Save with the Campania Arte Card on public transportation and sightseeing in the Naples region including skip-the-line admission to Pompeii, Herculaneum, Paestum, and major museums.
Travelers to Naples and cultural sites in the rest of the Campania region including Pompeii and Herculaneum save with the Campania Arte Card on sightseeing admission tickets and public transportation. The 3-day Tutta La Regione card gives free admission to two sites, half-price admission on a further 80, and unlimited public transportation on buses, funiculars, the metro, and regional trains. It is good value, permits using the fast skip-the-line ticket windows to jump queues, and cut out the need to buy separate train and bus tickets. Making free reservations at major sites may be necessary and anyway a good idea even if not always compulsory. The Campania Arte Card is available as a plastic card or as a mobile phone app — both cost the same and function similarly but the app certainly is easier to buy.
Save with the 3-Day Campania Arte Card in Naples
The Campania Artecard comes in several versions but for most travelers, the most useful versions are the 3 giorni Tutta la Regione (3-day whole region) cards that are accepted at all major cultural sights and on local public transportation in the Campania region around Naples.
The 3-day Campania Arte Card gives free admission to the first two sites visited (three for the young person’s card) and then up to 50% discount on further sites for the three-day card. (Getting the third site free is not unheard of either but less common now that the card readers work at most sights.)
Public transportation on local buses, the Naples metro, and regional trains are included for free on the 3-day card. This is a major benefit as it cuts out the need for queuing up to buy regional train tickets, which are often available at ticket windows only.
The 3-day Campania Artecard Tutta la Regione is currently available in two versions:
- €32 – 3 days for adults
- €25 – three days for young persons (EU nationals aged 18 to 25)
As children under 18 have free admission to most sights, no children’s version is available, which is a pity, as families will need to buy train tickets separately.
The card pays for itself very quickly: for example, a visit to Pompeii (€16) and the National Archaeological Museum in Naples (€15) and using the metro and trains on a return trip from Naples will cover the cost even before seeing further sites such as the Herculaneum (€13) or the Catacombs (€9).
Buying the Campania Art Card
The Campania Arte Card is available in two forms: either as a physical card or as a mobile phone app. The easiest way to buy it is to download the app >artecard and then buy the desired version. This way is hassle-free to buy, activate, and use.
Alternatively, the physical card may also be bought from most major museums and participating archaeological sites. It is not sold at all tourist information offices but all could tell you where to buy it.
If bought online in advance, any voucher must still be exchanged for a physical machine-readable ticket – usually at Naples airport or Naples Garibaldi central station. (Such online purchase is a bit of a battle and definitely a bad choice while the app is easy to use and buy.)
The Campania Arte Card is not valid on the Alibus between the airport and Naples Garibaldi station and port – buy the €5 ticket directly from the bus driver.
Using the Campania Arte Card
If using the Campania Arte Card as a mobile phone app, it must be activated manually before entering the first site or the public transportation. Two QR codes are then created — one for use at sites and one for public transportation. The time limit on the card starts immediately upon activation and cannot be stopped or altered in any way.
For the physical card, it is usually necessary to enter personal details on the card. The card is stamped or validated upon first use.
The card is valid from the first use at a museum or on public transportation and automatically expires at midnight on day three.
At museums and archaeological sites, a paper ticket must usually still be picked up from the ticket windows. At sites such as Pompeii, use the fast-lane vouchers ticket window while Campania Arte Cardholders may legitimately, if somewhat embarrassingly, go to the front of the queues at other sites.
At times, time-slot reservations may be essential at major museums and sights. In such case, a special Campania Artecard option should be available but if not, select any free ticket type to get a time-slot and present the card normally when visiting.
Sights Included in the Campania Arte Card
As the first sights visited when using the Campania Arte Card are free, it makes sense to first see the more expensive sights such as Pompeii, Herculaneum, and the National Museum of Archaeology in Naples.
The card is accepted at around 80 sites in Campania, including 40 in the City of Naples alone. Some of the major sights include:
- Excavations of Pompeii (Scavi di Pompei)
- The Excavations of Herculaneum (Scavi di Ercolano)
- Paestum (Museum and archaeological park)
- National Archaeological Museum in Naples (Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli)
- MADRE
- Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte
- Naples Catacombs
- Castel Nuovo
- Palazzo Reale di Napoli
- Teatro di San Carlo
Note: for the young person’s card a few of these sights, including the popular catacombs and theater, may only be selected for a discounted and not free admission.
Other Arte Cards in Naples
Several further related arte cards are available but the 3-day card is usually the most useful to foreign visitors. However, two others are also worth considering:
- The 7-day Tutti-La-Regione card gives free admission to the first 5 sights and then up to 50% discount for seven days. It is fantastic value at €34 but does not include any transportation benefits.
- The 3-day Napoli card that gives free admission to three sites and public transportation inside the city of Naples and then half-price admission on a further 40 sights. It cost €21 (€12 for young people). This card does not include Pompeii, Herculaneum or any sites outside Naples city limits.
These cards are also available online from Tiqets or from most of the major sites where the card is valid.
For More on Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Naples:
- Save with the Campania Arte Card on Sightseeing Ticket and Transportation – now also available as an app.
- Pompeii Excavations Archaeological Site: Top Tips on Visiting and Shortcuts, Buying Tickets and Booking Tours & Cheap Transportation to Pompeii
- Herculaneum Archaeological Site (Ercolano): Tips on Buying Tickets and When to Visit & Cheap Transportation to Herculaneum
- Visit the National Museum of Archaeology in Naples – home to the Farnese sculptures and the best artworks, mosaics, and frescoes from the excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
- Book Tours to Pompeii, Herculaneum, or both at Get Your Guide.
- Buy Italian train tickets in English at Trainline — however, not possible for the commuter train to Ercolano or Pompeii.
