Naples brings to mind Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius, of course, but it’s also full of cultural and artistic treasures that I’d never had the chance to see. Travelling with my mother, we decided to focus on Naples to simplify logistics, but also because we had already visited Pompeii when I was a child, and not yet in a wheelchair…
We’d been warned by friends who’d already visited the city: Naples isn’t the most accessible. But I hadn’t realized just how inaccessible. Between the scooters that pay absolutely no attention to pedestrians and the uneven cobblestones, getting around Naples in a wheelchair is quite a challenge. In fact, the city has joined my top 3 least accessible destinations, alongside Kyiv and Belgrade.
Despite the challenges, I have no regrets about this trip—otherwise, I would have missed the breathtaking sites we were lucky to visit. As in other inaccessible cities, arriving at a museum is a huge relief: the floors are much easier to navigate, and accessibility is far better than outside.
Day 1: Arrival and historic center
The airport is very close to the city center, so a short taxi ride was enough to reach our accommodation, an apartment booked on Booking, which I find much more convenient than AirBnb for selecting wheelchair-accessible accommodation. Finding accommodation with an elevator in the city centre is possible, but not easy…
We then head out for our first stroll through the historic centre and get our first glimpse of the irregular cobblestones of old Naples… A real treat!
After a cup of tea and a pastry in a gluten-free bakery (Leopoldo Cafe Bar, P.za Cavour, 78/79), we walk up the Via Duomo toward the cathedral, where the large, flat cobblestones make the rolling much easier. The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta is accessible via a ramp, which is a good thing, as it would have been a shame to miss this imposing Gothic church and its baptistery, which houses a beautiful mosaic.
Day 2: Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, Gallerie d’Italia & seafront
Walking to the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte would have been too steep. Between the cobblestones and the slope, we opt for an Uber cab. My wheelchair folds up and fits easily into any car boot, but here it’s a tall Kangoo type car, which is even more practical. The driver drops us off directly at the entrance to the gardens. Despite a cloudy sky, we take the time to admire the breathtaking view of Naples and Vesuvius, which terrified me as a child during my last visit to the Bay of Naples.
The museum, which we were lucky enough to visit almost single-handedly, boasts an impressive collection of paintings and objects. There are no problems with wheelchair access: two elevators provide access to the upper floors, including the room housing Caravaggio’s eye-catching painting The Flagellation of Christ. There are also wheelchair-accessible toilets.
We then make our way back down to the historic center, passing by the Palazzo dello Spagnolo, which has a stunning staircase in its courtyard. The descent is a sporty one, as the street is extremely steep, adding yet another level of complexity to the cobblestones and scooters.
After a quiet lunch break, we move on to the Galleria Umberto I, a shopping arcade reminiscent of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, although the stores are far less upmarket. One of the entrances is on level with the street, making wheelchair access easy. Just around the corner is Gallerie d’Italia Napoli, an art museum with a ramp and a lift at the entrance. Several elevators allow us to comfortably visit the temporary exhibition on Lord and Lady Hamilton, Admiral Nelson’s mistress, as well as the superb permanent collection, including moving statues by Neapolitan sculptor Vincenzo Gemito.
A short break at the Gran Caffè Gambrinus, a charming address and a haven of calm that offers a welcome break from the incessant honking of the street. The entrance has a small step, but is still passable. The toilets, however, are not accessible.
As night falls, we make our way back home along the waterfront. It is mostly wheelchair-friendly, though some sidewalks are in poor condition.
Day 3: Churches & Archaeological Museum
The day begins with the Cappella Sansevero, a small Baroque church accessible via a step or removable ramp. Giuseppe Sanmartino’s statue of the Veiled Christ, representing the dead Christ, is a true technical feat, but also a work of great emotion and overwhelming intensity.
After an unsuccessful attempt to visit Santa Chiara, which was closed, we move on to the church of San Lorenzo Maggiore, a stripped-down, “de-baroqued” Gothic church that retains only two beautiful Baroque chapels. A ramp makes access easy.
We end the morning at the Museo Civico Gaetano Filangieri, a Renaissance palace housing a collection of paintings and artifacts. There are three steps at the entrance, but an elevator takes you to the first floor (though not the second).
The afternoon begins with a visit to the Pio Monte della Misericordia church, notable for its luminous painting by Caravaggio. Access is easy, thanks to a ramp from the street. And finally, we arrive at the Archaeological Museum, which I’ve been dreaming of visiting. The building is well accessible, even if the entrance is via the parking lot with a narrow barrier barely wide enough for a wheelchair. There are wheelchair-accessible toilets, though the door doesn’t close properly—but at least they existed! The collection, particularly the mosaics and frescoes from Pompeii and Herculaneum, is absolutely magnificent.
