Naples bike tour and kayaking: pedal the centre, paddle the Posillipo coast

The Naples bike tour: what €45 gets you

The ride we recommend is “Bike tour: highlights of Naples”, sold on Tiqets from €45 and run by Ride A Bike Naples, a small local outfit. It lasts about three hours, two and a half of them guided, in groups of up to 15.

• Included: bike, guide, a snack, water and insurance.
• Languages: English, Italian, Spanish, French and Dutch.
• Bikes: standard bikes, not e-bikes. The operator’s own site says it also has e-bikes, but the Tiqets version doesn’t use them.
• Cancellation: free up to 24 hours ahead.

There aren’t many reviews yet, but they’re good: around 4.5–4.6 out of 5 from about fifteen riders. The operator’s website shows no prices, so there’s no cheaper official channel to compare against.

The bike route, from the seafront to the old town

You meet at Galleria Principe di Napoli 27/28, next to the National Archaeological Museum and the Museo metro station (Line 1). From there the ride links places that would take a full day on foot:

1. the seafront, with the bay and Vesuvius ahead;
2. Via Chiaia and Piazza del Plebiscito;
3. Via Toledo, the main shopping street;
4. Piazza del Gesù Nuovo, in front of Santa Chiara;
5. Via dei Tribunali and San Gregorio Armeno, the nativity-crib street, in the heart of the ancient centre;
6. the street art dedicated to San Gennaro;
7. Piazza Municipio, with a stop at a market and a deli.

Expect cars and scooters, stone paving and narrow lanes where you go slowly: this is a ride for the curious, not a workout. Closed shoes and a light backpack work best.

Kayaking in Posillipo: Marechiaro, Gaiola and Trentaremi

The main kayak base on the Posillipo coast is Kayak Napoli, at the Baia delle Rocce Verdi, Via Posillipo 68. Its “Wild Posillipo” tour leaves every day at 10:30 (arrive 30 minutes early) and lasts about two hours.

• Route: the fishing hamlet of Marechiaro, then Zone B of the Gaiola underwater park, then the Bay of Trentaremi and its yellow-tuff caves.
• Price: adults €30 (€10 deposit online, the rest on the day), ages 4–13 €15.
• Included: instructor, sit-on-top kayak, paddle, life jacket, dry bag, water and mask.
• On site: changing room, toilet and storage for your things.
• Getting there: bus 140 to the “Rione Primavera” stop; there’s also paid, attended parking.

The same base runs sunset and full-moon paddles, private tours, and rents single and double kayaks and SUPs by the half or full day. Its small print says Kayak Napoli also books activities run by partner companies, so feel free to ask who will be guiding you.

What you see from the water

From the kayak you see the two Gaiola islets joined by a little bridge, the Casa degli Spiriti, a 1st-century BC building right at the waterline, and the sunken remains of Pausilypon, the Roman villa of Publius Vedius Pollio, which slipped below sea level through volcanic ground movement. Further on is the Bay of Trentaremi, framed by yellow tuff cliffs.

The rules of the Gaiola marine protected area

The Parco Sommerso di Gaiola is both a marine protected area and an underwater archaeological park. The rules for kayakers are few and clear:

• stay out of Zone A, around the islets, where swimming and boats are banned without authorisation;
• keep away from the cliffs at risk of rockfall and from the Trentaremi caves;
• don’t drag kayaks onto rock platforms, which may be Roman structures;
• don’t paddle into the Casa degli Spiriti.

Report violations to the park (081 2403235) or the Coast Guard (1530). If you also want to swim at Gaiola, note that from May to September entry to the bathing area is free but by online booking only, with a cap of 200 people per time slot. If you’d rather look underwater, the park’s own guides run a snorkelling tour from €25 per person. Everything is in our Gaiola guide.

Bike, kayak or open-top bus: which to choose

The three options suit different travellers:

• Bike tour: best if you have half a day, reasonable fitness and want an overview of the city with a guide who talks as you go. You cover a lot of ground, but spend little time inside churches and museums.
• Kayak: the right pick if you want sea and nature. It takes you where you can’t walk, but it depends on the weather and you need to be able to swim.
• Hop-on hop-off bus: no effort at all. The panoramic “Views of the Gulf” line takes about 70 minutes and passes Mergellina and Capo Posillipo, on a 24-hour ticket from €27. Details on our hop-on hop-off page.

If all you want is the seafront, you don’t need to book anything: the walk from Mergellina along Via Caracciolo to Castel dell’Ovo is free and open around the clock.

Practical tips: when to go and what to bring

• Kayak: wear your swimsuit, bring a towel, sunscreen and a hat. Leave anything that mustn’t get wet on shore, or put it in the dry bag provided. The morning departure avoids the hottest hours.
• Bike: closed shoes, extra water in summer, and ID. Arrive a few minutes early to adjust your saddle.
• Pairings: after the kayak you’re already in Posillipo and Marechiaro; after the bike tour you’re close to the MANN and the old town. The water off Posillipo is also a lovely place for sunset, if you go for the operator’s evening paddle.

How to book a bike tour or kayak trip in Naples

For the Naples bike tour, our link goes to the Tiqets page: you pay €45, get a mobile voucher and can cancel for free until the day before. For kayaking in Posillipo we have no partner: book directly with Kayak Napoli, or find the same route on GetYourGuide at a higher price (about US$41 when we last checked; confirm the euro amount). Trentaremi also offers a kayak trip from the same launch point, on request: see our Trentaremi review.

We are an independent guide: if you book through the Tiqets or GetYourGuide links on this page we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.