Naples - Enough Time For...

You absolutely will not regret taking a day for that tour. I highly recommend the Amalfi Coast from Naples, and Ravello is my favorite spot.

We really enjoyed Naples. It is "edgy" in the best ways. The veiled Christ is really incredible. We also liked the archeology museum especially in combination with Herculaneum and Pompeii. I really don't know what to advise. I think you are a little short on time for Naples, itself. However, we did enjoy the Royal Palace of Caserta, and we do like the Amalfi Coast. Ravello is spectacular, and we saw it in the rain!

Perhaps you can do Amalfi Coast on a future trip when you have more time??

You don’t mention the month, which could really affect what I would want to do. A hot summer day with a lot of moving from place to place? No! But there are also islands you can go to. Or Caserta as you identified.

Alas, Mid-May is just about high season, today. And we desperately needed our air-conditioning in the last week of May, ten years ago. Do you know Pompeii has an air conditioned glorified cafeteria inside-no exit and re-entry to the ancient site with same-day ticket. Direct access from gritty Circumvesuviana train stop, a commuter train not run by Trenitalia. If you have time for the long walk, and if it is open, the Villa of the Mysteries is the peak attraction in huge Pompeii for me.

Just FYI, expect to wait an hour for a seat at lunch for a Naples pizzeria. Worth the wait!

Positano was a must-see for me, but I was quite disappointed. I think you should consider that all-day tour, because everyone back home will ask you about one or two of those towns. Including Ravello is essential. Check if there is time to see (ticketed) the inside of the big Villa/Garden up there. I personally would not go back to the AC, for beaches or for anything else. The USA coasts have better beaches than the AC, and of course so does the Caribbean. Getting around the AC by public transportation is a chore and a half, so a tour is a great idea. We hired a car and driver for 8 hours, from our five nights in purpose-built resort town Sorrento-Which is on a cliff and has no real beaches. Note that a driver is not a certificated "guide."

I haven't been to Caserta, but I suspect it rates as highly (UNESCO WHS) as the all day AC tour. So I can't tell you how to decide.

Don't overlook the important Farnese Marbles in the Archaeology Museum.

(2019 discussion)
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/surviving-naples

The Capella San Severo (The Veiled Christ) is very close to the archaeological museum. You might want to see those two the same day.

There is a great deal to see in Naples. Rick's top sightseeing suggestions for the city are here: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/italy/naples

I'd feel no need to go outside the city in the time you have, but either Caserta or the Amalfi/Sorrento trip would be a different experience. Just be aware of the amount of time you'll be devoting to transportation, especially for the latter trip.

Naples itself is quite hilly, so it's smart to make use of Google Maps for walking-time estimates. In some cases doing so will also avoid pretty severe navigational errors. I once headed off to a church complex, utterly confident in my ability to find my way with one eye on the street in front of me and another on my smartphone. All was fine until I came to an intersection where I needed to turn right. The street I wanted to turn on was on a completely different level, way up in the air. Sometimes you can find a lift/elevator in that sort of situation, but sometimes I ended up having to backtrack. Google would have given me a sane walking route.

We travel to Naples every year and always find new things to do and see.

Are you really planning to visit Pompeii and the Archaeological Museum in the same day?

Have you considered taking the ferry to Ischia? You could explore some of the towns, spend some time on the beach, maybe go to a thermal spa, visit the Castello Arogonese. We are spending 4 nights there in June, so I can’t speak from speak from experience….yet. My understanding is that it is all accessible by bus once you are on the island / or taxi. It might be a way to unwind from Naples and your other tours. There’s also Procida, a smaller island than Ischia that is closer to Naples. That might be an easy day of exploring as well. We plan to go there one morning, and stay until we are ready to leave!

I will say that a whole day tromping around Pompeii followed by 3 hours walking mourn the Archeological Museum seems like a lot. Maybe do that the day before.

I agree with Chris, split Pompeii and the Archeological Museum for different days. It would be a race to see both the same day.

Positano, Amalfi & Ravello are all great but to visit them in a day trip where maybe you have 3 or 4 hours between them is not worth it. Leave the Amalfi Coast for another trip.

There’s lots of great attractions in Naples.

Getting pizza in Naples is not hard as painted above, Pizzeria Imperatore 1906 was my favorite, went twice, don’t remember waiting much if at all.

You have 4 nights and about 3-1/2 days in Naples, so not very long. That’s just about what we had in 2024.

We went to the Archaeolgy Museum in Naples before Pompeii and I am glad we did it that way. It oriented us to what we would see, there and revealed some fine points that (1) we either would not see there (glassware and how sophisticated locks and keys were) or (2) we better appreciated because we were prepared (frescoes and plumbing). When we went two years ago, we found the RS Audio Guide to be useful. You can download it onto your smart phone in advance.

In the city, we also enjoyed passeggiata along the SpaccaNapoli multiple eves, Via Toledo (once), and we visited the Duomo and its Treasury, all of which were great. Other church visits included Gesu Nuovo, but we missed Capella Sansevero since we didn’t realize what its hours were. You already have your tickets to go there. 👍 We also enjoyed Palazzo Reale and the museum, there (near the port). Our one disappointment was Museo Capodimonte, in part because its Caravaggio (Flagellation of Christ) was out on loan.

Our relaxed day trip to Ischia was a highlight of our 30 days in southern Italy. Tutta Bella! High speed boat across the bay. We had a very relaxed 6 hour day on the island. My wife did not feel like taking a bus to a spa, so we simply walked through the towns of Ischia Porta and Ischia Ponte, had a lovely lunch, enjoyed the beach and shops and wandered across the Ponte Aragonese, but not up to the Castello.

We got wonderful ideas for what to see in and around Naples from Acraven and others. See https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/naples-and-environs-suggestions-per-favore. You may well find the responses there to be helpful for your planning.

Thank you to everyone who has replied to this so far! The insight and ideas are so helpful! I hadn't considered how heavy the day may be to combine the museum and Pompeii, so I'll shift my plans around accordingly. I may move the museum to the day before so I can split the experiences and have the information from the museum behind my visit, as suggested. And in doing so I can do both the Capella Sansevero and the museum that same day. :)

I hadn't thought of Ischia (or Procida) either, but that actually sounds like a really good idea. Especially as a more flexible option rather than a group tour to 3/4 locations in a day that Saturday. I'm definitely beginning to lean further away from that idea, now.

As a big church-tourist (haha) - I also especially appreciate the list of ones visited as well. And the pizzeria! I find my list for Naples expanding and I'm excited!

I agree that 6 hours at Pompeii plus the museum is more than you will likely squeeze into a day. Pompeii is huge and we spent 11 hours there over 2 days. I'd also recommend this for of Naples. https://www.sharedtours.com/, select the Naples walk after clicking on the link. It was outstanding.