Naples gives you raw, unfiltered southern Italy: the world's best pizza, a UNESCO old town, Vesuvius on the skyline and islands and ruins on the doorstep. The Universita Federico II and several others make it a big student city at a fraction of northern prices. It is intense and disorganised, but few places are more memorable to live in.

• Pompeii, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast are all a short train or ferry ride away.
• Living costs are well below Milan or Rome, so your budget stretches further.

Student life spills through the centro storico's alleys, the bars of Chiaia and the piazzas of Vomero. Nightlife is cheap and lively, centred on Piazza Bellini and the Spanish Quarter's crowded streets. It is a spontaneous, streetwise scene where a beer costs a couple of euros and the party is outdoors.

• Drink and mingle around Piazza Bellini in the historic centre, the student meeting point.
• Head to Chiaia and its baretti for a livelier, dressed-up night.
• Ask the Naples group on Studcasa which areas are best after dark and where to avoid.

Naples is one of the cheapest major cities in Italy, pizza, coffee and rents all cost noticeably less than the north. Most students sit at the lower-to-mid Italian band, with money left for island trips. Street food and the daily markets make eating well genuinely cheap.

• A margherita at Da Michele or Sorbillo costs only a few euros, the ultimate cheap meal.
• Sharing a flat in Vomero or the centro storico keeps you near the band's lower end.
• Buy produce and fish at the Pignasecca market rather than the supermarkets.

Students live across the centro storico (atmospheric, noisy), Vomero (residential, reached by funicular), Chiaia (smarter, dearer) and Fuorigrotta near the main university. Rooms are found through Facebook groups, agencies and word of mouth. Choose your area carefully, as quality and safety vary street by street.

• Search Affitto stanze Napoli studenti on Facebook and check the Studcasa Naples group for rooms and advice.
• Vomero and Fuorigrotta are calmer and popular with students; the centro storico is livelier but louder.
• View in person and ask locals about the specific street before committing.

Naples has a metro whose Line 1 art stations are attractions in themselves, plus four funiculars up to Vomero and the Circumvesuviana train to Pompeii and Sorrento. Traffic and scooters are chaotic, so the metro, funiculars and walking are your best bets. The airport sits unusually close to the centre.

• Ride Metro Line 1 and visit Toledo station, one of Europe's most beautiful.
• Take the funicular up to Vomero rather than tackling the hills on foot.
• Use the Circumvesuviana line for Pompeii, Herculaneum and Sorrento, but mind your belongings.

The Universita degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, founded in 1224, is one of Italy's oldest and largest public universities, strong in humanities, law, engineering and medicine. L'Orientale specialises in languages and Asian and African studies, while Parthenope and Vanvitelli add more options. All host Erasmus students and English-taught courses.

• Federico II's departments are scattered across the city and Fuorigrotta, check yours.
• ESN Napoli runs island and coast trips that quickly build your social circle.

If you are an EU or EEA citizen you need nothing beyond registering your residence if you stay past 90 days. Non-EU students almost always need a national type D study visa arranged through the Italian consulate before arrival, plus proof of enrolment, funds and health insurance. Exactly what you need depends on your nationality, so check with your consulate early.

Once in Italy, non-EU students must apply for a permesso di soggiorno, the residence permit, within eight days of arrival, using a post office kit and a police questura appointment. It is slow and paperwork-heavy, so bring photocopies of everything and expect queues. Your university's international office will usually walk you through it.

• EU/EEA, no visa; register if staying 90+ days
• Non-EU, type D study visa from your consulate
• After arrival, permesso di soggiorno within 8 days

Naples is the home of pizza, and it takes it seriously, Neapolitan pizza is UNESCO-listed. Beyond that, feast on sfogliatella and baba pastries, ragu napoletano, friarielli and buffalo mozzarella, all fuelled by intense espresso. Street food and the daily theatre of the markets are part of everyday life.

• Queue for a margherita or marinara at Da Michele, Sorbillo or Di Matteo.
• Sweet-tooth it with a warm sfogliatella riccia and a rum-soaked baba.
• Grab a cuoppo of fried seafood or a frittatina as street food on the go.

The centro storico (Spaccanapoli) is the chaotic, atmospheric heart; Vomero is the airy, residential hill reached by funicular; Chiaia is elegant and nightlife-rich by the sea; and the Quartieri Spagnoli are gritty, vivid and full of life. Fuorigrotta and Mergellina are handy for the university and the waterfront.

• Centro storico: historic, lively and loud, full immersion.
• Vomero: residential, greener and calmer, good for students.
• Chiaia and Mergellina: smarter, seaside and nightlife-heavy.

Naples is a launchpad for Italy's south. Pompeii and Herculaneum are 30 to 40 minutes on the Circumvesuviana, Sorrento about an hour, and the Amalfi Coast just beyond. Ferries from the port reach Capri, Ischia and Procida, while Vesuvius, Caserta's royal palace and Rome (an hour by high-speed train) round out the options.

• Take the Circumvesuviana to Pompeii, then climb Vesuvius for the view.
• Ferry to Procida or Ischia for cheaper, quieter island days than Capri.
• Ride the Amalfi Coast bus or ferry from Sorrento for Positano and Amalfi.

Naples rewards street smarts, keep your phone and bag secure, especially on the Circumvesuviana and in crowds, and do not flash valuables. The chaos is the charm, so relax into it rather than fighting it. Eat where the queues are local, and learn a few words of the dialect to win people over.

• Keep valuables zipped away and stay alert around the station and Circumvesuviana.
• Cross roads decisively with the locals; scooters will not wait for hesitation.
• Eat at the busy, local pizzerias and markets, not the tourist traps.