Naples & the Amalfi Coast Travel Guide
Naples & the Amalfi Coast in Five Days
A five-day plan that books the timed tickets in the right order — Naples' museums and underground, Pompeii and Vesuvius, Capri, and the Amalfi Coast — with a smart split between a Naples base and a coastal one.
Five days is the sweet spot for a first visit to the Bay of Naples: enough for the city, the ruins, the volcano, an island and the coast, without spending the whole trip on trains and ferries. The secret is a split stay: two or three nights in Naples for the city and the archaeology, then two nights in Sorrento or on the Amalfi Coast for the sea. This plan assumes a visit between April and October, when the coastal ferries run; a winter version follows at the end.
Before you fly: the booking cascade. Book Pompeii first: tickets are nominative, there is a daily cap, and in season you choose a morning or afternoon slot. Book the Vesuvius crater path next, online only, for the afternoon of the same day or the next. Then reserve the Sansevero Chapel, which releases slots about two months ahead. Add a Naples Underground tour and, if you wish, a Capri boat tour or day trip and an Amalfi Coast day trip with transport. Finally, check the closing days: the Archaeological Museum and the Sansevero Chapel are closed on Tuesdays, Capodimonte on Wednesdays.
Day one — the historic centre. Start at Piazza del Gesù Nuovo and walk east along Spaccanapoli: the gilded interior of Gesù Nuovo, the majolica cloister of Santa Chiara, then the Sansevero Chapel for your booked slot and the Veiled Christ. Continue past the Statue of the Nile to San Gregorio Armeno, the street of crib-makers, and turn north onto Via dei Tribunali for lunch: pizza at one of the historic pizzerias, or a pizza a portafoglio on the move. In the afternoon, descend forty metres with Naples Underground from Piazza San Gaetano, then visit the Duomo and the Chapel of San Gennaro. Evening: aperitivo in Piazza Bellini, dinner in the centre.
Day two — museums and views. Begin at the National Archaeological Museum when it opens: the Farnese sculptures, the Pompeian mosaics and frescoes, the Secret Cabinet. Take a bus or taxi up to the Catacombs of San Gennaro for a guided tour, and either continue to Capodimonte for Caravaggio and the royal park or walk down through the Rione Sanità for lunch. In the late afternoon, ride a funicular up to Vomero and walk the ramparts of Castel Sant'Elmo at sunset, then descend to Chiaia or the Lungomare for an evening stroll past the Castel dell'Ovo and dinner by the sea.
Day three — Pompeii and Vesuvius. Take an early Circumvesuviana to Pompei Scavi and enter at opening. Spend three to four hours: the Forum, the baths, the Lupanar, the theatres, a selection of the open houses, the casts and the amphitheatre, ideally with a guide or audio guide. After lunch, take a shuttle from the station area up to Vesuvius for your crater slot and walk to the rim for the view over the bay. If you prefer fewer crowds, swap Pompeii for Herculaneum, which sits right below the volcano. Then move your bags to Sorrento by Circumvesuviana or private transfer, so that you sleep by the coast.
Day four — Capri. Catch the first ferry from Sorrento to Capri. If the sea is calm, take a transfer boat straight to the Blue Grotto before the queues build; if it is closed, take a round-island boat tour past the Faraglioni and the sea caves instead. Bus up to Anacapri for Villa San Michele, then back down to Capri town for lunch, the Gardens of Augustus and the view down Via Krupp. Linger in the Piazzetta as the day-trippers leave, and take a late ferry back to Sorrento for dinner.
Day five — the Amalfi Coast. Take an early SITA bus or a ferry from Sorrento to Positano and walk down through its lanes to the beach before the crowds arrive. Continue by boat to Amalfi for the cathedral and the Cloister of Paradise, then take the bus up to Ravello for Villa Rufolo and the Terrace of Infinity at Villa Cimbrone in the afternoon light. If you are fit and the weather is good, replace Positano and Amalfi with the Path of the Gods: bus from Amalfi to Bomerano, walk to Nocelle, descend to Positano for a swim. Return to Sorrento or Naples in the evening.
If you have more time. Add a second coastal night in Positano, Amalfi or Ravello; a day on Ischia or Procida; the Phlegraean Fields west of Naples, with the Roman amphitheatre at Pozzuoli and the volcanic landscape of the Solfatara area; or the Royal Palace of Caserta, a Bourbon Versailles an hour north.
The winter version. From November to March, ferries to Positano and Amalfi stop, the Blue Grotto is often closed by the sea, and many coastal hotels close. Keep Naples as your base for the whole trip. Do the city and museums on days one and two, Pompeii or Herculaneum with Vesuvius on day three (do Vesuvius first, as it closes in mid-afternoon), Capri by ferry from Naples on day four if the sea is calm, and the Amalfi Coast by a guided day trip or train and SITA bus via Sorrento on day five. The reward is uncrowded sites, clear winter light and Naples at its most local.
Where to stay for this plan. For the Naples nights, the waterfront (Grand Hotel Vesuvio) is grand and convenient for ferries, the Chiaia hillside (Grand Hotel Parker's) is calm with the best views, and the historic centre near the station (Palazzo Caracciolo) is best value and handy for Pompeii trains. For the coast, Sorrento (Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria or the Hilton Sorrento Palace) is the practical hub; Positano (Le Sirenuse) and Amalfi (the Anantara Convento) are the dream, in season.