Naples sits on Florida’s Gulf Coast with a reputation for calmer, more upscale beach life than the state’s Atlantic side, its white sand beaches facing west for reliably good sunsets and its downtown built around a walkable shopping and dining strip rather than high-rise resorts. It’s also one of the closer gateway towns to the Everglades’ western edge, so a Naples base can mix beach days with genuine wetland wildlife tours. The city keeps building heights low and its pace unhurried, which sets it apart from busier stretches of Florida coastline further north.
Related: Miami Travel Guide: Beaches, Art Deco & Everglades Day Trips (2026)
Best Things to Do in Naples
Watch the sunset from Naples Pier
This fishing pier extends out over the Gulf and is the city’s default sunset-watching spot, with locals and visitors alike gathering most evenings as the sky colors over the water; anglers work the rails throughout the day too. Dolphins are a regular sight in the waters just offshore, especially in the early morning and evening.
Shop and dine on Fifth Avenue South
Naples’ main downtown strip mixes boutique shopping with a dense concentration of restaurants and outdoor cafés, giving the city a walkable, small-town feel that’s easy to spend a leisurely evening exploring.
Walk through Naples Botanical Garden
This garden focuses on plants from tropical regions around the world, including a Brazilian garden and a water garden, and makes for a shaded, well-maintained escape from the beach for a few hours. Paved, mostly flat paths make it an easy visit regardless of the heat.
Take an Everglades airboat tour
A short drive inland brings you to the western edge of the Everglades, where airboat tours skim across sawgrass marsh with a real chance of spotting alligators, wading birds, and other wetland wildlife up close. Morning departures tend to offer calmer water and more active wildlife than the heat of midday.
Go shelling at Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park
This barrier island beach north of downtown is known for good shelling, especially early in the morning, alongside a wide, less-crowded stretch of sand than some of the more central Naples beaches. The pass itself, where the bay meets the Gulf, is also a good spot to watch boat traffic and wading birds.
Top-Rated Naples, Florida Tours & Experiences
Practical Tips for Your Visit
Best Time to Visit
November through April is Naples’ dry season, with mild, comfortable temperatures and lower humidity — this is also peak “snowbird” season, so expect more crowds and higher rates. Summer brings heat, humidity, and near-daily afternoon thunderstorms.
How to Get There
Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) in Fort Myers is the nearest major airport, roughly 45 minutes away; Naples also has a smaller municipal airport for private and charter flights.
Good to Know
Shelling is best in the early morning, ideally after a storm has stirred up the shallows. Everglades tours are worth booking ahead, especially in peak season, as popular time slots fill up. Afternoon storms are common in summer, so plan outdoor activities for mornings during that season.
Naples works well as a slower-paced Florida base — less about nightlife, more about a good beach, a walkable downtown, and easy access to the Everglades’ wilder side. Pair a beach morning with a wetland tour in the same trip, and you’ll get a fuller sense of what makes this stretch of coast distinct from the rest of the state, without ever needing to drive very far to do it.
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