A handy guide to Naples metro system

At a first glance, Naples metro system might seem a little bit complicated, but don’t lose heart! This handy guide will help you move around Naples like a local!

I think that there is no much sense in babbling about Metro 1, Metro 2, Circumflegrea, Circumvesuviana and so on and so forth. For this reason I’ve opted for a more pragmatic approach focusing on the two most important questions (“Where do YOU need to GO?” and “Where can you catch the right train?”) and covering four main areas:

How to reach Pompeii, How to reach Sorrento, How to reach Pozzuoli, and How to move within the city.

You can reach Pompeii in multiple ways. However, if you plan to go to the archaeological site the following is the best way to get there:

Go to Naples central station (also called Garibaldi station). Follow the signs leading you to the Circumvesuviana Station. Buy the ticket for “Pompei Scavi/Villa dei Misteri”. The train stopping at “Pompei Scavi/ Villa dei Misteri” is Sorrento-bound, so check this direction and go to the right platform (there is a screen close to the ticket desk informing visitors about trains, platforms and time). Remember to get off at “Pompei Scavi/Villa dei Misteri”. Once you’re there, the archaeological site is at about a distance of 50 meters. Enjoy!

To know about the Circumvesuviana timetable for Pompeii, visit the company webiste.

You can also reach Sorrento in various ways. A fancy one would be by boat, but I planned this guide for people like me who can’t really splash out on boat-trips, but hey this is your special journey to Naples so feel free to use whatever means of transportation you want.

At any rate, to go to Sorrento you need to take the exact train you got on to reach Pompeii. As I said, that train is Sorrento-bound so you will eventually end up there anyway if you miss your stop at Pompei Scavi/Villa dei Misteri. The website is still the same, as well.

Depending of what you want to visit, you have two options to get to Pozzuoli.

(1) Line 2 of the metro system (for the Solfatara, the town’s upper side and the Roman amphitheatre): go to Napoli Centrale (Naples main station) and go one level down (the same level you took the Circumvesivana for Pompeii-Sorrento). Look for the Metro line 2 signs, follow them and be careful to go to the right platform (direction: Pozzuoli Solfatara, your stop). Buy the ticket for Pozzuoli Solfatara, validate it and hop on the train!

Important! You should make sure that the train destination is Pozzuoli Solfatara. Some trains leaving from the same platform may stop before Pozzuoli. Of course, everything is indicated on the metro’s screens. To check for the timetable see Trenitalia website and insert from: Napoli P.zza Garibaldi to Pozzuoli Solfatara in the designated box.

(2) Cumana railway (for the seafront, the Macellum and temple of Serapis): to take this train you have to go to the Montesanto Cumana terminus in piazza Montesanto. Here you can take two lines, so please make sure you take the right train (stop: Pozzuoli, the train is bound for Torregaveta ). To check the trains timetable, write from “Montesanto” to “Pozzuoli” in the website box.

To move around Naples by metro you have three options. Let’s see them!

Option 1

Cable railways to go to the Vomero and Posillipo hill districts.

To go to Vomero take one of the following cable railways depending on your location: Piazzetta Augusteo station, Montesanto station, or Parco Margherita station.

To go to Posillipo by cable railway you can only take it from Mergellina cable station (great also for the panoramic view on the gulf).

Option 2

The new metro system (Line 1) to move from the most touristic places (Remember that there is one train every 18 minutes).

For Castel Nuovo (also called Maschio Angioino) take metro 1, Municipio stop.

For the National Archaeological Museum, Museo stop.

For Vomero, Vanvitelli stop.

For Via Toledo, the shopping street, Toledo stop.

For the historical centre, Università or Dante stops.

Option 3

Metro 2 to reach more specific places like Montesanto Cumana terminus (Montesanto stop) or Mergellina (Mergellina stop). Remember that this metro line is operated by Trenitalia, so check their website for the timetable.

Although I’ve elsewhere tried to answer the infamous question “Is Naples safe?”, I want to remind you to pay attention to your belongings on the metro and play it safe as you would do in any other big European city like Paris or London.

Have a fun stay in Naples!