3 days in Naples itinerary: historic decumani, royal palaces and Pompeii

Three full days in Naples give you enough time to walk the entire length of the ancient Greek-Roman street grid, explore the world's richest collection of Roman frescoes and mosaics before visiting the buried cities themselves, and climb to the hilltop fortresses overlooking the Bay of Naples. The route below groups sights geographically by elevation and Metro Line 1 or funicular links to minimise backtracking.

Day 1: Spaccanapoli, Cappella Sansevero, Via dei Tribunali, and the Duomo

• Morning along Lower Spaccanapoli: Start at Piazza del Gesù Nuovo to visit the Baroque Jesuit Church of Gesù Nuovo and the Gothic Basilica of Santa Chiara, spending time inside Domenico Antonio Vaccaro's eighteenth-century majolica-tiled cloister. Walk east along Spaccanapoli (Via Benedetto Croce) to Piazza San Domenico Maggiore and Piazzetta Nilo, where the Hellenistic marble statue of the Nile God has stood since Roman times.
• Late morning at Cappella Sansevero: Use your pre-booked timed ticket to enter the Cappella Sansevero and study Giuseppe Sanmartino's 1753 Veiled Christ, Antonio Corradini's Modesty (Pudicizia), and Francesco Queirolo's Release from Deception (Disinganno).
• Lunch on Via dei Tribunali: Walk one block north through the nativity artisan lane of Via San Gregorio Armeno to Via dei Tribunali (the ancient Decumanus Major) for a wood-fired Pizza Margherita or Marinara and a warm sfogliatella.
• Afternoon at San Lorenzo Maggiore, Pio Monte, and the Duomo: Explore the Gothic nave and subterranean Roman market (macellum) at San Lorenzo Maggiore, view Caravaggio's 1607 altarpiece The Seven Works of Mercy at Pio Monte della Misericordia, and finish at Naples Cathedral (Duomo di San Gennaro) and its fourth-century baptistery of San Giovanni in Fonte.

Day 2: National Archaeological Museum, Vomero Hill, and the Royal Waterfront

• Morning at the National Archaeological Museum (MANN): Ride Metro Line 1 to Museo station and dedicate the morning to the Naples National Archaeological Museum. Seeing the original Alexander Mosaic, the frescoes from Pompeii and Herculaneum, the Villa of the Papyri bronzes, and the colossal Farnese sculptures first makes the ruins of Pompeii far easier to visualise the following day.
• Midday climb to Vomero: Walk south down Via Toledo (stopping to admire Oscar Tusquets Blanca's sub-aquatic mosaic escalators inside Toledo Metro station) and board the Funicolare Centrale up to Vomero. Visit the star-shaped ramparts of Castel Sant'Elmo and the Certosa di San Martino for sweeping afternoon light over the Bay of Naples.
• Late afternoon and evening at Piazza del Plebiscito and Castel dell'Ovo: Descend back to Via Toledo, stroll under the glass-and-iron dome of Galleria Umberto I, and visit the Royal Palace of Naples on Piazza del Plebiscito. Continue down to the seafront for a sunset walk along Via Partenope to Castel dell'Ovo and Borgo Marinari.

Day 3: Pompeii, Herculaneum, or Mount Vesuvius

• Morning at Pompeii: Board an early Circumvesuviana train (Naples to Sorrento line) or Campania Express from Napoli Porta Nolana or Napoli Piazza Garibaldi to Pompei Scavi - Villa dei Misteri. Spend three to four hours exploring the Forum, the Amphitheatre (built around 70 BC), the House of the Faun, and the frescoed Villa of the Mysteries using the Pompeii, Herculaneum and Vesuvius day trip guide.
• Afternoon choice (Herculaneum or the Vesuvius Crater): Either ride the EAV bus up to the 1,000-metre trailhead of Mount Vesuvius (with a pre-booked crater permit) to walk the rim of the Gran Cono, or hop back on the Circumvesuviana north to Ercolano Scavi to see the carbonised wooden roofs, upper balconies, and glass mosaics of Herculaneum before returning to Naples for dinner in the Quartieri Spagnoli.