Things to Do in Naples with Kids

Chaotic Naples is a surprisingly kid-friendly city, with effusive locals who welcome traveling tots in restaurants, squares, and shops. With lively street markets, vibrant neighborhoods, and pizza and gelato at every turn, Naples can be a fun destination for the whole family. Here are some kid-friendly attractions and tours to consider.

Highlights

• Take a pizza tour of the historic center (centro storico) with plenty of stops to sample pies on the go (the city’s famed pizza al portafoglio) or seated in rolicking hole-in-the-wall pizzerias on a plate (pizza al piatto). Not satisfying enough? Join a pizza-making lesson to learn how to make authentic pies at home.
• Tour the lively neighborhoods in the centro storico to soak up the uniquely high-octane energy of these teeming streets lined with colorful vendors, pizza stands, and coffee bars.
• Visit the street where it’s Christmas all year round, Via San Gregorio Armeno. This narrow lane crowded with artisan shops selling hand-crafted and minutely detailed nativity scenes is one of the most memorable corners of the city.
• Storm the castle! The 13th-century Castel Nuovo is set on the waterfront, and there are great views from its upper terraces over the city and across the bay to Mt. Vesuvius. Nearby, the 12th-century Castel dell’Ovo on an islet in the bay has a number of crenellated towers and terraces, perfect to play conqueror.
• Head underground with a Subterranean Naples (Napoli Sotterranea) tour to experience the layers of history beneath Naples’ modern streets. Visit aqueducts dug by the ancient Greeks and later used by the Romans, caverns excavated for air-raid shelters during World War II, and the ruins of a Roman theater where Emperor Nero performed.