Public transport in Naples

Overview

Naples is served by a compact but genuinely useful public-transport network that combines an underground metro, a set of suburban railways, trams, trolleybuses, city buses and ferries across the bay. For a visitor, the practical core is the metro plus the funiculars, which together get you between the historic centre, the central station and the hilltop districts quickly and cheaply.

Riding the system end to end is straightforward. You buy a ticket or pass before you travel, validate it at the start of your journey, and then move between vehicles according to the type of ticket you hold. The metro is small and easy to navigate, and the whole network is the third largest underground network in Italy, behind Milan and Rome.

Two operators dominate the urban network. ANM (Azienda Napoletana Mobilità) runs Metro Lines 1 and 6, the pedestrian subways and the four funicular railways. EAV (Ente Autonomo Volturno) runs Metro Line 11 and its own suburban railways. Fares are coordinated through the UnicoCampania system, which lets you buy tickets that work across more than one company.

The network

The Naples Metro (Italian: Metropolitana di Napoli) currently comprises three underground rapid-transit lines — Line 1, Line 6 and Line 11 — running on 34.5 km (21.4 mi) of route and serving 30 stations. Daily ridership is roughly 115,000 passengers, with about 45 million journeys a year. A fourth line, Line 10, is scheduled to open in 2032.

Line 1 (yellow) — the main central line, operated by ANM. It is known as the "Art Line" because many of its stations are decorated with contemporary art; notable stations include Garibaldi, Toledo, Università, Municipio and Duomo. It is the line most visitors will use most often.
Line 6 (blue) — a "light metro" line operated by ANM, opened in February 2007. It was extended from Mergellina to Municipio on 16 July 2024.
Line 11 (rainbow or orange) — operated by EAV, opened in 2005 between Piscinola Scampia and Mugnano and extended to Aversa Centro in 2009. It also serves parts of the comuni adjacent to Naples.
Line 10 — a planned 13 km, 13-station line linking the city centre to Napoli Afragola railway station via Afragola; construction could begin as soon as 2025 and it is expected to carry 150,000 passengers a day.

Beyond the metro, the central area and the wider urban region are served by eight railways forming the Naples metropolitan railway service:

Line 2 — 18.9 km (11.7 mi) with 12 stations. It is the oldest of these services, opened in 1925 as Italy's first urban railway line, and it connects with Metro Line 1.
Circumvesuviana — six lines spanning 142.7 km (88.7 mi) and 96 stations, running east and south-east towards Pompeii, Herculaneum, Vesuvius and Sorrento.
Cumana railway — 19.81 km (12.31 mi) with 14 stations, serving the Phlegraean area.
Circumflegrea railway — 27.04 km (16.80 mi) with 16 stations, opened in 1962.

On top of the rails, ANM operates urban buses, trolleybuses and trams, and four funicular railways (cable cars) with 14 stations in total, which are the practical way up to the hilltop Vomero district and Posillipo. The funiculars are:

Funicolare Centrale — Piazzetta Augusteo to Piazza Fuga.
Funicolare di Chiaia — Via del Parco Margherita to Via Domenico Cimarosa.
Funicolare di Montesanto — Piazza Montesanto to Via Raffaele Morghen; commonly used by visitors heading for Castel Sant'Elmo and the Monastery of San Martino.
Funicolare di Mergellina — Via Mergellina waterfront to Via Manzoni.

Finally, ferries and hydrofoils link the port area with the islands and other destinations. There are around 39 daily ferry departures from the port of Naples, mainly to the islands plus destinations such as Sicily. Typical one-way crossings are about 50 minutes to Capri, 60 minutes to Ischia and 40 minutes to Procida.

Tickets & fares

Naples uses the UnicoCampania fare system, which integrates tickets across the different operating companies. Prices below are approximate and change, so always check the current tariff before you travel.

You can buy tickets and passes:

On the UnicoCampania app.
At subway station machines and manned counters.
At tobacconists.
At the UnicoCampania office at the Università subway station.

