Naples sightseeing & attractions of great historical interest

Whether you arrive at the Central Station or the ferry/cruise port or are lucky enough to stay in a hotel in central Naples you may well be fine just walking everywhere. All the main sights are easily walked to from any point in the centre.

As ever there is a Naples open top hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus that visits all the main sights along three separate routes.

There is a good local bus network and it's conceivable you might use the limited Metro for a short ride.

How you can access the network is explained on City of Naples public transport page.

The public transport maps have the main sights marked too and are a good way of getting orientated with relative locations.

One public transport option you may well want to take is one of the funicular railway up to San Martino for great views. The funicular is an attraction in its own right.

If you can, try and walk back down into the city via one of the many steep walkways getting glimpses of everyday neighbourhood Naples.

The Spaccanapoli and Via Tribunali form the east-west pedestrian spine of the historic centre of Naples and with good reason most visitors head for and perhaps linger more than they scheduled.

Originally the heart of the Greek and Roman city, the Spaccanapoli district is a string of narrow, winding streets and is mainly a pedestrian zone. The area has arcades dating back more than 1,000 years.

As a tourist honey-pot there is a fair share of tourist tat but the scale of this area is huge and the tight alleys reveal something of interest around almost every corner, especially if you look up as well as from side to side.

If you venture away from the Spaccanapoli and Via Tribunali tourist area, perhaps around Spacuano Castle, some of the alleys may not look as inviting and safe.

The Naples Archaeological museum is one of Italy's top archaeology museums drawing many of its exhibits from Pompeii and Herculaneum outside the city.

The museum has one of the world's best collections of Greek and Roman antiquities, including mosaics, sculptures, gems, glass and silver, and a collection of Roman erotica from Pompeii.

The museum is at the north western periphery of the historic district and is served by a Metro Station (Museo) that is of limited use for visitors as well as buses.

San Martino is on top of a steep hill just west of the historic centre. The excuse you need to come up here is the Museum and Monastery of San Martino from where there are great views of the entire city of Naples spread out below you.

Take the Funicular Centrale, one of the longest in the world that leaves from Via Toledo by Galleria Umberto, just north of Piazza del Plebiscito for another great experience.

An equally good experience is to walk back down the hill not via the circuitous roads but by the many walkways/steps. There is a walkway down immediately in front of Piazza San Martino by the entrance to the museum that winds down past old houses with no vehicular access to the historic centre below. More scenic options are on the other side of the hill where you will see steps marked on most of the tourist maps.

San Martino Museum is housed in the Certosa di San Martino a large monastery complex dating from 1368 next to Sant Elmo Castle, which you can also visit. Museum exhibits are housed in the former living quarters of the monks.

Expect paintings and sculptures from the 13th-19th centuries, the museum is famed for Neapolitan nativity scenes. The monastery gardens have fruit trees, flowers, fountains and magnificent views.