The area around Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast is one of the most famous parts of Italy. There’s so much to see here, including Sorrento, Capri, Procida, Herculaneum and more. In one week, you’ll be able to explore this region’s highlights. Here’s your ultimate guide to one week in Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast.
One week in Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast is the perfect amount of time to explore this fascinating region of Italy. There’s so much to do here. As well as the highlights of Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast, there are lots more day trips options as well. The islands of Procida and Capri in the Bay of Naples are beautiful. There are more Roman ruins at Herculaneum and Oplontis. And there’s also the resort town of Sorrento, and endless views of Mount Vesuvius.
This part of Italy is understandably very popular with tourists. I definitely recommend visiting in the spring or autumn, and avoiding the peak summer tourism. I visited in mid-October and it was still busy everywhere – although local people said it was nowhere near as busy as it gets in the summer. So it’s definitely best to visit outside of the peak summer season if you can.
I spent 3 nights in Naples, and 4 nights in Sorrento. I felt like this was a good balance of time between the two bases. Naples is hectic and busy and exciting, whereas Sorrento is much more laid back and relaxing. So it was good to experience both places. Most of the day trips are easily accessible from both Naples and Sorrento. So you can choose whichever base suits you best. Here’s my ultimate day-by-day guide to one week in Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast, with all the best day trip options and things to do.
Day 1: Naples
One day one of your one week in Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast, I recommend spending a day exploring Naples. Naples is a hectic, busy, bustling Italian city. A lot of people have mixed views of Naples – some love it, and some hate it. I enjoyed spending a few days there, but I don’t think I would have wanted to spend the whole week staying in Naples.
The noise and hectic life is exciting. But it’s also dirty, covered in graffiti, with overflowing rubbish bins, angry drivers driving fast down narrow cobbled streets, and large crowds of people. You need to be fully alert when walking around Naples, as there are people, cars, and motorbikes everywhere. Crossing the road isn’t for the faint-hearted! But I still found it an exciting city to visit.
My favourite thing to do in Naples was to walk around the streets and soak up the street life. I focussed on exploring the streets in the historic city centre, near the Duomo, and I liked this part of Naples. The streets were full of character, and the graffiti added to the charm.
The highlights of Naples
Piazza Dante is a nice place to see in Naples. This impressive square gives you some welcome space in this crowded city. The architecture and the statue of Dante are really impressive.
There’s also the ‘Christmas Alley’ in Naples. This street, which is actually called Via San Gregorio Armeno, is full of shops selling Christmas decorations. It’s a short, narrow cobbled street. So it can get super crowded. But it’s a really nice street to walk down and see all the Christmas decorations in the shops. They’re really colourful and some of them are so intricate and impressive.
Naples is also full of random statues – often in random places on street corners. Part of the magic of Naples is just walking through the dark streets and seeing what you’ll find.
There’s also the random ‘Maths Corner’, a corner of Largo San Domenico that has Maths puzzles on the wall that anyone can have a go at filling in. And a lot of the streets have different flags hanging over the street, which adds even more colour.
The Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli is one of the best museums in Naples. This archaeology museum has a lot of the artefacts that were found in Pompeii and the surrounding areas. It’s a fascinating museum that gives you a taste of what you’re going to see in Pompeii.
Pizza in Naples
One of the things Naples is most famous for is pizza. Neopolitan pizza is famous all over the world as the ‘real’ pizza. So when you’re in Naples, you have to try the pizza. There are so many great pizzerias in Naples. But here are my top 3.
- Starita – great pizza and a nice indoor restaurant
- La Locando del Grifo – set just off the main street so you can sit outside in (relative) peace and tranquility
- Pizzeria da Michele – one of the most famous pizzerias in Naples. Be prepared to queue, but the pizza is worth it. This pizzeria was featured in the film ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ with Julia Roberts – so it’s like eating on a film set!
You can read more about these 3 great pizza restaurants in Naples here.
Day 2: Day trip from Naples to the island of Procida
The island of Procida is a really beautiful, colourful island. It’s the perfect day trip from Naples. You can get the ferry to Procida from Naples, and it takes about 45 minutes.
Ferry from Naples from Procida
The boat ride from Naples to Procida is really nice. The views back to Naples once you leave the port are lovely. And you also get great views of the volcano, Mount Vesuvius – the famous volcano in this area.
You also get lovely views of the island of Procida when you get closer.
The best part of Procida is a short walk from the marina where the ferry arrives. There’s another marina, called Marina Corricella, which is on the other side of the island. This was my favourite part of Procida.
The walk to Marina Corricella takes about 20 minutes. You pass through some really beautiful streets in the middle of the island as you walk to this marina.
Marina Corricella on Procida
Marina Corricella is just beautiful. I just took so many photos to try to capture the magic! I just loved the colourful pink and yellow buildings, with the boats on the blue sea, and the green hills in the background.
There are also a great selection of seafood restaurants here. You can sit outside, right next to the water to eat fresh seafood. I really enjoyed the restaurant La Locada del Postino. The anchovy bruschetta was really nice as a starter. And for a main course, the swordfish spaghetti and octopus pasta were both great.
Walk up to the viewpoint
After eating lunch, you can walk up to an amazing viewpoint over the island. As you walk up the street Salita Castello, you’re rewarded with the most beautiful views of the island.
I really loved visiting Procida as a day trip from Naples. You can read my more detailed guide to Procida as a day trip from Naples here. It was definitely a highlight of my one week in Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast.
Keep reading on the next page for Day 3 of my ultimate day-by-day guide to one week in Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast, with trips to Pompeii and Herculaneum next.