Getting around Naples, Italy: metro, funiculars, tickets and the airport

Naples is easy to walk in the old centre, but for the rest it helps to know the right combination of metro, funicular and regional train. The good news is that almost all public transport, from Pozzuoli to Herculaneum, runs on the same ticket, the TIC from UnicoCampania. The bad news is that in November 2026 Capodichino airport stays closed for runway works: if your trip falls in that month, read the dedicated article before you get this far. For everything else, here is where to catch each mode of transport, what it costs and which stops you actually need.

Metro: lines 1, 2 and 6

Line 1, run by ANM, is the hill metro: twenty stations from Piscinola to Centro Direzionale, passing through Materdei, Museo, Dante, Toledo, Municipio and Garibaldi, where it connects to line 2 and to the Circumvesuviana. Service runs from 6am to 10:30pm Monday to Thursday and on Sunday; on Friday and Saturday trains run until about 1:20-1:30am. Trains come every 10 minutes at peak times, every 14 minutes in the evening (ANM).

Line 2 is instead a Trenitalia rail service that runs almost parallel, from Pozzuoli to San Giovanni-Barra: useful if you are coming from the Campi Flegrei or need to get from piazza Garibaldi to Mergellina without going back up to street level. The two lines cross at several points, but tickets and gates stay separate.

Line 6 is the shortest, Mergellina, San Pasquale, Mostra: handy if you are staying near the Mostra d'Oltremare or arriving by hydrofoil at Mergellina and need to carry on towards the centre.

The funiculars, the shortcut up to the Vomero

From the centre to the Vomero, the hill with the best view over the bay, you can go up in a few minutes on one of the funiculars. The Centrale leaves from piazzetta Augusteo, near via Toledo, and arrives at piazza Fuga; the Chiaia leaves from via del Parco Margherita and comes out at via Cimarosa; the Mergellina connects the Mergellina marina to via Manzoni. All three run on the same ticket as the metro.

The fourth one, Montesanto, has been closed since 15 May 2026 for its mandatory twenty year overhaul, with reopening expected in February 2027. For the length of the works, ANM has put on a replacement bus between piazzetta Montesanto, corso Vittorio Emanuele, via Morghen and piazza Vanvitelli (Comune di Napoli); if you are starting from the Quartieri Spagnoli or piazza Dante, the Centrale stays the easiest choice.

Cumana and Circumvesuviana: the trains for the bay and Vesuvius

The Cumana, run by EAV, leaves from Montesanto station, through an entrance separate from the funicular's, and reaches Torregaveta via Fuorigrotta, Bagnoli and Pozzuoli: it is the right train for the Campi Flegrei. Service on the full line was restored on 11 September 2026, after works on part of the route (EAV).

The Circumvesuviana leaves from piazza Garibaldi, on the underground level of Napoli Centrale station, and runs towards Herculaneum, Pompeii, Torre Annunziata and Sorrento. Since 17 October 2026 a new, regular timetable is in effect: a train every 10 minutes as far as Torre Annunziata, every 30 minutes towards Sorrento and towards Sarno, always leaving at the same minutes of the hour so they are easier to remember (EAV). From Garibaldi to Ercolano Scavi takes about 10 minutes, to Pompei Scavi about 33.

ANM buses, useful but less predictable

Where the metro and funiculars do not reach, ANM buses fill the gap: lines like the C28 for Posillipo and Marechiaro, the 140 along the seafront from Mergellina to piazza Municipio, or the R2 that crosses the centre from piazza Garibaldi to via Toledo are the ones you will use most as a visitor. Traffic in the old centre makes travel times less reliable than on rail, especially at peak hours: better to check real time arrivals on the ANM app or Google Maps before waiting at a stop, and keep in mind that frequency drops a lot after 9pm.

The single ticket and where to buy it

Almost everything above runs on the same ticket, the TIC from UnicoCampania: since 1 October 2026 it costs 1.90 euros and is valid for 90 minutes on the metro, funiculars, ANM buses, Cumana and Circumvesuviana within the urban area of Naples. You buy it at ticket machines in stations, at tobacco shops with the UnicoCampania sign, or in the Unico Campania app, and you must validate it on entry or as soon as you board: checks do happen, especially on line 1. If you are staying a full day, the app also has a day ticket: its price changes more often than the TIC's, so check it there before you go.

