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Family Trip to Naples and Amalfi Coast - October 2026

Posted by (Atlanta, GA, USA) on

Hi, while I eagerly wait for my Rick Steves book to arrive, I’d love to get initial thoughts on how to structure our first trip to Naples and the Amalfi Coast. I’ve seen many posts and articles about this, but every situation is different (time of year, arrival times, etc.).

About us: Family of four with teens 14 and 16. This will be our sixth trip to Europe and we love Italy most. Our kids are pretty typical—they sleep late, love good food and views, don’t love art museums or aimless wandering. We will budget appropriately—not splurge, but not skimp.

Interests so far: Pompeii and archeological museum, good pizza, Capri (for boat ride and views), a coastal hike or two, easy access to the water (not a beach trip per se, but it’s a bonus), and of course lazy views. I don’t think Paestum will make the cut, and Ischia sounds lovely but maybe for another trip?

Logistics: NAP arrival Sunday, October 11 at 7am; NAP departure Sunday, October 18 at 6am.

Given the very early flights, we'll head for the coast first and Naples second. And we do want to stay on the AC—not serial daytrips there. My initial thoughts / questions are about how and where to divide our time:

  1. Since Naples is a given (due to our flight home), Sorrento and Salerno makes less sense than normal.
  2. I’m thinking three nights in Naples and four in a single Amalfi Coast town, or ...
  3. Do half the AC portion in Capri and the other half in a town (but that means three bases).
  4. If we pick one AC base, Amalfi town seems best since it provides easy access, but …
  5. If we sleep in Capri, then maybe the AC town can be less convenient since the ferry terminal becomes less important?
  6. Capri or Pompeii en route to AC on arrival morning—terrible idea, right?

I’ll have more informed questions once I dig in, but early advice would be great as we hunt for accommodations. Thanks!

Posted by
6837 posts

I think you’re on the right track, and I’d definitely stick to two bases. I’d decide closer to the trip, as weather would dictate to me (early October being a relatively safe but you never know).

Posted by
8408 posts

We did Pompeii on our way from Rome to Sorrento. We took the fast train to Naples and then the Circumvesuviana to Pompeii Scavi. We stored our luggage and spent the day in Pompeii. It worked well for us.

If we go back to the area, we'd either stay in Amalfi Town or Salerno.

I'm not sure if you've booked your air, but with teens that don't love early morning, you could consider flying home from Rome. On our most recent trip to southern Italy, we flew into Naples and out of Rome.

Posted by
1415 posts

I agree with your overall plan and thought process. There’s little reason for you to spend nights outside of Naples and Amalfi Coast.

For me, Capri was just right as a day trip, avoiding Capri Town. I think your concerns about being “stuck” on Capri are valid. Poor weather or rougher seas are a possibility, but generally speaking anything requiring a ferry trip to sightsee is dicey imo. Just more complicated than I’d choose to take on.

If you want to get around on the coast, see some towns, Ravello, or reach a trail head, then yes Amalfi Town is the logical choice. Reading between the lines though, with the kids being kids a smaller town with a beach might be a better fit: Pirano, Maiori, Midori, etc. Amalfi Town was a bit touristy for me. I stayed in Atrani and loved it. It’s a short walk (with cars along the coast road) from Amalfi, so you get the convenience of Amalfi with a more local experience. They have their own sand beach and a bunch of restaurants.

Posted by
124 posts

Jules, my concern with attempting Pompeii (or Capri) after landing at NAP is that we'll be zombies. So, I thought it best to make our way straight to our AC base and at least drop luggage. (Since lodging is so expensive, I don't want to book the previous night.) But I do agree it would be a great way to fill all that time, under different circumstances.

Posted by
5891 posts

You could waste an entire day transiting between hotels so I certainly wouldn't add a 3rd location. Personally we enjoyed Capri far more than anything we saw in the Amalfi Coast. So much so that we have a plan for sometime in the future to spend multi days there.

Posted by
301 posts

You have to go to Herculaneum as well as Pompeii, at least in my humble opinion. Herculaneum is in many ways much more striking than Pompeii.

In terms of pizza in Naples, I really liked Starita, Diego Vitagliano, and 50 Kalò.

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