A Week in Naples: City Walks, Ruins and Sorrento

Naples rewards a week that gives its interiors as much attention as its streets: the Veiled Christ at Sansevero Chapel, Roman mosaics at MANN and views across the bay from Vomero. Keep one Naples base, give Pompeii, Herculaneum and Sorrento separate rail days, and return each evening for dinner in a different neighbourhood.

These are seven full sightseeing days after arrival, with accommodation rests between visits and evenings. The day numbers describe an order, not fixed weekdays: fit the reserved visits and weekly closures before settling the sequence.

Where to stay and what to book

Base

Around Piazza Dante, Naples

First morning

Walk east towards Sansevero Chapel

Stay

Seven full sightseeing days after arrival

Reserve first

Sansevero Chapel and Catacombs of San Gennaro

Day swaps

Move whole city days around their closures

Piazza Dante puts the historic centre within walking reach and gives you a convenient return point for afternoon rests. Choose accommodation with lift access if stairs are a concern: the sightseeing days already include uneven streets and hill walks.

Admission	Adult price	Individual booking	Compulsory supplement
Sansevero Chapel	€12	Advance timed booking	None
Santa Chiara	€7	On-site ticket office	None
MANN	€20	Optional	None
San Gennaro catacombs	€13	Reserved guided tour	—
Pompeii Express	€20	Advance purchase recommended	—
Royal Palace apartments	€15	Optional	None
Castel Sant’Elmo	€5	Optional	None
Seven-admission subtotal	€92	Single tickets	—
Herculaneum, additional	€16	On-site or online	€1.50 online

The subtotal covers the seven named admissions, not Herculaneum, the San Carlo tour, transport or meals. For Herculaneum’s free-admission days, collect the ticket on site, because reservations are neither needed nor available online. Naples daily budgets adds room and meal costs to your admission planning.

Criterion	Single admissions	Campania Artecard 7
Price	€92 for the seven admissions	€43 digital / €45 printed
Admission allowance	Each named visit	First five participating sites; then up to 50% off
Public transport	Separate fares	Not included
Santa Chiara	Included in subtotal	Separate admission

Artecard counts calendar days, not seven rolling 24-hour periods. Its validity begins at first participating-site access, with each day ending at midnight. Tap “ACTIVATE” in the artecard app at first use, before presenting the digital pass. Choose your participating admissions deliberately and keep the timed reservations when swapping your city days.

Day 1: Sansevero and the historic centre

The Veiled Christ, Spaccanapoli and Santa Chiara’s tiled cloister make an art-filled street day, ending with Piazza Bellini and dinner near Piazza Dante. Set off east from your base.

At Sansevero Chapel, the Veiled Christ is the centrepiece, its marble veil the detail to linger over.

Spaccanapoli cuts across the old city. San Gregorio Armeno adds nativity craftsmanship, while Gesù Nuovo’s diamond-patterned façade and San Lorenzo’s Gothic basilica make contrasting optional pauses. Santa Chiara’s hand-painted majolica benches and octagonal columns carry pastoral and mythological scenes.

On Via dei Tribunali, marinara usually combines tomato, garlic and oregano, while margherita adds mozzarella and basil. Expect roughly €10–€20 per person for pizza and a drink, rising with starters, alcohol or elaborate toppings.

Naples Cathedral’s Santa Restituta incorporates early Christian basilica remains. Ordinary free access includes it and the Baptistery of San Giovanni in Fonte, without individual reservation. The Chapel of the Illustrissimi belongs to the paid rooftop experience.

After resting, Piazza Bellini’s bars and visible Greek wall remains offer a compact evening stop.

Day 2: MANN, the catacombs and Sanità

MANN’s mosaics, San Giovanni a Carbonara’s royal monument and the catacombs’ Christian paintings give this northern-city day a sweep across centuries, before a rested Via Duomo evening. From Piazza Dante, begin north of yesterday’s lanes.

