Naples’ six underground tours, reviewed one by one
For each of the six tours, I report the rating and the number of reviews published on GetYourGuide, what you actually see, how long it lasts, and who I wouldn’t recommend it to. The number of reviews matters as much as the rating. The Ipogeo dei Cristallini has nineteen of them, Naples Underground over twenty-five thousand. They are two different things.
How I read the ratings
A 4.8 based on nineteen reviews says little: just a handful of unhappy visitors can lower it. A 4.6 based on 8,718 reviews is a stable figure, and that missing tenth usually has a precise explanation: large groups during peak slots, visits shorter than some expected. The highest rating among the six is not for the most famous tour but for the longest and most demanding one, the Sacred Mile. One of the six has no rating yet: it is new, not rejected.
The six tours
Catacombs of San Gennaro
Two levels carved into the tuff, wide and flat galleries. The ticket also includes San Gaudioso, for twelve months. The first one to do.
Read the review ›
Catacombs of San Gaudioso
Smaller, beneath the Basilica of Santa Maria della Sanità, with seventeenth-century noble burials. More intimate groups.
Read the review ›
The Sacred Mile
Three hours on foot, from the catacombs to the Sanità district. The highest rating among the six, and also the biggest commitment.
Read the review ›
Ipogeo dei Cristallini
Four Greek burial chambers, twelve metres underground, maximum group of ten people. Very few reviews so far.
Read the review ›
Rione Sanità: underground walk
Two hours, Italian only, three stops in one. New itinerary: no one has left a review yet.
Read the review ›
Naples Underground
The Greco-Roman aqueduct beneath Via dei Tribunali. It is not a catacomb, and the passages are very narrow.
Read the review ›If you can only choose one
Go down to the Catacombs of San Gennaro. It is the only one of the six that combines wide galleries, an almost entirely flat route, and a ticket that also grants access to the second catacomb for twelve months. If you are still deciding between the four underground sites in Naples, the page which catacombs to visit lists the differences; if you are interested in the full picture of departures, see all tours.
Frequently asked questions
Which underground tour has the highest rating in Naples?
Among the six I compare, the Sacred Mile: 4.9 out of 758 reviews. It is also the longest, three hours on foot. The Catacombs of San Gennaro stop at 4.6 but with 8,718 reviews, which is a sample ten times larger.
Why does Naples Underground have the lowest rating?
It has 4.4 out of 25,315 reviews: the highest number and the lowest rating of the six. With that volume of visitors, the narrow tunnels and the difference between one guide and another weigh more. The comparison is in which underground Naples to choose.
San Gennaro or San Gaudioso: which of the two has the better rating?
San Gaudioso has 4.7 versus 4.6, but with 1,222 reviews instead of 8,718, and the visit is shorter and more intimate. The two are compared line by line in San Gennaro or San Gaudioso. With a single ticket, however, you enter both within twelve months.
Are these reviews independent?
Yes. I do not manage the catacombs, I do not sell the official ticket, and I do not receive compensation from operators to write positively about them. The booking links lead to GetYourGuide and are affiliate links: if you book from here, I may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you.