# Royal Palace of Naples > The Royal Palace was the home of Naples' Spanish viceroys and Bourbon kings and fills one whole side of the vast Piazza del Plebiscito. Inside are a marble grand staircase, some thirty richly furnished royal apartments, a court theatre and a hanging garden overlooking the port and Vesuvius. The square is free; the palace is ticketed, and a visit takes about an hour and a half. Web page: https://yesgo.io/italy/naples/royal-palace-naples - City: [Naples](https://yesgo.io/italy/naples), Italy - YesGo score: 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 1 h 30 min - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Square free; palace paid - Opening hours: By day, closed Wednesdays - 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 - Coordinates: 40.83614, 14.24928 - Facts checked: 11.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1600** — Domenico Fontana began the palace (source: English Wikipedia) - **Bourbons** — lived here as kings of Naples (source: English Wikipedia) - **8 statues** — of the kings of Naples in the façade niches, added in 1888 (source: English Wikipedia) - **Library** — the National Library, with the Herculaneum papyri, is inside (source: English Wikipedia) - **San Francesco di Paola** — the domed church opposite, modelled on the Pantheon (source: English Wikipedia) ## History 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. > **The square is free** Piazza del Plebiscito, with its colonnade, equestrian statues and the palace front, is free and open around the clock. Short on time? Walk the square, step into the free church of San Francesco di Paola and have a coffee in the historic café on the corner, then come back for the palace another day. ## 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 1. Metro line 1 to **Municipio** or **Toledo**, 5 to 7 minutes on foot. 2. From [Galleria Umberto I](https://yesgo.io/italy/naples/galleria-umberto), 2 minutes. 3. From [Castel Nuovo](https://yesgo.io/italy/naples/castel-nuovo), 5 minutes. 4. 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](https://yesgo.io/italy/naples/castel-dell-ovo) is just ten minutes away. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Make sure it isn't a Wednesday - [ ] Climb the grand staircase - [ ] Find the nativity scene in the Palatine Chapel - [ ] Step into the hanging garden for Vesuvius - [ ] Visit San Francesco di Paola on the square ## Historic Naples: compare and choose Castles, palaces and squares in Naples rated by YesGo. - [Pompeii](https://yesgo.io/italy/naples/pompeii) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 5 h · Paid - [Castel dell'Ovo](https://yesgo.io/italy/naples/castel-dell-ovo) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free - [Galleria Umberto I](https://yesgo.io/italy/naples/galleria-umberto) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free - [Herculaneum](https://yesgo.io/italy/naples/herculaneum) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Paid - [Castel Nuovo](https://yesgo.io/italy/naples/castel-nuovo) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Courtyard free, museum paid - [Cappella Sansevero](https://yesgo.io/italy/naples/cappella-sansevero) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Paid, timed entry - [Royal Palace of Naples](https://yesgo.io/italy/naples/royal-palace-naples) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Square free, palace paid - [Teatro di San Carlo](https://yesgo.io/italy/naples/teatro-san-carlo) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Tour paid - [National Archaeological Museum of Naples](https://yesgo.io/italy/naples/naples-archaeological-museum) — YesGo score 34/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · Paid ## Seafront central Naples The Royal Palace, Galleria Umberto I and Castel Nuovo, then Castel dell'Ovo at sunset. 1. [Royal Palace of Naples](https://yesgo.io/italy/naples/royal-palace-naples) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Square free, palace paid 2. [Galleria Umberto I](https://yesgo.io/italy/naples/galleria-umberto) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free 3. [Castel Nuovo](https://yesgo.io/italy/naples/castel-nuovo) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Courtyard free, museum paid 4. [Castel dell'Ovo](https://yesgo.io/italy/naples/castel-dell-ovo) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free ## Don't mix it up The Royal Palace of Naples on Piazza del Plebiscito and the Royal Palace of Caserta are different palaces: Caserta's, vast and with a park and fountains, is 40 km from the city. ## Tips - 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. ## How we checked History and interior from English Wikipedia. Prices and hours weren't confirmed with an official source — hence the 'checking' badge. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Royal Palace of Naples and Piazza del Plebiscito - Official palace site, palazzorealedinapoli.org --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.