Does anyone actually like Naples?

[FrodoBiggins]

Going to Naples with my DH end of Sept, then on to Sorrento and Capri start of Oct. Everyone (literally everyone) I've told irl has said Sorrento/Amalfi/Capri are great but Naples not so much. I was really looking forward to it (still am) but I'm a bit confused now - it looks interesting and cool!
For info we're there 5 days, doing Herculaneum and Pompeii so maybe 3 days free. We like history and food. It seemed an obvious choice. I can speak Italian, DH is OK he can get by.
Anyone got any recommendations or is it as "grim" as everyone seems to say?

I hated it. The graffiti , the filth , the beggars, the pickpockets was scary .
We felt targeted by ppl because we were obviously tourists . Never again.

I haven’t been to Naples but want to now. Been to Pompeii, Herculaneum, Sorrento, Ravello, Capri etc. Loved them. But it was off season.

Nah. Nearly all were undercooked and soggy in the middle. The exception - and it was exceptional - was the fried base one we had.

Oh yes, especially the "adults only" section. Lots of Roman pornographic frescoes and phallic votives.

We stayed in the Ibis near the train station and it was fine, we didn't feel unsafe even in the evening as there are plenty of Police around. We're early birds though so rarely out after 11pm.

Be prepared for constant car horns, they literally never stop. Beggars abound, just ignore, especially the ones using young children to elicit sympathy. I have a compact "holiday bag" just big enough for phone, purse and other essentials that I kept zipped under my jacket (it was March).

On the other hand the Neapolitans are open and friendly. We had a family emergency at home and I found I'd forgotten my phone charger for my ancient Samsung. We went into a little backstreet phone shop and the owner rummaged around in a drawer for a couple of minutes, emerged triumphant with the right charger and only asked for E2.00. He could easily have charged me more than 10x that as it was obvious I was desperate. I gave him E5.00.

Naples is great for people watching, I don't think I've ever seen pushchairs put to so many uses in such a short space of time(Some even had kids in them).

I'd love to go back and see the tunnels as we missed them last time and also see more of Puzzuoli (so) and the Campi Flegrei.

https://www.relaiscastelnuovo.com/ We stayed here a couple of times. It's near to Muncipio metro and the cruise docks. The bus to station / airport goes from across the road. Area is busy but didn't feel unsafe.

I loved Naples too. For a short stay of five days I wouldn't do Herculaneum as well as Pompeii, save Herc for another time. We needed passports or ID to get into Pompeii, luckily our Italian friend had her ID card on her. The Palace de Casserta is fabulous and worth spending some time on. The Santa Chiara is worth seeing, and the Museum of Medical Anomolies. I didn't visit the Archaelogical Museum, that's now on the list for next time.

The only part I didn't like, was when we arrived at the airport and tried getting a taxi to our hotel. I'm not fluent at all, but do speak some Italian and I felt the drivers just standing around mocking us. When we did get a taxi, I'm 99% sure he changed the price- either speaking a local dialect initially or just changing the Euro amount altogether. Its the only place I've ever been where I wish I'd pre-booked a driver/taxi to the hotel. I can agree with this, we got our Italian friend to book a cab for us to get us back to the airport (recommended by the apartment owner). The cabs outside the airport are a bit dodgy in that they do try to charge you more.

It can be bit rough in places, but every big city is like that. We didn't have any problems either time we went, it does pay to be sensible with keeping your purse and phone safely stashed away. And apparently the area around the station is rough and noisy at night, if you can change accommodation I would.

Loads of places have pickpockets! Try Paris for starters. Just behave like a cautious tourist with the bag you use and it’s fine. It’s common sense really. Don’t wear your Rolex.

The centre of Naples is a world heritage site. So UNESCO thinks it’s worth a visit. Look at Via San Gregorio Armeno for artisan shops. Look out for Piazza San Domenico Maggiore for cafes and eateries nearby. The Spanish Quarters is the gritty area. You could do the Naples underground tour, visit the Monestery Santa Chiara and the Royal Palace. Theres also the cathedral and numerous atmospheric churches and visit the Castel dell Ovo. Plenty to do if you plan.

I loved all the pizzas I ate in Naples (and I ate a lot!). They were all amazing.

Thanks again all for super useful advice and recommendations.
I cancelled the hotel by the station (free cancellation FTW) and found one in the historic centre in a palazzo for a similar price which looks lovely, and seems to be in walking distance of lots of good stuff with positive reviews about location.
Any recommendations for places to eat and drink all continue to be welcome of course!

