Day 5: The Amalfi Coast
One of the highlights of spending one week in Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast is your trip to the Amalfi Coast. This is undoubtedly one of the most famous parts of Italy – and for good reason. It’s simply stunning.
Getting to and around the Amalfi Coast without a car
Although the Amalfi Coast road has beautiful views, it’s a very challenging place to drive. So I recommend taking a day tour to the Amalfi Coast from Sorrento. This way, you can enjoy the views without having the stress of hiring a car. Here are the places you can see on a day trip to the Amalfi Coast from Sorrento.
Positano
The first stop on most day tours of the Amalfi Coast from Sorrento is Positano. Positano is a really pretty small town. You can walk down the main street and browse the cute shops and cafes.
Positano also has a beach. From the beach, you can get great views back up towards the town. It’s a lovely place to wander around and relax for an hour.
Amalfi Coast road
The stretch of the Amalfi Coast road between Positano and Amalfi was my favourite. The views were just great – I kept taking photos out of the window! I just loved the steep, green cliffs and the cute little houses.
Boat trip from Amalfi
From Amalfi, I took a one-hour sightseeing boat trip. It was a great way to see the Amalfi Coast scenery from a different angle.
One of my favourite parts of the boat trip was the view back to Amalfi. It’s a really beautiful town.
Amalfi town
After the boat trip, I explored the town of Amalfi. It’s a small town, but the streets are cute. And there’s a really impressive main piazza with the cathedral as well.
Ravello
The final stop of my day tour of the Amalfi Coast was the small town of Ravello. The main attraction of Ravello is the amazing view. The town is high up in the hills of the Amalfi Coast, so you get great views from here.
Ravello also has a piazza in the centre, with lots of cafes and restaurants. So it’s a good place to stop for a drink or some food before the drive back to Sorrento.
You can check out my more detailed guide to visiting the Amalfi Coast in one day without a car. Or keep reading for day 6 of your one week in Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast, with a day trip to Capri.
Day 6: Capri
Another highlight of spending one week in Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast is a day trip to Capri. You can get the ferry to Capri from Naples or Sorrento. The ferry from Sorrento is shorter, so it’s best to go to Capri as a day trip from Sorrento. The ferry from Sorrento is easy to find and comfortable.
Capri’s Blue Grotto and boat tour of the island
Soon after arriving on Capri, I decided to take a boat tour of the island. This was advertised as taking about one hour, and included a stop at the famous Blue Grotto.
However, the Blue Grotto was unfortunately closed when we got there. This was because the tide levels were too high for the small rowing boats to be able to safely get into the small cave.
I was disappointed not to be able to go into the Blue Grotto – especially as the boat trip had been advertised as including the Blue Grotto. But I heard that the Blue Grotto is often closed. And even when it’s open, there are long queues.
The rest of the boat trip was lovely. It was nice to see the scenery of the island from the sea. There were lots of interesting caves – including some blue-ish caves that almost looked like the Blue Grotto.
There were stunning views of the Faraglioni rocks. These huge rocks were just so impressive.
It was also lovely to see the Marina Grande from the water as well as we got back there after the boat trip.
Capri Town and Anacapri
After the boat trip, I decided to head up to the top of the island. I got the funicular up to Capri Town, and then the bus up to Anacapri. Both these modes of transport were busy and crowded, with queues. But it was nice once I got up to Anacapri.
Anacapri was a nice town to walk around, and a nice place to stop for lunch.
Chairlift from Anacapri up to Monte Solaro
From Anacapri, you can get a chairlift up to the top of the highest mountain on Capri, Monte Solaro. The Seggiovia di Monte Solaro is a really scenic way of seeing this beautiful island.
The chairlift was a bit scary at first, but I soon settled into it. And I really enjoyed the views from the chairlift. Once you got used to the height, it was really peaceful and relaxing with beautiful views.
At the top of the mountain in Capri, the views are even better. You can get amazing views down to the Faraglioni rocks.
There’s also a cafe at the top where you can sit outside and relax with a drink while you admire the views. It’s a great place to relax, before heading back down on the chairlift.
The journey back to Sorrento
I really enjoyed Capri, but it was very busy and crowded. The journey back to Sorrento was even busier and more crowded, with long queues for each form of transport. So I would definitely recommend leaving plenty of time to get back down to Marina Grande and back to Sorrento. Aside from the crowds, I really enjoyed visiting Capri in my one week in Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast. You can read my more detailed guide to visiting Capri as a day trip from Sorrento. And keep reading for the final day of your one week in Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast.
Day 7: Villa Poppea, Oplontis and Sorrento
On the final day of your one week in Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast, there’s another impressive Roman ruin to explore. And you can also spend some time enjoying Sorrento as well.
Villa Poppea – Scavi di Oplontis
The Villa Poppea in the Oplontis archaeological site is definitely the least well-known of the archaeological sites in this area. Pompeii and Herculaneum are much more famous. But this hidden Roman Villa is really impressive, and definitely worth a visit.
You can get the train from Sorrento to Torre Annunziata. It takes about 40 minutes and it’s a direct train. From Torre Annunziata station, it’s a 5-10 minute walk to Villa Poppea. Here, you pay a small entrance fee and can explore the site. It’s right in the middle of the town.
Villa Poppea in Oplontis is fairly small. It’s nothing like Herculaneaum and Pompeii – it’s just one villa. But it’s still really impressive. I spent about an hour here.
A highlight of Villa Poppea is the statues. There are several statues that are amazingly well preserved.
The colourful frescoes are really impressive as well. And they look great with the statues and pillars.
The villa is surprisingly big. You follow the arrows that signpost your route around the site. And each time I thought it must be nearly the end, I ended up in another impressive room.
There are more colourful frescoes. And also a collection of Roman pots that were found here. It’s an interesting place, and definitely worth visiting.
Sorrento
Sorrento is a great place to stay in this part of Italy. Its great transport links mean it’s the perfect base for day trips – to the Amalfi Coast, Capri and even Pompeii. But Sorrento is a nice place to spend some time as well – especially in the evenings after your day trips.
Sorrento is set high up on the cliffs. There are impressive views down the gorges.
Sorrento also has beautiful ocean views. There are some lovely bars where you can sit with a drink and enjoy the sunset views. My favourite was La Villa. The location was perfect, with tables outside where you can sit with a drink. It’s the perfect aperitif place, for a drink before dinner. And the sunsets on a clear day would be lovely from here as well.
My favourite part of Sorrento for dinner is Marina Grande. It’s a little walk from the main centre of Sorrento, but definitely worth it. Here, the restaurants are down by the edge of the water, so you can sit right next to the water as you eat.
I recommend Trattoria Da Emilia. You can sit right next to the water and enjoy the traditional Gnocchi alla Sorrentina.
This part of Italy is also famous for its lemons. So you can finish your meal with a glass of Limoncello as well, as you look out over the water. It’s the perfect place to relax after a busy day exploring this stunning part of Italy.
Hope you enjoyed your ultimate guide to one week in Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast! Make sure you check out my detailed guides to this part of Italy, including Procida, the Amalfi Coast, Capri, and the famous Roman ruins. There are also lots of other great places to explore in Italy, including exploring Sicily without a car, visiting the Cinque Terre and Portofino.
