What to see in Naples in one day and a half: complete itinerary in 36 hours

Can a large city full of things to discover, do and see like Naples be visited and experienced to the fullest in less than two days? Absolutely yes! After our super immersive itinerary across Naples in one day, now come and discover with us the charm of the city of Vesuvius on a tour of around 36 hours among its monuments, its alleys and its tradition.

Here is our guide on what to see in Naples in one day and a half, an itinerary in which you can explore, discover and enjoy the city through its experiences, its treasures and its most authentic flavours. The beauty of Naples awaits you and will surprise you, even if you have little time to visit it!

Get ready for your mini city tour! In this complete guide, step by step over around 36 hours, let's see together what to see in Naples in one day and a half. The time available is limited, unlike the beauties of the city of Vesuvius: but this doesn't stop us, indeed! Moving either on foot or by metro, visiting the top attractions of Naples in less than two days is possible and is an experience absolutely worth trying.

Don't forget to book your Naples Pass, the perfect solution that allows you to make the most of your tourist experience in the city with access to museums, parks, palaces, partner activities and public transport, all without stress and without the risk of missing anything . So convenient!

On this 36 hours tour on what to see in Naples in one day and a half, we would imagine coming to city in the evening. Once in the city, the first stop is undoubtedly the seafront. This part of the city is the most famous and beautiful in the world, getting there just before or during sunset is one of the most suggestive experiences to try. During golden hour, Naples becomes an amber colour, with the sea reflecting the lights of the sunset and the colours of the city, carved into the tuff, that shine.

Starting from the district of Santa Lucia up to Largo Sermoneta, a long strip of land laps the sea. After a short tour of the seaside village, go up to Castel dell'Ovo, an entire stronghold on the sea that occupies the islet of Megaride, where legend has it that the city was founded.

After having seen Castel dell'Ovo, and having passed the building promenade that includes some of the most beautiful buildings of the Neapolitan nineteenth century, but also the building of the late sixties by the famous architect Filippo Alison, you arrive in Piazza Vittoria, and another step of this tour can start.

Well, it's not evening and you're just enjoying your first hours on your trip to Naples in one day and half only. Now you can enjoy an aperitif with friends moving to the riviera, in the Chiaia district, and enjoy the happy hour in one of the most important and trendiest areas of the Neapolitan nightlife. In Vico Belledonne, you can enjoy one of the best aperitifs in Naples to the sound of music.

In Naples, the aperitif is very abundant compared to other cities so for dinner we recommend you try one of the delicacies of typical Neapolitan cuisine, the fried cuoppo. The cuoppo is a very absorbent paper straw cone filled with fried foods. Mostly, they are fried vegetables or fish and are real goodness.

The cuoppo is mostly consumed on the street so you can continue to visit the city while enjoying one of its specialities.

Waking up in Naples with the city sounds in the background is a unique experience. After having breakfast with a Neapolitan coffee, you can start the day by visiting the historic centre of Naples. The visit undoubtedly starts from Spaccanapoli, the road axis that cuts the entire historic centre in half, up to the central station.

A stone's throw from this axis, you can find some of the most beautiful things to see in the historic centre, from San Gregorio Armeno, the street of the cribs, to Piazza del Gesù Nuovo with its obelisk and the monastery of Santa Chiara, passing through the Chapel of San Severo with the Veiled Christ and the noble palaces with their beautiful courtyards, often floral.

Spaccanapoli also takes you to visit the Duomo, the cathedral of Naples. It's a large religious complex composed of several basilicas merged. It hides the crypt of the patron saint of Naples, San Gennaro, with the famous museum of the treasure of San Gennaro.

After a first and quick visit to the historic centre, the tour continues on a fascinating stage rich in history. After seeing the city above, this stop takes you to visit the underground city, where some of the city's oldest mysteries and structures are hidden.

A place is made up of tunnels, water tanks, aqueducts and even remnants of the Second World War. The Naples Underground is dug into the tuff. It was used by the Romans as a space for water cisterns later as a shelter for the bombings of the Second World War.

After the two hours underground, you will look forward to enjoying a good lunch with one of the musts of the Neapolitan culinary tradition: pizza.

Neapolitan pizza is one of the best things to try at least once (although we recommend an encore) both in its traditional and more particular variations. The leavened dough mixed with tomatoes and the ingredients of the Neapolitan land become an experience more than a simple lunch.

One of the places where you can experience this experience is located a stone's throw from the Duomo, near the San Severo Chapel: the Mercato Maggiore. Here, you can try a food and wine adventure that drops you into the culture and history of the real Naples told not only through the excellent pizza but also traditional Neapolitan dishes such as Genovese, pasta and potatoes or the famous Scarpariello.

After having tried the goodness of Neapolitan cuisine at the Mercato Maggiore, you can take a stroll and proceed with the tour of the historic centre. Go to Piazza Dante and take the metro line which takes you to visit the art stations. The most beautiful in Europe is located in Naples and is a single stop from the Piazza Dante station: the Toledo station. The station, built by architect Oscar Tusquets, was nominated by the CNN as one of the most beautiful in Europe and the world.

The station is made up of a continuous mosaic: it shows scenes from the history of Naples and its relationship with the sea and the sky through the telescopes. From Toledo, you can easily reach the Municipio station, designed by Alvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura, another beautiful station. As soon as you leave the station, your attention will be captured by the Maschio Angioino, one of the best-preserved castles in Italy.

After seeing the Castel Nuovo, you can go to Piazza del Plebiscito, with the San Carlo Theater and the Royal Palace in the background and the Umberto I Gallery as a counterpoint.

Once the tour of the historic centre is over you can finally have dinner and, as you could have guessed, in Naples you are spoiled for choice. You can undoubtedly dine on one of the previous recipes or try another speciality such as fried pizza. Whatever you choose it is important to finish with a flourish and how not to do it with one of the traditional Neapolitan desserts. The babà, the sfogliatella and the pastiera are just some of those that you can enjoy at the end of the day.

The last hours in Naples begin in the name of greenery and culture. After having breakfast, you can visit the Capodimonte wood. An immense green oasis on the edge of the city fabric was once a royal garden with even the Royal Palace inside, the current Capodimonte Museum. The Museum collects some of the most beautiful works of art of all times from Raffaello to Michelangelo, passing through Parmigianino, Goya, Pinturicchio, Vasari, Tiziano and even Andy Warhol.

Before leaving Naples after this amazing journey in just one day and half, you cannot fail to take advantage of its shopping and fashion streets. From Capodimonte you can easily return by bus to Piazza Dante, a strategic point to reach all the most fashionable streets of Naples. One of these streets is Via Toledo, a very long promenade full of shops of any kind. From via Toledo you can also easily reach via Chiaia and the famous luxury streets via dei Mille, via Calabritto and Filangieri, the unmissable Galleria Umberto I, or go up to Vomero and visit via Scarlatti and via Giordano.

Here we are at the end of our itinerary discovering what to see in Naples in one day and a half only. However, these are just some of the most beautiful attractions and experiences you can have in Naples in 36 hours. In fact, this city deserves a much longer visit, with the possibility of giving each attraction the right amount of time to be fully enjoyed. But if you have little time to travel and have never seen this wonderful pearl of the Mediterranean before, well, even just one day and a half in Naples is an adventure not to be missed. Have a good trip!