Where to go sea bathing in Naples in summer

Summer in Naples means beaches! The city doesn't offer only art, culture and good food, but also fantastic and uncontaminated seaside that has nothing to envy other dream destinations in the world. 

In Summer 2021, 10 beaches in the city have been declared swimming, 8 of these promoted with excellent water's quality.

The city coast stretches from Lungomare Mergellina to Posillipo. Besides sandy beaches, there are also beautiful bays and small beaches reachable only by boat. 

Let's go to discover together the most suggestive locations in Naples where to swim and, if you want, to stay there to enjoy the Sunset. 

Gaiola is one of the most suggestive spots in Naples. It is part of Gaiola Underwater Park, a preserved area on the Posillipo coast, which stretches from Borgo Marechiaro to Trentaremi Bay. This one is reachable only by boat. 

It is a rocky beach. You can reach it and the park on foot by Virgiliano Park along the Gaiola's ride. From here, take a long ascending ramp. You will not regret it!

It is free entry, but currently, there is a booking system with blocks, where the same person may book the entrance for more than two turns in the week. There are also penalties for who books and doesn't come.

There are two entry turns: from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. For every turn, a maximum of 100 people, a totally of 200 per day. 

Inside the park, you can have snorkelling, scuba diving, kayak trips and guide tours in the archaeological park by a glass-bottomed boat. 

From Calata Ponticello, you can reach the area of Marechiaro. It is a small fishing village, where there is the famous Lido Marechiaro. Here, you can swim on the rock below the Palace of the Spirits, an archaeological site known for its incredible legends. 

On the side of the marina, there is Scoglione. It is a beach reachable only renting a boat or paying a small ticket's fee for a lift by the boatmen of the area. It is free entry, but with a limited number of beachgoers. You can bring with you a sun umbrella and sunbed. 

Always in Marechiaro, there are other two beaches less crowded than Scoglione (reachable by boat), but suggestive as well. 

• Acque Minerali: here, you can swim in a clean sea surrounded by a beautiful landscape;
• Thunders Cave: called in this way because of the noise produced by the undertow among its cliffs. 

Rocce Verdi Bay is the private beach of Villa Fattorusso. It is one of the most beautiful seaside spots in Naples.

It is in Posillipo, between the Scoglione of Marechiaro and Villa Rosebery (manor of the Italian Republic President). From here, you will enjoy a stunning view of the Gulf of Naples, Capri and Sorrento Coast. 

It is the perfect location if you are looking for relaxation and fun. The beach is rocky and tuff. There are available sunbeds on the seashore. 

If you don't like rocks, the resort offers a rooftop terrace, where there are two seawater swimming pools (one for adults and one for kids), a garden and a restaurant. If you wish, they have yoga, pilates and heliotherapy classes. 

Riva Fiorita is, of course, one of the most secret and suggestive seasides in Naples. It is reachable by boat or on foot descending Via Ferdinando Russo. Otherwise, you may rent a boat or dinghy. 

It is a delightful marina with a tiny beach in the heart of Posillipo. Lush vegetation among historic villas and palazzi of the area dominate the place. Among these stand out the beautiful Villa Rosebery and Villa Volpicelli, one of the most famous historic Italian castles. Villa Volpicelli is also known as Palazzo Palladini on the set of "Un Posto al Sole" (A Place in the Sun), a famous Neapolitan soap opera. 

The small cove is at the foot of Posillipo's promontory, Pausilypon. The locals still remember the names of the people who contributed to making the history of the place: the iconic Fishman Zi' Rafele (Uncle Raffaele), who rented the rowing boats to make a coast's tour, and Giuseppone, the owner of the famous restaurant "Giuseppone a Mare". 

On the beach of Posillipo, in the bay between Palazzo Donn'Anna and Palazzo Guerca, you can swim in one of its beach clubs. They are the most ancient in Naples. They exist since the 19th century, and famous characters in history (Totò, Eduardo De Filippo, Oscar Wild, Wagner) went there to benefit from seawater.

Bagno Elena, Bagno Sirena and Lido Ideal are perfect for families with kids. Even if they are luxury beach clubs, they are not expensive. All three have a bar and restaurant. 

Largo Sermoneta, between Mergellina and Posillipo, is a tiny free beach surrounded by suggestive cliffs and reachable by boat. You need to be careful because nearby there is a boat storage point, complete with machinery and hazardous materials. 

Always accessible by sea or on foot, from a way provided by Lido Sirena, that brings directly on the free beach of Spiaggia Delle Monache. Here the water is clear and bright blue and looks like to be in a tropical paradise. 

Currently, access on the beach is under reservation by the smartphone app of Comune di Napoli. Every day is available 350 places, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

Do you want to go inside the Neapolitan folklore on the beach? So, you can't lose swimming in Lido Mappatella, the symbol of Neapolitan Summer! It is on Lungomare, precisely in Rotonda Diaz. It is the beach of the Neapolitan people by definition. Before here, the water was dirty. Now is a free bathing beach made available by the Municipality of Naples and has nothing to envy the most loved beaches in Italy.  

Still in Lungomare, between Via Caracciolo and Via Partenope, there is the tiny beach of Colonna Spezzata (Broken Column). It takes the name from the same name column dedicated to the fallen overboard, right there, just a few meters away. Made of rocks and sand both, it is proper in the middle of Naples city centre and, like Rotonda Diaz beach, is very busy in Summer. 

In the end, between Via Partenope and Via Nazario Sauro, there is Castel Dell'Ovo beach, just next to the famous castle, near the Immacolatella Fountain. It is a rocky beach, not recommended for children. Here the water is swimming, but just a few meters, close to Piazza Nazario Sauro, there is the bathing prohibition because the sea is not particularly clean.