Naples 7-Day Itinerary: Pompeii, Capri and the Amalfi Coast

How should you spend 7 days in Naples?

Spend day 1 in the Centro Storico, day 2 at the National Archaeological Museum, day 3 at Pompeii and day 4 in royal Naples. Then take the ferry to Capri on day 5, reach the Amalfi Coast via Sorrento on day 6, and finish at Herculaneum or the Royal Palace of Caserta.

The Naples 3-day itinerary squeezes the old centre into one day and offers Pompeii or Herculaneum as an either-or. A week gives the MANN its own morning, keeps Pompeii and Herculaneum on separate days, and adds the island and the coast, with city days between the long trips.

Stay near Metro Line 1 and within reach of Piazza Garibaldi for the Circumvesuviana and Molo Beverello for the ferries; the Centro Storico or Toledo suit both. Where to stay in Naples compares the areas.

This is a desk-researched suggested route, checked on 16 October 2026 against the museums, the archaeological parks, ANM, the Capri tourist board, SITA Sud and the Royal Palace of Caserta. Pompeii’s own site was unreachable during our checks, so its rules come from archived 2026 copies of the park’s pages.

What does the 7-day Naples plan look like at a glance?

Four days stay in or near the city and three go further: Pompeii by Circumvesuviana, Capri by ferry and the Amalfi Coast by train or boat and bus. The table gives each day’s anchor, transport, bookings and closure trap. Start on a Wednesday or Thursday and every anchor is open.

Weekly closures set the order: Cappella Sansevero and the MANN close on Tuesdays, Palazzo Reale on Wednesdays, the Galleria Borbonica’s standard tour runs only Friday to Sunday, and the Royal Palace of Caserta closes on Tuesdays (Sansevero, MANN, Palazzo Reale, Galleria Borbonica, Caserta).

From a Wednesday start, day 4 falls on a Saturday, when both royal Naples anchors are open, and day 7 on a Tuesday, so choose Herculaneum rather than Caserta. From a Thursday start, every option works. Keep day 5 flexible: if the sea is rough, swap Capri with day 6 or 7.

What should you book before a week in Naples?

Book Cappella Sansevero first, because entry is by timed slot and tickets are released 60 days ahead. Then book the Galleria Borbonica tour and a named Pompeii ticket. Vesuvius crater tickets, if you add the volcano, are sold only online. Budget for Naples’s tourist tax, charged for up to 14 nights.

Cappella Sansevero opens 9:00–19:00 every day except Tuesday, with last entry 30 minutes before closing; a standard ticket costs €12, and an extra batch of tickets is released two days before each date (opening hours, access rules). The Galleria Borbonica’s standard tour costs €15 and leaves at 10:00, 12:00, 15:00 and 17:00 (Galleria Borbonica).

Every Pompeii ticket carries the holder’s name, under a daily cap of 20,000 visitors (Pompeii, archived), and the standard ticket has cost €20 since 12 January 2026, with under-18s free (Pompeii, archived). Vesuvius crater tickets are sold only online, in slots of 50 every ten minutes, released 30 days ahead (Vesuvius National Park).

Since 1 May 2026 the tourist tax has been €6 per person per night in four- and five-star hotels and short lets, €5.50 in three-star hotels and B&Bs, and €4 to €4.50 in one- and two-star hotels, for non-residents over 14 (Comune di Napoli). Two adults spending seven nights in a three-star hotel pay €77.

Days 1 and 2: how do you split the old centre and the MANN?

On day 1, take an early Sansevero slot, see the San Gennaro treasury and join a Napoli Sotterranea tour from Piazza San Gaetano. On day 2, give the National Archaeological Museum a full morning, then walk back through the old centre to Santa Chiara’s cloister. Neither day should fall on a Tuesday.

The Treasure of San Gennaro museum opens daily 9:30–18:00 for €15, and entry to the saint’s chapel in the cathedral is free (Tesoro di San Gennaro). Napoli Sotterranea’s underground tours leave on the hour from 10:00 to 18:00, in Italian and English, from Piazza San Gaetano 69 (Napoli Sotterranea).