MANN, the National Archaeological Museum, connects the coming Pompeii visit to its objects: the Alexander Mosaic and Doves Mosaic from the House of the Faun repay close attention.

Porta San Gennaro marks an old city entrance. San Giovanni a Carbonara’s monument to King Ladislaus dominates its visitor route. Individual church entry is free, while the Sacrestia Vasariana (Vasari sacristy) needs a separate ticket.

After Piazza Cavour lunch, the Catacombs of San Gennaro reveal biblical frescoes, mosaics and bishops’ portraits. Entry is guided only. The planned entrance involves a long, steep staircase, so limited mobility changes whether this afternoon suits you.

Walk back through Sanità around its basilica and viaduct. Palazzo dello Spagnolo adds an optional palace exterior pause, known for its elaborate staircase architecture. Rest before returning to Piazza Sisto Riario Sforza, beside the cathedral, and dinner on Via Duomo.

Day 3: Pompeii by train

Pompeii’s Forum, streets and houses turn yesterday’s museum objects into a walkable city, before a Naples evening around Piazza Mercato and Borgo Orefici. From your base, reach Napoli Garibaldi for the EAV Circumvesuviana Napoli–Sorrento line to Pompei Scavi–Villa dei Misteri.

Pompeii Express covers the ancient city, not the suburban villas. Concentrate on civic spaces, street layout and houses. The optional Forum pause adds another look at its columns and public buildings.

Uneven paving, slopes and little shade call for sturdy shoes, water and sun protection. Keep your bag closed and in front on crowded trains, and Naples transport precautions develops this care.

After lunch, Piazza Bartolo Longo offers the modern town’s sanctuary square. Back in Naples, Porta Nolana’s gate and Sant’Eligio’s clock arch are optional. Rest before Piazza Mercato and dinner in Borgo Orefici, the historic goldsmiths’ quarter.

Day 4: The Royal Palace and waterfront

The Royal Palace’s throne, San Carlo’s royal box and Borgo Marinari’s harbour make a ceremonial day opening onto the sea, with Santa Lucia dinner. After yesterday’s excursion, head towards Piazza del Plebiscito.

The Royal Palace’s Throne Room retains its throne. Piazza del Plebiscito’s colonnade contrasts with Castel Nuovo’s fortress and marble triumphal arch. Galleria Umberto I adds an optional glazed arcade before Via Toledo lunch.

San Carlo Theatre’s guided route normally reveals the auditorium’s royal box. Advance booking is recommended at visiteguidate@teatrosancarlo.it. Stage activities can alter the route and timing, so fit the afternoon around the agreed tour.

San Ferdinando offers an optional church pause before Borgo Marinari, the harbour beside Castel dell’Ovo. Villa Comunale adds a seaside garden. Enjoy Lungomare Caracciolo in late-afternoon daylight. In winter, bring the view before your accommodation rest.

Day 5: Herculaneum and the Spanish Quarters

Herculaneum’s upper floors and preserved wood bring Roman life closer, followed by the Spanish Quarters and Via Montecalvario dinner. After yesterday’s waterfront, return to Napoli Garibaldi for the EAV Circumvesuviana to Ercolano Scavi.

Herculaneum preserves upper floors and wooden structural elements in some houses, giving you a closer look at multi-storey Roman homes after Pompeii. Look at how rooms stack and connect. Uneven streets, slopes and steps call for sturdy shoes and may challenge visitors with limited mobility.

Villa Campolieto’s exterior adds an optional pause at a grand Vesuvian villa before lunch on Corso Resina. Back in Naples, keep the accommodation rest before exploring the Spanish Quarters, the close-set lanes rising west of Via Toledo.

Sant’Anna dei Lombardi adds optional Renaissance art. Give Via Toledo an unhurried shopfront walk, rather than treating it as a passage. Toledo station’s blue-toned design is optional before Piazza Municipio, beside Castel Nuovo, and Via Montecalvario dinner.

