The Ultimate 1 Day In Naples Itinerary

What to see: Old Town Centro Storico, Spanish Quarters
What to do: Napoli Sotterranea, Street Food Tour with Sightseeing
What to try: Pizza Fritta, Babà pastry
Where to stay: Pendino district near the old town and train station. We stayed at the Calenda Suite right next to the famous Da Michele pizzeria

If this is too much for you, you can shorten the route using the metro or public transport.

Alternatively, you can also ride the Hop-on Hop-off bus.

⭐️ Tip: The Hop-on-Hop-off bus takes you past many of the attractions. You'll only see these from the outside during your limited time of one day anyway, and you'll save a lot of time with a bus tour.

If you like an attraction, you also have the option to get off there and get back on the next bus.

We spent 4 days in Naples on our last visit. Of that, two days in Naples.

The other two days, we visited Pompeii and Herculaneum and hiked Mount Vesuvius. 

If we had only had one day available, we would have taken a bus ride in the morning and spent the rest of the time in the old town. 

Spending only one day in Napoli, you can only see most attractions from the outside due to time constraints anyway.

Nevertheless, you’ll find an optimized schedule below if you want to see the city on foot so you can see what attractions there are in Naples:

Naples 1-Day Itinerary Suggested Walking Route

On the map, you’ll find the city tour for one day in Naples, one of the best cities in South Italy. You’ll find our suggestions for the morning and the afternoon.

You’ll find more tips that you might otherwise miss, and we share our experiences below within the individual attractions.

⭐️ Tip: You can save the map on your phone and conveniently follow the route.

If you need all the info and hints about it, you’ll also find the link to this article in the map.

Best Things To See On A Day Trip To Naples

The best starting point for the attractions in Naples is the port of Naples.

📍 Starting point: Municipio metro station at the port of Naples

1. Port of Naples

The Municipio subway station is located right at the port. Here, you can see the large cruise ships. 

The ferries that go to the island of Capri and the Amalfi Coast attractions also depart from here. You can also enjoy a view of the Gulf of Naples here.

From the promenade towards Castel Nuovo, there’s an elevated paved path, the Molo Beverello. 

Here, you get the best view of the Castel Nuovo fortress and the port.

2. Castel Nuovo

When you reach this medieval fortress, we recommend walking across the wooden drawbridge and taking a quick look at the inner courtyard. 

Castel Nuovo is an impressive structure. From the drawbridge, you also have a beautiful view of some of the magnificent buildings.

⭐️ Tip: If you book a ticket for the Hop-on-Hop-off bus, there’s a stop in front of Castel Nuovo.

3. Galleria Umberto I

The Galleria Umberto I is an arcade covered with a glass roof. It looks almost like the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan.

A short visit is worth it. The architecture inside the gallery is beautiful and a great photo spot.

It’s worth not only looking up at the glass dome but also at the floor.

You can see beautiful mosaics in the middle of the Galleria Umberto I.

Travel Tip: Be aware of these tourist scams we experienced here.

4. Palazzo Reale – The Royal Palace Of Naples

From the Galleria Umberto I, you’re right at the Palazzo Reale. You’ll pass a roundabout here. 

If you feel like it and have time, you can visit the Chiesa di San Ferdinando church. We were always amazed at how beautiful each of the churches in Naples, Rome, and Florence are. 

In this church, you can also see a large nativity scene all year round.

Nativity scenes are very important in Naples, as you’ll learn later.

At the Palazzo Reale, we recommend that you take a peek into the inner courtyard and the garden behind the Palazzo.

In the spacious inner courtyard of the Royal Palace, you can take a look from the outside at the beautiful and famous staircase.

When you’ve finished a tour of the grounds, you can leave the palace again and have a direct view of the next attraction.

5. Piazza Del Plebiscito With San Francesco Church

The Piazza del Plebiscito is the largest square in Naples.

At the end of the semicircular square is the San Francesco Church or Basilica Reale Pontificia di San Francesco da Paola.

Here, too, you can take a look inside the special church.

Inside, you can appreciate the large dome, and huge statues which are placed inside. 

From Piazza del Plebiscito, a street leads down to the shore.

6. Waterfront Promenade

From Piazza del Plebiscito, you’ll pass a small park on your way to the shore.

Here is the statue of Augustus. Continue along the waterfront promenade. We went down to the sea here.

You’ll likely meet fishermen and older locals swimming in the clear sea.

At this place, you’ll have a beautiful view of the Gulf of Naples and Vesuvius.

The half-day tour to the volcano is a must when visiting Naples, as are, of course, the archaeological sites of Herculaneum and Pompeii.

The walk continues past the Fontana del Gigante fountain.

7. Castel Dell’Ovo

Castel dell’Ovo is a popular photo spot in Naples.

At the moment, it’s closed, but you can walk along the bridge to the entrance.

The best way to take pictures of the fortress is by leaving it and continuing along the city tour route. 

