Things to Do
The 20 Best Things to Do in Naples, Florida
Twenty things worth your day, ranked by how often we send visiting friends to each one.
12 min read
Neighborhoods
Old Naples, Park Shore or Pelican Bay?
Where you sleep in Naples decides whether you walk to dinner or drive to it.
The short answer
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.
Jump to the questions people ask about this.
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.
Common questions
- What is the best area to stay in Naples, Florida?
- Old Naples for walkability to the beach, pier and both downtown districts. Park Shore and Pelican Bay for quieter Gulf-view condominiums. North Naples for better value and easy beach parking.
- Do you need a car in Naples?
- Not if you stay in Old Naples for a short trip. Everywhere else in the Naples area effectively requires one.
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