7 Days in Naples: Your Day Trip Base

Seven days from a Naples base is the full Campania spread: Pompeii, Capri, Herculaneum-Vesuvius, the Amalfi Coast, Procida, Paestum, and now Ischia, all from one hotel with no repacking. Building up to this? Our 2 , 4 , 5 , and 6-day versions cover the first six days of this exact route. Want the city itself added on? Pair this with our Naples guide and its own in-city itineraries .

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 6 Paestum ~1h15, direct regional train from Napoli Centrale
Day 7 Ischia ~1h ferry from Molo Beverello, ~45 min from Pozzuoli

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
  • Midday: 44 hectares, almost no shade, budget 3-4 hours, prioritize the Forum, the amphitheater, and the plaster casts
  • 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 available
  • Afternoon: Marina Piccola for a swim, the funicular to Capri town, the Faraglioni viewpoint, and the cash-only EUR 18 Blue Grotto if the seas cooperate
  • Evening: Confirm the last return sailing before leaving the port that morning

Day 3: Herculaneum and Vesuvius

  • Morning: Circumvesuviana to Ercolano Scavi, 20-25 minutes, Herculaneum entry EUR 16, better preserved and less crowded than Pompeii, a half day covers it
  • Afternoon: Shuttle bus to Piazzale Quota 1000, then the Trail 5 hike to the Vesuvius crater rim, 30-40 minutes each way. Nominative, timed, online-only tickets, book ahead
  • 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 onward, ticket bought at a tabaccheria before boarding
  • Afternoon: Positano’s steep lanes and beach clubs, an early 7:30-8:00am start beats the mid-morning crush on the Positano-Amalfi leg
  • Evening: Return bus or seasonal ferry to Sorrento, then the train back to Naples

Day 5: Procida

  • Morning: Ferry from Molo Beverello, roughly EUR 19-22, about 40 minutes, or the cheaper, shorter run from Pozzuoli
  • Afternoon: Marina Corricella’s pastel houses, a slow harborside lunch, small enough to cover without a fixed plan
  • Evening: Last ferry back to Naples

Ischia or Procida: which island deserves a full day? Procida for the tighter single day, Ischia if you want a slower pace with a thermal spa or a beach attached. Ischia is large enough that one day only samples a single area, its thermal-spa side or Ischia Ponte, so treat it as a different kind of day rather than a bigger Procida.

Day 6: Paestum

  • Morning: Direct regional train from Napoli Centrale, about 1 hour 15 minutes, roughly EUR 8-12, the station square opens straight onto the Porta Sirena gate
  • Afternoon: Three of the best-preserved Greek temples outside Greece, entry EUR 15 March-November or EUR 10 in winter, no town to pad the visit
  • Evening: Train back to Naples

Day 7: Ischia

  • Morning: Ferry from Molo Beverello, roughly EUR 19-22 and about an hour, or the shorter, cheaper run from Pozzuoli, roughly 45 minutes
  • Afternoon: Pick one side of the island rather than trying to cover it all, either the thermal spa gardens or the castle and old town at Ischia Ponte
  • Evening: Last ferry back to Naples, or from Pozzuoli if that’s your outbound port, confirm the schedule before you settle into a long thermal soak

Is 7 days too long to base yourself in one city for day trips? Not for Campania specifically. Seven distinct, genuinely different destinations, ruins, a volcano, three islands, a coastline, and a Greek temple site, all sit within a 20 minute to 1 hour 15 minute reach of Naples, which is an unusually dense cluster for a single base. Most week-long Italy trips need at least one city change to fill seven days this well.

Getting around

Circumvesuviana fares run roughly EUR 2.60-4.40, bought at station machines or the GoEAV app ; Paestum runs on a separate direct regional line. Ferries for Capri, Procida, Ischia, and the Amalfi Coast leave from Molo Beverello, with Procida and Ischia also reachable from Pozzuoli.

Tips and essentials

  • Book Vesuvius and Pompeii tickets before you leave home
  • Confirm return sailings and trains every morning before leaving your hotel, not after arriving at the port or station
  • Keep bags zipped on the Circumvesuviana and around Napoli Centrale
  • Space the two islands (Capri, day 2, and Ischia, day 7) apart rather than back to back, it keeps the week from feeling repetitive

By day 7 you’ve earned a lighter final push, Ischia’s thermal side is the right note to end on, slower than anything else on this list and a genuine reason to sit still for once.