Napoli Sotterranea or Galleria Borbonica?

The Viator listing for the Standard route, sold by the Galleria itself at the same €15, says the guide speaks English or Italian. The Galleria's own page does not say, so ask when you book.

Two adults and two children aged 12 and 8:

For a couple, the gap is €6. The Galleria's Standard route drops to €12 with the Campania Artecard (20% off) and to €11.25 with a same-trip MANN ticket (25% off). Napoli Sotterranea publishes no discounts beyond its age bands, and the Artecard does not cover it.

Napoli Sotterranea is the Greek and Roman city. You walk through cisterns and passages cut in the yellow tuff from the 4th century BC, used as shelters in the Second World War. One optional passage is lit by candles and very narrow; you can wait it out. The second part is the Roman theater where, the association says, Nero performed: you see its remains inside the ground floor of an ordinary Naples building. It is the best short lesson in how the city was built out of its own rock. More in our history of underground Naples.

The Galleria Borbonica is the 19th and 20th centuries. Architect Errico Alvino designed the tunnel in 1853 as an escape route for Ferdinand II. In the Second World War people sheltered here from the bombing, and until 1970 it was a pound for impounded cars and motorbikes. The vintage vehicles and sculptures are still down there. The Adventure route adds helmets, torches, the narrow passages of the old aqueduct workers and a short raft ride on a flooded tunnel.

• Napoli Sotterranea: 136 steps down to about 40 m (its FAQ also says 121), no lift, no strollers or wheelchairs.
• Galleria Borbonica Standard: from the Via Domenico Morelli 61 entrance, in the car park, visitors with disabilities can follow 60% of the tour.
• Galleria Borbonica Adventure: not possible for wheelchair users because of the stairs, and the Galleria warns claustrophobic visitors off.

A third operator, LAES, runs a one-hour tour under the Quartieri Spagnoli: aqueduct cisterns and air-raid shelters, €18 on Viator, no children under 7. It starts at Vico Sant'Anna di Palazzo 52 and ends on Via Chiaia. Its listing calls it a Napoli Sotterranea tour, but it is not the site under Piazza San Gaetano. Check the meeting point before you pay. It fits a Quartieri Spagnoli walk.

• Napoli Sotterranea on a first trip, on any weekday, or if you want the ancient city. Pair it with the decumani walk: Piazza San Gaetano is 370 m from the Cappella Sansevero. Arrive near 10 a.m. to keep the queue short. See the full Napoli Sotterranea page.
• Galleria Borbonica from Friday to Sunday, with children of 10 and up (Adventure) or with anyone who dislikes steep stairs (Standard from Via Morelli). Vico del Grottone is 325 m from Piazza del Plebiscito. See the Galleria Borbonica page.
• Both only if underground Naples is your thing. They overlap less than their names suggest.

Naples: Naples Underground Entry Ticket and Guided Tour

€18, the same as the full price on napolisotterranea.org. Guided only; 121 steps and not wheelchair accessible. Meets at Piazza San Gaetano 62, while the association's site gives its entrance as number 69; neither page says the two sellers are the same.

1.5 to 2 hours

4.4★★★★★★★★★★(25,854 reviews)

Reserve

Rating as shown on GetYourGuide

Galleria Borbonica Entrance Ticket in Standard Route

Same €15 as the Galleria's own adult price. Entries at 10 am, noon, 3 pm and 5 pm from Vico del Grottone 4. The listing's child prices differ from the Galleria's own page, so check before booking children.

1 hour

4.9★★★★★★★★★★(2,849 reviews)

Reserve

Rating as shown on Viator

Naples Underground Spanish Quarters with Guide

Not the Napoli Sotterranea under Piazza San Gaetano, despite the listing's wording: it starts at Vico Sant'Anna di Palazzo 52 and ends on Via Chiaia. No children under 7.

1 hour

4.8★★★★★★★★★★(2,045 reviews)

Reserve

Rating as shown on Viator

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