The Lungomare walk

1. Optional start: Piazza del Plebiscito. Walk down past the Royal Palace and along the Santa Lucia waterfront to the castle causeway: about 1.1 km. See Piazza del Plebiscito.
2. Borgo Marinari. The little harbor at the foot of Castel dell'Ovo, reached along the causeway. Boats, restaurants, the castle walls above.
3. Via Partenope to Piazza Vittoria, about 950 meters. The pedestrian stretch in front of the big seafront hotels; its paving was redone between January and June 2026.
4. Via Caracciolo to Rotonda Diaz, about 1 km, with the Villa Comunale on your right. Rotonda Diaz is the round terrace where the city stages its big free concerts.
5. On to Mergellina, about 750 meters, to the pier where hydrofoils leave for the islands.

Distances are from OpenStreetMap foot routing. If you prefer shade, walk the middle section inside the Villa Comunale instead of along Via Caracciolo; it runs parallel.

The Villa Comunale is the long public park between Piazza Vittoria and Piazza della Repubblica, 110,000 square meters behind railings. Inside is the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, which houses the oldest aquarium in Europe. The park has entrances at both squares, 12 gates on Riviera di Chiaia and 6 on Via Caracciolo.

It is being restored in three lots. On September 22, 2026 the city said the first lot was nearly finished and the other two should be done by the end of 2026, and that the park stays open throughout. Opening hours: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. from September 1 to the end of February and from March to June; 7 a.m. to midnight in July and August.

The promenade faces south and west across the bay, so the best time is the hour before sunset, walking toward Mergellina with the light on Vesuvius behind you. Approximate sunset times in Naples, on the 15th of each month:

Weekend evenings are when Neapolitans do their own passeggiata here, and the promenade fills. In summer, the rocks below Via Caracciolo are the city's informal sunbathing spot. For a sit-down view, do the walk and then take a sunset cruise from Mergellina.

The Lungomare is the city's stage. The New Year's fireworks are set off around Castel dell'Ovo, and fireworks and glass containers are banned on the Lungomare Caracciolo that night. In May 2026 Rotonda Diaz hosted the free closing concert of the Maggio dei Monumenti.

The preliminary regatta of the 38th America's Cup finished here on September 27, 2026, with the prizegiving at Rotonda Diaz. In 2027 the challenger series is scheduled on the Bay of Naples from May 22 and the America's Cup match from July 10, so expect crowds on the seafront on race days in early summer 2027.

• Everyone, and especially families with strollers, older travelers and anyone resting their knees after the Pedamentina. It is a rare long, flat walk in central Naples.
• Snack on the way: the ring-shaped taralli sugna e pepe are the classic Lungomare nibble.
• Extend it: from Mergellina, bus 140 continues along Via Posillipo; see our Posillipo and Gaiola walk.

Naples: Sunset Sailing small group Experience with Aperol Spritz

The title promises an Aperol Spritz, but the inclusions list only water, soft drinks and snacks. Needs 6 people to run: check with the operator the day before.

2.5 hours

4.9★★★★★★★★★★(132 reviews)

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