Top 5 things to do in Naples, Italy
While there are plenty of things to keep you busy in Naples it’s true that most travellers only spend a day or two visiting the area. To help you maximise your time here are our top 5 things to do in Naples.
Top 5 things to do in Naples
Kayak Naples
If you haven’t already then check out our Kayak Napoli post. It has been the best adventure we have had in Italy so far and it was a great way to explore the Naples coastline.
Warm turquoise water laps against the side of your kayak as you paddle along beside the cliffs. With huge caves to explore and ancient roman ruins to snorkel around there is much more than just paddling involved as well. And it’s not only for the super adventurous as it’s at a very leisurely pace.
Eat Pizza in Naples
Naples is the birthplace of pizza. And not the crusted cheesy crap that you would usually get from Pizza Hut or the local chippy after a big night out, but genuine pizza.
With wafer thin handmade bases and fresh mozzarella spread across a deep red tomato sauce there is nothing better than a Naples Margherita pizza. Definitely recommend checking out Sorbillo Pizzeria on Via dei Tribunali for the finest in town.
Explore the ruins of Pompeii
In the height of the Italian summer there are not many things worse than spending a few hours in the intense heat. However, if you get to Pompeii early in the morning you will be rewarded with cooler temperatures and a fascinating look into the lives of a whole town that was frozen in time.
Paintings on brothel walls and garden statues still stand basically untouched from when they were buried under metres and metres of burning hot ash. Humans and animals lie contorted in pain where there lives were suddenly lost.
Make sure you take an official guided tour when you get there and this shouldn’t cost more than 12 euro per person. The audio guides in our opinion suck but not having anything will leave you wandering around aimlessly for several hours.
Swim along the Amalfi Coast
If you are not planning on a separate trip to the Amalfi Coast then you will need to take a day trip to visit the area. While some of the towns are touristy there is a very good reason for it. Amalfi is worth visiting just for the scenery!
The small towns cling to the rocky shoreline with the Tyrrhenian Sea lapping at their bases. Grabbing a gelato in one hand and striking along the coast by boat or in a bus on butt-puckering windy roads is a must for anyone visiting the Naples area.
Take your togs, jandals and a beach towel and escape the city madness for a few blissful hours of relaxation.
Catch the Cable Car
We love a good view.
Catching the central city cable car to the Castle standing guard over Naples provides an excellent vantage point to gaze into the distance. From Naples to Sorrento the various developments crowd the waterfront as far as the eye can see.
In the background Mount Vesuvius towers silently above it all waiting patiently until one day (hopefully never) it may rain fire again.
Obviously there are dozens of things to do in Naples but these are just our favourite five things to do in Naples.
Where to stay in Naples? Hostel of the Sun of course!
If you are spending a few days exploring the top 5 things to in Naples then you definitely want a good base. And you can’t go wrong with Hostel of the Sun.
Location
Situated next to the harbour it is only a minutes walk to the public tram and a few minutes walk into central Naples. Basically the perfect location for resting your feet and head after a day of adventure travels.
The Rooms
Hostel of the Sun is perfect for travelling couples as they have really nice private rooms which seem more like hotel rooms. The shower was a little small but having your own private bathroom is a huge plus.
The dorms, which we stayed in one night, have typical bunk beds with private lockers and were surprisingly quiet. The perfect option if you are on a budget.
Photo courtesy of Hostel of the Sun
Other Amenities
We love free stuff like most budget backpacking couples so having free breakfast is the key for a good hostel. A simple affair but a tasty one with cereal, toast and random cold meats and cheese. Tea and coffee is also available all day.
WiFi is free and available in every room as well as in all the common areas.
The kitchen has all the trimmings but is a wee bit on the tiny side. You have to wait your turn or have an experience like Adela with a disgusting, topless English guy reaching over you to wash his dishes.
Staff
No doubt you will meet the owner Luca as he pops in and out all the time to check up on things and he truly loves his hostel. We couldn’t have asked for better recommendations from the staff like our Kayak Napoli adventure and guided tour of Pompeii.
Social Atmosphere
For a tiny common area the social scene was surprisingly good. They have a small bar and huge collection of DVDs with comfortable couches but most people seemed to just want to chat and catch up with everyone else. A really chilled out feel to the whole hostel.
Negatives
Hate to nit-pick but even though they provided a kitchen it was just too small for 70 odd people. We were just lucky most of them were too lazy to cook so ordered Naples Pizza every night.
Photo courtesy of Hostel of the Sun
Cost
Per person: $35 Euro for a private room and $18 Euro for a 8 bed mixed dorm room.
Overall
Highly recommend the Hostel of the Sun for backpacking couples who want a bit of privacy as well as other travellers on a budget for the dorms. Having free breakfast, WiFi and a kitchen is how every hostel should operate and there is a reason why it has won so many HostelWorld awards.
Disclaimer: We were guests of HostelWorld but as always our thoughts are always our own.
Category: Europe
We have been wearing out our jandals (Kiwi slang for flip-flops) on our travel adventures around the world since 2009. We love all types of adventures that make us step outside our comfort zone, in comfort, including surfing, skiing, snowboarding, diving and cruising on our bikes. You can find out more 
Thanks so much for the tips, Cole. You had me at pizza, though, after that all I could think about was a yummy wood fired pie.