Glad you found a nice palazzo, it was one of the highlights of our stay finding somewhere so historic and cool; our staircase to the top floor was something else!

We loved it! It's gritty but a really interesting place. If you are driving, good luck! My husband did but it's the only place I've been to and thought I really wouldn't like to as the roads were mad. And parking is tricky with people charging you to watch your car (we were told by the Air B&B we could ignore them and did)

I would love to go back. Pompeii was interesting and so was Vesuvius.

Too chaotic for me.

I loved it. The archaeological museum is fantastic- it’s best to visit that after you’ve been to Pompeii and Herculaneum.

I love Naples, but echo the warnings about pickpockets. If you must take a handbag, make sure it is a cross-body one, with a strap that can't be cut through and hold it in front of you, otherwise hidden body belts are best. For historical artefacts visit the Museo Archeologo, which has many of the original finds from Pompeii and Herculaneum (the ones there are often replicas). The islands of Procida and Ischia are much nicer and less busy than Capri and the bubbling supervolcano of Campi Flagrei is much more interesting than Vesuvius, which is largely a tourist trap. Wish I was going.......

I love it! Like Claton on crack but everyone has a lovely tan and the architecture is 1000x more beautiful lol

Literally just back for the second time, I love Naples- crazy energy and totally chaotic but I’ve always found the people super friendly and never really got the unsafe vibe people talk about. Food is amazing too.

On the other hand I found Sorrento totally underwhelming.

Literally just back for the second time, I love Naples- crazy energy and totally chaotic but I’ve always found the people super friendly and never really got the unsafe vibe people talk about. Food is amazing too.

On the other hand I found Sorrento totally underwhelming.

Hats off to
your husband, that’s super impressive. I wouldn’t drive there if you paid me!

Neither would I! I've spent a lot of time in India and always fancied giving driving there a go if the opportunity arose. But Naples, no way!

to eat nearby :

Via Toledo there are many typical Neapolitan takeaways

Tándem - piazza del Gesù
calata trinità maggiore 12

Sano sano - via Santa Brigida 62 (of you say ATTICO33 you will get the discount)

Pizzería Sorbillo - via dei tribunali 32

Trattoria Toledo - quartieri spagnoli - Vico tatto nuovo 47

Trattoria da Nennella - piazza carità

Officina del mare - piazzetta marinari 20 ( castel dell’Ovo )

Garum - piazza Monteóliveto 2/A

this is a list we were recommended by our air bnb host

Naples makes a great base for visiting lots of places around it. Mind you as we left the train station a bloke had DH's ruck sack half undone, fortunately DH noticed before he had chance to take anything. In typical Italian style the bloke grinned and sauntered off. It doesn't put me off, as it's not a first for me in Italy but it put DH off Naples a bit.

Thanks very much, per my update I rebooked and I specifically looked for a palazzo on your recommendation, and have one now which looks lovely :)

We stayed near Palazzo Reale and had an amazing few days. The museums, galleries, pastries, ice creams, soaking up the atmosphere. We took a bus along the coast - had to take the ferry back as I couldn't handle the twists and turns on the road. Such beautiful towns. Also took ferry to Ischia and had a few daysbthere which was a lovely change of pace and far less crowded than Capri. Plus Herculaneum and Pompeii trips. Don't stay near the station and don't carry anything valuable with you.
The airport was not like any other European airport - very chaotic and busy. As long as you know what you are expecting I hope you love it.

We stayed in Sorento to see Pompeii, Herculaneum and Vesuvius. It was beautiful.
We spent half a day in Capri and found it meh. If you have loads of money and like to shop then you'll enjoy it. We don't, but found the public beach and spent a few hours swimming and sunbathing which was nice.

We spent one night in Naples, we were booked on an early train to Rome the next day so stayed near the station. We had dinner at one of the restaurants and headed for our hotel room as we didn't feel safe.

I loved Naples, as did all the family. Just don't hang your handbag on your chair or pop it under the table in a restaurant as it will get stolen.

Amalfi is lovely. Sorrento felt a bit meh and very touristy. Vesuvius is well worth a visit. I think you probably don't need to go to Herculanium and Pompeii, it's just more of the same. I prefer Herculanium to Pompeii, less chaotic, easier to navigate, less crowded.