Ticket types and approximate prices for the Naples urban area:

Simple ride — about €1.30. A single ride on one ANM urban vehicle (urban bus, trolleybus, tram or funicular) within the Naples city urban area.
Corporate Simple Run — about €1.50. A single journey with one transport company in the Naples urban area; valid on extra-urban/suburban buses that also provide urban service, and on rail services run by ANM (Metro Lines 1 and 6), EAV or RFI. This is the ANM type "B" single journey ticket required for a single metro trip.
Integrated Time Ticket — about €1.80. Valid for 90 minutes from first validation. In the Naples urban area it gives unlimited journeys on buses, trolleybuses and trams of one or more companies, but only one journey per rail vehicle.
Corporate Day Ticket — about €4.50. Valid until midnight on the day of validation, with unlimited journeys within the Naples urban area using the same company.
Integrated Day Ticket — about €5.40. Valid until midnight on the day of validation, with unlimited journeys within the Naples urban area using multiple companies.
7-day Corporate Subscription — about €13.50. Expires at midnight on the seventh consecutive day from first validation; unlimited journeys within the Naples urban area using the same company.
Integrated 7-day Subscription — about €16.20. Expires at midnight on the seventh consecutive day from first validation; unlimited journeys within the Naples urban area using multiple companies.

Daily and weekly tickets, as well as monthly and annual passes issued by ANM (for Lines 1 and 6) and EAV (for Line 11), are valid on the metro network, along with integrated tickets and passes from UnicoCampania. Note that a single-company ticket is not valid on the suburban rail lines numbered 2–5; if you want to combine the metro with those services, choose an integrated ticket.

For visitors, the most useful options are usually the Integrated Time Ticket for a single cross-town trip and the Integrated Day Ticket if you plan several journeys in one day. The funiculars accept the same ticket types as the metro and buses.

From the airport

Naples International Airport (Aeroporto Internazionale di Napoli, NAP, also known as Capodichino Airport) sits about 6 km from the city centre and is reachable in roughly 15 minutes by bus, taxi or private transfer. Work to connect the airport directly to the metro system was expected to be completed in 2027, so check the current status before relying on a rail link.

By public transport, the main option is the Alibus:

Costs about €5, and you can buy your ticket on the bus.
It has only two stops: Stazione Centrale (Central station) and Piazza Municipio, near the main ferry port (Molo Beverello).
The ticket is valid for further public-transport trips for up to 90 minutes after validation.
The bus is air conditioned and has limited stops.

If you have time to spare, the 3S bus runs to the same stops as the Alibus for less. It stops more often, taking you through the backstreets towards the station and continuing to the port and a shopping district, but most 3S buses are not air conditioned.

Be aware that legal taxi drivers may approach you on the way to the Alibus stop claiming to charge the same price, but they also charge for children and only leave once the minivan is full. Illegal, unauthorized taxis also operate; authorized taxis are clearly visible at the exit and must display fixed fares. As of November 2023, the fixed fare from the airport to the central train station is €18 per car, day and night, including luggage and all charges except a possible €1 for motorway use.

Etiquette & customs

Neapolitan public transport is busy and informal, but a few habits will make your journeys smoother:

Queuing — queues are loose, especially at bus stops and station entrances. Let passengers off before you board, and be ready to move with the flow rather than expecting a strict line.
Escalators — stand on the right and walk on the left, as is standard across Italy.
Priority seating — seats reserved for the elderly, pregnant passengers and people with reduced mobility are marked; give them up without being asked.
Quiet — keep phone calls and music short and at low volume, particularly in the quieter carriages and on the funiculars.
Eating and drinking — avoid eating full meals on board; a quick drink or snack is generally tolerated, but keep it tidy and take your rubbish with you.
Rush hour — expect crowded carriages and buses in the morning and evening peaks. Move right down the platform, let people exit first, and keep bags in front of you.
Validation — always validate your ticket at the start of your journey; an unvalidated ticket can be treated as invalid.
Crossing the street — Neapolitan drivers are attentive to pedestrians, but always look left first, since traffic follows European standards.

Official links

Survival terms

Metropolitana (met-roh-po-lee-TAH-nah) — subway/metro.
Biglietto (beel-YET-toh) — ticket.
Linea (LEE-neh-ah) — line.
Ingresso (een-GRES-soh) — entrance.
Uscita (oo-SHEE-tah) — exit.
Cambio (KAHM-byoh) — transfer/change.
Corsa semplice (KOR-sah SEM-plee-cheh) — single fare/single ride.
Biglietto giornaliero (beel-YET-toh jor-nah-LYEH-roh) — day pass.

Buy an integrated day ticket if you plan more than a couple of journeys, and always validate it before you board, because an unvalidated ticket is treated as no ticket at all.