National Archaeological Museum of Naples (MANN) tickets

Prices, and who actually gets a discount

One day ticket covers the whole museum and any temporary exhibition:

• Full price €20.
• €2 for ages 18–25, but only for citizens of the EU or EEA (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway), Switzerland and Uruguay, and non-EU nationals holding an Italian residence permit. A 22-year-old from the US, UK or Australia on holiday pays €20.
• Free under 18 for every nationality, plus disabled visitors.
• €10 with Campania Artecard once the card's free entries are used up.

You can pay at the desk or on the museum's official ticket shop, run by CoopCulture. Online there's no booking fee (€0), so you pay the same as at the door and arrive with your ticket on your phone. There are no time slots for individual visitors.

Watch the clock: the museum shuts at 7:30pm but the ticket office closes at 6:30pm.

Not every room is open every day

This is where visitors get caught out. The MANN publishes a collections opening plan that changes over time. Some sections are always open, including the Egyptian collection, the Farnese sculptures, the Pompeii frescoes, the Temple of Isis and the big model of Pompeii. The Villa of the Papyri and the coin collection keep shorter hours, and Magna Graecia and the upper prehistory floors take turns, half a day each. Major sections such as the mosaics or the Secret Cabinet can close for weeks during refurbishment. If you're coming for one particular room, check the plan on the museum's website the day before.

Free first Sunday: the catch

Entry is free for all on the first Sunday of each month, and on 25 April, 2 June and 4 November. Two catches: free tickets can't be booked online, so expect a queue at the desk; and on those days the Egyptian collection, the Secret Cabinet and Magna Graecia are closed for security reasons. If those are on your list, pay the €20 on a normal day.

Plain ticket, audio guide or guided tour

Since the official online ticket has no fee, a reseller's plain entry ticket mainly buys you convenience: everything in one app, and sometimes easier cancellation. Where resellers add real value is in the commentary:

• Audio: Tiqets sells entry with a digital audio guide; GetYourGuide has ticket-plus-audio-app bundles and app-only guides. Worth it in a museum this big, spread over several floors.
• Guided tours: Tiqets, GetYourGuide and Headout run group tours; Headout also offers tours led by an archaeologist, including private ones. The best option if you have one morning and want to see the highlights without getting lost.

Annual pass and Artecard

Coming back during your stay? The OpenMANN annual pass costs €25 for over-25s and pays for itself on the second visit. The Campania Artecard Naples 3-day pass includes the MANN among its chosen sites, plus city transport; it adds up if you also visit the Royal Palace and the Treasure of San Gennaro. Skip it for under-18s, who already enter state museums free.

Getting there

Piazza Museo 18/19. Metro Line 1 stops at Museo and Line 2 at Piazza Cavour, both straight from Napoli Centrale. Buses for the Catacombs of San Gennaro leave from the Museo Nazionale stop, about 15 minutes away; just remember the museum closes on Tuesdays and the catacombs on Wednesdays.