Underground Naples tour: Greek and Roman ruins deep below

Step into Naples’ underground world where ancient lives unfold beneath your feet

This is a guided tour of Naples' underground historical sites, led by a local authorized guide in your choice of English, Spanish, Italian or French. You descend into Neapolis Sotterrata through a Medieval Cloister to walk among Greek and Roman remains; visit Santa Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio ad Arco, an underground church in via dei Tribunali built around the cult of the dead; and explore the underground levels of the Duomo of Napoli. The itinerary is flexible: your guide shapes the route around what interests you most. The tour runs two hours and suits all fitness levels. Infants can ride in a pram, and service animals are welcome.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Naples' underground highlights

• Walk past main city highlights
• Visit Underground City Neapolis Sotterrata
• Enjoy Neapolitan coffee or sfogliatella
• Visit underground church Santa Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio ad Arco
• Visit underground of the Duomo of Napoli

The experience

The tour starts at street level in Naples' centro storico, where your guide introduces the city's layered history: both what you see above ground and what lies beneath. The real descent begins at Neapolis Sotterrata, where you enter through a Medieval Cloister and drop 12 meters underground into chambers that once belonged to Greek and Roman Neapolis. Walking through these passages, you stand in spaces that held water systems, storage and daily life two thousand years ago, all preserved in the bedrock beneath the modern chaos of the city above.

After returning to street level, the tour moves to Santa Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio ad Arco on via dei Tribunali. This underground church is built around a specific cult practice: Neapolitans adopted and cared for the skulls of the forgotten dead, leaving flowers and prayers in the chambers below. The church itself sits partly underground, and your guide explains how this devotion shaped the city's relationship with death and memory. Then you finish at the Duomo of Napoli, descending again to see the underground sections that connect the cathedral to the city's deeper past.

Because the itinerary is flexible, your guide adjusts the pace and focus based on what draws you in, whether that's the engineering of the Roman water systems, the archaeology of the Greek settlement, or the social history of the cult of the dead. The whole experience takes two hours. Public transportation options are nearby if you need them, and the tour is designed so that all fitness levels can manage the walking and the modest descents involved.

What’s included

• Local authorized guide in your choice of English, Spanish, Italian or French.
• access to all three underground sites on the itinerary.

Options for this experience

4 options

Tour in English5 departure times: the first at 09:00, the last at 15:00

Tour in Italian5 departure times: the first at 09:00, the last at 15:00

Tour in French5 departure times: the first at 09:00, the last at 15:00

Tour in Spanish5 departure times: the first at 09:00, the last at 15:00

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day5 departure times: the first at 09:00, the last at 15:00

Book up to4h before

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French and Italian

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Paid on site€ 13

Prices and times updated 2 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Grand Tour Experience

Is this one for you?Choose the language that matches your comfort (English, Spanish, Italian or French), and your guide will shape the route through the three underground sites based on what interests you most, whether that's the Roman engineering, the Greek settlement or the Neapolitan cult of the dead. The flexible itinerary means you're not locked into a fixed pace or a predetermined order.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, French and Italian.

What exactly is Neapolis Sotterrata and why is it 12 meters underground?

Neapolis Sotterrata is the preserved underground city of ancient Naples: Greek and Roman chambers, passages and water systems carved into the bedrock. When the modern city was built above, these spaces were sealed beneath the streets. You enter through a Medieval Cloister and walk through the same passages that held daily life and infrastructure two thousand years ago.

What is the cult of the dead at Santa Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio ad Arco?

It's a Neapolitan devotion practice in which people adopted skulls of the forgotten dead and left them in the underground chambers of the church, tending them with flowers and prayers. The church sits partly underground, and your guide explains how this practice reflects the city's unique relationship with death and remembrance.

How long does the tour take and what's included?

The tour runs two hours and includes a local authorized guide who leads you through all three underground sites: Neapolis Sotterrata, Santa Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio ad Arco, and the Duomo's underground levels. Admission tickets to the sites are not included and are arranged separately.

Can I bring young children or a stroller on this tour?

Yes. Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller, and infants can sit on an adult's lap. The tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels, and service animals are allowed.

Do I need to arrange my own way to the starting point?

Yes. Hotel pickup and drop-off are not included, but public transportation options are available near the tour sites in Naples' centro storico.