FOOD & TRAVEL GUIDE FOR A WEEKEND IN NAPLES/ NAPOLI

If you’re looking for the best places to visit in bella Napoli and get your belly full of (fried) pizza, pasta, spritz and gelato. this guide is for you. After already visiting the underrated city of Naples a few years ago, I was so happy to come back after the Amalfi coast. I wanted to share all my favorite food & drink hotspots as well as the nicest areas to visit in the home of pizza and pasta with you. So if you are also a big fan of the Italian food and want to experience an authentic & lively Italian città you can’t go wrong with a trip to Naples!

Did you know that Napoli is actually the third biggest city in Italy after Milan and Rome? The atmosphere and vibe is, however, quite different from the north and you should not expect like a fancy spotless city when coming to Naples. What you can look forward to, however, is to meet super friendly people (everyone was so helpful even though we could both not speak proper Italian and the people in Napoli often not proper English), delicious food, a lively vibe (we learned that the bars and restaurants always have more places outside than inside as you just always meet outside) and many different cool corners to visit (all the quarters and areas are quite different from each other).

Of course, a lot of people are combining a trip to Naples with the Amalfi coast and/ or Capri in summer. If you’re interested in my favorite places on the Amalfi coast (for my special birthday trip to Amalfi and Positano) make sure to check out my ultimate Amalfi coast travel and food guide as well here on my blog.

Lots of love,
Magda

Getting around Napoli

It’s pretty easy to visit the main sights and places in Napoli by foot depending on the location of your accommodation. If you do want to go by public transport, I can only recommend taking the subway, which is super easy and cheap. Also the old funicolare are a nice experience and take you up to the hills where you can overlook the city and visit the castello. Otherwise, there are of course taxis available to take you home after a longer night.

We also really enjoyed taking the train outside of Napoli to Salerno, which is just a ~30 minute ride from Napoli Centrale. If you also like to do a day trip to Salerno (I will not write an own blog post about it as we just stayed for an afternoon), I can really recommend you to visit the Giardino della Minerva. You can find the hidden treasure via taking the Ascensore Pubblico Fusandola as the garden is located on top of the city. There you can walk through the beautiful giardino (entrance is 3€) or go directly to the café and herbal tea shop. We really enjoyed the freshly squeezed orange juice and the beautiful view over Salerno and the sea.

Where to stay in Napoli

We decided to stay close to the centro storico as we wanted to walk everywhere while also being not in the middle of the busy (and dark!) streets of the old town. We booked this airbnb here mainly because of the huge terrace, which was really nice for enjoying a relaxed time in the sun. The airbnb host was also really helpful and the apartment also offered a well-equipped kitchen (even though probably nobody cooks when being on holiday in Napoli haha). The only thing to mention is that the apartment was on the fifth floor without any elevator so it might be something to consider (but also good after so much pasta and pizza haha).

Areas to visit in Napoli:

Centro storico
This area was my favorite quarters of the city as you could get lost so easily in the pretty alleys while always spotting more and more delicious food and aperitivo places. Our favorite spot in the centro storico definitely was Piazza Bellini which gets pretty busy for aperitivo (Spazio Nea, Caffè Letterario Intra Moenia) but also after dinner as there are some places selling Spritz for just 2€. Also make sure to walk along the Via dei Tribunali which is filled with many different food hotspots (Di Matteo, Sorbillo, etc.) and some nice piazzas.

Quartieri Spagnoli
This quarter is one of the most authentic neighborhoods in Naples with small alleys, high houses, shuttered windows and fresh laundry hanging from the windows. Just get lost in the many small streets and if you like to visit local markets you should also walk through Via Pignasecca where you can find a lot of fresh fish, vegetable and fruit stands.

Vomero
After you took one of the funicular up to this enjoyable neighborhood you can explore beautiful houses, nice coffee spots in the sun and the view overlooking Naples. The area seems a bit more elegant with some more expensive shops, while there are also really charming coffee places and authentic food places.

Santa Lucia
Located next to the sea you can enjoy the beautiful view on the Mediterranean ocean while taking a walk on the sea promenade. There is also the Castel dell’Ovo with some restaurants specialised in seafood located directly next to the water.

Favorite brunch, lunch and dinner places in Napoli

• L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele
  The place to go for authentic Neapolitan pizza. I would recommend coming not at the peak dinner time as it can get packed. Still, you can get a waiting number and grab a drink around the area in case you need to wait a bit - it’s worth it for sure! We took the pizza to go as our hotel was close by. They only have 3 different types of pizza (and you can also get a half half version) and we loved the Cosacca with pecorino the most. The price is insane as it’s just 6€ for each pizza so standing in line is for sure worth it!

