Top 5 Underground Tours in Naples

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

Although there are many tours and excursions in Naples, some more curious travellers want to get to know the city from top to bottom. This tour is ideal for these travellers, as they will be able to visitthe Bourbon Gallery.

This tunnel was built in 1853 by Francis II of Bourbon, who was very concerned about an imminent 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 full of history and atmosphere, which was never completed but was used by different people for different purposes throughout history. It was 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 from all the people who have lived there.

In the tunnels, you will also find statues from the Fascist period and a unique exhibition of cars and motorcycles that were abandoned during the war.
This tour is for groups of up to 20 people and costs from £14. Don't miss the opportunity to experience the history of Naples in a way you never imagined, but which you will undoubtedly enjoy.

Details of interest

• Price: from £14
• Duration: 3.5 hours
• Advantages of this option: it is a unique activity in Naples and at a very good price.

This tour of Naples is perfect for those who want to take a walking tour of the city but are also interested in exploring its underground side.

On this 5-hour tour of Naples, you will start by exploring the famous historic centre.

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

This type of walking tour usually covers the main tourist attractions, such as the Town Hall Square, the Galleria Umberto I and the Piazza del Plebiscito.

Other main monuments, such as Castel Nuovo andthe Royal Palace, are also usually visited.

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

A great advantage of this tour is that your guide is a professional art historian, who will share all the interesting facts and trivia about this unique tour.

In addition, the group is limited to a maximum of 25 people so that you can enjoy the tour in the most comfortable way possible. You will also be provided with headphones so that you can hear the guide without any difficulty during the walk.

Details of interest

• Price: from £40.
• Duration: 5 hours
• Advantages of this option: this tour includes both a tour of the historic centre and the underground city.

Visiting the Catacombs of San Gennaro is the third most popular tourist activity in Naples for travellers who dare to explore the city underground. This is where most of the Neapolitans were buried during the Early Middle Ages.

The unique feature of this tour is that you will be able to identify different types of burials, ranging from small chapels for bishops and important figures of the time to the tombs of anonymous people buried directly in the ground.

You will also learn much more about the patron saint of Naples, San Gennaro, who is so beloved by all the city's inhabitants.

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

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

Details of interest

• Price: from £9
• Duration: 45 minutes
• Advantages of this option: the tour is for groups of up to 6 people

The Sacred Route of Naples is a route of religious and historical importance, running from the tomb of San Gennaro to his treasure. On this tour, you will discover underground basilicas, important frescoes and mosaics, and explore one of the oldest neighbourhoods in the city: Rione Sanità.

This tour lasts 3 hours, during which you will immerse yourself in the history and evolution of an area of the city influenced by many strong cultures over the centuries.

Walking through Naples is an experience in itself, but in the Rione Sanità neighbourhood you can enjoy a diversity of sounds, colours and faces.

The tour stops include a visit to the Catacombs of San Genaro, 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.

Details of interest

• Price: from £15
• Duration: 3 hours
• Advantages of this option: you will enjoy a tour of the underground area, but you will also be able to see some of the city's most iconic monuments.

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

Your guide will take you through history, passing through different stages of the city, from the air-raid shelters of the Second World War to the dressing room of the controversial Emperor Nero. It's curious to imagine yourself beneath the depths of a city with streets as busy as Naples.

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

You can also take a walk through the cistern system and imagine what the city's water distribution and supply was like for almost 23 centuries.

The visit is crowned with a short tour of the remains of the ancient Roman Theatre of Neapolis, where you can even clearly identify where Nero had a private dressing room for when performances were held. It is surprising how many of the things we consider everyday have their origins so many years ago.

This tour lasts 1 hour and a half and prices start at £14, which includes the service of a guide who will accompany you on this wonderful adventure.

Details of interest

• Price: from £14
• Duration: 1 hour and a half
• Advantages of this option: it is a very well-preserved route where you can enjoy different attractions in a single tour.

• It is recommended to bring some kind of coat as you may feel cold in the tunnels.
• If you suffer from claustrophobia or dislike enclosed or narrow spaces, this may not be the best activity for you. However, you can see all the wide galleries and avoid the narrowest passages if you prefer.
• For greater safety, I recommend wearing comfortable shoes. The ground is sometimes uneven and there is a lot of humidity due to the climate in Naples and the depth of the tunnels.
• If you are travelling with children, this is a suitable activity for the whole family. Just bear in mind whether they will be comfortable with some of the conditions. Some sections of the tunnels are quite dark, and the route has stairs in several places. But apart from these details, they will enjoy it as much as the adults.
• I recommend booking the tour you like in advance, as places are limited and these activities are very popular with tourists. The tours are available in different languages, so remember to check in advance if they are available in the language and at the time you want.

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

Although there are many other activities to do in the city, visiting its underground is something unique that you cannot do in other cities in Europe or the world. The ruins are also perfectly preserved. A restoration process is underway to make them even better.

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

Can you do these tours on your own?

No, the ruins are part of a conservation project that only allows access with guided tours in order to limit the number of visitors and control the itineraries and routes taken by tourists.

There are different themes and different sites, as we have detailed in these sections, but it is not possible to visit them on your own.