Sidetrips from Naples

Top day trips from Naples and other nearby sights in Campania

Naples is perhaps unique in Italy for being a major city that more people travel to in order to visit the surrounding sights than the city itself.

Not that Naples isn't a worthy destination in its own right, but it pales in comparison to the popularity of nearby sights like the ancient Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, buried by the wrath of Mt. Vesuvius in AD 79, or the resort towns lining the Amalfi Coast, the offshore vacation island of Capri.

Then there are the royal palace at Caserta, the Greek ruins at Paestum, and the weird volcanic landscapes and ancient sites of the Phlegrean Fields...

Best day trips from Naples - Around the Bay of Naples

The Forums at Pompeii*** Pompeii - The famous ancient Roman ghost town buried by Vesuvius in AD 79... Full story

Ercolano** Herculaneum - Another ancient Roman city buried by Pompeii, far less crowded (and in many ways more interesting) than its famous neighbor Pompeii... Full story

Vesuvio* Mt. Vesuvius - The big bad volcano that made this region famous when it blew its stack in AD 79 and buried several surrounding cities, preserving them intact for later generations to discover and excavate... Full story

Solfatara in the Campi FlegreiThe Phlegrean Fields - The area along the Bay of Naples where Sophia Loren was born, stretching north and west of the city, is a string of fishing towns, Greek oracle caves, lots of excellent Roman ruins (in Baia, Cuma, and Pozzuoli), and some odd volcanic phenomena (Solfatara and Pozzuoli)... Full story

Capri*** Capri - Capri is an island of seduction. It is four square miles of sharp lava blanketed with lush green foliage, white cube houses, and walls spilling over with bougainvillea. This Eden of oleander and jasmine is surrounded sparkling deep blue and green waters and eerily lit sea grottoes. Capri's sheer physical beauty and dreamy laid-back lifestyle has attracted sun-seekers for millennia, from Roman emperors to latter day hedonists... Full Story

South of Naples along the coast

Positano sulla Costiera Amalfitana*** The Amalfi Coast - I wouldn't do this fabled coastal string of fishing-villages-turned-resorts as a day trip. Better to spend a couple of days here—or at least one overnight—relaxing and enjoying the beach life of Positano, Amalfi, Ravello, or Sorrento after all those museums, churches, ruins, and art of Italy's big cities... Full story

Temple of Athena at Paestum** Paestum - Time (aided by centuries of malaria) forgot the crumbling ruins of this ancient Greek city founded in the 7th century BC. Then, in the 18th century, a road crew rediscovered a trio of remarkably well-preserved temples hidden among the weeds and poppies of Mozzarella country along Campania's southern Cliento coast.... Full Story

North of Naples and inland

The Palace of Caserta* The Reggia di Caserta - This sumptuous royal palace and ornate gardens are the Versailles of Italy, instantly recognizable to anyone who has seen it cast in recent films like Star Wars (Episodes I and II) as the royal palace on Naboo or—filling in for the Vatican both times—in Mission Impossible III and Angels & Demons... Full story

The amphitheater at Santa Maria Capua VetereCapua - At the edge of the little town of Santa Maria Capua Vetere in the Campanian interior lie the hulking remains of the largest amphitheater in Italy after Rome's Colosseum... Full Story

Guided tours

Rather than go it alone (for details on public transportation, see below), you might want to let a professional take care of the hassle and the logistics and sign up for a guided tour via our partners at Viator.com:

Tours to Pompeii & Vesuvius

Tours to the Amalfi Coast or Capri

Tours of Naples

Getting around the Bay of Naples on your own

Mt. Vesuvius and the ancient Roman cities it buried in AD 79 (most famously Pompeii and Herculaneum) lie on the southern curve of the Bay of Naples, south of the city. At the end of the bay is the resort city of Sorrento, gateway to the Amalfi Coast. The best way to get to them all is by using the private commuter rail line Circumvesuviana (tel. 081-772-2444, www.vesuviana.it).

It services Herculaneum (Ercolano-Scavi" in Italian; 17 min), Vesuvius (same stop), Pompei (36 min.), and Sorrento (60 min.), with trains roughly every 20 minutes.

tip
You will note a spelling variation in this section that is not a typo. "Pompeii" (with two "i"s) refers to the ancient city and archaeological site. "Pompei" (with one "i") is the official name of the modern town that surrounds the ancient site. Apparently, the second "i" got buried by Vesuvius along with everything else in AD 79.

Where to find the Circumvesuviana station in Naples

Follow signs for teh Circumvesuviana underneath Naples' train station
Follow signs for the "Circumvesuviana" regional commuter line, which runs underneath Naples' train station.Circumvesuviana trains leave from a special station underneath Naples' main "Stazione Centrale" train station on Piazza Garibaldi, though finding it is a bit tricky.

If you're arriving by train, head toward the station's main exit, but just before you get there, look to the left for stairs leading down.

(Already in Naples: when you arrive at the station—fist firmly clenched around your wallet, as this is Italy's pickpocket central—enter the main doors and walk toward the tracks, but look for the stairs down to the Circumvesuviana about halfway before you get there.)

Follow "Circumvesuviana" signs, but partway along the hall stop at the ticket windows on your left. Several different commuter lines use the same platform, so ask around to be sure the train is bound for Sorrento (or Ercolano, or Pompei, or wherever it is you are going) before stepping on board. (Over the years, I've probably stopped at least 50 fellow tourists from getting on the wrong train—and those were just the people standing next to me on the platform.)

I can't stress this enough: Beware of pickpockets every step of the way (the Naples train station is the black hole of Italian pickpockets, and they love to work the tourist-packed Circumvesuviana train cars as well).

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This material was last updated March 2011. All information was accurate at the time.

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