• Pizza 3.0 Ciro Cascella
  We got this Michelin accredited Pizzeria recommended and really liked it! They are offering a big selection and please don’t judge but we loved the bolognese pizza a lot! Also we got a rosso pizza with pecorino like at da Michele and compared to the super hyped one from da Michele we like the Ciro pizza even more (both are super good though)!

• Pizzeria passionamij
  This spot was in total probably our favorite pizzeria in Napoli! We took the pizza to go and ordered even three pizze (to also try some different ones) and loved the bufala and the one with vegetables (which they made with tomato sauce especially for us). The eggplant was super juicy as well and we just paid 20€ for three pizze, crazy right?

• Add'E Guaglian Pizzeria & Friggitoria
  We loved our pizza here so much! It’s a small place and closed on Sundays but really worth it. The prices are super low and they’re offering a few different versions including the best bufala pizza I’ve had in Naples. There is a small outside seating area as well (with high chairs) and the size of the pizza was bigger than at other spots.

• Tandem Ragù
  Very nice trattoria specialised in ragù with homemade pasta. They (even) offer vegan ragù which was absolutely delicious! The place can get pretty busy so either come early (for Italians haha) or reserve a table beforehand. I came back the second time I visited Naples and was not disappointed - this time I had the meat ragu and it was soo good!

• Cisterna Bistrot
  Finding a brunch place in Napoli which is serving “not only” cornetto and espresso was actually quite difficult. However, Cisterna is serving “classic” brunch combinations as well as pancakes and french toast for a really decent price. I really enjoyed the french toast and the cappuccino!

• Antica Friggitoria La Masardona dal 1945
  We got this place recommended by a friend and probably were the only tourists haha. The restaurant, with only outside seating, is specialised in fried pizza and offers a wide variety of big and small fried pizze. There are also many vegetarian and vegan options available.

Best aperitivo spots in Napoli

• Spazio Nea
  Super nice aperitivo place serving all kind of Spritz (I tried one with rhubarb and it was really nice!). They also offer some small plates (the bruschette were really tasty and vegetarian as well!) and the location is just really nice as it is located in an art gallery on the pretty piazza Bellini.

• Caffè Letterario Intra Moenia
  Another really cool place directly on of my favorite spots in Naples, piazza Bellini. I was quite sceptic as the reviews were not sooo good, but the place was really pleasant for an aperitivo with a cool atmosphere. We did not try any food though. In general all aperitivo spots on piazza Bellini are amazing & you’re able to enjoy the sun for a long time!

• Caffè dell'Epoca
  Also located on Piazza Bellini, the caffè is one of the hotspots for all the young people around town (not as young as around Cammarota Spritz, where the average age was around 15 and we thus did not feel so comfortable haha). You can just grab an aperol spritz for 2€ and enjoy it outside at a table or in the crowd as the piazza gets pretty busy.

• Libreria Berisio
  Really cool cocktail bar located in the centro storico with a large selection of classic and also lesser known cocktails. The vibe is really unique as the bar is actually also a bookshop for second hand books! We really like the place (spicy margarita and the pisco sour were our favorites) and atmosphere, so make sure to visit when you’re in Napoli!

Other foodie hotspots in Napoli

• Mennella Il Gelato
  Best authentic Italian gelato in Napoli. There are several branches around town so just check out which one is closest to you when you are craving a delicious ice cream/ gelato. My favourite was of course pistachio, as always.

• Sansone Coffee Artisan Microroastery & Specialty Coffee
  If you’re looking for the best speciality coffee experience in Naples this is the spot to go. We loved to learn about their house blends and they served the cappuccino with sparkling (or still water) and made a whole experience of it. It’s a lovely cute little shop but there are also some outside seating places available - my favorite coffee shop!

• Bruno's Food Drink & Coffee
  The coffee spot was an unexpectedly pleasant surprise as we were craving cappuccino (after lunch, sorry for all the Italians haha) and found this place when we walked around the centro storico. The coffee was really good (with a cute bear barista foam!) and the spot super sunny - perfect for a short break when exploring the centro storico.

• Cuori di Sfogliatella
  One of the local Neapoletan specialities (of course fried haha) you really need to try. The place offers a wide selection of sweet and salty sfolgiatelle, we had the margarita one which was really filling and tasty!

• Di Matteo
  Wide selection of fried dishes such as crocche or arancine (they others are mostly with meat). They also offer fried pizza which you can enjoy directly there or take away and eat it at a nearby piazza.