From the airport to the centre: Alibus and taxis

Under normal conditions, the ANM Alibus connects Capodichino airport to piazza Garibaldi and piazza Municipio in about 20-30 minutes, with departures every 15 minutes at peak times: the ticket costs 5 euros, is valid for 90 minutes and is the same one you then use on the metro. You can buy it on board or in the TIC apps. In November 2026, though, the airport is closed for runway works: if your trip falls in that month, start from the guide on how to reach Naples from Salerno and Rome instead of the Alibus.

By taxi, fixed fares from the airport to the centre are set by the city: 21 euros to Stazione Centrale, the Centro Direzionale or the old centre, 24 euros to Molo Beverello, the port or the Teatro San Carlo. Ask for the fixed fare as soon as you get in, the driver cannot refuse it. If you are travelling alone or as a couple, there is also a shared taxi, 6 euros per person between the airport, Stazione Centrale and Molo Beverello, luggage included.

On foot and the old centre's traffic limits

The old centre, from piazza Dante to the Duomo, is best seen on foot: the streets are narrow, often uphill or downhill, and the metro leaves you a few minutes from everything anyway. If you rent a car, know that the historic centre is a limited traffic zone for most of the day: on via del Sole the ban runs from 9am to 10pm on weekdays and until midnight on weekends, on via Duomo, via Santa Sofia and via Miroballo from 9am to 5pm every day (Comune di Napoli). In practice, you do not drive into the old centre: better to leave the car in a car park and move around like everyone else, on foot or by metro.

Getting out of Naples: Pompeii, Sorrento, Caserta

For Pompeii and Herculaneum, the Circumvesuviana described above is all you need: get off at Pompei Scavi, Villa dei Misteri for the ruins, or at Ercolano Scavi, and you are at the entrance a few minutes' walk later. The Pompeii from Naples guide goes into the detail of hours and tickets.

For Sorrento, same line, last stop, about an hour and a quarter from Garibaldi: from there buses leave for the Amalfi Coast, covered in the Amalfi Coast from Naples guide. For Caserta and the Reggia, instead, you change station: the Trenitalia regional train leaves from Napoli Centrale, from the platforms above ground rather than Garibaldi's underground level, roughly every 20 minutes, a journey of just over half an hour and a price around 4 euros; the details are in the Reggia di Caserta guide.

With this in hand, most of the work is done: the rest is an open app and a bit of slack, especially if you switch transport more than once. To figure out what to see along the way, start from the things to do in Naples page or the map with all the places in this guide.

Frequently asked questions

What is the right ticket for getting around Naples?

The TIC from UnicoCampania, 1.90 euros, valid for 90 minutes on the metro, funiculars, ANM buses, Cumana and Circumvesuviana within the urban area. Validate it on entry, buy it at ticket machines, tobacco shops or in the app.

Which funicular is closed right now?

Montesanto, closed since 15 May 2026 for its mandatory twenty year overhaul, with reopening expected in February 2027. A replacement bus runs between Montesanto and piazza Vanvitelli in the meantime; the Centrale funicular stays the easiest way up to the Vomero.

How do you get from the airport to the centre?

By Alibus, 5 euros, in about 20-30 minutes to piazza Garibaldi and piazza Municipio, or by taxi with a fixed fare, 21 or 24 euros depending on the area. In November 2026 the airport is closed for works: check the dedicated guide before planning your trip.

How long does the train to Pompeii and Herculaneum take?

On the Circumvesuviana from piazza Garibaldi, about 10 minutes to Ercolano Scavi and about 33 to Pompei Scavi, with a train every 10-30 minutes depending on the route, after the new timetable that took effect on 17 October 2026.

Information checked on 23 October 2026 on the ANM, EAV and Comune di Napoli websites, and on local outlets for the most recent news on schedules and closures.