Day Trips from Naples: Pompeii, Capri, Amalfi, and Beyond

Naples has the richest concentration of day-trip destinations in Italy. Pompeii and Herculaneum are 30–40 minutes away. Capri is a ferry ride. The Amalfi Coast is reachable by ferry or bus. Most of the reasons people fly to southern Italy are directly accessible from Naples.

Best Day Trips from Naples

Pompeii (35 minutes by Circumvesuviana train)

The best-preserved Roman city in the world, buried by Vesuvius in 79 AD. Allow 4–5 hours minimum; the full site takes a full day. Take the Circumvesuviana from Napoli Piazza Garibaldi to Pompei Scavi – Villa dei Misteri. Book tickets online — the site is heavily visited and summer queues are significant. See also: the House of the Faun, the Villa of Mysteries, and the plaster casts of the victims.

Herculaneum (20 minutes by Circumvesuviana)

Better preserved than Pompeii, and far less crowded. Ercolano station. The two-storey wooden structures, the carbonised frescoes, and the House of the Bicentenary are genuinely outstanding. The boat storage chambers on the seafront contain the skeletal remains of those who sheltered as the pyroclastic surge killed them.

Capri (50–70 minutes by hydrofoil or ferry)

The most famous island in Italy. The Blue Grotto (best in morning light — be there before 10am), the Faraglioni rocks, the Villa Jovis (Tiberius’s clifftop palace), and the Piazzetta. Hydrofoil is faster (50 minutes); ferry is cheaper (70 minutes). Summer: arrive early — the island gets very crowded by midday.

Mount Vesuvius (1 hour by Circumvesuviana + bus/taxi)

Circumvesuviana to Ercolano, then bus or taxi to the crater rim. 30-minute walk to the crater. The view encompasses the Bay of Naples, Capri, and the entire Campanian coast. An easy half-day combined with Herculaneum.

Amalfi and Positano (Ferries: 1.5–2 hours / Bus: 2+ hours)

Ferry from Molo Beverello or Mergellina to Amalfi or Positano (seasonal, typically April–October). Bus (SITA) is year-round but slow due to coastal road traffic — plan 2+ hours. Amalfi town, the cathedral, the Ravello gardens (Villa Cimbrone, Villa Rufolo), and Positano’s steep staircase streets. A very long day; better as an overnight on the coast.

Caserta — Reggia di Caserta (40 minutes by train)

The Bourbon royal palace, often called Italy’s Versailles. 1,200 rooms, 3-kilometre royal park with fountains and cascades. Overwhelming in scale. Direct trains from Naples Centrale.

Paestum (1.5 hours by train or bus)

Three Greek temples, better preserved than anything in Greece, in a flat coastal plain south of Salerno. The temples of Hera, Neptune, and Athena date to the 6th–5th century BC. The archaeological museum has the Tomb of the Diver (one of the most important Greek paintings in existence). Train to Salerno, then regional train.

Procida (1 hour by ferry)

The smallest of the Bay of Naples islands — brightly coloured fishing village, quiet beaches, and none of the Capri crowds. Ferry from Pozzuoli or Molo Beverello. European Capital of Culture 2022; the tourism is growing but still gentle.

Practical Notes

• Circumvesuviana trains: run frequently but overcrowded in peak summer — keep bags and valuables secure
• Pompeii tickets: book at pompeiiparks.org at least 1–2 weeks ahead in summer; timed entry slots
• Capri Blue Grotto: can close for rough seas — call ahead, and go early morning when the light is best
• Ferries to Capri, Amalfi, Positano: book ahead in July–August; weather cancellations occur
• Naples to Caserta by train: use the Regionale or Intercity — the high-speed trains don’t stop at Caserta