The baby friendly travel guide to Naples, Italy

Naples is very baby friendly and is a gorgeous city that will provide a sensory overload to young and old alike. Locals and other tourists will shower your little one with affection. However, Naples is often considered a dirty and unsavory city. This panicked me a little due to travelling with a 10 month old baby but I really didn’t have to worry. Our 4 night stay turned into quite the magical trip.

Getting to Naples

The center of Naples (Centro Storico di Napoli) is very close to the airport (20 minute taxi). It is easily accessible by train too from either Rome or Naples airport.

Our hotel provided a transfer and we had brought our own car seat.

Where to stay in Naples:

We stayed at the wonderful Dimora Duomo.

Dimora Duomo was the perfect location for us and a central location plus only a short walk to the ferry port. (Essential for us to get to our next stop, Ischia). The Dimora Duomo is on the fifth floor which is accessible by a VERY small lift however, there is still half a flight of stairs to climb once at the top. For us this wasn’t a problem but for those with larger prams or who need step-free access then it may be an issue. They also provided a great choice of Neapolitan breakfast options to be had either in the room or at the coffee shop next door. A Travel cot was waiting for when we arrived which was a big thumbs up from us, i still find it crazy that so many hotels fail to have a travel cot waiting when it has been specifically requested.

We loved being close to Central Storico and had no problems with hearing noise within our accommodation. If you prefer a quieter area, i would recommend the Chaia area of the city. You can easily access the center via Funicular and there are also loads of shops and cafe’s.

What to do in Naples with a baby:

Explore your surroundings:

We arrived on the Saturday afternoon and just took some time to explore our surroundings.

Book a food tour:

Sunday we booked ourselves on this food tour. It takes you into the heart of Central Storico and is perfectly pram accessible and the tour guide was very baby friendly. (We use the Silver Cross Clic travel pram, it has tiny wheels but still holds its own on the cobbled streets).

It was lovely to get our bearings and the food was nice enough. Learning about the history of Naples whilst eating was definitely worth it.

Go to a museum:

Museo Archeologico Nazionale is one of the most important archaeological museums in the world and houses some of the finds from the nearby Herculaneum and Pompeii sites. It is home to ‘The Secret Cabinet’ (Gabinetto Segreto), a collection of erotic art deemed obscene for viewing by the general public. Having been opened and closed at various times throughout the years (even going as far to bricking up the entire entrance), before being permanently reopened in 2000. Is it baby friendly? Maybe not but ours was too young to notice!

However, a wonderful feature of the museum is the baby changing/feeding area, a nice quiet spot close to the entrance. Mother’s will feel discreet enough to be able to quietly feed their baby but will not feel like they are being forced to hide away from view.

Check out the underground tunnels:

On Monday we planned to see the Underground tunnels. Galleria Barbonica is pram accessible. Of course you can try others (with a carrier). Please note these tunnels are only open Fri-Sun. We really really wanted to do this but we failed to realize it was closed on a Monday. Oh well, an excuse to go back isn’t it?

Grab a coffee… and a funicular:

Instead, we headed to Gran Caffe Gambrinus. for a coffee to come up with a plan. It’s a gorgeous setting of old school waiters seamlessly serving locals and tourists alike. We decided to stay for two as we were enjoying ourselves so much! As we were nearby, we decided to take the funicular up to Vomero for lunch. Vomero is where the rich look down on to the poor of Centro Storico. Filled with designer shopping it was a much slower pace. It was nice for a visit but we felt we enjoyed the buzz down below much more.

Enjoy free Art:

The locals use art to express themselves and actively encourage street artists in the hope to discourage boredom and in worst cases, falling under the influence of the Mafia. Of course, the world famous British street artist Banksy, had to make his mark on the graffiti capital of the world, Twice! The stencil of a Madonna under a pistol can be found next to Via de Tribunali Piazza dei Girolamini, next to the entrance of a pizzeria Dal Presidente. Unfortunately his other contribution was destroyed by a fellow artist in 2010.

Take a daytrip:

If your plans don’t involve travelling along the Amalfi coast, take advantage of the ferry port or train for the day. You could find yourselves at Pompeii, Herculaneum or Sorrento (heck, further afield too if your up for it – i spoke to one lady who went to Rome for the day.). Pompeii by train is an absolute bargain at €3 at the time of writing. A ferry to Capri takes 45 – 1hr 30mins depending on season.

Best food in Naples:

1906 Imperatore. The second best pizza of my life! Away from the hustle and bustle of central Storico but still within easy walking distance. 

Vincenzo Capuano. The best pizza of my life! I later found out this was a ‘cloud pizza’ soft, pillowy and delicious.

L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele The queues were astronomical at 11am, on a Monday! It’s not unheard of to queue for 2hrs to then sit on the side of the road eating pizza straight out of the box. This is still widely regarded as the best pizza in Naples. If you don’t fancy the queue, you can always try their Soho London branch.

Tandem. We used UberEats one evening to order from this highly recommended restaurant. Ragu’s just like mama used to make, I just wish we had eaten here more. Don’t miss the meatballs!

The takeaway…

I love Naples. Its loud, its noisy and occasionally pungent! Sensible rules apply wherever you are in the world. Take care of your belongings and don’t put yourself in uncomfortable situations. I felt completely safe but i thrive in the hustle and bustle of a city. Eat everything. take in the art, do a food tour! Absolutely take advantage of excellent travel links and most of all, don’t be afraid to take your baby. Naples is 100% baby friendly and your little one will love all the attention they get from Italians old and young alike.