5 Days in Naples: Your Day Trip Base

Five days from a Naples base adds Procida to the 4-day core of Pompeii, Capri, Herculaneum-Vesuvius, and the Amalfi Coast, the fullest Campania spread short of going a full week. Shorter on time? Our 2-day and 4-day versions cover the first four days of this exact route. More time? 6 and 7 days add Paestum and Ischia.

Book these before you go

Day Focus Distance/train time from Naples
Day 1 Pompeii ~30-40 min, Circumvesuviana to Pompei Scavi-Villa dei Misteri
Day 2 Capri ~45 min-1h15, ferry from Molo Beverello
Day 3 Herculaneum and Vesuvius ~20-25 min to Ercolano Scavi, plus a shuttle to the trailhead
Day 4 Amalfi Coast (Sorrento, Positano) ~1h to Sorrento, then SITA bus onward
Day 5 Procida ~40 min ferry from Molo Beverello

Day 1: Pompeii

  • Morning: Circumvesuviana from Napoli Centrale to Pompei Scavi-Villa dei Misteri, 30-40 minutes, standard entry EUR 20, book through VivaTicket, skip the station touts entirely
  • Midday: 44 hectares, almost no shade, budget 3-4 hours, the Forum, the amphitheater, and the plaster casts are the priority stops if time runs short
  • Evening: Back to Naples for dinner near the Centro Storico

Day 2: Capri

  • Morning: Ferry from Molo Beverello, roughly EUR 22-30 one-way, 45 minutes to just over an hour, take the earliest sailing you can manage
  • Afternoon: Marina Piccola for a swim, the funicular to Capri town, the Faraglioni viewpoint. The Blue Grotto is a cash-only EUR 18 add-on that closes in rough seas
  • Evening: Confirm the last return sailing before you leave the port that morning

Day 3: Herculaneum and Vesuvius

  • Morning: Circumvesuviana to Ercolano Scavi, 20-25 minutes, Herculaneum entry EUR 16, a half day covers this smaller, better-preserved site properly
  • Afternoon: Shuttle bus from Ercolano Scavi to Piazzale Quota 1000, then the 30-40 minute Trail 5 hike to the Vesuvius crater rim. Tickets are nominative, timed, online-only, book before you travel
  • Evening: Back to Naples

Day 4: Amalfi Coast (Sorrento and Positano)

  • Morning: Circumvesuviana or Campania Express to Sorrento, about an hour, then the SITA bus toward Positano, ticket bought at a tabaccheria before boarding
  • Afternoon: Positano’s steep lanes and beach clubs, an early 7:30-8:00am start from Sorrento beats the mid-morning crush on the Positano-Amalfi leg
  • Evening: Return bus or seasonal ferry back to Sorrento, then the train back to Naples

Day 5: Procida

  • Morning: Ferry from Molo Beverello, roughly EUR 19-22, about 40 minutes, cheaper and shorter from Pozzuoli if you’re staying closer to that side of the bay
  • Afternoon: Marina Corricella’s stacked pastel houses, a slow lunch by the water, Procida rewards wandering rather than a checklist, it’s small enough to cover on foot without a plan
  • Evening: Last ferry back to Naples, this island runs on a quieter schedule than Capri, check return times before you commit to a late lunch

Is Procida worth a full day from Naples? Yes, more reliably than Ischia for a single-day trip. It’s compact enough to walk end to end in a few hours, genuinely uncrowded compared to Capri, and the ferry crossing itself is short enough that you’re not losing half the day to transit either direction.

Do you need a car for this Naples day-trip itinerary? No. Every stop across all five days runs on the Circumvesuviana, a connecting shuttle bus, or a ferry, and Naples’ 24-hour ZTL and chaotic parking make a rental car a genuine liability inside the city itself, not just an unnecessary cost.

Getting around

Circumvesuviana fares run roughly EUR 2.60-4.40, bought at station machines or the GoEAV app , never online in advance, and current timetables are worth checking before an early departure. Ferries for Capri, Procida, and the Amalfi Coast all run from Molo Beverello, with Procida and Ischia also reachable from Pozzuoli.

Tips and essentials

  • Book Vesuvius and Pompeii tickets before you leave home, neither sells same-day walk-up entry reliably anymore
  • Confirm the last return sailing or train before leaving Naples each morning, not after you’ve already arrived at the port or station
  • Keep bags zipped on the Circumvesuviana and around Napoli Centrale
  • Pack one lighter day (Procida) after two heavier ones (Vesuvius, Amalfi), the pacing matters more than the checklist

Five days is enough to do this properly rather than rushed, so resist the urge to squeeze in a sixth stop, the Amalfi Coast and Vesuvius both punish a day that’s already tired from the one before.