Top 5 Underground Tours in Naples

Naples has an entire city hidden beneath the ground. A tour of its cisterns, tunnels, and wells makes this a truly unique attraction in the city. If you’re wondering what to do in Naples, I recommend including a tour of its underground world and taking part in this journey through 2,400 years of history.

While there are many tours and excursions in Naples, some travelers are more curious and want to explore the city from end to end. This tour is ideal for these travelers, as they’ll be able to explorethe Bourbon Galleries.

This tunnel was built in 1853 by Francis II of Bourbon, who was deeply concerned about an impending rebellion and decided to order the construction of an escape route from the Royal Palace to the Barracks on what was then Via della Pace.

You can explore this tunnel, steeped in history and atmosphere, which was never completed but has been used by different people for various purposes throughout history. It served as a military hospital, a World War II shelter, and even a judicial warehouse.

This tour is captivating and, at times, heartbreaking, as you can still see inscriptions with handwritten messages of hope and despair left by all the people who lived there.

In the tunnels, you’ll also find statues from the Fascist era and a unique exhibition of cars and motorcycles that were abandoned during the war years.
This tour is conducted in groups of up to 20 people, and prices start at €14. Don’t miss the chance to experience Naples’ history in a way you never imagined, but one you’re sure to enjoy.

Points of Interest

• Price: starting at €14
• Duration: 3.5 hours
• Benefits of this option: it’s a unique activity in Naples at a great price

This tour of Naples is perfect for those who want to explore the city on foot but are also interested in discovering its underground world.

On this 5-hour tour of Naples, you’ll start by exploring the famous historic center.

Naples is a particularly picturesque city, and one of the best things to do is simply get lost among its artisan shops, take a tour (if you can) to sample its street food, and marvel at the age and state of preservation of its churches.

This type of walking tour generally covers the main tourist attractions, such as Piazza del Municipio, Galleria Umberto I, and Piazza del Plebiscito.

They also usually visit other major monuments, such as Castel Nuovo and the Royal Palace.

After a stroll through Spaccanapoli, the main avenue, and the popular Via San Gregorio Armeno, the tour of the buried ruins of ancient Naples begins.

A major advantage of this tour is that your guide is a professional art historian, from whom you’ll learn all the interesting facts and trivia about this unique itinerary.

Additionally, group size is limited to a maximum of 25 people so you can enjoy this tour in the most comfortable way possible. You will also be provided with headphones so you can hear the guide clearly throughout the walk.

Points of Interest

• Price: starting at €40.
• Duration: 5 hours
• Benefits of this option: this tour includes both a tour of the historic center and the underground city

Visiting the Catacombs of San Gennaro is the third most popular tourist activity in Naples for travelers who venture underground to explore. This is where a large portion of the Neapolitan population was buried during the Early Middle Ages.

What makes this tour unique is that you’ll be able to identify different types of burial sites, ranging from small chapels for bishops and important figures of the time to the graves of anonymous people buried directly in the ground.

You’ll also learn much more about Naples’ patron saint, Saint Januarius, whom all the city’s residents love so dearly.

This tour of Naples will give you the chance to discover impressive 9th-century Byzantine frescoes and paintings preserved in this underground city. These works of art are believed to represent the birth of the Pompeian style and are the earliest Christian paintings in southern Italy.

Bishop Paul II also took refuge in these catacombs in the 8th century during the iconoclastic struggles. It is truly incredible to explore these sites, which tell a story in every corner.

Points of Interest

• Price: from €9
• Duration: 45 minutes
• Benefits of this option: the tour is conducted in groups of up to 6 people

The Sacred Route of Naples is a tour of religious and historical significance, stretching from the tomb of San Gennaro to its treasury. On this tour, you’ll discover underground basilicas, important frescoes and mosaics, and explore one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods: Rione Sanità.

This 3-hour tour allows you to immerse yourself in the history and evolution of a city area shaped by many powerful cultures over the centuries.

Walking through Naples is an experience in itself, but in the Rione Sanità neighborhood, you’ll enjoy a rich tapestry of sounds, colors, and faces.

The tour stops include a visit to the Catacombs of San Gennaro, the Basilica of San Gennaro extra Moenia, the Basilica of S. Maria della Sanità, and the Basilica of S. Severo—monuments of great importance to the city.

Points of Interest

• Price: starting at €15
• Duration: 3 hours
• Benefits of this option: you’ll enjoy a tour of the underground area, but you’ll also get to see iconic landmarks.

This tour includes admission to this underground world and a live guided tour. If you want to explore this fantastic setting 40 meters below ground, this option is for you.

Your guide will take you through history, passing through different eras of the city, from the World War II air-raid shelters to the dressing room of the controversial Emperor Nero. It’s fascinating to imagine yourself beneath the depths of a city with streets as bustling as Naples.

This tour will let you enjoy ancient relics, including the Hypogeum Gardens, which date back to the 4th century and are priceless ancient works.

You can also take a stroll through the cistern system and imagine what the city’s water distribution and supply were like for nearly 23 centuries.

The visit culminates with a short tour of the ruins of the ancient Roman Theater of Neapolis, where you can even clearly identify where Nero had a private dressing room for when performances were held. It’s surprising how many of the things we take for granted today have their origins so many years ago.

This tour lasts 1.5 hours, and prices start at €14, which includes the guide who will accompany you on this wonderful adventure.

Points of Interest

• Price: starting at €14
• Duration: 1.5 hours
• Benefits of this option: It’s a very well-preserved route where you can enjoy different attractions in a single tour.

• It is recommended to bring a jacket or sweater, as it can get cold in the tunnels.
• If you have claustrophobia or don’t like enclosed or narrow spaces, this might not be the right activity for you. However, you can explore all the wide galleries and skip the sections where you have to squeeze through narrow passages if you prefer.
• For safety, I recommend wearing comfortable shoes. The ground is sometimes uneven, and there is a lot of moisture due to Naples’ climate and the depth of the tunnels.
• If you’re traveling with children, this is a family-friendly activity. You just need to consider whether they’ll be comfortable with certain conditions. Some sections of the tunnels are quite dark, and the tour includes stairs in several sections. But aside from these details, they’ll enjoy it just as much as the adults.
• I recommend booking the tour of your choice in advance, as spots are limited and these tours are very popular with tourists. Tours are available in different languages, so be sure to check beforehand if they’re available in the language and at the time you prefer.

Taking a tour of underground Naples will allow you to discover a completely different environment and immerse yourself in the city’s history. Exploring on your own will only let you walk through the tunnels, but doing it with a guide will let you relive history as you make your way through them.

While there are many other activities to enjoy in the city, visiting its underground section is a truly unique experience that you can’t find in other cities in Europe or around the world. The ruins are also perfectly preserved. And a restoration process is underway to make them even better.

Depending on the tour, prices are quite similar to other types of activities, but this visit offers cultural and historical value. Plus, the experience of being so many meters underground is something you have to experience for yourself.

No, the reality is that the ruins are part of a conservation project where access is permitted only through guided tours, in order to limit the number of visitors and control the itineraries and routes of tourists.

There are tours with different themes and in different locations, as we’ve detailed in these sections, but it’s not possible to explore them on your own.