Piazza Museo, 19, 80135 Napoli NA, Italy
I’ll be honest, I only went to Naples to see Pompeii/Vesuvius. I stayed in a hostel close to the train station and was only there for 2 nights - check out my travel diary. Naples has a bunch of things to see and a lot of history but I did not plan to see any of it. However, partly because I had time in the morning the next day and because the site of Pompeii, while incredible (see my how to visit guide), didn’t have a lot of historical artifacts etc. besides the (albeit exceptionally well preserved) ruins, I decided to go on a quick trip to the Naples National Archeological Museum which was definitely a great decision.
The museum is located in the northwest of the city a 15m walk from the Garibaldi station. The museum has been open since 1777 with a gorgeous collection of Greek, Roman, and Renaissance art and artifacts. Its crown jewel is the Farnese collection, one of the first Greco-Roman sculpture collections, which was started by Alessandro Farnese (1468-1549) who eventually became Pope Paul III. In addition to this beautiful and influential collection, the museum has many artifacts and mosaics from Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Hours: Open 9am-7:30pm every day except Tuesday. Closed on Christmas Day and New Years Day.
When to go: A few things only open from 9am-2pm and a couple from 2-7:30 - start around lunch time to catch the full collection but the majority is in the morning.
Check this list to see what's open at which time
Price: €18 full price, €2 for EU citizens between 18-25 and Free for under 18s.
Free on first Sunday of the month and on particular days, check the above link.
How to get there: It's a short and easy walk if you're north or near the stations to the east.
By metro, take line 1 to the Museo stop or take line 2 to stop Piazza Cavour and walk 300 meters to the museum.
If you're driving, there's the Cavour parking garage only a few blocks from the museum at 34 Piazza Cavour (near the Carpisa store) for €2.5 per hour.
Tour: Upon entrance there will be some tour guides touting tours but they're generally really over-priced - I was offered a tour for $60 euros!
A great option is the audioguide for €5. I downloaded the free Rick Steves' audio Europe Apple and Android app which has a great guided tour of the museum (and of Pompeii!).
THE VISIT
I followed the Rick Steves tour and started on the first floor at the sculptures.
Definitely make sure to check out the Farnese Bull sculpture which is the largest single sculpture from antiquity - it's over 4 meters (13 feet) tall.
The inner courtyard is also very nice - with pink walls and lots of plants its a nice place to sit and get some sunshine amidst all of this beautiful art.
The staircase to the 2nd floor (upper level/1st floor above the ground floor) is a grand sweeping double staircase.
The second floor has a lot of artifacts from Pompeii and the neighboring area and gives a good picture of life before the Vesuvius eruption.
A very interesting section is the "Secret Gallery" which houses erotic art in Pompeii and Herculaneum. This area was closed and reopened many times throughout the museum's history and at times was only open to "people of mature age and respected morals" aka educated men. Since 2000, it's open to the public (technically you must be with an adult if you are under the age of 14 but there's no-one checking upon entrance) - definitely a very interesting space. Otherwise, there's lots of really beautiful and well-preserved mosaics, artifacts and pieces to check out, plus a huge model of Pompeii that adds some context.
I really enjoyed this museum - the building in itself was beautiful and the works displayed were great to see after learning more about the history of the area the day before, especially for someone who loves history.
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