Napoli Sotterranea vs Bourbon Tunnel vs Catacombs: Which to Choose

For a first visit, choose Napoli Sotterranea: it has the longest history, from Greek quarries and Roman cisterns to the wartime shelters and the Roman theatre, in the heart of the old city. Choose the Bourbon Tunnel if you want the war and the strange sight of old cars underground, and the Catacombs of San Gennaro for early Christian frescoes and wide, calm galleries. The Napoli Sotterranea guided tour is from US$20 a person (checked October 2026) and rated 4.4 from 26,286 reviews.

Check Napoli Sotterranea dates

Illustration: a cutaway of the ground under Naples showing a lamplit cistern, a tunnel with old cars, and a catacomb with painted niches — Illustration: three undergrounds, three different visits. The cisterns, the Bourbon Tunnel and the catacombs are in different parts of the city.

The four side by side

Site (from, October 2026)	What you see	Time and terms
Napoli Sotterranea, old centre, US$20	Greek-Roman cisterns, war shelters, the Roman theatre; one narrow passage, optional	1.5 to 2 hours, every day; non-refundable
Spanish Quarters route, US$20	Cisterns used as war shelters; some narrow passages	1 hour, every day; free cancellation up to 24 hours
Bourbon Tunnel, by Plebiscito, US$17	Royal tunnel, war shelters, old cars; wide	About 1 hour, Fri-Sun and holidays; free cancellation up to 24 hours
Catacombs of San Gennaro, Sanita, US$15	Early Christian galleries and frescoes; wide	45 minutes to an hour, closed Wednesday (Oct 2026); free cancellation up to 24 hours

Napoli Sotterranea: the most history

The route from Piazza San Gaetano 68 starts with the Greek city: cisterns cut into the tuff in the 4th century BC and joined into the Greek-Roman aqueduct, about 40 metres down. The same cisterns sheltered the neighbourhood in the bombing of the Second World War, which is why the walls carry wartime writing and the route has a small war museum. Back above ground, a guide opens a door in a narrow lane into a basso, a low one-room house, and the back of it is the curved wall of the Roman theatre. It is the fullest picture of the city in one visit, and the most reviewed underground in Naples. Its catch: the ticket is non-refundable.

The Bourbon Tunnel: the war and the cars

Under Pizzofalcone hill, near Piazza del Plebiscito, the Bourbon Tunnel is 19th and 20th-century Naples. Ferdinand II ordered it in 1853 as a protected route out of the palace; it was never finished. It sheltered people in the war, then the city used it as a vehicle pound until the 1970s, and the cars and scooters are still there. It opens to the public only on Fridays, weekends and holidays. The Bourbon Tunnel page lists its four routes, including one with a raft.

The catacombs: early Christian Naples

The Catacombs of San Gennaro, north of the centre, are the calmest of the four: wide galleries on two levels, burial niches, an underground basilica and painted portraits from the 5th and 6th centuries. The ticket also opens the Catacombs of San Gaudioso within 12 months. They suit anyone wary of tight spaces, and anyone more interested in art than in the war. See the catacombs page.

And the Spanish Quarters route

The fourth, the Spanish Quarters underground tour, is often mistaken for Napoli Sotterranea because it is called La Napoli Sotterranea. It is a one-hour visit of the cisterns and shelters under the Spanish Quarters, rated 4.8, the highest of the four, and it can be cancelled free up to 24 hours before. See the Spanish Quarters page.

The verdict by traveller:

First visit to Naples