3 Nights In Naples - June 4, 5, 6

Pompeii+Herculaneum in the same day will be a bit of a blur IMO, so I would choose one. I personally prefer Herculaneum: smaller, fewer crowds, easier to "take it all in". Unless you must go to Mount Vesuvius (I never felt the need to), you can go on your own by train.

I would also make sure to leave some time to visit Naples itself, if only for the Archeological Museum. With that in mind, I would much rather visit Capri than the Amalfi coast, because it is quicker. You do not need a tour for Capri.

Many people do these outings independently, but it's up to you. Note that Capri is a VAST, pedestrianized, hilly place. That doesn't argue for or against a tour. Month of year? Sun and heat can be brutal in this area.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/herculaneum-and-pompeii-questions

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/pompeii-and-vesuvius-69e8366c-1e75-4a14-a0bc-0677269492d1

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/surviving-naples

Edited my post to include the dates we will be in Naples. We are arriving hopefully by noon on June 4 and we fly out on June 7.
Thanks again!

You mean June 7 for the flight out, right? Otherwise that's only two nights.

Do you have a safe schedule to get the flight hone?

We are arriving hopefully by noon on June 4 and we fly out on June 6.

That is one full day, and your Pompeii+ excursion will fill that day (the 5th). What time are you departing on the 6th?
Maybe you can get Capri the day you arrive (and get back)--ferry schedule: https://www.capri.net/en/ferry-schedule
Or, you can go to Pompeii or Herculaneum the day you arrive, go to Capri on the full day. No need for a tour for either (you can get a guide on site at Pompeii). I did not feel the need to see Mt Vesuvius up close, as you can see it from everywhere, but up to you!
Even if you depart late on the 6th, I'd be reluctant to go to an island or a long day trip to the coast because of the pressure of traffic when needing to get to the airport.
I'd save some time for Naples--there is a ton to see there.

We are arriving hopefully by noon on June 4 and we fly out on June 6,

As above, that's only 2 nights and 1.5 days. It's even less if your flight is out of Rome on the 6th (what time?) as most of us recommend staying IN Rome the night before an international flight in case of a transport snag: closer is better than further away.

You may want to allow a day in Naples. It is an absolutely fascinating city and good contrast to the others you will visit on your tour.

We spent 3-6 June 2022 in Naples. We flew from Palermo the morning of the 3rd, took the shuttle bus from the airport to the central train station and met our daughter who had already checked into our hotel a block from the train station. We explored the city on Friday. We bought the Campagnia 3 day pass that included transport on the circumvesuvia (SP?) and went to Herculaneum on Saturday. It was a good day, manageable but very hot so we were happy to spend a few hours there then get back to Naples by mid afternoon. Not realizing that Sunday was free for the achaeological museum, we planned to use the 2nd admission from the pass for admission, turned out we didn't need it and so the pass was probably not worth it, but that's ok. We checked out of our hotel on Monday and chose to take the slower train to Rome Termini so that we arrived in time to check in to our hotel very close to Termini. We had time for dinner, evening stroll, and a little shopping. The next morning 7 June, we took the Leonardo Express to the airport for our midday flight back to the US (Newark).
So, basically it sounds like your timing is fairly similar to ours. Here's a couple of things that I learned:

• There's a national holiday the first week in June, we were shocked at how expensive the hotel rates were in Naples, and it seemed to be that weekend in particular. We were trying to stay very close to the train station for convenience.
• It was hot and sticky in the city. Not unbearable but hot enough that we couldn't push it in terms of fitting in a lot. We did walk around the central area quite a bit and that was ok, but I don't think we could have handled both Pompeii an d Herculaneum in the same day.
• Remember that national museums are free the first Sunday of the month. That means stay away from the more crowded sites. The archaeological museum was very interesting and not terribly crowded but they don't use AC so it was a bit stuffy.
• We did make reservations for one dinner and ate on the early side for places that we walked up to.

I hope this helps, have a great trip.

We do have 3 nights, two full days, plus a half day the day we arrive.
We fly out from Naples on June 7 at 9:55 am. Sorry I had the date wrong on my earlier post.
Thank you to everyone who has replied!

It's my understanding that the free day for national museums is the first Sunday of the month only in the off-season now, so you you need to check the websites of the individual sights for current information at the time of your trip.

Good to know that you have more time than we thought! :O)

I think Pompeii, Herculaneum and Vesuvius is too much for one day, and personally wouldn't bother with Vesuvius. It probably made a bigger impression seeing it looming over the ruin of the city it buried than being on it.

You could arrive in Naples on Sunday, have your hotel hold your bags until check-in, and run off to Herculaneum. On Monday, do Pompeii in the morning and the Naples archeological museum (which is closed on Tuesdays) in the afternoon. You will have been to both excavations at that point so will have some context of where many of its treasures came from.

On Tuesday head off to Capri; get the earliest ferry out. No, you definitely do not need a tour to explore the island, although I strongly advise buying a map at a tourist info center or shop which looks to have them. Many 'streets' are narrow pedestrian lanes and weave all over the place, so they're fun. Heading AWAY from the main piazzas is also the best way to lose some of the high-season crowds. We're hearty walkers, enjoyed our trekking about, and can suggest these walks (ignore the touts for tours; you don't need 'em):

Villa Jovis: great views from the remains of an emperor's villa:
https://www.capri.com/en/e/the-villas-of-tiberius

Pizzolungo:
https://www.capri.com/en/e/pizzolungo-2

Not a walk but fun, the chairlift from Anacapri to the top of Mt. Solaro. You can hike down the mountain from there if you wish, or return the way you came.
https://www.capri.com/en/e/monte-solaro-high-drama

Good views from Gardens of Augustus, although this spot tends to get really crowded as it's one of the closer-in spots in Capri town.

https://www.capri.com/en/e/augustus-gardens-via-krupp

What I'd skip? The Blue Grotto. If there's a tourist trap on the island, that's the one. It's a real time eater for the very few minutes you're in the thing (if the seas are even calm enough to do it) and there have been lots of complaints about the boatmen hassling customers for tips. We skipped it and were never sorry we did.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g488299-d195537-Reviews-Blue_Grotto-Anacapri_Island_of_Capri_Province_of_Naples_Campania.html

Still have time? Stop into the town churches, if open, and generally wander about enjoying the flowers and scenery. Do some people-watching. Have a nice lunch or early dinner (the ferries do not run after dark). I would have a Plan B in case of rain; Capri is sunny-day destination!

Good advice above. I think the tour up Vesuvius is the thing that doesn’t quite “fit.” On a compressed itinerary it eats some prime hours with more exciting options out there imo. If you’re a history geek, I’m all for Pompeii and Herculaneum, even in the same day though you would have to manage it carefully. Pompeii will get hot and crowded, be sure to get there as early as possible and figure on spending a few hours there. You can’t see it all. Herculaneum is open quite late in season (until sunset I believe, which is pretty late in June.) So, you can totally see Pompeii in the morning, retreat to Naples for a long siesta/lunch and see Herculaneum late in the day.

Managing your sightseeing hours to keep you out of the midday heat will be essential I think.

The on-site museums at Pompeii, Herculaneum and Paestum may close earlier than the excavations. The Paestum museum closed at 4 PM last week.

Skip Capri--your time is too short. Be sure to see the Archaeological Museum in Naples--it has all the treasures discovered at Pompeii.