Day 4: Castel Sant’Elmo, Teatro di San Carlo & the seafront
We test the Neapolitan metro, which is surprisingly clean and fully accessible, at least for the stations we used (Duomo and Toledo). We walk up Via Toledo, whose wide sidewalks are mostly wheelchair accessible, and arrive at the Mercato Pignasecca, where a few stalls sell fresh fruit, vegetables and fish.
After descending Via Toledo, we reach the Augusteo station of the central funicular (Funiculario Centrale) to climb up to Castel Sant’Elmo. We get off at the last station, Funicolare Centrale, which is also fully wheelchair-accessible. After ten minutes or so of ascent and descent, we arrive at Castel Sant’Elmo, a 14th-century fortress offering a breathtaking 360° view of Naples and its bay. To savor the view of the city and Vesuvius a little longer, we grab a coffee at Scaturchio, accessible via a ramp.
Next, we visit the Certosa e Museo di San Martino monastery, which can be entered on the same level as the street. The marble-lined Baroque church is magnificent, but it’s the museum’s huge Neapolitan nativity scene that catches our eye. We take the funicular back down to Via Toledo for lunch at the delicious gluten-free restaurant Zero Zero Grano (Via Carlo de Cesare, 40).
The afternoon begins with a guided tour of the Teatro di San Carlo. The box office is not wheelchair accessible, which would have been a problem had I been alone to buy my ticket. Fortunately, the interior of the theatre, which hosts operas and concerts, is well adapted: the entrance is via a side entrance, then an elevator provides access to the various floors.
After this superb visit, we set off for a stroll along the waterfront, but this time in the opposite direction to that of the second day. The sidewalk is fully accessible, which makes for a very pleasant stroll.
Day 5: Mercato Porta Noala & Santa Chiara
Last morning in Naples before departure! We’re off to discover the Mercato Porta Nolana, a fifteen-minute walk from our apartment. Larger than the Mercato Pignasecca, this market offers a wide variety of products: fruit, vegetables, fish, but also clothes and shoes at unbeatable prices. The market’s streets are really rutted, and it’s not easy to get around in a wheelchair.
We then try our luck again at Santa Chiara, which is open this time. It would have been a real shame to miss its cloister, with its yellow and blue majolica tiles reminiscent of Andalusia, which also had the merit of being completely wheelchair accessible.
After buying small figures in one of the many traditional nativity scene stores in the historic centre, we take a cab to the airport.
Naples in a wheelchair: a good idea? Not necessarily, but it would be a real shame to miss out on the cultural riches of this city steeped in history. However, getting around Naples in a wheelchair remains a real challenge. Between the uneven cobblestones, the often impassable sidewalks and the chaotic traffic, every move requires a good dose of patience. Fortunately, the public transport we used (metro and funicular) proved to be very accessible, and most museums and cultural sites have ramps and/or elevators. What’s more, we were almost always exempted from paying entrance fees to the various museums, which was a pleasant surprise.
In retrospect, having a larger third wheel at the front of the wheelchair instead of the usual small wheels would have been a real plus for tackling the Neapolitan cobblestones, which sometimes made getting around particularly complicated. But despite these challenges, most of the cultural sites we visited were well accessible, making the trip rewarding despite the obstacles.
| Location | Accessibility | Details |
| Historic center | 🔴 Poor | Streets with uneven cobblestones (except Via Duomo and Via Toledo). |
| Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta | 🟢 Good | Entrance with ramp. |
| Cappella Sansevero | 🟢 Good | Only one step. Removable ramp possible. |
| San Lorenzo Maggiore | 🟢 Good | Entrance with ramp. |
| Pio Monte della Misericordia | 🟢 Good | Entrance with ramp. |
| Santa Chiara | 🟢 Good | Level entrance. |
| Certosa e Museo di San Martino | 🟢 Good | Level entrance. Ramps into the museum. |
| Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte | 🟢 Good | Lifts, adapted toilets. |
| Gallerie d’Italia Napoli | 🟢 Good | Ramp and elevators. |
| Museo Civico Gaetano Filangieri | 🔴 Poor | Three steps to enter. Elevator accesses 1st floor only. |
| Museo Archeologico | 🟢 Good | Level entrance and elevators. Adapted toilets. |
| Castel Sant’Elmo | 🟢 Good | Ramp to ticket office, then elevator. |
| Teatro di San Carlo | 🟡 Average | Accessible entrance and elevator, but ticket office impracticable. |
| Galleria Umberto I | 🟢 Good | Level entrance (only from one street). |
| Mercato Pignasecca | 🔴 Poor | Very damaged floor, difficult for wheelchair users. |
| Mercato Porta Nolana | 🔴 Poor | Very damaged floor, difficult for wheelchair users. |
Pictures by the author.
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