Catacombs of San Gennaro: opening hours, tickets and visitor guide

What you see on the tour

The visit is always guided and takes you through the two levels of the catacombs, carved into the tuff of the hill from the 2nd century AD. The original core was probably a family tomb, later donated to the Christian community.

• The lower level opens out around the basilica of Sant'Agrippino, the first patron saint of Naples, with a large baptismal font.
• The upper level preserves the oldest early Christian paintings in southern Italy.
• The basilica carved into the rock, with three naves, was created when the remains of San Gennaro were brought here in the 5th century, and the catacombs became a place of pilgrimage.
• The Crypt of the Bishops, with 5th-century mosaics: among the portraits is that of the African bishop Quodvultdeus, who came to Naples in exile from Carthage.
• The cubicle of San Gennaro, with the oldest image of the patron saint of Naples.
• The frescoes of Neapolitan families from the 5th and 6th centuries, such as those of Theotecnus and of Bitalia and Cerula.

In all there are around 3,000 burials here, and not all the galleries have been excavated yet.

Tip: the same ticket also covers the Catacombs of San Gaudioso, beneath the basilica of Santa Maria della Sanità, about 15 minutes' walk down into the neighbourhood. Do San Gennaro first and then walk down into the Sanità: it is the best way to see the neighbourhood too.

The young people of the Sanità

Since 2008 the catacombs have been run by the cooperative La Paranza, founded by a group of young people from the Rione Sanità. They reopened them, made them visitable and turned them into jobs for the neighbourhood. Visiting them also means supporting this story: the guides are almost all young men and women from the area.

How to plan your visit

• Book online: booking is required and tours leave every hour.
• Don't go on a Wednesday: that is the closing day.
• Comfortable shoes and a jumper: inside, the temperature stays between 15 and 22 degrees.
• Combine the visit with the Capodimonte Museum (uphill, about 15 minutes on foot or by bus) or with the Rione Sanità and the Fontanelle Cemetery.
• With children: on Saturday mornings the catacombs run archaeology workshops for little ones (check the calendar on the official website).

How to get there

• By bus: from the Museo Nazionale stop (near Museo metro station, Line 1, and Cavour, Line 2) take one of the lines 168, 178, C63, 204 or 650 and get off at the Basilica Incoronata – Catacombe San Gennaro stop. About 15 minutes.
• On foot: from Museo metro station it is about 25 minutes, uphill along Via Santa Teresa degli Scalzi and Corso Amedeo di Savoia.
• By car: from the Tangenziale (ring road), exit 5 Capodimonte; there is a free car park at the catacombs.

What to see nearby

• Catacombs of San Gaudioso15 minutes on foot, same ticket
• Capodimonte Museum and Royal Park15 minutes on foot or by bus
• Fontanelle Cemetery20 minutes on foot
• The neighbourhood: Rione Sanitàthe area guide

Frequently asked questions