Vomero and the Pedamentina steps

The Funicolare Centrale leaves from Augusteo station on Piazzetta Duca d'Aosta, off Via Toledo by the Galleria Umberto I. It climbs 1,270 meters in about 4 minutes 20 seconds, with stops at Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Petraio, to Piazza Fuga on the Vomero.

• Fare: an ANM single ride (bus, funiculars, metro Lines 1 and 6) is €1.30. An ANM day ticket is €4.50.
• Change on October 1, 2026: Campania raises the price of its integrated Unico tickets from that date. UnicoCampania says ANM and EAV keep their own company tickets unchanged, so the €1.30 single should not move. Check at the machine.
• Check it is running. Naples' funiculars close for maintenance from time to time. The fallback is metro Line 1 to Vanvitelli, a short walk from the route below.
• Want to walk up? From Augusteo to Piazza Fuga on foot, by Salita del Petraio and the Petraio steps, is about 1.5 km with a climb of around 130 meters. It is a good walk; it is not a relaxing one.

1. Piazza Fuga to Castel Sant'Elmo, about 900 meters, via Via Domenico Cimarosa and Via Annibale Caccavello. The castle entrance is on Via Tito Angelini.
2. Castel Sant'Elmo to Largo San Martino, about 350 meters, gently downhill. The Certosa is on the square, and the belvedere beside it looks straight down on the old town.
3. The Pedamentina, from Largo San Martino. About 550 meters of steps and ramps drop you to Corso Vittorio Emanuele, some 80 meters lower.
4. Scala Montesanto to Piazza Montesanto, about 400 meters more, down another 70 meters, to the funicular, Cumana and metro station at the bottom.

Distances are from OpenStreetMap foot routing, and heights are approximate, from the European elevation model. From Piazza Montesanto, the Pignasecca market and Via Toledo are a few minutes away, and Spaccanapoli begins just east.

Both monuments sell tickets at the door and through the Musei Italiani website and app. The Certosa is the one to give time: its church, the cloisters and the huge Presepe Cuciniello deserve at least 90 minutes. The castle is mostly about the ramparts and the view.

Go in the morning and in clear weather. Start at Piazza Fuga by 9 a.m., reach the castle as the ramparts open, give the Certosa late morning, and walk down before lunch. In summer the early start matters: the steps are open to the sun.

Avoid Tuesday, when the Certosa and the castle museum are shut. Wet steps are slippery; on a rainy day ride the Montesanto funicular down instead. In December, pair the Presepe Cuciniello with Christmas in Naples.

• View-seekers and photographers: the Largo San Martino belvedere and the castle ramparts are the classic panoramas of the bay and Vesuvius.
• Second-day visitors: once you have done the old town loop, this shows you the city from above.
• Anyone staying in the Vomero: do it in reverse only if you want a hard climb.
• Not for: strollers, wheelchairs, or knees that hate stairs. Ride the funicular both ways and skip the Pedamentina.