No worries Micki! I LOVE wood fired pizzas. Have even worked in 2 restaurants as the pizza chef
Pretty good suggestions and very popular options for Naples. I never would have thought of kayaking though!
The kayaking trip was awesome and definitely try it out if you visit Naples in the future Jeremy.
I stayed near Naples for a while and had great fun exploring the ruins of Pompeii. Can’t remember too much about Naples other than it being very busy!
Really busy and it felt like it was a bit grittier than the rest of Italy. Have also since found out that this is where most of the Mafia operate from!
Great recommendations! I visited Naples 5 years ago and absolutely fell in love with it. It’s rough, authentic and beautiful all at the same time. Great city, but it was Hostel of the Sun that made the trip for me. I’ve traveled to loads of countries and stayed at countless hostels since, but that one still remains my favorite! Great to see it getting some blogger recognition.
Hostel of the Sun is definitely making all the right moves with their social media so hopefully they will be recognised for it! Very passionate team working for them.
That pizza looks pretty much perfect! Makes me miss Italy… I loved Pompeii- our guide told us lots of interesting translations of the grafitti on the walls which made us chuckle
The paintings on the wall are are hilarious. It’s like going to McDonalds and choosing what you want from a menu
That pizza looks real good, Great post!
SO much better in person. Our photos never do the food justice
Those views are amazing – and I think you have the butt-puckering thing right, that looks like quite a drop! Nice tip about Pompeii, too – I usually don’t take tours, but it sounds like it’s one of those places where you actually need one.
And Naples pizza every night? Sounds like some of the guests in the hostel had the right idea
We wish we could have had pizza in Naples every night! Damn budget travel
Eating pizza has got to feature on any top 5 things to do on any Italian city!
Who doesn’t love pizza?!
The Amalfi Coast looks so inviting too!
The pizza is so simple yet so tasty here as well. Who thought cheese, dough and sauce could combine into the best snack ever
That hostel looks great! And good prices too. I’ll have to remember that for when I get down to the southern part of Italy at some point…
Super fun hostel and highly recommend it if you get the chance to visit Naples Michael.
Moto on the coastal highways is always my favorite option over a bus
Although strolling on foot is equally scenic…there’s just something about a moto that I will never be able to describe. I totally get where Charley Boorman comes from when he talks about his love of bikes (and I don’t mean ‘cycles!)
We hired a scooter in Tuscany and it was so fun to drive around the winding countryside! Definitely agree with Charley Boorman
Looks like a lot of great things to do! I didn’t know there was a cable car, that sounds like fun. Can you please start writing about somewhere other than Italy so I can stop being jealous? Kidding!
Hahaha ok promise not to write about it too many more times as we are leaving in 2 days… to Spain
In my opinion there isn’t anything to do in Italy but eat
Thanks for opening my eyes to new ways to burn those calories.. The kayaking trip looks like a blast!
Haha we have been piling on the pounds since we got to Italy so definitely need all of these adventures to keep us a wee bit slimmer
Great post – and excellent snap of the Amalfi Coast. Love those zig-zag roads along climbing up up up the coast line to get to Amalfi e Ravello.
And completely agree with your Pompeii recommendation to go prepared – with book or guide – as it makes the visit so much richer.
Thanks for sharing!
Daisy
Its pretty scary when the bus driver speeds around all those zig-zagging streets!
Loved the pizza and Pompeii! Wish we’d had a chance to kayak and swim the Amalfi Coast– those are the only ones on your list I didn’t do.
We needed to kayak and swim after all the pizza we ate haha.
I loved Naples and the whole Campania, Pompei was a terrible and fascinating trip in the tragic past of the city.
Maybe it’s just the American in me talking, but I really don’t like the authentic wafer thing Italian pizza that skimps on toppings. It’s not terrible and I do eat it quite often, I still prefer American style pizza with the thick crust and loaded with toppings.
You had me at pizza.
Italian pizza…one of my fave things in the world.
Visiting Naples is high on our bucket list. I love the history and yearn for a real pizza. One day.
Great advice… especially the pizza tip. I swear I almost licked the picture on the screen! x
Scarlett recently posted..Brighton Beach, Melbourne ‘v’ Brighton Beach, UK
Naples seems to be such a pretty place with so much to do and see and also eat!! Would love to spend some time there! Wonderful post, makes me dream of the place.
Arti recently posted..Tokyo Tour On The Sumida River Cruise, Japan
this is an awesome overview! i’m definitely going to check out the pizza place you highlighted. any other fave pizza places so i can do a little taste test comparison? love the cable car tip!!
cheers – lola
That is the only one we remember sorry! But there was another one recommended to us when we were staying at the Hostel of the Sun. Perhaps you could ask them?
I’ve been putting off the Amalfi coast for sometime because it’s a pricey location. But $35/night?! That is a bargain! Thanks for telling us! I’ve bookmarked your link for my future plans and will Def stay there at that rate!
Cristina recently posted..Why I turned down my dream job – Twice
Great to hear that we could help out Cristina! There are always great places to stay, just need to do the boring research to find them