The MANN opens 9:00–19:30, with the ticket office closing at 18:30, costs €20 and closes on Tuesdays; on the free first Sunday, its Egyptian collection, the Gabinetto Segreto and the Magna Graecia section stay shut. Santa Chiara’s cloister opens 9:30–17:00 from Monday to Saturday and 10:00–14:00 on Sundays, for €7 (Santa Chiara).

Religious dates change the feel of these streets. The blood of San Gennaro is venerated on 16 December, on the Saturday before the first Sunday in May and on 19 September (Cappella di San Gennaro), and in December Via San Gregorio Armeno, reserved for nativity-scene workshops, is the obvious evening walk (Comune di Napoli).

Day 3: how do you give Pompeii a full, unhurried day?

Take the Circumvesuviana Napoli–Sorrento line to Pompei Villa dei Misteri and be at the gate when it opens at 9:00. The park says a visit needs at least two to three hours, so a whole day lets you rest in shaded houses at midday instead of rushing back. Avoid free first Sundays.

Pompei Villa dei Misteri serves the Porta Marina and Piazza Esedra entrances; Pompei Santuario on the Napoli–Poggiomarino line serves Piazza Anfiteatro (how to get there, archived). The site covers 44 hectares and needs at least two to three hours (Pompeii FAQ, archived).

From 16 March to 14 October, morning entries from 9:00 to 13:00 are capped at 15,000 and afternoon entries from 13:00 to 17:30 at 5,000 (Pompeii, archived). From 1 November to 31 March, gates open at 9:00, last entry is at 15:30 and the site closes at 17:00 (winter hours, archived).

In heat, the park advises a hat, light clothing and regular drinking, with fountains on site and roofed houses such as the House of the Vettii for shade (heat advice, archived). On free first Sundays there is no booking and entry is through the turnstiles up to the daily cap (free days, archived). Weigh a guide with is a Pompeii day trip worth it?

Day 4: why is royal Naples the right slow day after Pompeii?

Because it is compact and mostly indoors. Visit Palazzo Reale from 9:00, cross Piazza del Plebiscito, take a booked Galleria Borbonica tour, then ride the Funicolare Centrale up to Vomero for the views and come down on the Chiaia funicular. Palazzo Reale closes on Wednesdays, and the tunnel tour runs Friday to Sunday.

Palazzo Reale’s royal apartment opens 9:00–20:00, last entry 19:00, for €15, with under-18s free (Palazzo Reale). Since 1 October 2026 the Hall of Mirrors, the Hall of Hercules and part of another room have been closed for restoration, and the route has changed (restoration notice).

The Funicolare Centrale climbs from Augusteo, off Via Toledo, every 10 minutes, and the Chiaia funicular runs between Via Cimarosa and Parco Margherita. The Montesanto funicular has been closed since 15 May 2026 for its overhaul, with a shuttle bus in its place (ANM).

End with the seafront walk from Santa Lucia. Castel dell’Ovo itself is closed until further notice for renovation (Comune di Napoli), but the promenade around it is open. For dinner ideas nearby, see Naples eats.

Day 5: how do you do Capri as a day trip from Naples?

Take a high-speed ferry from Molo Beverello or a Caremar boat from Calata Porta di Massa; Capri’s tourist board puts the hydrofoil at 40–50 minutes and the regular ferry at one to one and a half hours. Check the sea first, because the Blue Grotto closes in rough water and keeps short winter hours.

The Capri tourist board lists Snav, NLG and Gescab–Snav high-speed ferries from Molo Beverello and Caremar ferries and fast ferries from Calata Porta di Massa, with some sailings ending for the season on 31 October or 3 November. The Alibus from the airport reaches Molo Beverello in about 35 minutes, and the hydrofoil and ferry times come from its travel page.

The Blue Grotto is entered by rowing boat, up to four passengers each, lying flat through an entrance about a metre high. It costs €19, opens 8:30–18:00 from April to September, 8:30–16:00 on 1–15 October and 9:00–14:00 from 16 October to 31 March, and closes in rough seas and on 25 December and 1 January.

