Naples in 2 days

Morning

• Cappella Sansevero and the Veiled Christ45 min

  Start at Cappella Sansevero on the timed slot you pre-booked, before the lanes fill, for Sanmartino's marble Veiled Christ; no photos are allowed and the visit is quick. Lock this in first because it sells out and closes on Tuesdays.

  TipBook the timed ticket online well ahead, as this tiny chapel with Sanmartino's astonishing marble Veiled Christ sells out days in advance in season and walk-ups are usually turned away. No photos are allowed inside, visits are quick, and it closes on Tuesdays, so lock in a morning slot and build the rest of your centre walk around it.

• Spaccanapoli and the Historic Centre1h15

  Walk the dead-straight line of Spaccanapoli east through the old core, past the street shrines and food stalls, and duck into the majolica cloister of Santa Chiara for a couple of euros of quiet. Keep your bag in front of you in the crowd.

  TipWalk the dead-straight line of Spaccanapoli, the old Greek-Roman decumanus that splits the centre, from Piazza del Gesu east past the churches and shrines; it is free and best in the late morning when the food stalls are open. Duck into Santa Chiara's majolica-tiled cloister for a couple of euros to escape the noise, and keep your bag zipped and in front of you in the tight crowded lanes.

Afternoon

• A Naples Pizza Pilgrimage1h

  Make the pizza pilgrimage a proper lunch, taking a numbered ticket at Da Michele or heading to Gino Sorbillo on Via dei Tribunali; a margherita costs only a few euros. Go just after opening to shorten the wait.

  TipNaples is the birthplace of pizza, and the classic pilgrimage is L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele near the station, which serves only margherita and marinara, or Gino Sorbillo on Via dei Tribunali. Both draw long queues, so take a numbered ticket from the door and wait, or go at an off hour just after opening; a proper margherita still costs only a handful of euros.

• Napoli Sotterranea1h30

  Join a Napoli Sotterranea tour down into the Greek-Roman aqueduct tunnels and wartime shelters under the centre, running roughly hourly in Italian and English. Skip it if you are claustrophobic, as some passages are single-file and candle-lit.

  TipThis guided tour drops you 40 metres under the centre into the Greek-Roman aqueduct tunnels and wartime shelters carved from the tuff, running roughly every hour in Italian and English. Some passages are narrow enough that you carry a candle single-file, so skip it if you are claustrophobic; wear closed shoes and bring a layer, as it stays cool underground year-round.

• Naples Cathedral and the San Gennaro Chapel45 min

  Walk to the Duomo, free to enter, for the Royal Chapel of San Gennaro where the patron's blood is kept for its three miracle days. Come outside Mass, cover shoulders and knees, and add the Treasure Museum if you want the jewels.

  TipThe Duomo is free to enter and holds the Royal Chapel of San Gennaro, where the city's patron's dried blood is kept and expected to liquefy on the three miracle days, in early May, on 19 September and on 16 December. Come outside Mass times, cover shoulders and knees, and pay the small extra for the Treasure Museum next door if you want the jewels and the silver busts.

Evening

• Via San Gregorio Armeno45 min

  Wander Via San Gregorio Armeno as the shops light up, the year-round street of the presepe crib-makers carving shepherds and footballer caricatures alike. It is free and best walked slowly in the early evening.

  TipThis narrow lane in the centre is the year-round street of the presepe crib-makers, whose workshops carve nativity figures and cheeky caricatures of footballers and politicians alongside the shepherds. It is free to wander and busiest from November through Christmas, when it becomes shoulder to shoulder; come early in the day off-season to actually watch the artisans work.

• 1h45

  Dinner in the centro storico on a back lane rather than a tourist terrace, working through fried street food, a plate of pasta and the local wine. Finish with a sfogliatella from a centre pasticceria while it is still warm.

Morning

• National Archaeological Museum2h30

  Open the day at the National Archaeological Museum for the Pompeii mosaics, the colossal Farnese marbles and the Secret Cabinet, which make sense of the whole region. It closes on Tuesdays and needs two to three hours.

  TipThe MANN holds what Pompeii and Herculaneum gave up: the great floor mosaics, the colossal Farnese marbles and the erotic Secret Cabinet, so see it and the ruins on the same trip to make sense of both. It closes on Tuesdays and needs a good two to three hours; go on a weekday morning and check whether the free first-Sunday scheme is running before you count on it.

Afternoon

• Certosa di San Martino and Castel Sant'Elmo2h

  Take the funicular up to the Vomero for the best panorama in Naples from the terrace of Castel Sant'Elmo, with the Certosa di San Martino and its nativity cribs alongside. The Certosa closes on Wednesdays, so time it right.

  TipTake the Montesanto funicular up to the Vomero for the best panorama in Naples, the whole bay and Vesuvius laid out from the terrace of Castel Sant'Elmo and the neighbouring Certosa di San Martino monastery. The Certosa closes on Wednesdays and its museum keeps the great eighteenth-century nativity cribs; buy the castle ticket for the rooftop view even if you skip the museum inside.

• Toledo Metro Station30 min

  On the way back down, ride Metro Line 1 through Toledo station to see its blue mosaic light well, one of Europe's most photographed stations. A single ticket covers the hop and it is quietest outside rush hour.

  TipToledo on Metro Line 1 is one of Europe's most photographed stations, its deep escalator shaft lined with the blue mosaic 'Crater de Luz' light well that mimics descending into the sea. A single metro ticket gets you in, so ride between stops on the 'Art Stations' line; Toledo and the mirror-vaulted Universita station are the standouts, quietest outside rush hour.

Evening

• Castel dell'Ovo and the Lungomare1h30

  Head to the seafront for the free Castel dell'Ovo, climbing its ramparts for the full sweep of the bay and Vesuvius in the last hour before it shuts. Then walk the traffic-free Lungomare as the sun drops behind the volcano.

  TipThe seafront Castel dell'Ovo is free to enter and its ramparts give a full sweep of the bay and Vesuvius, best in the last hour before it closes in the late afternoon. Walk out along the traffic-free Lungomare Caracciolo at sunset, and stop for a drink in the little harbour of Borgo Marinari tucked beneath the castle walls.

• 2h

  Dinner in the little harbour of Borgo Marinari beneath the castle, or back toward Chiaia for a smarter aperitivo and seafood. This is the calm, sea-air side of the city the old town cannot give you.