San Gaudioso at a glance
The catacombs of San Gaudioso sit beneath the baroque Basilica Santa Maria della Sanità in the Rione Sanità. You enter through the basilica, with the ticket office at Via Sanità 123. The visit is a guided tour of about one hour in Italian or English, and every tour needs a reservation.
This is a separate site from the Catacombe di San Gennaro on the Capodimonte slope, with its own entrance. The two share one operator and one ticket arrangement, which makes them easy to combine. The Ipogeo dei Cristallini, a Greek tomb complex in the same district, is a different place with its own reservation. Read about it on the Ipogeo tickets page.
Our picks: San Gaudioso catacombs tours
The San Gaudioso visit includes the basilica above it. The San Gennaro ticket also covers San Gaudioso for twelve months, so it works if you want both.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting prices in euros (as of October 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
San Gaudioso catacombs and the Sanità basilica
- 45-minute guided visit
- Santa Maria della Sanità basilica
- San Gennaro for 12 months
The visit starts on Via Sanità, above the catacombs, and includes the basilica. The ticket also covers San Gennaro for twelve months. Arrive 15 minutes early.
Check availability →
San Gennaro catacombs with entry and a guide
- Guide and entry ticket
- San Gaudioso and the basilica for 12 months
A 45-minute guided visit with the entry ticket included. The same ticket also covers San Gaudioso and the Sanità basilica for twelve months.
Check availability →San Gaudioso catacomb tours and tickets
Guided visits to the Catacombs of San Gaudioso and tickets that link to San Gennaro, with live prices and availability.
Tickets and combinations
What each option covers.
San Gaudioso guided tour
The San Gaudioso tour covers the catacombs under the Basilica Santa Maria della Sanità. The meeting point is the catacomb entrance on Via Sanità. Check whether your ticket also gives access to San Gennaro before you plan a second visit.
San Gennaro ticket with San Gaudioso
The San Gennaro entry ticket works the other way round. It gives a guided tour at San Gennaro, and the same ticket is valid for San Gaudioso for 12 months. It does not mean unlimited re-entry to both sites, and it does not include the Ipogeo.
Catacombs of San Gennaro →Longer walks through the Sanità
Some walking tours of the neighbourhood pass the basilica and the surrounding streets. Check the included entries before you book. A walk through the district is not the same as a ticket for the catacombs.
Rione Sanità guide →| Option | Visits | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| San Gaudioso tour | San Gaudioso and the basilica | Visitors based in the Sanità |
| San Gennaro tour with ticket | San Gennaro; San Gaudioso within 12 months | Visitors who start at Capodimonte |
| Walking tour of the Sanità | Depends on the tour | Visitors who want the neighbourhood too |
For most visitors, book the San Gaudioso tour if you are already in the Sanità, and add San Gennaro on a second day.
What you see: the skull frescoes and the basilica
San Gaudioso takes its name from Gaudiosus, a bishop of Abitina in North Africa who came to Naples. The oldest part is an early Christian catacomb. A distinctive feature is later. In the 17th century nobles and clergy were buried here, and the skull of the deceased was set into the wall. The body and the clothes or the trade attributes were painted around it, in frescoes by Giovanni Balducci.
The tour also explains the practice behind it. Bodies were left in niches or seats so that the fluids could drain away, then the bones were cleaned and buried. It is told plainly, and the place is still a burial site, so visitors speak quietly.
Above ground, the basilica with its dome is a separate building from the older catacomb. Its raised altar area includes the early Christian basilica. 
Plan your visit
Reserve before you go and keep the neighbourhood in mind.
Reserve a time
Tours run every hour from 10:00 to 17:00 and need a reservation. Wednesday is the closing day, and the catacombs are also closed on 25 December.
Walk on to the Fontanelle
The Cimitero delle Fontanelle is about a 15 minute walk from San Gaudioso. Plan it as a second stop on the same day.
Fontanelle Cemetery →Access and conditions
Do not assume step-free access. The access for visitors with reduced mobility at San Gennaro is currently closed, and access at San Gaudioso should be asked about when you book. Wear shoes with grip, as the catacombs are cut into tuff.
Photos
Ask your guide at the start what is allowed. Do not take a lack of signs as permission.
More underground and Sanità guides
Other places that fit the same day.
San Gaudioso catacombs: frequently asked questions
How long is the San Gaudioso tour?
The guided tour lasts about one hour, in Italian or English. It covers the catacombs under the basilica.
Do I need to reserve?
Yes. Visits are guided and need a reservation for a set time. Tours run hourly between 10:00 and 17:00.
How much does it cost?
The full price is EUR 13 in 2026. Visitors under 18 pay EUR 6, students and over 65s pay EUR 9, and children under 6 enter free. Check the current list when you book.
Is San Gaudioso the same as San Gennaro?
No. They are two sites with separate entrances. A San Gennaro ticket is valid for San Gaudioso for 12 months. Each visit needs its own reserved time.
Does the ticket include the Ipogeo dei Cristallini?
No. The Ipogeo is a different site with its own reservation and tickets.