Naples · Where to stay

Spaccanapoli, Via dei Tribunali and the streets around them: the churches, the pizza and the underground are all on your doorstep and you will be woken by scooters. Cheapest of the central options and the right choice for a short first visit, as long as you accept there is no quiet room.

West of Piazza del Plebiscito, along the Riviera di Chiaia and the Villa Comunale, with the seafront promenade at the bottom and the smarter bars and restaurants in the lanes. Quieter, greener and more expensive; a 20-minute walk or a short metro hop from the old city.

The hill neighbourhood reached by three funiculars, with the Certosa di San Martino at the top and ordinary Neapolitan shopping streets around Piazza Vanvitelli. Cooler in summer, genuinely residential, and priced accordingly — but you are tied to funicular hours, which finish well before the old city does.

The cheapest beds cluster around the station, and the square is the city's main pickpocketing ground — the city's own advice is to keep your bag in front of you crossing it. If the price difference is small, sleep somewhere else; if you do stay here, it is fine by day and best avoided on foot late at night.