Best Day Trips from Naples 

BySamantha King Published: Updated:
beautiful view of the Bay of Naples from the cable car of Monte Faito

Naples is the third-biggest city in Italy. Located on the western coast, it is braiding modern urban structures with historical sites and spectacular cultural landmarks.

Institutions like Naples National Archaeological Museum filled with ancient artefacts, attract curious visitors from around the world, and everyone who wants to explore an underground kingdom of ancient passageways and winding corridors should pay a visit to San Gennaro Catacombs.

Naples is also home to Mount Vesuvius. You can explore it on a day tour from Naples, and if you are looking for more interesting spots to visit, read through our guide to the best Naples day trips! Our suggestions include everything from organized day trips to ferry tours from Naples’ Molo Beverello – find an excursion that suits you!

Plan your trip?

Avoid hidden fees in the exchange rate while withdrawing from millions of ATMs abroad, paying in restaurants and shops, and buying your accommodation and flights using the Wise Card. You can hold up to 40+ currencies at once to spend in in over 150 countries, and convert them in real time with the free Wise app.

Need help planning your trip from start to finish? Check out these helpful links:

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy. You can also read our content/editorial policy here.

Day trip from Naples to the Amalfi Coast 

We highly recommend day trips from Naples to Amalfi Coast, famous for its small, charming villages. Make sure to visit the towns of Praiano, Positano and Amalfi where you can walk down winding alleyways enjoying the sights of the unique local architecture and shop local souvenirs.

To get the best views of the pastel-coloured houses of Positano, try viewing the city from… the sea! Especially travelling photographers, who want to bring home beautiful pictures of the Amalfi Coast, would want to photograph the oceanfront buildings with the mountainous backdrop.

Treat your Amalfi Coast tour as an opportunity to relax as well. Sit back, enjoy a coffee or a glass of locally made limoncello. For lunch or dinner make sure to visit one of the local seafood restaurants! If you are seeking more gourmet-thrills, taste some of the regionally made cheeses.

Add some beach-fun to your Amalfi Coast tour too! You will find the best beaches in the two neighbouring towns of Maiori and Minori, conveniently surrounded by cafés and shops – easy to buy refreshments at any time.

You can reach the Amalfi Coast with public transportation, however, the Amalfi Coast bus tours from Naples start in Salerno. First, jump on a train to Salerno (approx. 40 minutes), then change to the SITA bus to reach the Amalfi Coast. It will be a scenic drive!

Day trip from Naples to the Amalfi Coast 

Read more: Where to stay in the Amalfi Coast
Landscape with Atrani town at famous amalfi coast, Italy

Day trip from Naples to Capri Island

Day trips from Naples to Capri Island are one of our top picks! Capri Island is easily accessible with ferries departing from Naples’ Molo Beverello and the isle is attracting tourists with its natural beauty, exquisite cuisine and countless shopping opportunities.

Stop by “The Piazetta”, Capri’s main square. Throughout the day the clock tower chimes every 15 minutes, but you will probably not notice the passing time, as you sip your forenoon cappuccino or enjoy a late-night “digestivo”.

Explore Capri Island beyond Capri town! The town of Anacapri is only a short bus or taxi ride away, but it offers visitors a much different experience. The little city is more low-key and residential. Head to Anacapri’s Piazza Vittoria to jump on the chairlift to the top of Monte Solaro.

Capri Island is also a great destination for active day trips! The island offers many wild hiking trails. Explore the winding paths and prepare for magnificent sights of the sea and the Faraglioni (a grand rock formation that consists of 3 independent limestone stacks).

When on Capri Island, make sure you treat yourself with a Caprese salad! With only three ingredients: ripe tomatoes, soft mozzarella cheese and fragrant basil leaves (then abundantly seasoned with some exquisite Italian olive oil), the salad proves that genius lies in simplicity!

Day trip from Naples to Capri Island

Capri, Italy- Busy beach with boats docked and people walking in the island of Capri , Italy

Day trip from Naples to Blue Grotto

Some tours to the Capri Island include Blue Grotto (in Italian referred to as Grotta Azzurra), as the cave is probably the best-known attraction on the island. We like to list excursions to Blue Grotto as separate day trips since you can easily book organized Blue Grotto tours, that depart not only from Naples but also Sorrento.

Visits to Grotta Azzurra can also easily be added to day trips from Naples to Amalfi Coast. Also, due to the popularity of the Blue Cave, there can be long waiting times (passengers visiting with private boat tours can expect to be given precedence).

If you keep your Capri Island day tour and Blue Grotto explorations as two separate day trips, you will have more time (and energy) to enjoy both sites.

To enter Grotta Azzurra, visitors must onboard a small rowboat that will sail into the cave through a narrow opening. Inside the cave, you can marvel at the glowing turquoise light; the blueish gleam is what gave the cave its name!

