Old Naples, Park Shore or Pelican Bay?

Naples is only about 20 square miles inside the city limits, and the wider Naples area sprawls well beyond that. On the ground the difference between neighbourhoods is enormous, and it comes down to one variable: how much you have to drive.

Old Naples

The original grid between the Gulf and 3rd Street, running roughly from Central Avenue down to the pier. Low white cottages, banyans, brick sidewalks, and the two downtown districts inside it. This is the only part of Naples where you can genuinely live without a car for a week — beach, pier, breakfast, dinner and shopping all within a fifteen-minute walk.

• Best for: first-time visitors, couples, anyone who hates driving on holiday
• Trade-off: the most expensive accommodation in the city, and parking at your rental may be tight

Aqualane Shores and Port Royal

Immediately south and east of Old Naples, on the water. These are the canal and bay-front estate neighbourhoods — nearly every house has a dock, and the water access is the point. Almost entirely residential, very few rentals, and no walkable commerce. If you are here, you are here for a boat.

Park Shore

North of downtown, between the Gulf and Tamiami Trail, centred on Gulf Shore Boulevard and Venetian Village — a small waterfront shopping and dining cluster on Venetian Bay. Beach access at Park Shore Beach, mid-rise condominiums along the Gulf, and a much quieter evening than downtown. Ten minutes to Fifth Avenue by car.

• Best for: repeat visitors, longer stays, condo rentals with a Gulf view
• Trade-off: you will drive most evenings

Pelican Bay

A large planned community further north with its own private beach facilities reached by boardwalk and tram, plus tennis, a berm walking path, and Waterside Shops and Artis—Naples on its doorstep. Green, quiet, mostly condominiums, and heavily seasonal-resident. It functions almost as its own small town.

North Naples and Vanderbilt

Around Vanderbilt Beach Road and Mercato: newer, more family-oriented, better value, with the Vanderbilt Beach garage and Delnor-Wiggins nearby and a dense cluster of restaurants at Mercato. This is where most families with a week and a budget end up, correctly.

Bayshore

East of downtown along Bayshore Drive — the Botanical Garden, a small brewery and restaurant scene, the Bayview Park boat ramp, and the most rapid change of any Naples neighbourhood. Not beachfront, notably cheaper, and closest to the water access that matters if you are spending time on Naples Bay.