master pizzaiuolo is typically EUR45 to EUR85 per person, and an archaeologist-led small-group tour of Pompeii or Herculaneum is EUR40 to EUR75. A shared full-day boat trip to Capri with the Blue Grotto and the Faraglioni is EUR85 to EUR160. You can browse Naples food and history tours on Viator to compare options.

Money tips

  • Hydrofoils to Capri or Ischia from Molo Beverello take about 50 minutes and cost about EUR21 to EUR30 each way.
  • Artecard passes bundle entries with local transport, but prices on the Artecard site change, so work out whether Pompeii plus MANN justifies one.
  • Beware pickpockets on the Circumvesuviana and in Piazza Garibaldi.

Sequence these by price and you can see Naples properly on a modest budget. Pair them with the 4-day Naples itinerary to put the free days between the paid ones.