Your Guide to Living in Naples

Living in Naples, Florida, means enjoying warm, sunny weather for most of the year, easy access to Gulf beaches, golf, and a convenient downtown, alongside a coastal ease of living. The city is home to around 20,000 year-round residents, a number that climbs each winter as seasonal residents arrive.

The Dawn McKenna Group represents buyers and sellers across Naples real estate, and these are the nuances we walk through with clients weighing a full-time move or a second home here.

• What Is the Weather Like in Naples?

  Naples enjoys a subtropical climate with two seasons rather than four. The dry season, from about November through April, brings mild, sunny days in the mid-70s and cooler nights. The wet season, running from June through September, is hot and humid in the low 90s with near-daily afternoon thunderstorms that usually pass within an hour, overlapping the June-to-November hurricane season.

• When Is the Best Time of Year in Naples?

  The best stretch of weather in Naples runs from November through April, during the dry season, with March often singled out as the most beautiful month. This is also peak season, when seasonal residents arrive and traffic, restaurant waits, and prices all climb. Late spring and fall are the quieter shoulder months, warm and far less crowded, while summer brings heat and humidity.

• Do You Need a Car to Get Around Naples?

  For the most part, you need a car to navigate around Naples. The historic core of Old Naples, including 5th Avenue South and Third Street South, is convenient and walkable, while many beachfront neighborhoods put the sand within a short stroll or bike ride. Beyond the downtown grid, though, Naples is spread out and car-dependent, so most residents drive for daily errands, golf adventures, and trips between neighborhoods.

The best things to do in Naples, Florida, reach well beyond the beaches and golf the city is known for, and most sit within twenty minutes of downtown. Naples packs its top attractions into a small radius: the Naples Botanical Garden, the Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens on century-old grounds, a world-class automobile collection at the Revs Institute, and a renowned arts campus at Artis-Naples.

The best beaches in Naples, Florida, are Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, Vanderbilt Beach, Lowdermilk Park, Clam Pass Park, and the nearby Barefoot Beach Preserve, strung north to south along the Gulf. Dr. Beach ranked Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park as the sixth-best beach in the United States in 2026, and all five share the same fine white sand, calm water, and west-facing sunsets.

The best restaurants in Naples, Florida, are spread across three settings: the walkable core of 5th Avenue South, the quieter elegance of Third Street South, and the waterfront, with top names like USS Nemo Restaurant, Sea Salt, Barbatella, Chez Boet, and Truluck's carrying the reputation. Naples’ dining scene competes hard on Gulf seafood, stone crab in season, and a European-leaning fine-dining bench that runs deep.

The best waterfront restaurants in Naples are split between the beach and the bay.

• Naples Beach

  On the sand, The Turtle Club on Vanderbilt Beach and Baleen at the LaPlaya Beach and Golf Resort serve grouper and stone crab with Gulf sunset views.

• Naples Bay

  The Dock at Crayton Cove has been an Old Naples fixture since 1976, found beside Naples City Dock. For bayfront dining near Park Shore, Bayside Seafood Grill and Bar and M Waterfront Grille anchor the Village Shops on Venetian Bay

Downtown Naples, Florida, centers on two walkable districts a few blocks apart, 5th Avenue South and Third Street South, together holding more than 100 shops, dozens of art galleries, and a dense run of sidewalk restaurants, live theaters, and courtyard cafes. 5th Avenue South is the lively main stretch of sidewalk dining and nightlife, while Third Street South is more laid-back and gallery-heavy, just steps from the beach.

Third Street South has been a shopping and dining hub since the early 1900s, and it keeps a courtyard-and-cottage character that the newer developments simply cannot copy. Its prime location — just two blocks from the beach and beside the original cottages of Old Naples — makes it the quieter, more residential half of downtown.

Experience a curated season of culture, community, and classic Florida charm.

The best Naples boat tours leave from three downtown docks (the historic Tin City, the Naples City Dock, and the Port O'Call Marina), ranging from narrated dolphin tours and sunset cruises to shelling runs out to Keewaydin Island. The Naples Princess handles the dining and sightseeing cruises from the Port O'Call Marina, while Pure Florida runs five daily trips from Tin City Docks aboard the Double Sunshine, Sea Flight, and Naples Explorer.

Naples is regarded as the “Golf Capital of the World,” with more than 80 championship courses in the Collier County area and more golf holes per capita than anywhere else in the country. The best golf courses in Naples, Florida, are mostly private and tied to club communities — names like Grey Oaks, Quail West, Mediterra, and TPC Treviso Bay — with a smaller set of semi-private, resort, and public courses filling out the rest, including Tiburón Golf Club and Lely Resort.

• What Is Golf-Community Living Like in Naples?

  Many of the area's best-known layouts anchor private golf communities, among them Grey Oaks, Quail West, Mediterra, and Lely Resort, where membership and addresses tend to come together. Choosing where to play can mean choosing where to live, which is why the Dawn McKenna Group helps buyers weigh homes in Naples against the golf community and lifestyle attached to each one.

• When Is Golf Season in Naples?

  Golf season in Naples is year-round, but the stretch from November through April — with dry, mild weather that draws seasonal residents — pushes tee sheets and rates to their peak, especially from January through March. Summer, from May through October, is hot and humid with near-daily afternoon thunderstorms, but green fees drop sharply and tee times open up. Play is year-round, so the tradeoff is mostly price and crowds against the heat.

• What Golf Tournaments Are Played in Naples?

  Naples hosts three professional tournaments, all held at Tiburón Golf Club. The LPGA's CME Group Tour Championship closes the women's season each November on the Gold Course, carrying a four-million-dollar top prize that is the largest in women's golf. The PGA Tour Champions' Chubb Classic runs each February, and the mixed-team Grant Thornton Invitational pairs LPGA and PGA Tour players in December.