Naples is the most underrated city in Italy. Visitors use it as a base for Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast, spending 1 night and 0 days actually IN Naples. This is a mistake. The city itself — Spaccanapoli's chaos, the MANN archaeological museum (one of the greatest in the world), Caravaggio in churches you enter for free, the street food that makes every other Italian city jealous, and the particular energy of 1 million people living intensely in the shadow of an active volcano — deserves at minimum 2 full days. Add Pompeii (half day), Amalfi Coast (full day), or Capri (full day) and you need 3-4 days total.
Plan my Naples trip →Day 1 — Centro Storico + food: Spaccanapoli walk (the straight Roman street bisecting the old town — churches, palazzi, shrines). Via dei Tribunali (pizza at Sorbillo or Di Matteo). MANN archaeological museum (the Pompeii mosaics, the Farnese collection, the Secret Cabinet of erotic art — one of the world's great museums, €15). Via San Gregorio Armeno (the nativity scene artisan street). Cappella Sansevero (the Veiled Christ — the most extraordinary sculpture in Italy, €9, book at museosansevero.it). Evening: pizza dinner at Da Michele or Starita. Day 2 — Waterfront + underground: Castel dell'Ovo (waterfront castle, free). Lungomare walk (Vesuvius views). Napoli Sotterranea (underground tunnels — Greek-Roman city beneath the surface, €12). Certosa di San Martino (hilltop monastery, panoramic terrace, art museum — €6). Evening: street food walking tour through Pignasecca market area.
Days 1-2: As above. Day 3 — Pompeii: Circumvesuviana train to Pompei Scavi (40min, €3.90). 3-4 hours at the site (Forum, Thermopolium, Lupanare, Villa dei Misteri, plaster casts). €18 entry. Return to Naples by 3pm. Final pizza + sfogliatella. Alternative: Herculaneum (Ercolano, 20min by Circumvesuviana) — smaller than Pompeii but BETTER preserved (wooden structures, multi-story buildings, original colors visible). €13. Less crowded. Or combine: Herculaneum (2h) + Vesuvius crater (shuttle bus from Ercolano, 1h hike to rim, €10) = the volcano + the city it destroyed in one day.
Days 1-3: As above. Day 4 — Option A: Amalfi Coast: Ferry from Naples Beverello to Positano (1h, €18) or Amalfi (1.5h, €14). Spend the day swimming + village-walking. Return ferry by 5pm. Option B: Capri: Hydrofoil from Naples Beverello (50min, €22-25). Blue Grotto (if open, €19 total), Capri town piazzetta, Giardini di Augusto, lunch with a view. Return by 5pm. Option C: Procida (ferry 40min, €15 — the colorful island from the film Il Postino, smaller and more authentic than Capri, and 1/10th the cost).
2 days: Naples city only — the MANN, the centro storico, the food. 3 days: Add Pompeii or Herculaneum (+Vesuvius). 4 days: Add Amalfi Coast, Capri, or Procida. 5+ days: Do it all — Naples 2 days + Pompeii 1 day + Amalfi/Capri 1 day + Procida or Caserta (the Reggia — the Italian Versailles, 40min by train) 1 day. Where to stay → · Street food tour →