Bourbon Tunnel (Galleria Borbonica): tickets, opening days and routes

What the Bourbon Tunnel is and why it was dug

On 19 February 1853 King Ferdinand II of Bourbon signed a decree asking the architect Errico Alvino to design an underground viaduct beneath Monte Echia. It was to link the Royal Palace with Piazza Vittoria, near the sea and the barracks on Via Pace (today Via Domenico Morelli): a fast route for troops and, after the uprisings of 1848, a possible escape route for the royal family.

Work ran from April 1853 to May 1855, entirely by hand with picks, hammers and wedges, by the light of torches and candles. The tunnel was inaugurated on 25 May 1855 and open to the public for just three days. It is 431 metres long and ends under Piazza Carolina, behind the colonnade of San Francesco di Paola: the dig never reached the Royal Palace. So that the buildings above would not lose their water, the engineers built bridges up to 10 metres high across the 16th- and 17th-century cisterns of the Bolla aqueduct.

Today the tunnel is run by the Associazione Culturale Borbonica Sotterranea, which organises all the tours.

From air-raid shelter to impound: what you see

The most surprising part of the visit is not Bourbon at all. During the Second World War the tunnel became a shelter for 5,000 to 10,000 people, with electric light and toilets; the walls still carry the names and thoughts carved by those who came down the spiral staircase from Piazza Carolina. From the end of the war until 1970 it was the city’s judicial impound, filled with rubble from some 200 bombing raids and with seized goods. Vintage cars and motorbikes and huge fragments of statues have emerged from under metres of debris, and you see them along the route, together with the funerary monument of Captain Aurelio Padovani.

In 2007 geologists found a walled-up passage and an old well-diggers’ access: a narrow staircase of 75 steps climbing up to a room on Vico del Grottone.

The four Bourbon Tunnel routes

All routes are guided; Tiqets lists tours in English and Italian.

Standard route (about 1 hour, €15)

The most complete choice for a first visit: cisterns, Bourbon bridges, the shelter and the impounded cars. It starts from Vico del Grottone 4 or Via Morelli 61 at 10:00, 12:00, 15:00 and 17:00. Fine for children and claustrophobic visitors, and photos are allowed.

Via delle Memorie (1 h 15, €15)

You enter through Palazzo Serra di Cassano at Via Monte di Dio 14: its octagonal courtyard and grand staircase, a small war museum in the palace’s old carpentry workshop, the tuff quarries that supplied its stone, and a water-filled cistern. The route then joins the tunnel and exits in the Morelli car park. Departures at 11:00 and 16:00. Not accessible.

Adventure route (1 h 25, €20)

From Via Morelli only, with helmet and torch: a late-15th-century cistern marked with the well-diggers’ crosses, a stretch of the “Pizzofalcone” tunnel, the car hall, the pilot tunnel of an abandoned light-rail project and a raft crossing. Age 10 and up with an adult; not advised for claustrophobic visitors.

Speleo Light (1 h 30, €15)

For adults with no mobility problems and under 100 kg: narrow Bolla aqueduct tunnels and cisterns with religious carvings, wearing a caving helmet with a headlamp. Minimum 5 people. The official site warns you will come out dirty.

Opening days and times: Friday to Sunday only

This is the one thing to know before planning: public tours of the Bourbon Tunnel run only on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Standard and Adventure tours start at 10:00, 12:00, 15:00 and 17:00; Via delle Memorie and Speleo Light at 11:00 and 16:00. The ticket office works on the same days, 9:30–13:00 and 14:30–17:00.

From Monday to Thursday you can book a private tour (Standard, Via delle Memorie or Adventure) between 9:00 and 18:00, price on request. Around some holidays there may be extra openings, so check the official calendar, and do not trust the “open daily” hours shown on some platforms.

Bourbon Tunnel tickets: prices and discounts

• Standard: €15 adult; €10 for ages 6–18, over-70s and police; €7 for disabled visitors; free for ages 0–5.
• Via delle Memorie: €15, minimum 2 people.
• Adventure: €20 flat.
• Speleo Light: €15 flat.

A few discounts apply to the Standard route: 20% off with the Campania Artecard, with a San Lorenzo Maggiore ticket or with a City Sightseeing bus ticket. It is a private site, so the free Sundays at state museums do not apply. The official online shop takes cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal and bank transfer, and also sells gift vouchers valid for 12 months.

Official site, Tiqets or GetYourGuide?

For the Standard route and Via delle Memorie, Tiqets charges the same as the official site (€15) and adds free cancellation: until 23:59 the day before for the Standard route, up to an hour before for Via delle Memorie. Watch the names: the product Tiqets calls a general Bourbon Tunnel “guided tour” is in fact Via delle Memorie, which starts on Via Monte di Dio and has plenty of stairs. The Tiqets description also says the tunnel connects the Royal Palace to the barracks; it never reached the palace.

GetYourGuide starts at €18, about €3 above the official Standard price, so it only makes sense if you like keeping every booking in one app. For the Adventure and Speleo Light routes, reduced tickets and discounts, go through the official site.

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.

Getting there: three different entrances

Check your ticket to see which entrance your route uses.

• Vico del Grottone 4, about 100 metres from Piazza del Plebiscito: walk up Via Gennaro Serra, take the second left, and go to the end of the short dead-end alley. You go down an 18th-century staircase of about 90 steps. Metro Line 1 Municipio is 800 m away, about 12 minutes; Line 1 Toledo about 13 minutes; Molo Beverello about 17 minutes.
• Via Domenico Morelli 61, the pedestrian entrance of the Morelli car park on the Piazza Vittoria and Chiaia side: this is the step-free entrance. Piazza Amedeo station (Line 2) is 1.1 km away, about 14 minutes.
• Via Monte di Dio 14, Palazzo Serra di Cassano: Via delle Memorie only.

For metro lines and fares, see getting around Naples.

Tips for your visit and what to pair it with

On a weekend in Naples, the Bourbon Tunnel fits neatly with the Royal Palace, Piazza del Plebiscito and Via Toledo and the Galleria Umberto, all a few minutes away. The 10:00 tour leaves the rest of the day free; the 17:00 one ends nicely with a walk along the seafront. Wear comfortable shoes and, in summer, bring an extra layer.

If you only have time for one underground site and you are in Naples midweek, the choice is made for you: Naples Underground is open every day. To compare every route, including the Spanish Quarter tour and the catacombs, read our guide to underground Naples. For Bourbon Tunnel tickets on a Saturday, book early.