Naples Underground Tickets with Guided Tour

Naples Underground (Napoli Sotterranea)

Beneath Naples lies a second city. Around 2,400 years ago, Greek settlers began cutting yellow tuff stone from the ground to build the town above, and the empty quarries became the foundation of an underground world. Today, the Naples Underground tour is one of the most popular things to do in the city, and the entrance is in the heart of the old town, near Piazza San Gaetano.

Your guide leads you down about 40 metres by stairs into tunnels that stay cool all year round, so bring a light layer even in summer. Because the route includes narrow passages and steps, it is best for visitors comfortable in enclosed spaces.

The Greek and Roman aqueduct and cisterns

The Romans reused the quarries as part of a network of aqueducts and cisterns that carried water to homes for centuries. You walk along channels carved by hand and see the wells through which residents drew water from their houses above.

Your guide explains how the system worked, how gravity moved the water from the hills into the city, and why it fell out of use once modern water and sewer networks arrived in the 19th century. It is a striking example of how Naples grew above and below the ground at the same time, and it makes the streets overhead feel very different when you return to the surface.

The Second World War air-raid shelter

During the Second World War, the tunnels became a refuge for thousands of Neapolitans who sheltered from bombing raids. You see the rooms where families lived, along with the objects they left behind, from children's toys to household items and beds.

It is a moving part of the tour and gives real context to the city's history, because you see how ordinary families coped with the war beneath their own streets. If you are searching for how to visit Naples Underground, note that the tour runs at fixed times in English, so choose your slot on the booking panel and arrive a little early.

Planning your visit and the pizza option

The tour usually lasts between one and a half and two hours. It works well as a morning or afternoon activity, together with a walk along Spaccanapoli and Via San Gregorio Armeno, the street of nativity workshops, which are close by.

The default option is the guided tour with fast-track entry. A second option adds a pizza meal to the same tour, so read the option title carefully before you choose. Naples Underground opening hours can change by season and by day, and the tour is a good way to escape the midday heat of a summer afternoon.