By late evening the historic centre is loud with footsteps and conversation. Groups drift between the small squares on foot, coffee is still being ordered at the counter, and the bars around Piazza Bellini and the surrounding streets begin to fill as the hour passes eleven.
Naples has become increasingly popular with a younger generation of Italians and visitors, and that has given its nightlife renewed vitality. The city suits people who want to move between squares and streets rather than settle in one venue for the whole evening, and who are happy to walk. Neapolitans and the local police are largely tolerant of people drinking, having fun and making noise, even late, but getting drunk and causing damage or littering is not tolerated.
Where to go out in Naples
1. Piazza Bellini and the historic centre squares
The hippest scene is around the bars and cafes of Piazza Bellini, Piazza Santa Maria la Nova and Piazza San Domenico Maggiore. These squares become busy after 23:00, and the atmosphere is built around standing, talking and moving on rather than a single long stay.
This suits a night that begins with a meal in the old town and continues on foot. If you want a drink in the middle of it, Il Mantegno on Piazzetta Nilo serves wines, cocktails, beer and appetizers, and Archeobar on Via Mezzocannone specialises in Negronis.
2. Chiaia
Chiaia is the elegant quarter, with wine bars and cafes that draw a more settled crowd. Enoteca Belledonne on Vico Belledonne a Chiaia is a wine bar and shop serving Italian wines with cheeses, hams, sausages and pastries. Mosto, a short walk from Piazza dei Martiri, has a selection of beer and cocktails and plays jazz.
This area suits an early or mid-evening drink, or a quieter night than the historic centre. Note that Enoteca Belledonne closes in the afternoon on Saturday and Sunday, so it is not a late option at the weekend.
3. Piazza San Pasquale and Mergellina
These are typical places for the local movida, the evening outing that Neapolitans make their own. Expect a local rather than a visitor-led crowd, and an evening that runs late.
This suits anyone who wants to see how the city goes out rather than follow a route built for tourists. Both are best reached on foot or by public transport, and the seafront at Mergellina gives you a reason to walk between stops.
4. Pozzuoli
If you want to venture to the outskirts of the city, there are many bars and clubs near the port and boardwalk of Pozzuoli. The setting is the water rather than the old town streets.
This suits a night when you are willing to travel out and back, and want the port and boardwalk as the backdrop. Plan your return journey before you go, since you are leaving the centre.
5. Beach clubs and discos
Some of the city's nightlife happens at the water. Arenile di Bagnoli, on Via Coroglio, is a beach club with a pool and solarium by day that becomes a disco at night, with live performances by international DJs. Inland, Disco Mon Amour sits on Salita Arenella.
This suits a night that starts late and is built around dancing rather than conversation. Both are away from the historic centre, so treat the journey there and back as part of the plan.
6. Live music and opera
Naples has long been a reference point for classical music and opera, and the city's theatres carry that into the evening. The Real Teatro San Carlo beside the Royal Palace is the oldest continuously active opera house in Europe, and its box office is open Monday to Saturday 10:00-17:30 and Sunday 10:00-14:00. Teatro Bellini, two blocks south of the National Archaeological Museum, and Teatro Augusteo on Via Toledo also stage performances.
For something smaller and more local, Napulitanata is a small concert hall at Galleria Principe di Napoli maintained by a local music association, where concerts last one hour and cost 20 euro.
This suits an evening that is planned in advance rather than improvised. Check what is on before you travel, since a performance is the reason to go.
7. Coffee as an evening stop
Neapolitan coffee is a specialty on a par with the city's pizza, and drinking it is a daily ritual. Gran Caffè Gambrinus, beside Piazza del Plebiscito and the San Carlo Theatre, is open 07:00-01:00, which makes it a possible late stop. Caffè Ciorfito on Via San Biagio dei Librai, in the heart of the old town, closes at 20:00.
This suits the end of a night, or a pause between bars. Coffee here is a standing, counter affair rather than a long sit.
8. The seafront walk
Walking is part of going out here. The route from Piazza del Plebiscito to Castel dell'Ovo along Via Cesario Console gives you the Royal Palace, the docked cruise ships, Mount Vesuvius and the Sorrento peninsula. Villa Comunale is a large public garden in front of the long promenade of Via Caracciolo, and Parco Virgiliano in Posillipo is a panoramic garden reached by the C31 or 140 bus.
This suits the start or the end of an evening, when you want the city at a slower pace. It costs nothing and needs no booking.
How a night out unfolds
The sources describe the squares and bars of the historic centre becoming busy after 23:00, so a Neapolitan night tends to start late by northern European standards. The same sources do not give a fixed dinner hour, so treat the evening as a sequence: coffee and a walk earlier, then the squares as they fill. Some venues run well past midnight, with Il Mantegno open until 02:00 on weeknights and 03:00 at weekends, and Mosto until 02:00 and 03:00 on the same pattern. Others close much earlier, so check times before you commit to a late stop.
Festivals and events worth timing a trip around
- Feast of St Francis of Assisi, 4 October
- All Saints' Day, 1 November
- Feast of the Immaculate Conception, 8 December
- Christmas Day, 25 December
- St. Stephen's Day, 26 December
- New Year's Eve, 31 December
- New Year's Day, 1 January
- Epiphany, 6 January
- Ash Wednesday, 10 February
- Father's Day, 19 March
- Good Friday, 26 March
- Easter Sunday, 28 March
Frequently asked questions
What time do the bars and squares get busy?
The bars and cafes around Piazza Bellini, Piazza Santa Maria la Nova and Piazza San Domenico Maggiore become busy after 23:00.
Is it acceptable to drink in the street?
Neapolitans and the local police are largely tolerant of people drinking, having fun and making noise, even at late hours. Getting drunk and causing damage or littering is not tolerated.
Where can I hear traditional Neapolitan music?
Napulitanata is a small concert hall at Galleria Principe di Napoli maintained by a local music association. Concerts last one hour and cost 20 euro.
Can I go out without travelling far from the centre?
Yes. The historic centre squares, the walk from Piazza del Plebiscito to Castel dell'Ovo along Via Cesario Console, and the Villa Comunale and Via Caracciolo promenade are all within the centre and need no booking.
Decide which part of the city you want as your backdrop, check the times of anything you plan to attend, and build the evening around the walk between stops.