Its own FAQ gives different hours from the seasonal table, so ask at the Marina Grande or Piazzetta information points on the day. Weigh the island with is a Capri day trip worth it?, and keep this day movable in case of wind.

Day 6: how do you reach the Amalfi Coast without a car?

Ride the Circumvesuviana to Sorrento, or take Alilauro’s route from Molo Beverello, then use SITA Sud buses along the coast to Positano and Amalfi. SITA’s 24-hour COSTIERASITA ticket costs €10 and covers Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi, Ravello and Salerno. It is a long day, so start early.

The Circumvesuviana’s Napoli–Sorrento line is the same one that serves Pompeii and Herculaneum (Pompeii, archived), and Alilauro lists a Naples (Beverello) to Sorrento sea route. Check which one fits your timing, as sea services change by season.

SITA Sud says the COSTIERASITA ticket gives 24 hours of unlimited travel from first validation on its buses in towns including Sorrento, Positano, Praiano, Amalfi, Ravello, Maiori and Salerno. It is personal: write your name and date of birth on it, and validate it on the first ride. Sales points include SITA’s Salerno office and Unico Campania outlets.

A tour removes the timetable puzzle and is worth weighing for this day in particular; read is an Amalfi Coast tour worth it?. The FCDO warns of wildfire risk in the extended summer months and of strikes called at short notice, so keep day 7 as your buffer.

Day 7: Herculaneum, Vesuvius or the Royal Palace of Caserta?

Choose Herculaneum for a compact Roman town, far smaller than Pompeii, open daily from 8:30 and a six-minute walk from Ercolano Scavi. Add Vesuvius only with a crater ticket bought online. Choose Caserta for a Bourbon palace and park: trains arrive opposite the palace, but it closes on Tuesdays.

Herculaneum opens 8:30–19:30 from 16 March to 14 October and 8:30–17:00 from 15 October to 15 March, with last entry at 15:30 in winter, closes only on 25 December and costs €16 (Parco Archeologico di Ercolano). Its directions say to take the Circumvesuviana from Napoli Centrale to Ercolano Scavi (how to get there).

The Vesuvius crater path opens 9:00–15:00 in winter, to 16:00 in March and October, to 17:00 from April to June and in September, and to 18:00 in July and August, and closes automatically on orange weather alerts (Vesuvius National Park); it was shut from 8 to 10 October 2026 (closure notice).

The Royal Palace of Caserta closes on Tuesdays, 1 January and 25 December; in October its Royal Apartments open 8:30–19:15, last entry 18:15. Its access page says Caserta station faces the palace, reached by Italo or Trenitalia trains from Naples (Reggia di Caserta).

What swaps, safety rules and tours suit a Naples week?

Keep two flexible days, because the sea decides Capri and rain or strikes can disrupt the coast. Swap Capri for the MANN or Herculaneum when the sea is rough. The FCDO’s main warnings are petty theft at stations and attractions and regular tremors in the Phlegraean Fields. A Pompeii guide adds the most.

The Air Force’s normals for Naples airport give 136 mm of rain in October and 152 mm in November, and 15 to 18 days of 30 °C or more in July and August (WMO, Aeronautica Militare); summer 2026 was Italy’s hottest on record (Meteo Aeronautica Militare). Do the ruins at opening time in summer and keep museums for wet autumn afternoons.

The FCDO warns of bag-snatching and pickpocketing in city centres, at attractions and at main stations, and notes emergency planning for the Phlegraean Fields west of the city. Around town, Line 1 and the funiculars do most of the work (ANM Line 1), with a 90-minute ticket at €1.90 and a day ticket at €5.70 (Unico Campania).

Tours add most at Pompeii, where a guide turns 44 hectares into a story, and on the Amalfi Coast, where they remove bus changes. Check that entry tickets and time on site are stated, and compare platforms in GetYourGuide vs Viator vs Klook.