Naples' central transport hub

Naples has one main central station, Napoli Centrale.  It's in the heart of the city on Piazza Garibaldi, the square named after the general & revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi.  It's three stations in one:  A mainline terminus at ground level called Napoli Centrale, an underground station called Napoli Piazza Garibaldi with two underground through platforms for Trenitalia's metropolitan trains & metro line 1, and another underground station also called Napoli Piazza Garibaldi with 4 platforms for EAV's narrow-gauge Circumvesuviana trains to Herculaneum, Pompeii & Sorrento.  There's been a station here since 1866, but the current Naples Centrale station was designed in 1954 and opened in 1966.  It was modernised 2005-2010.

Incidentally, Napoli Afragola is an out-of-town station 12 km outside the city, don't book to or from Naples Afragola by mistake!

small bullet point  Overview

small bullet point  Which platform for your train?

small bullet point  Advice for changing trains in Naples

small bullet point  Ticket offices

small bullet point  Left luggage

small bullet point  ATMs, WiFi, safety & security

small bullet point  Executive & Club class lounges

small bullet point  Somewhere to eat & drink

small bullet point  Supermarket

small bullet point  Hotels near the station

 

small bullet point  Taxis & walking from station to sights & ferry terminals

small bullet point  Circumvesuviana Railway to Ercolano, Pompeii & Sorrento

On other pages

small bullet point  Trains between London & Naples

small bullet point  Trains between Paris & Naples

small bullet point  Trains from Naples to other European cities

small bullet point  Trains from other European cities to Naples

small bullet point  Guide to train travel in Italy

small bullet point  General information for European train travel

Station overview Location map

There's a plan of the station at www.gsretail.it/en/network/napoli-centrale (click EN for English).

Overview of Naples Centrale

Naples Centrale, looking east from an upper floor room in the excellent Unahotel Napoli.  In the foreground is the covered retail mall on the south side of Piazza Garibaldi.  The station building is behind it, with platforms 2-24 visible behind that.  Courtesy of @rail_away.

Facade of Napoli Centrale

Naples Centrale facade, main entrance & taxi rank, in the Piazza Garibaldi.

Naples Centrale main entrance

Main entrance from the Piazza Garibaldi.

Naples Centrale cxoncourse

The concourse, looking across it with the gateways to the platforms on the left, the exit doors to Piazza Garibaldi on the right.

Naples Centrale ticket check

Ticket check between concourse & platform area.  A cursory check is made entering the platform area.  There's no check when exiting.

Which platform for your train?

Naples Centrale platforms

Circulating area behind the platforms on the trainside of the ticket check.

Naples Centrale platforms

The platforms, numbered 2 to 24 left to right.  Above, a Trenitalia Frecciarossa 1000 is on platform 17, an Italo AGV train on platform 18.

About changing trains in Naples

Ticket offices & ticket machines

Bike compartment in car with 2+1 2nd class seats   Bike compartment in car with 2+1 2nd class seats

Trenitalia ticket office & customer assistance.

 

Italo ticket office & ticket machines.

Left luggage

Naples Centrale left luggage office, run by KiPoint

The left luggage office at Naples Centrale, run by KiPoint/KiBag.

ATMs, WiFi, toilets, safety & security

Executive & Club class lounges

Somewhere to eat & drink

Naples Centrale food hall

Supermarkets

Hotels near Naples Centrale

Local transportWalking, metro, taxis

Circumvesuviana trains to Herculaneum, Pompeii & Sorrento

The narrow-gauge electric Circumvesuviana Railway runs from Naples to Ecolano (Herculaneum), Pompeii Villa Dei Misteri & Sorrento, a train usually leaves every 30 minutes.  Run by local transport authority EAV (www.eavsrl.it), it's a mass-transit metro service, either buy a ticket from the EAV ticket office and hop on the next train, or you can pass through the ticket gates with any contactless bank card, look for a ticket gate with the contactless symbol.

I've a soft spot for the little Circumvesuviana, the trains may be graffiti'd and can be crowded at peak times, but it's a lovely ride around the Bay of Naples with views of Vesuvius on one side and of the sea on the other.  Look after your valuables, it's not a place for leaving a wallet sticking out of a back pocket, but I've never had any problem so don't let it put you off.  More about visiting Pompeii.

Tip:  The Circumvesuviana trains start their journey one stop away at Naples Porta Nolana terminus, a 10-minute 750m walk from Naples Centrale.  Rather than board at Centrale/Porta Garibaldi, one option is to stroll to Porta Nolana and board there, to be sure of a seat at busy times.  See walking map.

Steps & escalators down to the EAV Circumvesuviana Railway

To reach the Circumvesuviana platforms, look for these steps & escalators at the back of the concourse.  Go down these and turn left at the bottom into a long passageway, following the signs to Circumvesuviana.  Further on the signs change to EAV Linee Vesuviane, but it's the same place.

EAV Circumvesuviana Railway station

Circumvesuviana Railway Porta Garibaldi station.  At the end of the long passageway, you reach the Circumvesuviana Porta Garibaldi station (above).  In the photo above, the EAV ticket office is on the right, the ticket gates to the Circumvesuviana platforms on the left.  Some gates allow you to touch in & out with a contactless bank card, with no need to buy a ticket.

EAV ticket office for the Circumvesuviana Railway   Circumvesuviana ticket gates

EAV ticket office for the Circumvesuviana, marked EAV BiglietteriaCourtesy Tim Burford.

Circumvesuviana ticket gates.  The two on the right have contactless bank card readers.

Circumvesuviana Railway footbridge   Circumvesuviana Railway platforms & bridge

Once through the ticket gates you reach this footbridge, with steps down to each platform.

Looking back from the Circumvesuviana platforms towards the overbridge.

EAV Circumvesuviana platforms, Porta Garibaldi

Circumvesuviana platforms 1, 2 3 & 4.  You walk down steps onto the platform, it's usually platform 1 (on the left of this photo) for Herculaneum, Pompeii and Sorrento.  Departure screens tell you where each train is going as it comes in.  The train on the right is (unusually) free of any graffiti.


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