One of the things that all the tourists visiting Italy with a limited budget are looking for is the free things they can benefit from in any city. Indeed, as a tourist, you will not spend as much on various activities and popular attractions as you spend on plane tickets and accommodation. Still, if you mix things you can do for free with some of the most expensive attractions, you will be able to keep the holiday costs at a lower level.
Southern cities, like Naples, are relatively cheap, so it is not necessary to look only for accessible attractions, such as in more expensive cities like Venice, Rome, or Milano. However, you will be pleased to know that things can be done in Naples without money if you want to save the few euros that you still have for the last pizza.
Below is a list of free things and one of the cheapest things you can do in Naples. Bref, what to do in Naples for free or on a budget.
*** Here is a proposal with 10 best things to do in Naples
Naples always free
Walking through the historic center
As in the case of Venice, a walk through the historic center of Naples is one of the favorite activities for those visiting the city. And it’s 100% free (except, of course, snacks taken on the road).
*** If you visit Naples, you should take a trip on the Amalfi Coast. Here is the best 7 days itinerary for first time visitors.
Discovering the “Christmas Alley”
It’s part of the historic center’s walkthrough, but you need some time to discover the famous Via San Gregorio Armeno (especially if you don’t have a map with you). Naples is a city famous for traditional artisans who re-create the Nativity scene, and their stores – open all year – represent a fun way to live the Christmas experience anytime.
*** When in Italy, also check these best wheelchair accessible beaches.
Church of Gesù Nuovo
This enormous church located in Piazza del Gesù is called Santa Chiara. It is distinguished especially for wonderful ceramics dating back to the 18th century, found in the monastery and its garden.
*** Are you going to spend one day in Naples? Here are some great ideas.
Naples Cathedral
The main cathedral in Naples was once made of Santa Restituta and Santa Stefania churches. Santa Restituta is the only historical church left nowadays (dates back to the 4th century, which makes it the oldest one in town), but the construction of the Dome that surrounds it began in the 12th century.
Here are also the bottles with the blood of San Gennaro (the patron of the city of Naples), which is said to be miraculously liquefied twice a year. Inside the Dome is the Chapel of San Gennaro, which houses the saint’s head and containers with his blood.
Castel dell’Ovo
“The Egg Castle” is one of the two castles in Naples, and the entrance is partially free. Inside is the Prehistoric Museum, a tourist objective to be visited without money. Other exhibitions are in the other parts of the castle, and the entrance is paid or not, depending on the exhibition. The Prehistoric Museum is not always open, so it would be better to check first at the city’s tourist office.
Doll’s Hospital
This “hospital” looks like any other street shop in the historic center of Naples, except that it is a doll repairing center. Being in its fourth generation, Ospedale delle Bambole is made up entirely of dolls, and it is worth taking a look at.
The Museum of Human Anatomy
Who doesn’t get the idea of a museum with only wax copies of human organs? Here you get to see not only wax models of organs such as kidneys, stomach, or bladder, dating from the beginning of the 19th century, but the museum has a whole section dedicated to malformations – heads with one eye, or two girls preserved in alcohol. Sensitive people can skip visiting it.
The Museum of the Sea
Museo del Mare gathers a collection of treasures, representing instruments from ancient times used for sailing, as well as documents including maps and atlases.
The Museum of Musical History
The music conservatory of San Pietro a Majella houses a museum full of ancient musical instruments. If you are interested in music, there is a library to find materials about composers who lived in Naples.
Naples almost free
The cellar of the Church of San Lorenzo Maggiore
The Roman ruins under the church of San Lorenzo Maggiore are extraordinary. There is a Roman street and some buildings still intact (a bakery and a laundry) from that period. The entrance is only 4 euros.
The National Museum of Archeology
For the 6,50 euro you pay on the entrance ticket, you might get the impression that you did not do just a good deal. But what you’re about to see is worth all the money. This is the first archeological museum of Italy, filled with relics recovered from Pompeii and Herculane. If you want to visit other archeological sites in the region – including Phlegraean Lands or Cuma Archeological Park. A “combo” ticket costs 8,50 euro and is valid for three days, for five archeologic sites.
Eat local specialties
Naples is where pizza was born, and you can have a sensational pizza in many places in the historical center, for less than 5 euro. Other cheap local delights are the products of sfogliatella pastry with flakes and various oil-fried snacks, sold at the windows of many pizzerias.
Palazzo Reale
As it is translated into Italian, the Royal Palace dates back to the 17th century and was, in the old days, one of the dwellings of the Bourbon dynasty, more precisely in the middle of the 18th century by the middle of the 19th century.
The University Museum
The University of Naples is one of the oldest in Europe (it was founded in the early 13th century), and nowadays, it is more than a “shelter” for students. There are four museums, each of them very cheap to visit. It’s the Zoological Museum, the Anthropological Museum, the Mineral Museum, and the Paleontology Museum. The ticket cost for a museum is only 2.50 euro, for two 3.50 euro and to visit all four, you pay only 4.50 euro.
The National Museum of Railways in Pietrarsa
This railway museum is outside Naples, but if you are part of a group with a passion for trains (or a child), a trip there is worth it. It is between Naples and Portici (near the Pietrarsa railway station, hence the name) and is the first museum in Italy entirely dedicated to trains. The entrance is 5 euros, and children up to 6 years old do not pay a ticket.
The Astronomical Observatory
A visit to the Capodimonte Observatory requires a reservation in advance, and you have to pay a small fee too, but that doesn’t matter very much if you’re an astronomical fan. Its position above the entire city offers charming views of the Neapolitan settlement.
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