Royal Palace of Naples — Attraction in Naples

The Royal Palace of Naples (Italian: Palazzo Reale di Napoli, Neapolitan: Palazzo Riale ‘e Napule) is a palace, museum, and historical tourist destination located in central Naples, southern Italy.

It was one of the four residences near Naples used by the Bourbon Kings during their rule of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (1734-1860): the others were the palaces of Caserta, Capodimonte overlooking Naples, and the third Portici, on the slopes of Vesuvius.

The palace is on the site of an earlier residence, which had housed the former viceroy Don Pedro de Toledo, Marquis of Villafranca. Construction on the present building was begun in the 17th century by the architect Domenico Fontana. Intended to house the King Philip III of Spain on a visit never fulfilled to this part of his kingdom, instead it initially housed the Viceroy Fernando Ruiz de Castro, count of Lemos. By 1616, the facade had been completed, and by 1620, the interior was frescoed by Battistello Caracciolo, Giovanni Balducci, and Belisario Corenzio. The decoration of the Royal Chapel of Assumption was not completed until 1644 by Antonio Picchiatti.

In 1734, with the arrival of Charles III of Spain to Naples, the palace became the royal residence of the Bourbons. On the occasion of his marriage to Maria Amalia of Saxony in 1738, Francesco De Mura and Domenico Antonio Vaccaro helped remodel the interior. It was Charles who build the other three palaces in locations more peripheral to the city center. Further modernization took place under Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies. In 1768, on the occasion of his marriage to Maria Carolina of Austria, under the direction of Ferdinando Fuga, the great hall was rebuilt and the court theater added. During the second half of the 18th century, a "new wing" was added, which in 1927 became the Vittorio Emanuele III National Library. By the 18th century, the royal residence was moved to Reggia of Caserta, as that inland town was more defensible from naval assault, as well as more distant from the often-rebellious populace of Naples.

During the Napoleonic occupation the palace was enriched by Joachim Murat and his wife, Caroline Bonaparte, with Neoclassic decorations and furnishings. However, a fire in 1837 damaged many rooms, and required restoration from 1838 to 1858 under the direction of Gaetano Genovese. Further additions of a Party Wing and a Belvedere were made in this period. At the corner of the palace with San Carlo Theatre, a new facade was created that obscured the viceroyal palace of Pedro de Toledo.

In 1922, it was decided (by the Decree of the Minister Antonino Anile) to transfer here the contents of the National Library (until then in the palace of National Archaeologic Museum). The transfer of library collections was made by 1925.

The library suffered from bombing during World War II and the subsequent military occupation of the building caused serious damage. Today, the palace and adjacent grounds house the famous Teatro San Carlo, the smaller Teatrino di Corte (recently restored), the Biblioteca Nazionale Vittorio Emanuele III, a museum, and offices, including those of the regional...

Located at Piazza del Plebiscito, 1, 80132 Naples NA, Italy 🇮🇹. Admission Ticket - Palace + Galleria del Tempo + Temporary exhibitions Adults: €15
Reduced: € 2
 (EC visitors aged 18-25)
 Under 18: free Gardens Admission Ticket Romantic Garden: free
Roof Garden: € 2 + museum ticket without guided visit
€ 5 + museum ticket for guided visit The Palace of Naples is located in the historic centre of Naples. The Palace was built in 1600 onwards by the architect Domenico Fontana as the residence of the Spanish Viceroys. From 1734, Charles of Bourbon made the Palace the primary residence of the Bourbons of Naples for more than a hundred years, first as Kings of Naples and Sicily (1734-1816) and later as Kings of the two Sicilies (1816-1861). It was also the residence for Joseph Bonaparte and Joachim Murat during French rule (1806-1815), during which extensive redecorations were carried out. The Naples Palace is absolutely beautiful, the architecture and the art are amazing. I did all of it and it was totally worth it. The grandeur of the place, was unbelievable, the staircase alone was fantastic. I totally recommend coming in the morning and beating some of the crowds and also so you can take your time and spend as much time as you want without be worried about the Palace closing. I did an audio guide and personally, I recommend that because I was able to go at my own pace. The history of the palace is so impressive. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend. Thumbs...

The palace is a must see of Naples but please do not be put off by the exterior! The tickets are reasonably priced at €6 per adult, our 11 month old was free of charge. You can spend as much time as you like at the palace but if pushed for time I'd say you could walk round in 1.5hours max. On entry you're met with a magnificent, grand twin staircase which leads up to the royal apartments. There is only one level of apartments to tour. The individual rooms have some interesting pieces to view including paintings, tapestries, clocks and busts etc. The ceilings are phenomenal, so be sure to look up! Personally I feel the maintenance could be better as I felt parts of the palace were shabby. We took our 11 month around in a stroller with ease as there is lift access to the apartments. However, there are no baby changing facilities and the toilets don't offer space to even attempt a change. On a plus side though, we needed to breast feed our daughter and the exterior grounds/passages provided plenty of nooks and crannies for this and the staff were very...