Visiting Naples, Italy: Top Sights on Foot

Naples is a vibrant city in the Campania region of Italy, famed for its layered history, bustling streets, and renowned cuisine. Visitors are drawn to its historic centre, waterfront castles, and world‑class museums, all set against the backdrop of Mount Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples. Neywo offers a free audio guide for Naples with 653 narrated places to help you explore at your own pace.

What to see in Naples

Teatro di San Carlo

The Teatro di San Carlo, opened in 1737, is the oldest active opera house in the world. Its original auditorium held 3,285 spectators; today safety limits the capacity to 1,386. The theatre features a broad auditorium, five tiers of horseshoe‑shaped boxes, a large royal box, a gallery and a stage measuring 34 by 33 metres, and it is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Royal Palace of Naples

The Royal Palace of Naples faces Piazza del Plebiscito and began as a Spanish viceroy residence around 1600. Over the centuries it housed Austrian viceroys, the Bourbon dynasty, Joseph Bonaparte and Joachim Murat during French rule, and later the House of Savoy before being transferred to the state in 1919. Architects such as Domenico Fontana, Francesco Antonio Picchiatti, Luigi Vanvitelli and Gaetano Genovese shaped its current appearance.

Museo di Capodimonte

Housed in the former Palace of Capodimonte, the Museo di Capodimote is one of Italy’s largest museums. Its galleries combine the Farnese collection of Italian and European paintings with the Neapolitan Gallery of works from local churches, and they include masterpieces by artists such as Bellini, Botticelli, Caravaggio, Titian, El Greco, Artemisia Gentileschi, Goya, Masaccio and Simone Martini, as well as Roman sculptures, ceramics and a contemporary‑art gallery that features Andy Warhol’s Vesuvius.

Naples Cathedral

Naples Cathedral, or Duomo di Napoli, stands along Via Duomo and is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary while also housing the relics of Saint Januarius. Built between the late 13th and early 14th centuries, it blends Gothic and Neo‑Gothic elements and rises to about 48 metres including the cross. The complex incorporates the Basilica of Santa Restituta, which preserves the Baptistery of San Giovanni in Fonte, described as the oldest baptistery in the Western world.

Castel Nuovo

Castel Nuovo, known locally as the Maschio Angioino, overlooks Piazza Municipio. First erected in 1279, it has been rebuilt several times and served as both fortress and royal residence for the kings of Naples, Aragon and Spain until 1815. Today it houses the Civic Museum, including the Palatine Chapel and museum routes on its first and second floors.

Castel dell’Ovo

Castel dell’Ovo sits on the Megaride peninsula and is Naples’s oldest castle, with building phases ranging from the 1st century BC to the 16th century. Its name, Egg Castle, comes from a medieval legend in which the poet Virgil placed a magical egg in the foundations to protect the city.

Cappella Sansevero

The Cappella Sansevero, also known as Santa Maria della Pietà, is a deconsecrated chapel near Piazza San Domenico Maggiore that houses an extraordinary Baroque ensemble. Its centrepiece is the Veiled Christ by Giuseppe Sanmartino, completed in 1753, a marble tomb sculpture renowned for its delicate drapery.

Santa Chiara

Santa Chiara is a monumental complex that includes a Gothic basilica, a monastery, tombs and an archaeological museum. Construction of the basilica began in 1310 and finished in 1328, making it the largest Gothic‑Angevin church in Naples. The building stands on the site of ancient Roman baths and contains the Gothic tomb of King Robert, later joined by other members of the royal family.

Villa Donn’Anna

Villa Donn’Anna, also called Palazzo Donn’Anna, stands on the Posillipo coast west of the Mergellina boat harbor. Dating from the seventeenth century, it occupies the site once known as the Rocks of the Siren and was originally called La Villa Sirena. Although its façade appears unfinished, it is celebrated as a prominent waterfront palace rather than a ruin.

Museo Napoli Novecento

Located within Castel Sant’Elmo, the Museo Napoli Novecento presents Neapolitan art from 1910 to 1980. The collection focuses on artists who were either born in Naples or closely linked to the city, offering a local perspective on twentieth‑century artistic developments.

Castel Sant’Elmo

Castel Sant’Elmo rises on Vomero Hill about 250 metres above sea level. Its origins trace back to a Norman observation tower called Belforte, and parts of the fortress are carved from the living rock using the yellow Neapolitan tuff. Described as the largest castle in Naples by area, it stands beside the Certosa di San Martino and offers sweeping views over the city and the Bay of Naples.

Palazzo Carafa di Santa Severina

Palazzo Carafa di Santa Severina occupies Via Egiziaca a Pizzofalcone in the San Ferdinando district on the hill of Pizzofalcone. Built at the beginning of the sixteenth century, it is a notable example of Renaissance architecture in Naples.

Piazza del Plebiscito

Piazza del Plebiscito is one of Naples’s grandest open spaces, covering roughly 25,000 square metres between Via Toledo and the seafront. It is framed by the Basilica of San Francesco di Paola, the Royal Palace, Palazzo Salerno and the Palazzo della Prefettura, and its name recalls the plebiscite of 21 October 1860 that paved the way for Italian unification.

Explore Naples with Neywo

Neywo provides a free walking tour Naples experience through its audio guide, letting you enjoy a self‑guided walking tour of the city at your own pace. The platform offers 7 walking tours, 1 bus route and 1 bike route. For example, the walk “Kings, Opera and Arcades: Royal Naples” is 1.95 km, lasts 103 minutes and includes 11 stops; “Spaccanapoli: Caravaggio, Cribs and a Veiled Christ” covers 2.18 km in 100 minutes with 12 stops; and “Sanita and Capodimonte: Catacombs and Hidden Naples” stretches 3.7 km over 115 minutes with 11 stops. The bus route “Line 140: Seafront and Posillipo Hill” runs 7.6 km in 33 minutes with 12 stops, while the bike route “Lungomare Ride: Chiatamone to Riviera di Chiaia” is 2.1 km, takes 11 minutes and has 5 stops. As you reach each place, the app tells its story, automatically playing the narration without the need for a group or a fixed schedule. Narration is available in 11 languages, so you can explore Naples in the language that suits you best. Download Neywo today and let the city reveal itself step by step.