Teatro di San Carlo
Naples, Italy
Royal Palace of Naples
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Photo: PaestumPaestum, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia CommonsFit in nearby today
The essentials in 10 seconds
- Entry
- Square free; palace paid
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From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Opening hours
- By day, closed Wednesdays
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From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Time on site
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A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes. - 1 h 30 min
- With kids
- Fine with kids
- Highlights
- Grand staircase, apartments, theatre, garden
- The square
- Plebiscito — colonnade and domed church
- Time needed
- About 1.5 hours
- Location
- Piazza del Plebiscito, central seafront
Key facts
1600Domenico Fontana began the palace
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English WikipediaBourbonslived here as kings of Naples
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English Wikipedia8 statuesof the kings of Naples in the façade niches, added in 1888
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English WikipediaLibrarythe National Library, with the Herculaneum papyri, is inside
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English WikipediaSan Francesco di Paolathe domed church opposite, modelled on the Pantheon
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English WikipediaHistory of the palace
Work began in 1600 to designs by the architect Domenico Fontana, for the Spanish viceroys who then ruled Naples. It was prepared for a visit by the King of Spain, who never came, but it remained the rulers' main residence.
In the 18th and 19th centuries the Bourbon kings lived here, enlarging and decorating the palace with furniture, tapestries and paintings. In 1888 eight statues of kings who ruled Naples over the centuries, from the Norman Roger II to Victor Emmanuel II, were placed in niches on the façade. Today part of the palace is a museum of the royal apartments and another wing houses the National Library.
The royal apartments
The visit begins with a huge grand staircase of coloured marble with twin flights, one of the most impressive in Italy. At the top is an 18th-century court theatre of boxes and velvet where plays were staged for the royal family.
Then come some thirty rooms of royal apartments: the throne room and ballrooms and drawing rooms full of gilding, tapestries, chandeliers, furniture and paintings by Neapolitan and European masters. The Palatine Chapel displays a large Neapolitan nativity scene with hundreds of figures. The rooms open onto the hanging garden, a terrace above the port looking out to Castel Nuovo, the bay and Vesuvius.
What to see in the palace and on the square
- The grand staircase — coloured marble, twin flights.
- The court theatre — 18th-century boxes.
- The throne room — gilding and red velvet.
- Palatine Chapel — a Neapolitan nativity scene.
- The hanging garden — views of the port and Vesuvius.
- Kings on the façade — eight eras of Naples.
- The colonnade and San Francesco di Paola — opposite the palace.
Piazza del Plebiscito
In front of the palace spreads Piazza del Plebiscito, the largest square in Naples. Opposite the palace a semicircular colonnade embraces it, centred on the church of San Francesco di Paola with its great dome, built in the 19th century on the model of Rome's Pantheon. Entry to the church is free.
In front of the colonnade stand two bronze equestrian statues of Bourbon kings, one by the famous sculptor Antonio Canova. The square is named after the 1860 vote by which Naples joined a united Italy. Today it hosts concerts and festivals and is floodlit at night.
How to get to the Royal Palace
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Where are you starting from?
We’ll draw it on the map on foot and by taxi; metro and buses open in your maps app. Your location isn’t stored.
On foot
- Teatro di San Carlo is about 2 min away on foot.
- Galleria Umberto I is about 4 min away on foot.
- Castel Nuovo is about 8 min away on foot.
More tips
- Metro line 1 to Municipio or Toledo, 5 to 7 minutes on foot.
- From Galleria Umberto I, 2 minutes.
- From Castel Nuovo, 5 minutes.
- The palace entrance is on Piazza del Plebiscito.
Tickets and tips
Buy tickets at the desk or on the official site; state museums are free on the first Sunday of the month. The palace closes on Wednesdays. Allow about an hour and a half for the rooms, plus time for the garden and square.
The palace is right in the centre by the San Carlo theatre, the Galleria and the waterfront, so it fits easily into a first walk around Naples. Afterwards head down to the sea through Santa Lucia; Castel dell'Ovo is just ten minutes away.
Before you go
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Historic Naples: compare and choose
Castles, palaces and squares in Naples rated by YesGo. Click a column header to sort.
| Pompeii | 50 | 5 h | Paid | 22.4 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castel dell'Ovo | 46 | 45 min | Free | 15 min walk |
| Galleria Umberto I | 46 | 20 min | Free | 4 min walk |
| Herculaneum | 44 | 2 h | Paid | 8.9 km |
| Castel Nuovo | 42 | 1 h | Courtyard free, museum paid | 8 min walk |
| Cappella Sansevero | 40 | 40 min | Paid, timed entry | 26 min walk |
| Royal Palace of Naplesyou are here | 39 | 1 h 30 min | Square free, palace paid | — |
| Teatro di San Carlo | 39 | 45 min | Tour paid | 3 min walk |
| National Archaeological Museum of Naples | 34 | 2 h 30 min | Paid | 34 min walk |
Seafront central Naples
The Royal Palace, Galleria Umberto I and Castel Nuovo, then Castel dell'Ovo at sunset.
- Royal Palace of Naplesyou are here1 h 30 min · Square free, palace paid
- 4 min walk from the previous stopGalleria Umberto I20 min · Free
- 6 min walk from the previous stopCastel Nuovo1 h · Courtyard free, museum paid
- 21 min walk from the previous stopCastel dell'Ovo45 min · Free
4 places · about 4 h 6 min with walks · 31 min on foot in total
Nearby and on the way
How to do it right
- Closed Wednesdays.
- The square and church are free.
- The hanging garden faces Vesuvius.
- The San Carlo theatre is next door.
Questions
What is there to see in the Royal Palace of Naples?
The grand staircase, the court theatre, the royal apartments, the Palatine Chapel's nativity scene and the hanging garden.
How much is the Royal Palace of Naples?
Entry is paid and free on the first Sunday of the month. Prices are on the official site.
When is the Royal Palace closed?
On Wednesdays.
What is there to see on Piazza del Plebiscito?
The palace front with its kings, the colonnade, San Francesco di Paola and the Bourbon equestrian statues.
How long do you need at the palace?
About an hour and a half including the garden.
Have you been? Was it worth your time?
1 — no, 5 — absolutely
Your vote counts towards the YesGo score.
Sources and fact-check
- English Wikipedia: Royal Palace of Naples and Piazza del Plebiscito
- Official palace site, palazzorealedinapoli.org
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