Along the promenade, you’ll pass Piazza della Vittoria.

Here, you also have a nice view of Castel Sant’Elmo. You can find more info about admission here.

The Castel Sant’Elmo is another highlight in Naples, as it’s located on a hill, and from there, you have beautiful views of Naples. 

You can take the train up here near the Montesanto metro station.

We skipped this in our itinerary because it would have been too much. 

If you’re interested, you can include it in your schedule, but you’ll have to cut out another program item.

8. Diego Maradona Mural In Quartieri Spagnoli

The Diego Maradona Mural is located in the Quartieri Spagnoli district.

One of the most important soccer players in the world played for SSC Napoli for a while.

Even if you’re not a soccer fan, we think it’s worth visiting the mural.

Why? You walk through typical, narrow alleys that show you the real Naples. 

Additionally, where the mural is located, the square is colorful and a lot is going on.

You can see so much here. I really liked this area.

⭐️ Tip: From Piazza della Vittorio to the Diego Maradona Mural, you’ll pass small bars or restaurants. 

We sat here in the outdoor area of a café along the street, in this case, a staircase, and ordered an aperitivo and snacks.

We did a street food tour in the lively old town in the evening and knew that we would certainly be stuffed after tasting the many specialties from Naples.

After you’ve marveled at the mural or the alleys, the afternoon continues in the old town of Naples.

9. UNESCO World Heritage Centro Storico (Old Town Of Naples)

Via Toledo, the most famous shopping street in Naples, takes you past the Basilica di Santa Clara. 

Here, you’re in Spaccanapoli, a district made up of seven streets cutting through the Centro Storico.

The garden in the area of the Basilica de Santa Chiara, with the mosaic-decorated columns, the museum, and the archaeological excavation sit,e is our favorite Naples hidden gem. 

If you want to visit the Basilica and the monastery for a fee, you should plan 1 ½ to 2 hours.

These attractions are also located in the old town of Naples:

10. Via San Gregorio Armeno (Naples Nativity Scene Street)

Via San Gregorio Armeno is a famous, small street in the old town. The narrow alley is flanked by small shops on the left and right. 

Here, you’ll find nativity figures and accessories for the nativity scene, and you can watch a few wood carvers at work.

Otherwise, you’ll also find plenty of different souvenirs here.

10. Napoli Sotterranea (Naples Underground)

An underground tour in Napoli Sotterranea was, besides the street food tour, the absolute highlight in Naples for us.

We wrote an article about our Naples underground tour experience, sharing who it’s for and who shouldn’t do this tour.

The attraction is very popular, and you can only visit underground Naples during a guided tour. 

We booked the tickets in advance online, as the popular tour is often sold out. We booked this tour here.

 NAPOLI SOTTERRANEA TICKET WITH GUIDED TOUR

11. Via dei Tribunali

When you’re at Napoli Sotteranea, you’re on Via dei Tribunali.

This is one of the most popular and, in my opinion, one of the most exciting streets in Naples.

Here, one café, restaurant, or street food stand follows the next, and along the street are sometimes inconspicuous churches that you can enter. 

There are souvenir shops here and the only limoncello factory in Naples (we visited this during the guided street food tour and, of course, tasted limoncello).

We did this 2.5-hour street food tour, including sightseeing, which we can highly recommend.

12. Duomo Di Napoli (Naples Cathedral)

To end the day, you visit the Cathedral of Naples. To do this, continue along Via dei Tribunali and then turn into Via Duomo.

The cathedral is huge, even though it doesn’t look that big from the outside in the middle of the narrow old town of Naples.

From the cathedral, you can then walk to the Duomo metro station and end the day.

As mentioned several times, we did a street food tour in the evening. Naples was voted the best food city in the world. 

There’s so much to taste here, and you can get to know the most important delicacies on a guided tour.

If you don’t feel like it, you’ll find good food in Via dei Tribunali.

If you want to visit the famous pizzeria that played a role in the movie Eat Pray Love with Julia Roberts, it’s located near the Duomo metro station.

You can read more about the food and specialties in Naples that you shouldn’t miss here:

Conclusion About The Highlights Of Naples In 24 Hours

You can see many of the highlights on a day trip to Naples.

However, if you want to enjoy all the sights at your leisure, we recommend spending 2 days in Naples.

Then you can also check out the Naples insider tips and really enjoy the good food.

A final tip on arrival: We arrived by high-speed train from Florence, also explored the sights around Naples by train, and then continued by train to Rome. 

Due to the super-fast train connection, you can even make a day trip from Rome by train to Naples or vice versa.

⭐️ Travel Tip: Check out our Rome Naples itinerary if you want to see the best of both cities.

You can find more tips about a city trip in Italy in our Italy city guides.

Want to learn more about Naples and the best things to do? Then please read on here:

Naples Travel Tips
How To Visit Mount Vesuvius
Essential tips on how to visit Pompeii
How To See Pompeii And Herculaneum In One Day

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