In this guide
💡 The Short Version: The Teatro di San Carlo tour costs €9, runs about 30 minutes and is in English only at 11:30 and 15:30. A French tour runs at 17:00 on Fridays, other languages can be booked, and the route changes or the tour is cancelled for rehearsals. The MeMUS opera museum is €3 and shut on Wednesdays. The Galleria Umberto I and Piazza del Plebiscito are free and across the road. Book with the theatre at teatrosancarlo.it. GetYourGuide sells no San Carlo tickets. Or book a tour: the Old Town walking tourad is from €27.55 (GetYourGuide).
Tickets and prices
Prices and times are from the theatre’s guided tours page.
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult | €9 |
| Groups of 20 or more | €8 |
| Schools, under-30s and over-65s on a minimum income | €7 |
| MeMUS, the opera museum | €3 |
| Tour | Language |
|---|---|
| 11:30, daily | Italian and English |
| 15:30, daily | Italian and English |
| 17:00, Fridays only | French |
- Other languages can be booked in advance.
- Booking: to reserve, write to visiteguidate@teatrosancarlo.it or call +39 081 797 2412, Monday to Friday 10:00 to 13:30 and 14:00 to 17:30, and Saturday 10:00 to 14:00.
- Combined tours with the MeMUS can be booked.
- Tours change: the visit is run alongside the theatre’s own activities, so the route can change, and a tour can be cancelled for a rehearsal or event.
Tours worth paying for
GetYourGuide sells no San Carlo ticket; its searches for the theatre return La Scala and Rome. The nearest thing is a walking tour of the centre. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices, per person.
Old Town walking tour
From €27.55 · 2.5 hours · 4.8 stars from 972 reviews
Naples Historic Center Walking Tourad is run by Grand Tour Experience for a small group. It is a guide only: entry tickets to the sights are extra. For the same streets on your own, see the Spaccanapoli walk.
What to see
The theatre opened in 1737. The tour of about 30 minutes covers the historic hall, the royal box and the foyer.
The gilded tiers of the San Carlo auditorium, with the royal box at the centre. Photo: renato agostini, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
- The theatre. Book the 11:30 or 15:30 for English.
- The MeMUS. The theatre’s museum and archive, open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10:00 to 17:00 and Sunday 10:00 to 15:00. Closed Wednesdays.
- The Galleria Umberto I. The public shopping gallery opposite, built from 1887 to 1890 on the model of Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, with a dome 57 metres high at the spire. It is a thoroughfare and costs nothing.
- Piazza del Plebiscito. The big square that the Royal Palace faces, a few minutes from the theatre and from Castel Nuovo and the port. The Galleria Borbonica’s Vico del Grottone entrance is about 100 metres away, and the LAES underground tour meets nearby, by Piazza Trieste e Trento.
Inside the Galleria Umberto I, under its glass vault. Photo: Fotograf-ralph-oliver, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Allow 30 minutes for the tour and 30 for the Galleria and the square. What to skip: the MeMUS, unless you book the combined visit. The one thing that ruins a visit: turning up for an English tour at any time but 11:30 or 15:30.
Getting there
The front of the Teatro San Carlo, seen from the Galleria Umberto I side. Photo: Paolo Villa, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Where: the theatre faces the Galleria Umberto I and is a short walk from Piazza del Plebiscito. Metro Lines 1 and 6 stop at Municipio.
- By taxi: the Comune’s fixed fare from the airport to the theatre is €24, and from Napoli Centrale it is €15.50.
- Next door: the Royal Palace, which is closed on Wednesdays, and Castel Nuovo, which is closed on Sundays and described on the same page.
The Royal Palace fits into the same morning, the Lungomare walk puts the gallery, the theatre and the palace in walking order, and the underground tours include the Galleria Borbonica nearby. What to book before you go to Naples lists the closed day of every sight, 3 days in Naples places the tour, and free things to do in Naples covers the Lungomare and the Plebiscito. Gran Caffè Gambrinus faces the Plebiscito and Pintauro is on Via Toledo: see Naples street food and pastries. Where to stay in Naples compares the areas, and the America’s Cup in Naples, 2027 covers the Lungomare next door.
Common questions
How much is the Teatro di San Carlo tour?
€9 for an adult. Groups of at least 20 pay €8, and schools, under-30s and over-65s on a minimum income pay €7.
What time is the Teatro di San Carlo tour in English?
At 11:30 and 15:30 every day. Both tours are in Italian and English. A French tour runs at 17:00 on Fridays only, and other languages can be booked.
Can the Teatro di San Carlo tour change?
Yes. The tour is run alongside the theatre's own activities, so the route can change, and it can be cancelled for rehearsals and events.
Is the Galleria Umberto I free?
Yes. It is a public shopping gallery opposite the theatre, built from 1887 to 1890 with a dome 57 metres high at the spire, and anyone can walk through it.
What is the MeMUS?
The museum and historic archive of the Teatro di San Carlo. A visit costs €3 and it is closed on Wednesdays. The theatre can book a tour combined with it.
