Where to Stay in Naples, Italy

The first time I had to decide where to stay in Naples, I chose the wrong area. The hotel looked central on the map, but the location made every day harder than it needed to be.

I’ve been back since, stayed in better spots and used Naples as a base for trips beyond the city. The biggest lesson was simple: a hotel can look close to everything on a map and still be in the wrong place for the trip you have planned.

Is Naples Safe? What to Know Before Choosing an Area

I’m comfortable walking around the areas in this guide, including in the evening. The difference comes later, when busy streets empty and the route back to your hotel starts to matter more.

There isn’t one safest place to stay in Naples. In the Historic Centre especially, I’d look at the exact street rather than judging the whole neighbourhood. A hotel can be in a good location on paper and still leave you with a route I wouldn’t choose late at night.

Historic Centre (Centro Storico) — Best for first-time visitors

Open the hotel door, and Naples is already happening around you. Washing hangs above lanes where scooters are trying to squeeze through, and dinner may be only a few doors away.

For a first trip, this is the part of the city I’d choose. For me, it is the best area to stay in Naples Italy, because most days can be spent on foot, which makes it much easier to get to know Naples rather than constantly travelling across it.

For hotels in Naples city centre, I’d look around Piazza Dante and the western edge of the Historic Centre, towards Via Toledo. You are still close enough to walk into the old lanes, but getting back to your hotel is much simpler than staying further in the centre.

Where to stay in the Historic Centre

Several of the best hotels in Naples Italy are around the Historic Centre. These are the four I’d consider first.

• Relais Della Porta ★★★★ — Relais Della Porta is in a restored 16th-century building on Via Toledo, and the high ceilings give the rooms a scale you rarely find in central Naples. The Historic Centre begins on one side; the Spanish Quarter on the other.

• Rinuccini Relais ★★★★ — Rinuccini Relais takes over the top floor of a 17th-century palazzo on Piazza Dante, with some rooms that look straight across the square. Port’Alba is next door and Dante metro station is outside, making it easy to get your bearings from day one.

• Decumani Hotel de Charme ★★★★ — The former archbishop’s residence saves its drama for the breakfast room, where mirrors and elaborate plasterwork cover the walls and ceiling. Bedrooms are simpler, with traditional furniture and high ceilings.

• Hotel Piazza Bellini & Apartments ★★★ — Orange trees and café tables fill the courtyard at the centre of this 16th-century palazzo. The rooms are modern and colourful, and Piazza Bellini is right outside.

Santa Lucia & Lungomare — Best for Waterfront Stays

Castel dell’Ovo is just offshore, and the road follows the bay, giving this part of Naples a completely different feel from the streets inland. You can walk along the water to Piazza del Plebiscito, and the city centre remains close enough for sightseeing.

Where to stay in Santa Lucia & Lungomare

• Eurostars Hotel Excelsior ★★★★ — The Excelsior still looks every inch the 1908 waterfront hotel, with its curved stone façade facing Castel dell’Ovo and the bay. Sea-view rooms are worth the upgrade here, especially those with a balcony.

• Artemisia Domus Giardino ★★★★ — A private garden is behind Artemisia Domus Giardino, one street back from the Naples waterfront. With just a handful of rooms, some with original frescoed ceilings, it is a more intimate alternative to the large hotels along the Lungomare.

• Grand Hotel Vesuvio ★★★★★ — Grand Hotel Vesuvio has faced Castel dell’Ovo since 1882 and still looks much as you would expect a historic five-star hotel to look. The Lungomare is right outside, with Castel dell’Ovo directly opposite.

Chiaia — Best for Restaurants and Shopping

Chiaia begins around Piazza dei Martiri and runs west towards the Villa Comunale. For Naples Italy shopping, this is the area I’d head to, with Via dei Mille and the streets around it covering everything from designer names to smaller boutiques.

Dinner rarely needs much planning either. There are plenty of places within walking distance, so evenings can stay in Chiaia rather than becoming another trip across the city.

Where to stay in Chiaia

• Grand Hotel Parker’s ★★★★★ — Grand Hotel Parker’s dates back to 1870, with the sort of rooms that suit the building: high ceilings, deep colours and plenty of detail. It is above Chiaia rather than in the middle of it, so expect a climb back from the streets below.

• De Bonart Naples, Curio Collection by Hilton ★★★★★ — De Bonart has floor-to-ceiling windows and far less decoration than most of the hotels in this part of Naples. Many rooms face the bay, so check the room category carefully before booking.

• Agra Suites ★★★★ — Agra Suites is part of Palazzo Calabritto on Piazza dei Martiri, where the rooms have tall windows and high ceilings. Breakfast is at a café on the square, not inside the property.

Vomero — Best for quiet nights

Vomero looks down on central Naples from the hill above it, with streets built around everyday life rather than sightseeing. Around Piazza Vanvitelli, cafés and shops stay busy well into the evening, so you are not heading back to an empty neighbourhood after dinner. The funicular gets you back uphill and becomes part of the way you move through the city.

Where to stay in Vomero

• Hotel San Francesco al Monte ★★★★ — Some of the bedrooms at San Francesco al Monte were once monks’ cells, and traces of the 16th-century monastery remain throughout the building. If you are looking for a hotel in Naples, Italy, with a swimming pool, the rooftop pool will tick all the boxes.

Posillipo — Best for longer, scenic stays

Posillipo runs west along the Bay of Naples, and the view is the point of staying here. Hotels are scattered along the coast rather than gathered around a centre, so days need a little more organising. I wouldn’t choose it for a first weekend in Naples, but for a longer stay I’d happily make the journey.

Best Hotels in Naples Italy with a View

• BW Signature Collection Hotel Paradiso ★★★★ — Hotel Paradiso has the sort of view that explains why people stay in Posillipo. From the front of the hotel, Naples curves around the bay towards Vesuvius, and many of the sea-view rooms have balconies.

Port of Naples — Best for Early Departures

Naples has more than one ferry terminal, so check where your boat leaves before booking a hotel. Molo Beverello handles many of the fast ferries; Calata Porta di Massa is used for larger ferries.

I wouldn’t stay around the port for a sightseeing trip. I’d use it for one night before an early departure.

Hotels in Naples Italy near the port

• Smart Hotel Napoli ★★★★ — Smart Hotel Napoli is built into the Stazione Marittima, with large windows facing the port. Some ferry departures are only a lift ride and a short walk from the room.

• Romeo Hotel ★★★★★ — Japanese architect Kenzo Tange redesigned the former headquarters of the Lauro shipping company for Romeo Napoli. The rooms are sharply modern, and the rooftop pool looks across the port.

Final Thoughts

I’ve stayed in the wrong part of Naples once, and that was enough. These days, I choose the area before I look at hotels, because a few streets can change how much of the city you see on foot and how often you need transport.

For a first trip, I’d still choose the Historic Centre. I’d just pay far more attention to the exact street than I did the first time.

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