A weekend in Naples - What to see in 2 days

At the beginning of January I managed to get a super cheap flight to Naples without even taking a day off. Thank goodness, because we're already running out of holidays for a big trip, but I'll tell you about that later. So we had two full days to explore the city and eat as much pizza as we could. And I'm going to share with you the experiences of those two days, the sights of Naples and the best pizza spots, so that you don't have to queue for hours for Da Michele's medium-quality pizza.

Naples is the capital of the Campania region and the third largest city in Italy. It's a real hive of activity, which is no surprise with over 900,000 inhabitants and 2.4 million tourists visiting the city every year. The different areas of the city present a different picture, from the beautiful architecture that comes from its long history, to the shabby little streets with a Mediterranean feel, to the less safe places that smell of dirt and ammonia. Despite all this, Naples is nowhere near the seedy and unsafe city it once was. So if someone warns you about chaotic traffic, shabby cars and pickpockets, don't believe them, because Naples and its surroundings are a much more remarkable and charming city.

Practical information

How to get there: There are scheduled low-cost flights from Budapest to Naples several times a week. The flight takes just 1 hour 20 minutes and you can admire Vesuvius from the plane.

Transport: You can get around the city by bus or underground. Otherwise, the main sights are close enough to walk to. For this reason we only took the bus once, which cost €1.2.

How Long To Go For?: 3 days are perfectly enough to explore the sights of the city, as well as Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius. If you have more days, it's worth visiting the stunning pastel-coloured towns of the Amalfi Coast or hiking in the hills above the coast.

When to visit: The best time to visit depends on why you're in the area: in winter, you can explore the city's attractions and cultural programmes with fewer tourists. In the summer you can visit the surrounding beaches. We travelled in February, which was ideal as there were no long queues for pizzerias and Pompeii was pleasantly untouristy.

How expensive is it?: It's pretty cheap compared to Western Europe. Even in Michelin-starred restaurants, a pizza is only €5.5 and service charges are €2 almost everywhere. We bought two scoops of ice cream for €3, and other small sweets were around €3. The duty-free shop at the airport also had surprisingly normal prices.

Accommodation: We stayed in the hotel 'Bella Napoli Suites'. It was very modern and clean with a great breakfast. The only downside was that it was in Garibaldi Square, which isn't the best area of Naples, it's quite dirty and there are a lot of immigrants. However, the train station is here and the centre is only a few minutes walk away, so we thought it would be perfect for a night, and it was. Public safety is very good during the day and at night, I wouldn't walk here alone at night, but the same can be said for some areas of Pest.

2-day itinerary

• Day 1: The flight left at 6am and we were in the city by 8am. We started the morning at Pompeii, arriving at 9, departing for Vesuvius at lunch time, and exploring the pizzerias of Naples in the late afternoon.

• Day 2: Get an early start if you want to see everything, first stop Galleria Borbonica, arrive on time. Then walk around the city centre in this order, Castel dell'Ovo, Piazza del Plebiscito, Galleria Umberto I, Via Toledo, Santa Chiara, Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba, Sansevero Chapel, Naples Cathedral. At 4pm we headed to the airport, because we were leaving for home at 7pm.

Things to do and see in Naples

Pompeii

A trip to Naples is simply not worthwhile without a visit to Pompeii. When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, it buried the ancient Roman city under 4-6 metres of volcanic ash. This layer of ash preserved the city and its inhabitants for hundreds of years, capturing a snapshot of the past. Walking through the streets of Pompeii gives us an insight into the lives of Roman citizens. You can admire unique villas, baths, brothels, amphitheatres and squares decorated with intricate mosaics, frescoes and carvings.

If you arrive during the high season, be sure to buy your tickets in advance - admission is €18, €2 for under 25s. From Naples Central Station you can take a train to Pompeii for €3. The park is huge, you could spend a day here, but you'll soon be saturated by all the sights. We walked around for 2 hours, visiting several areas of the park, which was plenty of time for us. I would recommend arriving in the morning to avoid the crowds, or if you prefer there is also the option of a guided tour to learn more about Pompeii and ancient life.

Mount Vesuvius

Mount Vesuvius is one of the world's most dangerous volcanoes, with more than 3 million people living in its immediate vicinity. It destroyed Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis and Stabiae when it erupted in 79 A.D. and has erupted several times since, most recently in 1944. Smoke rising from some parts of the crater also indicates that active processes are still taking place deep underground. At 1281 metres, it is the second highest volcano in Europe.