Day 6: Sorrento and Marina Grande

Sorrento’s medieval lanes and Marina Grande offer a coastal change after Herculaneum, ending in Naples with Chiaia and Via Chiaia dinner. Set off from Napoli Garibaldi on the EAV Circumvesuviana Napoli–Sorrento line.

Via San Cesareo’s narrow lanes, gateways and courtyards reward exploration, and San Francesco adds an optional cloister pause. Marina Grande means a steep descent and return climb, using steps and sloping lanes. Save energy for the station walk.

Several seafront restaurants make Marina Grande a workable seafood lunch area. Expect roughly €25–€40 per person for a main course and drink, more for several courses or wine.

After resting, Chiaia’s broad shopping streets contrast with Sorrento. Optional exteriors include Villa Pignatelli’s neoclassical frontage, Palazzo Cellamare and Ponte di Chiaia, spanning the street. Piazza dei Martiri’s monument anchors the evening, while Via Chiaia offers restaurants, pizzerias and bars.

Day 7: Vomero and Castel Sant’Elmo

Castel Sant’Elmo’s panorama, Via Scarlatti and Pignasecca give the final day a hill-to-city contrast, ending uphill with San Martino and Via Morghen dinner. After yesterday’s Chiaia evening, approach Vomero from your base by funicular or metro.

Castel Sant’Elmo’s ramparts reveal the historic city, bay, Vesuvius, Capri and Ischia. Take the Montesanto funicular to Morghen, or Metro Line 1 to Vanvitelli. Either approach leaves an uphill walk to the castle.

Via Scarlatti’s pedestrian shopping stretch and optional Villa Floridiana garden precede Piazza Vanvitelli lunch. Skip Pedamentina in rain or if your knees struggle with steps: its sustained, uneven descent is demanding. Pignasecca’s pavement food displays give way after lunch to food shops and ready-to-eat fried snacks. Santa Maria di Montesanto adds an optional façade pause.

After resting, return uphill to San Martino. Enjoy its city view in late-afternoon daylight. Bring it before the rest in winter. Use the funicular instead of climbing back if needed.

Shorter stays, late arrivals and bad weather

• Shorter stay: keep Day 1, MANN on Day 2 and Pompeii on Day 3. Cut Herculaneum first, then Sorrento. Move the Spanish Quarters and Toledo walk to a surviving city afternoon.
• Late arrival: put Sansevero on a compatible full city morning before buying its fixed appointment.
• Early departure: keep the hilltop morning only if it fits, and drop Pignasecca and the final evening.
• Rain: retain interiors, but remove Pedamentina and the uphill return on foot.
• Heat: keep early ruins visits and accommodation rests. Winter: move waterfront and San Martino views before the rests.

Three full days cover the historic centre, MANN and Pompeii, while a week adds distinct neighbourhoods and excursions. For four days in Naples, a complete shorter plan keeps Pompeii without compressing both ruins sites into one day.

Sources & fact-checking

Checks against the sources below cover: closures, services, and fares and charges. Route times and distances were calculated from geolocated stops.

• Sansevero Chapel Museum — closures
• Duomo di Napoli — service
• Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli (MANN) — closures
• Catacombs of Naples — service
• Timetables and tickets
• Orario ferrovia L1 Napoli–Sorrento, valido dal 28 marzo 2026
• Palazzo Reale di Napoli — closures
• Teatro di San Carlo — service
• Orari linee ferroviarie
• Direzione regionale Musei nazionali Campania; ANM (Funicolare Montesanto service frequency and hours) — service
• Museo Cappella Sansevero — service
• Complesso Monumentale del Chiostro di Santa Chiara — fares and charges
• Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli (MANN) — fares and charges
• Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli — service
• Catacombe di Napoli — service
• Regulations for visitors
• Palazzo Reale di Napoli — fares and charges
• Royal Palace of Naples — service
• Parco Archeologico di Ercolano — fares and charges
• Parco Archeologico di Ercolano — service
• Scabec S.p.A. — service
• Terms of Purchase
• Campania Artecard | Home
• SCABEC S.p.A. (Campania>Artecard) — service