Galleria Borbonica — Attraction in Naples

I would love to share with you my extreme disappointment with galleria Borbonica and especially how bad our tour guide Martina was. We booked standard tour. Yes, Martina said some interesting things BUT She constantly stopped and then moved us somewhere else because of the other guides. She could’ve tell them they can wait two minutes so she could explain where are we but nooo, let’s just move the group and never tell them the info they paid 20 euro for. The thing that absolutely enraged me was that she told everyone we will hurry in the beginning but on the way back she would let us take photos. SHE BASICALLY MADE US RUN BACK TO THE STARTING POINT AND DIDN’T GIVE US ANY OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE PICTURES. AND WHEN WE DECIDED TO GO BACK 10 METERS TO TAKE PHOTO TO A CAR SHE TOLD US SHE CANNOT LET US EXPLORE THE GALLERIA BY OURSELVES. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? WHY WOULD I WANT TO GO IN THIS LABYRINTH BY MYSELF??? I WANTED ONE PHOTO TO A CAR BECAUSE I PAID 20 EURO AND I LEFT WITH NO PHOTOS AND TOO LITTLE INFORMATION GIVEN! However, the thing I “loved” the most was when me and my partner went outside for a cigarette because we were extremely upset because of the lack of the photos and lack of information and ONE MINUTE LATER MARTINA JUST WENT OUTSIDE AND PROBABLY WENT HOME. We stayed outside for another 15 to 20 minutes and NO ONE ELSE from the other standard tour groups went outside. This means SHE JUST RUSHED US BECAUSE SHE WANTED TO GO SOMEWHERE. Or she rushed us because we were the English tour. To be honest I don’t care. I am extremely disappointed, I want my 20 euros back. If you want to go there and she is your guide just ask for another! We talked to all of our friends so they will skip the place when they go to Naples. To everyone reading - I believe you should save your money and skip the place too! And Martina, if you reading this you should put more effort in your work than wondering how to go home early. Your colleagues were way better and you should ask...

This was another highlight during our visit of Naples. It's not to be missed if you're a WWII buff, or have any personal connections to this era. We purchased the standard tour (there are 3) which starts at the entrance of Vico del Grottone. It's close to the Piazza del Plebiscito. There are timed entries. We just happened to get there just before the guided English tour at 11:00am. The timing was perfect.

I would rethink this one if you have mobility or night vision issues. The very first thing you'll do is walk down a very high, narrow, and dimly lit stairway with pumice walls surrounding you. I'm pretty sure our tunnel guide said it was 90 steps down. The good news is that you won't have to climb up at the end. You'll exit out into a covered parking area along Via Monte de Dio.

Our guide was so passionate & knowledgeable. I think his name was David. He also made sure that every question was answered. It's quite a long & rocky history of why the King had it built, and the obstacles they had building around the aqueducts and holding tanks. The vision was never fully realized after the fall of the Bourbon monarchy. It was abandoned until WWII when it was used as a shelter from bombs. It's an incredible story, and you can see how the residents of Naples lived under the brutal conditions of war. Some lived there longer because they had nowhere else to live after houses were destroyed.

We were very impressed with how well the tunnels were restored, and hearing about how all these secrets (artifacts) were uncovered. It had been hiding under Naples all these years until being rediscovered some time in 2005. I don't think it even opened to the public until 2010.

It was a very memorable & unique experience. Very much worth the small admission fee. Definitely seek it out if you are in Naples. It only takes an hour, and it's well...

Located at Via Domenico Morelli, 61c, 80121 Naples NA, Italy 🇮🇹. Also known as The Bourbon Tunnel, Tunnel Borbonico or Bourbon Gallery, this is an ancient underground passage, constructed for military purposes to connect the Royal Palace to military barracks in Naples. In 1853, Ferdinand II of Bourbon commissioned architect Errico Alvino to design a viaduct so that the Royal forces would have access to the Royal Palace in case of public riots and also so that there would be an escape route for the Royals. Work began on the Track in April 1853 and was completed in May 1855 after approximately 2 years of work done entirely by hand with picks, hammers and wedges with the aid of torches and candles. During the war period, between 1939 and 1945, the tunnels were used as shelter for citizens. Standard Tour Adults (14 year and over) 10€ Children (11-13 years) 5€ Adults (75 years and over) 5€ Children (10 years and under) FREE These tours are on Fridays, Saturdays and Sunday at 10.00am, 12.00noon, 3.00pm and 5.00pm Bookings are Mandatory and tour lasts approximately 1 hour. We had a fantastic time on this tour, it was recommended we arrive early and so we got there about 20 minutes early. Didn’t have to wait long. Our guide was so knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Answered any questions with no hesitation. Very friendly and ensured everyone’s safety by warning when a step, uneven ground or low ceiling coming up. Was happy to wait for people taking photos to catch up. There’s also a lot of things left in the tunnels over the years like old bikes and cars. I would definitely recommend this tour, very interesting. Thumbs...