Naples guide: 8 unwritten rules you need to know before visiting, to act like a local Neapolitan

Naples is Italy’s third-largest city, sprawling, crowded, chaotic and noisy. Add the local dialect echoing through the streets to the mix, and it can feel a little overwhelming at times. But it’s also a magical, intoxicating and fascinating place, full of contradictions yet achingly beautiful in parts and brimming with extraordinary artistic treasures. I’ve been visiting regularly for three decades and have seen enormous change, not least in the tourist numbers which have exploded post-pandemic. The Naples you see today is much more visitor-friendly – and safer – than it was on my first trip in the early 1990s, when, in spite of the challenges, it was love at first pizza. There’s lots to see and do, but it can be tiring, so pace yourself and leave plenty of time for aimless wandering and leisurely meals. These rules will help you navigate la bella Napoli.

Accept that Naples is perfectly safe

Don’t listen to the naysayers when it comes to personal security in Naples; it’s as safe as any other big city in Italy these days. When I first visited, a walk through the Quartieri Spagnoli or the Rione Sanità was unthinkable, yet these scruffy, colourful neighbourhoods have become tourist attractions. Petty crime figures have fallen dramatically, but it’s still best not to flaunt flashy jewellery and watches and to watch out for pickpockets, particularly on public transport. As in all big cities, the area around the train station is a bit iffy, especially at night, and rougher outlying neighbourhoods such as Secondigliano and Scampia should be given a wide berth.

Learn how the taxis work

Taxis are relatively cheap in Naples and are a good way of getting around, especially at night. But don’t be put off if your taxi is a clapped-out old banger with tatty upholstery and bashed-up bodywork; just make sure that there is a ‘TAXI’ sign on the roof and a metre on the dashboard in front. Never accept the offer of a ride from one of the touts that hang round the station and the tourist port, however good the deal on offer seems.

Official taxis have two fare systems, and the driver should ask which you prefer before setting off. There are fixed rates (‘tariffa fissa’) displayed in the back of the taxi for standard journeys (from the station to the tourist port, for example), or you can choose to use the metre (the ‘tassametro’), but make sure the driver turns it on as you set off. My advice is to go for the fixed fare – it just makes life easier.