National Railway Museum of Pietrarsa
Photo: Own work — Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Italy’s railway heritage at the National Railway Museum of Pietrarsa in Naples, showcasing steam, electric, and diesel locomotives in a historic setting.
Planning your visit
Pietrarsa was where Italian railways began. Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies opened the first railway on the Italian peninsula in 1839, running from Naples to Portici, and established these works to build the locomotives — for a period the largest industrial plant in Italy, employing over a thousand men.
The museum occupies the original workshops on the shore of the Bay of Naples, with Vesuvius directly across the water, and the setting is extraordinary: locomotives lined up in nineteenth-century halls with the sea outside the doors.
The collection covers steam, electric and diesel traction, including the royal train carriages, early locomotives, and machinery from the works themselves.
The industrial archaeology is as much the subject as the rolling stock — this was southern Italy's attempt at industrialisation before unification, and its decline afterwards is part of the Mezzogiorno's long economic story.
Allow two hours. The main booking is an entry ticket. Current availability is shown below.
Before you book
Where is National Railway Museum of Pietrarsa?
National Railway Museum of Pietrarsa is in Naples, Italy.
How long should I allow for National Railway Museum of Pietrarsa?
Allow two hours. That is the time the collection itself takes at an unhurried pace, before any queue.
Do I need to book National Railway Museum of Pietrarsa in advance?
Tickets can be bought on the door at quiet times, but booking ahead fixes the date and avoids the queue at busy ones. Live availability is shown on this page.
