Offbeat Naples and Campania: 6 Days
Six days based in Naples adds a second, deliberately different island day: Procida, smaller and quieter than Capri, on its own dedicated day rather than as an afterthought. Days one through five stay the same as the shorter version, Pompeii, Herculaneum-Vesuvius, Capri, Sorrento-Amalfi, and Paestum, with day six closing on the island most Naples-based visitors never get to. Want Ischia added too? See the 7 day version, or drop back to 5 days without Procida.
Book these before you go
- Pompeii tickets are VivaTicket-only from 2 March 2026 , the park’s exclusive vendor
- Reserve a Vesuvius crater slot , nominative, timed, and online-only, no gate sales
- SITA bus tickets to Positano and Amalfi sell only at a Sorrento tabaccheria, never on board
- Book a Capri day tour if you want the boat and Blue Grotto sorted together
- Check hotel rates near Napoli Centrale for easy access to Molo Beverello and both rail lines
| Day | Focus | Distance/train time from Naples |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pompeii, the full site | Circumvesuviana, about 30-40 min |
| 2 | Herculaneum plus Vesuvius crater | Circumvesuviana, about 20-25 min, then a connecting shuttle bus |
| 3 | Capri by ferry | Molo Beverello, roughly 45 min to 1h15 by ferry |
| 4 | Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast | Circumvesuviana/Campania Express, about 1h to Sorrento, then SITA bus onward |
| 5 | Paestum’s Greek temples | Direct regional train from Napoli Centrale, about 1h15 |
| 6 | Procida, the quieter island | Molo Beverello, roughly 40-60 min by ferry, or a shorter, cheaper hop from Pozzuoli |
Day 1: Pompeii, properly
Take the Circumvesuviana to Pompei Scavi-Villa dei Misteri, roughly 30-40 minutes from Naples. Standard entry is EUR 20, and EU citizens 18-25 pay a reduced EUR 2. Budget 2-4 hours minimum, and buy only through the official VivaTicket channel.
Day 2: Herculaneum, then the volcano
Ercolano Scavi is one stop further, about 20-25 minutes out. Herculaneum’s EUR 16 entry buys a smaller, mud-preserved site, and a half-day covers it. The connecting shuttle bus reaches the Vesuvius crater trail, a nominative, timed, online-only ticket at EUR 10 full or EUR 8 reduced.
Day 3: Capri, the island day
Ferries from Molo Beverello run roughly 45 minutes to just over an hour, around EUR 20-25 one-way. The Blue Grotto is a separate cash-only EUR 18 add-on that closes without warning in rough seas.
Day 4: Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast
Sorrento is about an hour out by Circumvesuviana or Campania Express. SITA bus tickets onward sell only at a tabaccheria, never on board, and summer departures fill by mid-morning.
Day 5: Paestum’s temples
A direct regional train from Napoli Centrale, about 1h15, reaches Paestum’s Porta Sirena gate right at the station. Entry is EUR 15 March-November, EUR 10 in winter.
Day 6: Procida, the island Naples-based visitors skip
Ferries to Procida leave from Molo Beverello, roughly 40-60 minutes, for around EUR 19-22, or a shorter, cheaper crossing from Pozzuoli, roughly EUR 9-16 depending on operator. Procida is small enough to walk in a single day, colorful in the way postcard photos of the Amalfi Coast promise and rarely deliver once you’re standing in the crowd, and it draws a fraction of Capri’s boat traffic.
Why add Procida on a six-day trip if Capri already covers the island day? Because it’s a genuinely different experience, not a repeat: Procida is smaller, quieter, and walkable start to finish, where Capri leans into boutique shopping and the Blue Grotto queue. Doing both on one trip shows the real range of what a Naples-based island day can be, from the classic version to the version almost nobody bothers with.
Is Procida better for a first Naples trip or a repeat one? Either works, but it earns its keep most on a repeat trip, once Capri’s already been done and the appeal of quiet, colorful, and uncrowded starts to outweigh the appeal of famous.
Book the Procida ferry a day ahead once June arrives; the smaller boats to the smaller island sell out just as fast as the Capri run once summer schedules kick in, and the schedule thins out further outside peak season.