Naples to Venice

Hello mikhailamcdonald, and welcome to the forum,

Are you talking about June of this year? If you do not already have lodging booked on the Amalfi coast you need to find something now. You need to nail down your lodging and your agenda since June on the AC is not the time to start worrying about budgets since the area is very popular and, in high season, tends to be very expensive. Sorrento or Salerno offer access to the AC as well as Pompeii. Salerno offers ferry and bus access to the AC and train access to Pompeii and Naples. Sorrento offers train access to Pompeii, Herculaneum, ferry access to Capri and bus or driver access to the AC.

This is a good guide to where you can go in Tuscany with rail or rail + bus.
https://www.wanderingitaly.com/maps/images/tuscany-rail-map.png
Rural Tuscany generally requires a car since pubic transport does fit the tourist short timeframe of moving around. But many towns in Tuscany are accessible and tours offer access to smaller or more remote towns if that is your goal. With only a few days I wouldn't necessarily worry about driving and deep diving rural Tuscany but focus on a first visit to the area and seeing what appeals. Siena is popular choice - accessible by train or bus - and is a good jumping off point for tours and/or visiting other nearby towns.

Venice amazing so be sure to leave some nights/days there. But Venice airport is hard to fly out of early since the local infrastructure is based on water transportation and connecting flights are often very early. Venice is another place where you need to be booking lodging ASAP and exploring the transportation options to the airport if your flight is a very early one.

Good luck, you have a lot of planning and booking to get done quickly,
=Tod

This is what I would do for the Naples / Amalfi Coast part:

Naples - 2 nights. Get your bearings, eat pizzas and day trip to Pompeii

Amalfi (town) - 4 nights. Amalfi is the transportation hub of the Amalfi Coast, it’s easy and affordable to get around from Amalfi via bus or ferry to the other AC towns. Not sure why you’re looking at Minori, but staying in Minori will complicate your vacation transportation wise because ferries and buses are limited. From Amalfi you can easily visit Positano (ferry or bus) and Ravello (bus) and day trip to Capri (ferry). I guess you can day trip to Sorrento too, but people don’t generally go to Sorrento as a destination to visit, I wouldn’t do it.

From Amalfi, you can take the bus to Salerno and then take the train to Tuscany or rent a car.

Are you planing on spending time in Venice? I would split my time between there and the Naples-coast area. I think Tuscany is squeezing in too much. I think you are underestimating ravel times, especially with a group.
You can somewhat easily visit Pompeii from Minori (But would work better to see it on the way). There is not much point in going to Sorrento from Minori, it’s more of a base than a destination in itself. Capri takes longer from this area but it can be done.

The Chianti region is not a good choice unless you have a car. Almost all of rural Tuscany needs a car. Siena is OK without but getting there from Sorrento or Salerno will require several changes. Florence would be easiest.

I agree with valadelphia- you have 12 nights which is just 11 full days and you have a lot of travel time committed to get from AC to Venice- that's one day gone.
I would split AC time between Sorrento and Salerno. Unless you really want to stay in Naples- in that case I'd give Naples 2 nights. There's no need to stay just one night to get your bearings. There are direct buses from the airport to both Sorrento and Salerno.
I would start in Sorrento because it is easier to go north from Salerno- direct train to Venice.

Each location change eats up at least a half a day (AC to Venice is a full day)
A 3 night stay is just 2 full days in that location.

From Sorrento visit Pompeii, Capri. Day trip to Naples if you like. Sorrento is not a destination but a very good transportation hub. Evenings there are enough and each of your day trips will take better part of the day

From Salerno visit AC towns via ferry or bus, visit Paestum by train
Salerno is less expensive, not touristy, has a sandy beach, great restaurants, fun passegiatta, direct fast train access

Read thru this forum, do some searches- transportation is chaotic in the area, overcrowding everywhere is a real issue.

From Salerno take a direct fast train to Venice- 6-7 hours- take a picnic on the train.

From Venice you can day trip to Verona, Padua, Vicenza, Bassano del Grappa if you like.

Sorrento 4, Salerno 4, Venice 4
or
Naples 2, Sorrento 3, Salerno 3, Venice 4

Check out Row Venice- kids will love it.
https://rowvenice.org

What time is departure flight? Most flights that are not direct to US leave super early in the morning making transportation to VCE a challenge. If your flight is direct to US later morning- 11 or later- then you should be fine. Figure out your transportation to VCE ahead of time. There are lots of threads here discussing transportation options from Venice to VCE- use the search function.

You are a bit late planning so decide soon and get some accommodations booked.

hey hey mikhailamcdonald
welcome to the forum
i have the same question as hiredman, is this trip for june 2026? what time do you arrive in naples? check-in times are 3-4pm and check-out times are 10-11am, your arrival day will probably be "foggy" with real JETLAG!! there are 5 of you to think of your transportation, make sure you pack light and all can carry there own suitcases, especially carrying onto train & ferries, how crowded they are and seats available. it will be HOT HOT HOT traveling during high high season and crowds everywhere up the ying yang during summertime with the big & small cities you're planning plus the attractions, do you need reservations and book them early
you are late for reserving accomodations for 5, look for apartments/family rooms, may need 2 hotel rooms since some are maximum of 4 for safety/fire regulations, you need all the number of guest listed and not sneaking in, may be declined.
as hiredman mentions this is not the time to be worrying about budget for your group, may have slim pickens to none. look at booking.com, trivago.com. tripadvisor.com with filters on left side to click what you want & hope for. make sure A/C in every place you look at. plus it's cruising time and naples is a stop, look at cruisemapper.com, port, june 2026 to see how many ships in port. the more ships the more thousands of people within the city
many hoping to take a tour to amalfi coast, the road infrastucture is bad, trains are packed hoping you get onto one packed like sardines, grouchy/stinky/obnoxious people to deal with, or hire a private $$$ driver. why are you wanting minori which costs you more in transportation with 5 of you. stay in naples or a town near transportation taking day trips. it's your vacation, just be prepared.
you could look further north above naples for beach & relaxing places. if you are planning at all to rents a car, all drivers will need and IDP (aaa.com/IDP), mandatory in italy, before you leave the states. read rules/laws/ZTL's/parking is a PITA.
tuscany is an area of florence, another crazy/busy/hot/crowded area. your decision
venice will be another crowded place, book accomodations ASAP like yesterday. across to the lido at the end of santa maria elisabetta is a beach for the kids. also if departing from venice (VCE) make sure of departure time. many flights are usually 6am, taking a private water taxi $$, reserved taxi for 2-3 hours ahead of flight. make sure you are very sure of your accomodations and transportation of everywhere you are at. get it all done before you leave, you'll be happy with all your research, no last minute!!! it will drive you bananas. your days are short with lots of travel time wasting half day or more, plus tired/grumpy kids, "are we there yet??" good luck, have fun, enjoy
aloha

12 nights total.
4 or 5 nights: Naples/Amalfi coast area (Sorrento or Salerno are convenient if using only public transport)
4 or 5 nights: Tuscany (Florence or maybe Siena if no rental car)
3 Venice

Without a car you should base at the aforementioned locations and take day trips by bus or train. With a car you can stay in more rural or small town locations. Just be aware that a car is a hassle on the Amalfi Coast, in Florence, and of course in Venice.

Number of days in a place = number of nights in that place minus one
so 3 nights in one place means 2 days in that place.

It’s very hot in Italy at then end of June. So be prepared.