Naples & Amalfi Coast in 6 Days
This trip plunges you straight into the thick of southern Italy: narrow alleys, shaded squares, underground passages and, again and again, that light by the water. In Naples you are right in the middle of dense city life, between art, history and grand squares with sea views. Then Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast open up entirely different stages – wider, brighter, more dramatic.
What makes this route special is the shift in perspective. First you experience the force and depth of Naples, then the quiet presence of antiquity in Pompeii, and finally the steep coastal towns with their viewpoints, beaches and gardens.
Who is this trip for?
This trip is ideal for anyone who wants to experience cities, history and coastal landscapes intensely in a short time. If you like being on foot, switching between culture and views, and enjoy a lively travel pace, this route suits you very well.
What to expect
Expect plenty of walking, partly over cobblestones and steps, and in the coastal towns on some steeper stretches too. The mix is varied: two full city days, one concentrated day of antiquity, then coast, sea and panoramas at a somewhat calmer rhythm.
Day 1 · Naples, Metropolitan City of Naples, Italy
Naples between Art and Sea
Right from the start, Naples shows you its particular blend of precision and abundance: the day begins at the Sansevero Chapel Museum with stunning detail work and an almost silent concentration. Afterwards, the Galleria Umberto I feels like a brief, bright breath in the middle of the urban fabric, before Naples Underground takes you back below the surface. Later the city opens wide at the Piazza del Plebiscito, and down by the water the day finds a clear, salty finish towards Castel dell'Ovo.
- Sansevero Chapel Museum
- Galleria Umberto I
- Naples Underground
- Piazza del Plebiscito
- Castel dell'Ovo
© Berthold Werner · CC BY-SA 3.0
© PaestumPaestum · CC BY-SA 4.0Day 2 · Naples, Metropolitan City of Naples, Italy
Old Town, Treasures, Street Life
The second day dives deep into Naples' history: at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli you get the big framework for much of what you'll see later. On Via San Gregorio Armeno things get narrower, more artisanal and far more immediate, before the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta brings scale and calm back into the day. In between and afterwards, the Centro Storico and SpaccaNapoli simply carry you along – not as a backdrop, but as the living core of the city.
- Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli
- Via San Gregorio Armeno
- Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta
- Centro Storico
- SpaccaNapoli
© Armando Mancini · CC BY-SA 2.0Day 3 · Pompei
A Day in Pompeii
In Pompeii, history suddenly becomes spatial: at the Amphitheatre of Pompeii you already sense that no abstract excavation awaits here, but an entire city. That feeling continues through the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, street by street, courtyard by courtyard. The brothel of Pompeii, House of the Faun and the Forum Baths show very different sides of everyday life, before the Villa of the Mysteries closes the day with its famous rooms in especially striking fashion.
- Amphitheatre of Pompeii
- Archaeological Park of Pompeii
- The brothel of Pompeii
- House of the Faun
- Forum Baths
- Villa of the Mysteries
© No machine-readable author provided. Buckeye~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). · CC BY-SA 3.0
© Marco Ober · CC BY-SA 4.0
© NikonZ7II · CC BY-SA 4.0
© ElfQrin · CC BY-SA 4.0Day 4 · Positano, SA, Italy
Positano with a View
Today the landscape itself takes the lead: with Nino Aversa Sorrento Hiking (Path of the Gods & more) the day begins high above the coast, where rock, sky and sea keep shifting the perspective. Down in Positano, the Spiaggia di Positano Marina Grande feels like arriving – boats, waves and the house-covered slope at your back. The Church of Saint Mary of the Assumption gives the town its unmistakable silhouette, and between Fornillo Beach and Belvedere Positano you notice just how many angles this coastal village has.
- Nino Aversa Sorrento Hiking (Path of the Gods & more)
- Spiaggia di Positano Marina Grande
- Church of Saint Mary of the Assumption
- Roman Archeological Museum (Positano MAR)
- Fornillo Beach
- Belvedere Positano
Day 5 · Amalfi
Amalfi between Valley and Cathedral
Amalfi first shows its green, quieter side: in the Valle delle Ferriere you leave the coastal bustle behind for a surprisingly cool, water-rich landscape. The Paper Museum then picks up a tradition that is still tied to the town today. With the Paradise Cloister and the Cathedral of St Andrew Apostle, the day moves back into the historic centre, before you stand at the Marina Grande with the sea right in front of you once more.
- Valle delle Ferriere
- Paper Museum
- Paradise Cloister
- Cathedral of St Andrew Apostle
- Marina Grande
Day 6 · Amalfi
Ravello and Atrani
To finish, the coast becomes calmer and wider at once. Atrani feels almost like a counterpoint to the larger towns: narrower, quieter, nearly hidden. Then the view opens out over sea and cliffs at the Infinity Terrace and in the Villa Cimbrone, while Villa Rufolo and Ravello give the day an elegant, garden-filled, almost floating note.
- Atrani
- Infinity Terrace
- Villa Cimbrone
- Villa Rufolo
- Ravello
© Jensens · Public domain
© Istvánka · CC BY-SA 3.0
Free – swap sights, rearrange days, add hotels & restaurants.