On Christmas morning, from Via Chiaia, you are on the seafront in about seven minutes, facing the bay. On 25 December many doors in Naples stay shut, though not all; on Christmas Eve and on the 26th, Santo Stefano, you can see almost the whole city, if you know where to go and until what time.
On Christmas Day 2026, a Friday, the National Archaeological Museum, Palazzo Reale, Villa Pignatelli and the Sansevero Chapel are closed in Naples; on the 24th and 26th these places are open, and on Christmas Eve the Sansevero Chapel closes at 14:00. Below is the answer place by place, read on the official pages on 18 October: where the Christmas 2026 hours have not yet been published, we say so.
The short answer: 24, 25 and 26 December 2026
- Thursday 24 December: open are the National Archaeological Museum (9:00–19:30), Palazzo Reale (9:00–20:00) and Villa Pignatelli (9:30–17:00); the Sansevero Chapel from 9:00 to 14:00.
- Friday 25 December: closed are the Archaeological Museum, Palazzo Reale, Villa Pignatelli and the Sansevero Chapel, as well as the San Carlo box office. The seafront and the streets of Chiaia stay open.
- Saturday 26 December, Santo Stefano: the Archaeological Museum, Palazzo Reale and Villa Pignatelli are open again; the Sansevero Chapel from 9:00 to 20:30.
- Not yet published as of 18 October: the Christmas hours of Capodimonte, the Certosa di San Martino, Castel Sant'Elmo, the Gallerie d'Italia, Santa Chiara, Napoli Sotterranea and the Treasure of San Gennaro, and those of the metro and funiculars.
State museums: Archaeological Museum, Palazzo Reale, Capodimonte, San Martino
The National Archaeological Museum opens from 9:00 to 19:30, with the ticket office open until 18:30, and closes on Tuesdays; on public holidays it is always open, except 1 January and 25 December. So on Christmas Eve and on the 26th you can go in; on Christmas Day you cannot. From Follaky it is about a 32-minute walk, leaving from Vico Monteroduni 16.
At Palazzo Reale the Royal Apartment opens from 9:00 to 20:00, with last entry at 19:00, and closes on Wednesdays, 25 December and 1 January: it is open on the 24th and 26th, but not on Wednesday 23rd. It is the closest museum, about a 7-minute walk from Vico Monteroduni 16.
For the Capodimonte Museum the Christmas 2026 hours have not yet been published: the opening-hours page says "open every day except Wednesdays" and does not mention 25 December. It does, however, list the first floor, with the Farnese Gallery, as closed on Sundays and public holidays: for the 26th, ask for confirmation before heading up the hill. From Follaky you go by taxi, about 20 minutes from Vico Monteroduni 16.
The Certosa e Museo di San Martino, on the Vomero hill next to Castel Sant'Elmo, opens every day except Tuesday, from 8:30 to 18:30. Its Christmas 2026 hours have not been published; in 2024 the holiday timetable of the Regional Directorate of National Museums of Campania kept the Certosa and the castle closed on the 25th and open on the 24th and 26th. From Follaky, with the Funicolare Centrale to Piazza Fuga, it takes about half an hour.
Villa Pignatelli and the holiday exhibitions
At Riviera di Chiaia 200, about a 14-minute walk from Via Chiaia, Villa Pignatelli opens from 9:30 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:00, and closes on Tuesdays, 25 December and 1 January: it is open on the 24th and 26th. In the Casa della Fotografia, until 12 April 2027, Margaret and Christine Wertheim's Crochet Coral Reef is on show; we describe it in Christmas in Naples for couples.
On Via Toledo, about a 10-minute walk away, the Gallerie d'Italia open Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 to 19:00 and Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 to 20:00, and close on Mondays. Their opening on 24, 25 and 26 December has not yet been published. From 6 November the exhibition Angelica e Élisabeth. L'età delle donne pittrici is on: you'll find it in Angelica and Élisabeth at the Gallerie d'Italia.
Churches, chapels and underground Naples
The Sansevero Chapel, home of the Veiled Christ, has already published its 2026 holiday calendar: Thursday 24 December from 9:00 to 14:00, closed on Friday 25th, Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th from 9:00 to 20:30. A standard ticket costs €12, and one bought online is valid only for the date chosen. From Follaky it is about a 31-minute walk.
At the Monumental Complex of Santa Chiara, about a 24-minute walk away, the majolica cloister opens Monday to Saturday from 9:30 to 17:00 and on Sunday from 10:00 to 14:00; the church every day from 7:45 to 12:45 and from 16:40 to 20:00. The ticket also includes the eighteenth-century nativity scene. No holiday changes have been published.
Napoli Sotterranea, at Piazza San Gaetano 69, runs guided tours in Italian and English every hour from 10:00 to 18:00, with no changes shown for the holidays. For the Cathedral and the Treasure of San Gennaro, about a 37-minute walk away, we found no Christmas hours on an official source: check beforehand, especially on the 25th.
Theatre: at San Carlo the ballet pauses for three days
There are no performances at Teatro di San Carlo on 24, 25 and 26 December: The Nutcracker is on on Tuesday 22nd and Wednesday 23rd at 20:00, then returns on Sunday 27th at 17:00. The box office, open every day from 10 to 18, is closed on 25 December. Dates and tickets are in The Nutcracker at San Carlo.
Getting around on the holidays
The metro and funiculars are run by ANM, and as of 18 October the Christmas 2026 timetables have not yet been published. Before counting on the Funicolare Centrale for San Martino, or on Line 6 from Chiaia station, about a 4-minute walk away, check the ANM website close to the holidays.
The seafront and Chiaia, always open
When the museums close, the sea is still there. From Via Chiaia the seafront along Via Caracciolo is about a 7-minute walk; Piazza dei Martiri is 3, Piazza del Plebiscito 9, Castel dell'Ovo 17. On Christmas morning you can walk as far as the castle and come back through Piazza dei Martiri without looking at your watch.
Restaurants: at Christmas, agree everything beforehand
For lunch and dinner on the 24th, 25th and 26th, agree opening, times and menu with the restaurant in advance: these are not days for improvising. A few nearby addresses are on the restaurants page.
Christmas in a suite, in Chiaia
Follaky Secret Garden is a boutique B&B in Palazzo Giovagnoni, inside a private residential park in Chiaia; Monica and Fabio welcome you in person, with check-in from 15:00 to 20:00. The Suite Chiaia Deluxe Garden View is the most intimate, with a picture window looking onto two adjoining private gardens; the Suite Toledo Deluxe Private Patio is larger and brighter, with a private patio. For four, Double Suites – Exclusive Use brings the two suites together for exclusive use. Follaky Breakfast is included, with quality products.
If you leave on Sunday 27th, check-out, by 10:00, is from Vico Monteroduni 16. Once your museum days are set, only the nights remain: check your dates and compare the suites.