The easiest way to get there is by bus from Pompeii and Herculaneum. When you get off the train, there is an information office on the left where you can book an appointment and buy tickets for the bus and Vesuvius. You can't even buy tickets upstairs, so make sure you buy them in advance. The entrance fee is €11, including the bus it is €30. The buses drop you off at the entrance, from where you can take a moderately steep half-hour walk up to the crater. From the top you can admire not only the crater and the landscape shaped by volcanic activity, but also stunning views over the Bay of Naples and Capri.

Gastronomic tour - pizza, ice cream, sfogliatella, babà, caprese cake

Italy is famous far and wide for its incredibly delicious cuisine. And Naples is the home of pizza, where the first pizza was made hundreds of years ago. A real Neapolitan pizza is made with 0 or 00 flour, to which only water, yeast and sea salt are added. The dough is left to rise for a minimum of 8 hours and a maximum of 24 hours. It is then rolled out by hand into a round shape of max. 35 cm. The pizza is baked in a wood-fired oven at 430-480°C for 1-1.5 minutes. The best pizzas are topped with San Marzano tomatoes, grown on the volcanic plain south of Vesuvius, Bufala mozzarella, olive oil and basil. Read about the criteria for making pizza here.

There are so many pizzerias in Naples that it would take a lifetime to try them all, but here's a list of the city's best:

• Gino Sorbillo - Michelin star pizza
• 50 Kalo
• Pizzeria Pellone
• Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba - the oldest pizzeria, opened in 1739
• Pizzeria la Centenaria
• Antica Pizzeria Di Matteo
• L'Antica Pizzeria Da Michele - Michele's star pizza

You may be familiar with L'Antica Pizzeria Da Michele from Eat, Pray, Love, where Julia Roberts falls in love with pizza. If you want to eat here, you have to ask for a number and wait for hours. Luckily we got in in half an hour in February, but I can't say it was worth it. It was the worst pizza of the 4 we had that weekend. You can get much better pizzas at Pizza e Spritz across the street or at Pizzeria D'Angeli.

Another thing to try in Naples is the delicious desserts. There are several places on the streets that sell them from counters outside restaurants or in cafes. Don't miss the baba al rum, the emblematic dessert of Naples, a yeast pastry soaked in alcoholic syrup; the sfogliatelle, a shell-shaped puff pastry filled with lemon and ricotta; or the divine chocolate and almond caprese cake.

Explore the underground Naples

Under Naples lies an extensive underground network. Dug into the soft tuff, the system dates back to ancient times and has served many purposes. There are cisterns, aqueducts, tombs, and it was also used as a shelter during the bombing raids of the Second World War. You can visit the catacombs of San Gennare, the Sotterrane of Naples, the Borbonica Gallery or the Sotterrane of Naples. Make sure you book in advance, as guided tours are only available, dates are rare and there are long queues everywhere.

A walk through the historic city centre

I suggest you start your visit at the Castel dell'Ovo, also known as the Castle of the Egg, located on the island where the first Cumaean settlers founded the city in the 4th century BC. From here we go to Piazza del Plebiscitora, with the circular church of San Francesco di Paola on one side and the Royal Palace of Naples on the other. From the square you can see the Galleria Umberto I, which bears an uncanny resemblance to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan.

A walk along Via Toledo takes you to the Basilica of Santa Chiara, unfortunately we didn't have time to go inside, but the garden of the 14th century basilica has a beautiful majolica tiled cloister. The Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba, Naples' oldest pizzeria, opened in 1739, is 290 metres from here, so be sure to grab a pizza at this historic spot. The pizzas are sold from the counter in front of the restaurant, just as they were originally sold, for a truly authentic experience.

The next attraction is the Sansevero Chapel, where you can see the statue of the Veiled Christ and two bizarre anatomical skeletons, then there is only one more stop on the historic walk, the Duomo of Naples. Free to visit, the interior is very impressive, with magnificent frescoes. It also houses the blood vessel of San Giovanni, the city's patron saint.

Naples was a pleasant disappointment for me. I had my reservations about public safety, but fortunately the horror stories are a bit exaggerated. We encountered no atrocities and the cleanliness of the streets was much better than we expected. Both the airport and public transport are very modern. English was spoken very well in most places. It is worth visiting for two days because, as you can see, there are so many activities that you can fit them into a weekend. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to explore the area. However, Procida, Capri and the Amalfi Coast are worth a week on their own. If you want to see more of Naples, follow my  Instagram and Tiktok accounts.

Safe travels!

Heni

Accommodation

I usually book hotels on booking.com, where you can find some great deals:

More programmes

If you're looking for organised activities in Naples, or if you'd like to visit the Amalfi Coast, here are some options.