National Archaeological Museum of Naples

We were in Sorrento and took the train to Naples to visit the museum as my wife is fascinated by the archeological work and we had visited Pompeii and Herculaneum and they both mentioned exhibits in the Museum. We found the museum easily as it’s almost on top of the subway station. While we enjoyed the exhibits I would concur with other reviewers on the organisation etc. We bought tickets and then realised we would be better with the audio guide as we do lots of museums and they are usually great. The fairly disinterested girl said it was ‘just the highlights’ and effectively put us off even buying the audio. The organisation is mostly around a square building on multiple levels but the signage and directions are poor and the wall map almost useless. The content is great if you want to spend a few hours and like archeology and history but the experience overall is much poorer than some of the large City Museums we have visited.

Booked last minute. Thought it was an in person tour but it was an audio tour. Received an email and phone message with a lot of information about downloading an app and then the audio tour. Had difficulty with the app but finally got it working. The museum itself seems disorganized. A lot of it was under renovation and not accessible. The audio tour didn’t sync with the physical experience. Abandoned the app and switched to Rick Steves app which was better organized and just 1 hour vs. two hours with the Trip Advisor app. The museum has their own audio tour app. Not sure whether that would have been helpful honestly. If you can do an in person tour I would suggest that over an audio tour given the chaos of the experience.

Noteworthy exhibition with a variety of very different and interesting exhibits. I would like to give more stars. Unfortunately, many areas were locked and not accessible. Many elevators were also out of service, which is frustrating when one relies on them. There is also no reasonable exhibition plan, just a meaningless online plan with numbers without descriptions. It's a pity; that could be done with little effort!

The museum is amazing. Unfortunately, I can't recommend it. We were robbed on the street in the middle of the day a block from the museum. If you are considering a visit to Naples, I would strongly suggest you go someplace else. We have been all over Italy for the last 3 months and this city is dirty and unsafe. There are many better options to visit in Italy.

This is not a review of the collection, but of the service. Audio guides and maps are not really useful and can be done without. There are few people to provide directions. The cafe service is terrible. The washrooms are badly signed. The MANN could do with an overhaul.

It’s a truly marvellous place. The pieces are extraordinary and I’m so glad we set aside the morning to take it in. I particularly enjoyed the digital overview and model of Pompeii to give context. Most exhibits had English information. My only negatives were the seemingly absent floor plans and guides. Without an internet connection there is no paper option and barely any location information on the walls.

I had a good day at the museum. Some exhibits are being updated to provide historical background information including provenance. I appreciated that especially in the Prehistory exhibit (Room 128) and the Farnese collection. I was also enthralled by the colorful glassware from Pompeii! However, I spent a lot of time wandering the halls looking for specific information. Digital Maps and signage were inadequate; there were few human guides to answer questions or get directions. Additionally, for such a large sprawling building, there was only one restroom with 4 toilets tucked away in a corner, accessed by the outdoor garden! I had to ask the kind woman in the gift shop for directions. There were school children there, so I felt “distressed” when I saw the line, especially after it had taken so long to find it!. Too bad I didn’t have time to browse in the gift shop after so much useless wandering. I did get lots of steps in though!

Two days before the visit to the museum, we were in Pompey. So one could imagine many exhibits at their sites. The perfection, harmony and variety of the exhibits and the spaces in which they are shown are impressive. But not in such a way that they crush you. You don't get tired, from room to room. One rejoices because at that time for the people, every river, the moon, the sun, the forest, were alive and they lived with their gods. Here in this museum you can see that.

We made a special trip to Naples to visit this museum and were so disappointed. It holds artefacts of huge historical significance, but doesn’t seem to know how to provide a positive or welcoming visitor experience. There is literally no information when you arrive as to where collections are located. Signage and information throughout is either very poor or non-existent. No staff around to ask. We saw things we wanted to learn more about but there was only a brief explanation on a tiny card. Facilities eg toilets, cafe, bag storage very limited. Oh and some of the amazing bronze statues were covered in dust. Such a shame.

Don’t miss out on this museum. If you visit Pompeii and enjoyed, this is a must. This is a world class museum and our guide Michele brought all the artefacts alive for us. Superb.