Advise: First time in and around Naples

Bari seems to be an outlier on your list of potential destinations, especially if you’re planning r/t flights to and from Naples. I’d also probably save Florence for another time. There’s plenty to do and see if you remain on the west coast of Italy, in my opinion. Naples is a vibe and not everyone appreciates it, but I love the vibrancy, history and food there. Capri hasn’t interested me because it seems super busy, like the Amalfi coast, during the time of year I could travel while I was still teaching. Perhaps late May/early June will be less crowded.

I was just in this area last week. I can tell you that the crowds are already present in May.

I stayed at the Starhotels Terminus in Naples and I really enjoyed it for convenience. It was clean, located across from train and bus stations, and most of the day tour companies pick up right outside the hotel. The train station has a large food court and the breakfast buffet at the hotel is excellent.

I did a day tour of the Amalfi Coast and that was enough for me. It is overwhelmed with tourists and tourist shops. I liked seeing it, but I couldn’t imagine staying in that chaos. Others probably love it.

A day at Pompeii and Herculaneum was definitely a highlight for me.

Two things to consider.
1. It is an hour and 10 minutes from Naples to Rome by high speed train. Very easy to go from one to another.
2. Friends used to”Mondo Tours” to plan and make tour arrangements for this area and were quite pleased. They stayed in Sorrento and visited Capri, Pompeii, and the Amalfi Coast on day trips that they arranged for them.

If you haven’t done so, get a copy of one of Rick’s guide books, either Italy or the Naples and Amalfi Coast. Definitely leave Florence for another trip.

Have you looked at the flights to Naples? Are they direct or do they involve a stop somewhere in Europe? Compare travel time and cost with flying into Rome and taking the train.

Stay in Sorrento initially; you can ferry to Capri and other AC towns from there and get the local train to Pompeii. Consider a couple of nights in Salerno and visit the lovely ruins at Paestum, three nearly complete Greek temples and remains of the city. Search the Forum to read peoples’ experiences of driving the AC…..even as early as May it’s not recommended.

How are you planning to travel to Bari, train or car? If by car interesting stops are Matera (think about spending the night in one of the “cave” hotels) or Alberbello with its tulli houses.

If you want to stay in Naples, I’d suggest doing at the end of the trip, by then you will be acclimated to Italy and I think you will be more able to enjoy the intensity of Naples.

Just sawCarol’s post, lots of people on the Forum recommend Mondo Tours.

I think you have 10 nights? You could do Naples (3), Capri (2), Amalfi town (4) and the final night back in Naples. If the AC and Capri are a priority, stay there overnight. You have plenty of time. If you just have a passing interest in them, then day trips are fine.

With 10 nights you have no time for Puglia. If you have leftover time after Naples/Amalfi Coast, you could take a look at heading to Ischia.

I haven't been farther south than the Amalfi Coast but I've stayed for several nights each in Naples, Sorrento and Salerno.

My first thought is that Naples is absolutely the last place I would advise first-time visitors to Italy to begin a trip. It is a big city, traffic is crazy, many people find it gritty and somewhat unpleasant. It is, however, safe. The only danger - and I mean this seriously - is crossing streets.

Next is crowds. Paris is a very big metropolis and "absorbs" tourists well. I don't think your time frame is high season in Andalucia. It is close to very high season around the AC, where there are no big cities. The AC towns are really villages, so they are easily overwhelmed by tourists and there will be hundreds of them everywhere.

If Pompeii and the AC are must-sees for you, I suggest you spend that part of your trip in Salerno. It has a sandy beach (almost all the others are pebbly) and it's by far the largest. It's also the terminus for buses and many ferries to the AC for day tripping. You can get there by fast train from Naples in under an hour. It's about as easy to get to Pompeii from Salerno as from Naples. Then you can take a fast train north to Rome or Florence.

Sounds lovely, I also travel in late May and it’s a great time. I would also omit Bari, and I’m a broken record, but I find a combo of Naples, the Amalfi coast, and one of the islands a perfect combo for a trip of this length.
Southern Italy is still Italy, and it really does not matter where you go first, enjoy!

You need 4-5 days to do Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri and the Amalfi Coast. I would skip Bari, it is out of the way and takes up too much travel time.

You need 4-5 days just for Rome, which is amazing. Just St. Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel and the Coliseum/Forum will take two days.
Florence is Wonderfull and needs three days.

If you do Amalfi, skip Cinque Terre.