Where to stay in Naples
Naples rewards a base on foot and gives a car a different set of rules in every district. The areas below differ in noise, views and parking, and in which traffic zone they sit.
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How the areas differ
The Centro Storico, the UNESCO old town of Spaccanapoli and Via dei Tribunali, puts churches and pizzerias at the door and stays loud. Toledo and the Quartieri Spagnoli sit west of it: the shopping street and the dense grid of the Spanish Quarter.
Chiaia, between the Villa Comunale and Via dei Mille, has shops and bars and a calmer feel. Santa Lucia puts Via Partenope, Castel dell'Ovo and the Borgo Marinari on the water. The Vomero, on the hill above, is residential, with Castel Sant'Elmo and Metro Line 1.
Posillipo is the outlier: a green hill of villas west of the centre, about 5 km from Spaccanapoli.
Staying with a rental car
The city has a set of camera-controlled traffic zones, each with its own hours. The Centro Antico gates run from 09:00, until 17:00 on Via Miroballo, Via Duomo and Via Santa Sofia and until 22:00, or 02:00 from Friday to Sunday, on Via del Sole. Tarsia, Pignasecca and Dante, west of Via Toledo, close every day from 09:00 to 18:00. In Chiaia, Belledonne, Martiri and Poerio close every night from 19:00 to 07:00, and the shopping streets close on Saturdays.
Hotels, garages and repair shops are among the categories whose customers' cars may enter the Centro Antico, and permit requests have gone through ANM's Smartmobility platform since 24 April 2026, so ask the hotel to arrange it before arrival. Temporary permits exist only for removals, building work, medical visits and events. A fine goes to the car's owner, which for a rental is the company.
The city runs 25 tow trucks against double parking and parking in pedestrian areas. To find a towed car, call 081 7957111; release needs the driving licence, the registration document and the insurance certificate, so keep the rental papers in the car. The Tangenziale, the urban motorway, costs EUR 1.05 per passage. GetCar's guide Driving in Naples and the Amalfi Coast: the Airport, the Roads, the Plate Rule on the SS163, the Naples ZTLs, Parking, Ferries and the Island Bans covers the roads in full.
Day trips with the car
The Amalfi Coast road, the SS163 from Vietri sul Mare to Positano, runs on alternating plates from 10:00 to 18:00: odd final digits are banned on odd dates and even ones on even dates. In 2026 the rule applies every day from 1 August to 30 September and at weekends in October. Rental cars are not exempt, and a hotel booking on the coast covers only the drive in on check-in day and out on check-out day.
In Amalfi, the Luna Rossa and harbour car parks charge EUR 5 an hour from 09:00 to 19:00, plus EUR 2 for each of the first two hours, and EUR 40 a day, EUR 45 in August, until 5 November 2026. For the islands, the car stays behind: rental cars may not board for Capri until 2 November 2026, and Procida bans visitors' cars until 15 October.
What the tourist tax and registration rules mean for a guest
Naples charges an imposta di soggiorno per person per night. From 1 May 2026 it is EUR 4.00 in a one-star hotel, EUR 5.50 in a three-star, EUR 6.00 in a four or five-star, EUR 5.50 in other lodgings such as B&Bs and EUR 6.00 in short-let flats. It stops after 14 consecutive nights, and guests aged 14 and under pay nothing.
Every licensed stay in Italy, hotel or short-let flat, has a national identification code (CIN), shown outside the building and in every listing. Italian law lets a host accept only guests with an identity document or passport, and the host registers each guest with the police within 24 hours. A 2024 Interior Ministry circular, upheld by the Council of State in November 2025, requires identification in person or by a video link at the door.
When to book what
The tax rose on 1 May 2026, and nights from that date carry the new rates. Rates above EUR 5 rest on a national allowance that, as the law stands, covers 2026 only.
Some zones follow the calendar. The lanes down to the sea at Via Ferdinando Russo and Marechiaro close in the warm months, and from 8 December to 6 January Via Morelli, Via Filangieri and Via dei Mille close at weekends and on holidays.
For a month or longer, the lease type matters more than the date; the monthly guide below covers it.
Which area for which trip
A first visit on foot: the Centro Storico.
Shops and a central base: Toledo and the Quartieri Spagnoli.
The sea at the door: Santa Lucia, or Chiaia for something calmer.
Views and longer stays: the Vomero.
A car and quiet: Posillipo.
Questions
Can a guest's car enter the Naples Centro Antico?
Hotels, garages and repair shops are among the categories whose customers' cars may enter. Ask the hotel before arrival; temporary permits for tourists are not offered.
What happens if a car is towed in Naples?
Call 081 7957111 to find it. Release needs a slip from a Polizia Municipale office, the driving licence, the registration document and the insurance certificate.
How much is the Naples tourist tax for a family in a flat?
EUR 6.00 per person per night in a short-let flat from 1 May 2026, for each guest over 14, for at most 14 consecutive nights.
Where can a car stay for an Amalfi day trip?
In Amalfi, the Luna Rossa and harbour car parks charge EUR 5 an hour plus EUR 2 for each of the first two hours, or EUR 40 a day, until 5 November 2026. Check the plate rule on the coast road first.