Naples alone is easiest from the bottom up. Start in the metro, where the stations are galleries, then work upward through museums, a pizzeria queue and, if you have a day, a buried Roman town reached by commuter train. Nobody here expects you to have company for any of it.
Last checked 2026-11-01. Hours and dates come from each venue's own page.
Start under the street
ANM, the city's metro operator, runs a Metro Art site that describes more than 300 site-specific works in the Art Stations of Line 1. Two stations are the best first stops (Metro Art ANM).
Toledo was designed by the Catalan architect Oscar Tusquets Blanca (2012). Its black cladding sets off William Kentridge's large mosaics, including the procession led by the patron saint of Naples, and remains of the Aragonese city wall are built into the first level below ground (Toledo station).
Museo is the station that leads straight to the Museo Archeologico Nazionale. ANM notes that a cast of a Neolithic ploughed field, found while digging the Toledo station, is on show in the Stazione Neapolis corridor to the museum (same Toledo page).
If you would rather have a guide, ANM's educational services run Metro Art Tours and offer a tailored guided visit, Metro Art Your Tour, by appointment (Metro Art Tour). The ride is a good first outing alone because the metro is the activity and you leave when you like.
Which door is shut today?
In Naples the question is not what to see but what is open.
- Museo Archeologico Nazionale (MANN): open 9:00 to 19:30, last entry 18:30, closed Tuesday. Open on holidays except 1 January and 25 December, and open on Tuesday 8 December 2026 (then closed on Wednesday 9 December) (MANN).
- Cappella Sansevero (the Veiled Christ): open 9:00 to 19:00 with last entry 18:30, closed Tuesday. It is small, so it makes an easy 45-minute plan (Museo Sansevero).
- Capodimonte: the museum is open every day except Wednesday. The Real Bosco park is open daily, 7:00 to 17:00 from November to January (Capodimonte).
- Gallerie d'Italia on Via Toledo: open Tuesday to Friday 10:00 to 19:00, Saturday and Sunday 10:00 to 20:00, closed Monday (Gallerie d'Italia Naples).
So a Tuesday is a Gallerie, Capodimonte or Herculaneum day, and a Wednesday is a MANN or Sansevero day.
First Sunday of the month: free days
Two sites open their doors free on the first Sunday of every month:
- The Gallerie d'Italia in Naples has free admission for all visitors (Gallerie d'Italia Naples).
- Herculaneum lists the first Sunday of the month as a free day; free tickets are collected at the site on the day and cannot be booked online (Herculaneum tickets).
Free days can be busy. Pick one place, go early, and leave when you have had enough.
Down into the tufa
Naples is built over its own history, and the guided underground routes suit one person well because a guide does the navigating.
Napoli Sotterranea calls itself the official and authorised route of the Associazione Napoli Sotterranea, run under a concession from the state property agency. Tours are listed in Italian and English, and a Thursday tour at 21:00 runs by reservation only, with a minimum of 10 people. Check the visiting-hours page for departure times (Napoli Sotterranea, visiting hours).
Catacombs of Naples in the Rione Sanità neighbourhood, run by the La Paranza cooperative, include the Catacombs of San Gennaro and San Gaudioso and the Fontanelle Cemetery. The site also lists a route called the Holy Mile through the neighbourhood. These are places for a quiet, respectful visit (Catacombe di Napoli).
Pizza, alone, on purpose
Two pizzeria names to start with:
- Antica Pizzeria da Michele at Via Cesare Sersale 1: the historic Naples site is open daily from 11:00 to 23:00. The pizzeria's own site describes the long wait as a "rito", a ritual, that famous guests have not skipped either, so bring patience and a book (Da Michele, contacts).
- Pizzeria Gino Sorbillo has its historic seat on Via dei Tribunali and another in Piazza Vanvitelli, and its fried pizzas carry the "Antica Pizza Fritta da Zia Esterina Sorbillo" sign (Sorbillo).
For more on the habit, see how to eat alone in public.
Up to the Real Bosco
If you need green space, take Capodimonte's park. It is open every day, from 7:00 until 17:00 in November, and the museum sits inside it (Capodimonte). It is a good plan for a clear morning: walk first, sit in the museum later.
Ruins by commuter train
Herculaneum is the easy day trip. From 15 October to 15 March the park is open 8:30 to 17:00 (last entry 15:30, and you should leave by 16:40). Full price is EUR 16. From Napoli Centrale, buy a ticket to "Ercolano Scavi" and take the Circumvesuviana line towards Sorrento. The entrance, at Corso Resina 187, is a six-minute walk from the station (Herculaneum tickets, how to arrive).
Pompeii needs a plan. Its tickets are personal, there is a daily limit of 20,000 entries, and the last entrance at Porta Ercolano is at 15:30 in winter. The Circumvesuviana Napoli-Sorrento line stops at Pompei Villa dei Misteri (Pompeii Sites, how to get there). For help with the first solo day away, see first solo trip tips.
Your first solo outings in Naples
- Easy. Ride Line 1 to Toledo, look at the Kentridge mosaics, then ride on to Museo.
- Medium. Wait for a table at Antica Pizzeria da Michele and eat alone, with a book for the queue.
- Bold. Take the Circumvesuviana to Ercolano Scavi and spend the morning at Herculaneum, back before dark.
Details change. Check the venue before you go.
Solo Era for iPhone
Take a day trip somewhere new
Solo Era (an iPhone app) has a travel mission at level 3: "Take a day trip somewhere you have never been, alone." It suits the Herculaneum trip. Free to download. A subscription is required to start missions. Prices and any free trial are shown in the app and depend on the offer and eligibility.
Related reading
See the full list of things to do alone in cities and things to do alone in a new city. Other Italian cities: Rome, Milan and Venice.
FAQ
Which Naples museums are closed on Tuesday?
The Museo Archeologico Nazionale and the Cappella Sansevero are both closed on Tuesday. Capodimonte closes on Wednesday and the Gallerie d'Italia on Monday.
Is anything free in Naples?
Yes. The Gallerie d'Italia and Herculaneum list free admission on the first Sunday of every month.
How do I get to Herculaneum from Naples?
Buy a ticket to Ercolano Scavi at Napoli Centrale and take the Circumvesuviana towards Sorrento. The park's entrance is about six minutes on foot from the station.
Do I need to book Pompeii?
Its tickets are personal and there is a daily limit of 20,000 entries, so buy yours on the official ticketing page.
Is Da Michele worth the wait alone?
The pizzeria's own site calls the long wait a ritual, so expect to queue and bring a book.
Sources (checked 2026-11-01)
- Metro Art ANM: metroart.anm.it, Toledo station and Metro Art Tour
- Museo Archeologico Nazionale: museoarcheologiconapoli.it/en/orari-e-biglietti/
- Museo Cappella Sansevero: museosansevero.it
- Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte: capodimonte.cultura.gov.it/orari/
- Gallerie d'Italia Naples: gallerieditalia.com/en/naples/plan-your-visit/
- Napoli Sotterranea: napolisotterranea.org/en/ and visiting hours
- Catacombs of Naples: catacombedinapoli.it/en/
- Antica Pizzeria da Michele: damichele.net and contacts
- Pizzeria Gino Sorbillo: sorbillo.it
- Parco Archeologico di Ercolano: tickets and hours and how to arrive
- Pompeii Sites: timetables and tickets and how to get there
Solo Era for iPhone
Try it with Solo Era
Solo Era gives you one realistic mission a week, records how nervous you felt before and after, and keeps a photo journal of what you did. An iPhone app. A subscription is required to start missions; any free trial depends on the offer and eligibility shown in the app.
