Hotels near Royal Palace and Piazza del Plebiscito

Piazza del Plebiscito is the largest square in Naples and the city's grandest civic space - a 25,000 sq m semicircle anchored by the neoclassical Basilica of San Francesco di Paola (modelled on the Pantheon) and the 17th-century Royal Palace of Naples opposite. The Royal Palace facade carries eight giant marble statues of Naples's rulers, from Roger the Norman to Vittorio Emanuele II.

The Royal Apartments run for 30 rooms of Bourbon-era frescoes, gilded thrones, and the Teatro di Corte private theatre (EUR 10). The piazza itself is free and used for concerts, fashion shoots, and a tradition where Neapolitans walk blindfolded between the two equestrian statues - locals say almost no one walks straight.

Pro Tip: Combine the Royal Palace with the adjacent Galleria Umberto I shopping arcade (free, glass-roof, beautiful) and Teatro San Carlo - Europe's oldest still-active opera house, built in 1737. A 30-min Teatro San Carlo tour costs EUR 9.