Naples is one of the most rewarding cities in Europe, and one of the easiest to get wrong on your own. The streets are a maze, the best places hide behind plain doors, and half the city speaks a language that isn't quite Italian. No wonder so many visitors start by searching for a private guide.
Before you book, it's worth asking what you actually want from your day. Here is how to choose well, and why the answer is often a local host rather than a classic guide.
What people really want from a private guide in Naples
Ask travellers after their trip what made Naples special and they rarely mention a date or the name of an architect. They talk about the pastry they ate standing at a bar, the courtyard they would never have found, the shopkeeper who started chatting, the moment the city stopped feeling chaotic and started feeling warm.
In other words, most people want the same three:
- Confidence: someone who knows the way, so you can relax and look up.
- Access: the places, food and conversations you wouldn't find alone.
- Meaning: the stories that make sense of what you are seeing, past and present.
Guide or host: what's the difference?
A traditional guide takes you round a fixed route and tells you about it. That suits a museum or an archaeological site, where depth on one subject is the point.
A host is different. A host welcomes you to their city the way they would welcome a friend. The day is shaped around you: what you love, how you like to travel, how much walking you fancy, when you are hungry. The history is there, woven into the streets you're standing in, alongside the Naples that lives and breathes today.
A guide shows you Naples. A host lets you live it for a day.
That is what Ines does. She speaks English, Italian and Neapolitan, walks the city with you and opens the doors that stay closed to most visitors.
What to look for when you choose
- Languages, including Neapolitan. English matters for you; Neapolitan matters for the city. Markets, bars and workshops open up when someone speaks to them in their own language.
- On foot, not from a car window. The historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage site of narrow streets and stairways. The best of it is only reachable on foot, with the odd hop on the metro.
- Flexibility. If you fall in love with a street, you should be able to stay. If it rains, there should be a plan B.
- Food knowledge. In Naples, eating well is half the visit. Your host should know where locals eat, not just where visitors queue.
- Private means private. Just you and your group, at your pace, with no strangers and no flag to follow.
- Warmth. You will spend hours together. Read the website, look at the photos, send a message and see how it feels.
Questions to ask before you book
- Will the day be planned around what we love, or is it a fixed route?
- How much walking is involved, and can it be adjusted?
- Where do we meet, and can you meet us at our hotel, the station or the cruise terminal?
- Can food stops be part of the day?
- What happens if it rains?
- Are museum and site tickets included, or do we buy them ourselves?
Where a host makes the biggest difference
Some parts of Naples are wonderful with a local and bewildering without one: the lanes of the Quartieri Spagnoli, the Rione Sanità with its palaces and catacombs, the Pignasecca market, the workshops of San Gregorio Armeno. Read more in our notes on the hidden gems of Naples and a day of eating in Naples.
And when you want a specialist
For an in-depth visit inside a major archaeological site such as Pompeii or Herculaneum, or a museum like the National Archaeological Museum, many visitors book a specialist site guide for that part of the trip. That sits perfectly alongside a day in the city with a host: one for the ruins, one for the living city.
How a day with Ines works
You tell Ines when you are coming, who is travelling and what you love. She suggests how to shape the day, then welcomes you in the city and you set off together on foot, and sometimes by Naples' remarkable metro. For ideas, see six private days in Naples.
Questions people ask
Is Ines a tour guide?
Ines is a host rather than a tour guide: she welcomes you to her city, plans the day around you and walks it with you, sharing the places and stories that make Naples come alive. For an in-depth visit inside a museum or archaeological site, you can add a specialist site guide for that part.
What languages does Ines speak?
English, Italian and Neapolitan, the language of the street, the market and the kitchen.
Is the day on foot?
Mostly, at your pace. Naples is a walking city, and when legs need a rest you can hop on the metro, whose art stations are a sight in themselves.
Can Ines meet us off a cruise ship?
Ask her when you get in touch. Cruise ships dock in the heart of the city, close to the historic centre, so a day on foot from the port works well.
How do we book?
Send Ines a message through the contact form or write to [email protected] with your dates, group and what you would love to do.
Ines is your host: she welcomes you to her city and helps you live it. Want to see it with her?
Plan your day with Ines