Tickets to the cave are purchased from the floating ticket office at the cave entrance. Usually, the fee is included in the boat tour, but make sure to double-check to avoid any unpleasant surprises. Also, note that the Blue Grotto is only open under favourable weather conditions! 

Day trip from Naples to Blue Grotto

BISEVO ISLAND, CROATIA Blue Cave carved in the limestone by the Adriatic Sea, tourists sailing by boat to the grotto

Day trip from Naples to Mount Vesuvius

Mount Vesuvius is located less than 10 kilometres from Naples city. Known as one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world, visitors should prepare for more than just seeing a crater. Since 1995, Mount Vesuvius and its grounds have been an official national park.

Get ready to wander; explore the 9 hiking trails (trail no. 5 is the most popular among tourists – it is easily accessible from the car park and winds up to the cone of the crater). 

You will wander around a moon-like landscape; there will not be any bubbling lava lakes around, but you will see volcanic gases steaming up from cracks in the ground and in-between the rocks. Unless you end up climbing the volcano on a very gloomy day, you can expect scenic views from your hike. Prepare for great sights of Naples Bay; photography enthusiasts should remember to take their cameras!

Day trips from Naples to Mount Vesuvius are among the active day tours; some walking (uphill!) involved! That said, Mount Vesuvius welcomes visitors of all ages and fitness levels so do not let the hike intimidate you. 

In Naples, you will easily find buses that go directly to Mount Vesuvius car park. Otherwise, jump on the Circumvesuviana train to either Ercolano Scavi Station or Pompeii and take a bus to Mount Vesuvius from there.

Day trip from Naples to Mount Vesuvius

Read more: Where to stay in Naples
Napoli or Naples and mount Vesuvius in the background at sunset in a summer day

Day trip from Naples to Sorrento & Pompeii 

Explore the archaeological digs of Pompeii! Learn about the once-thriving, Roman city, ruins of which are now an official UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can expect to see well-preserved fossils as well as human plaster imprints of people buried under lava and volcanic ashes.

When touring around the ruins, your guide will tell you stories and historical facts about daily life in Pompeii before the tragic volcanic eruption.

As you walk around you can try to imagine the narrow streets bustling with Pompeiians and buildings housing eateries, shops and even brothels!

We recommend looking for Pompeii tours from Naples that include a visit to Sorrento (when travelling on your own, take the Circumvesuviana train to Sorrento via Pompeii).

Explore Sorrento Old Town, where the Italian traditions are still alive! Breathe in the small-town urban bustle as you sit back and enjoy a glass of Limoncello (or buy a bottle as a gourmet souvenir for friends and family back home) and admire the sights of Sorrento’s pastel-hued houses.

Sorrento’s sunset is world-famous and a great place to admire it from, is the Bellevue Sirene Hotel. To stay there overnight might not fit every traveller’s budget, but the bar located on the large, shaded hotel terrace welcomes non-residents and offers stunning views over the Marina Grande.

Day trip from Naples to Sorrento & Pompeii 

POMPEII, ITALY- Ancient ruins in Pompeii, destroyed and buried under volcanic ash during eruption of Mount Vesuvius

Day trip from Naples to Ercolano (Herculaneum)

Just a few kilometres from Pompeii, you will find Ercolano, also known as “Herculaneum”. Sometimes described as “a smaller version of Pompeii”, Ercolano is also an ancient Roman city that was buried under lava and volcanic ashes after the tragic eruption of Mount Vesuvius Volcano in 79 CE.

Archaeological excavations have revealed sites and items of both Pompeii and Ercolano very well-preserved, however, the volcanic material in Ercolano carbonized, which helped preserve wooden objects like pieces of furniture or house roofs as well as other organic-based materials like food!

The first organized archaeological excavations in Ercolano took place in the early 18th century, but many private buildings and public areas including the city’s old forum complex, are yet to be excavated. If you visit Ercolano’s “Boat Houses”, you will get the chance to see ancient skeletal remains.

Compared to Pompeii, Herculaneum is a more compact site and is welcomes fewer visitors, which might be preferable for those who want to avoid crowds on their day trips. There are, however, many options for visiting both Pompeii and Ercolano in one day.

You can look into local public transportation (like the Circumvesuviana train that stops at both Ercolano Scavi Station and in Pompeii) and buy a combined ticket or you can look online for day trips from Naples to Pompeii and Ercolano.

Day trip from Naples to Ercolano (Herculaneum)

Herculaneum, ancient Roman town. View on archeological site, Ercolano, Italy

Wine tour from Naples 

The countryside around Naples is dominated by beautiful rolling hillsides and countless vineyards, which makes gastronomy and wine tasting tours popular day trips from Naples. There are several options for wine tours from Naples, you can even combine a gourmet wine tasting experience with a trip to Mount Vesuvius!

Whether you choose to combine the wine tasting with historical and cultural explorations of and around Naples, we highly recommend joining a wine tour, even if you are not a wine connoisseur.

You will learn about the large variety of Italian grapes and see with your own eyes how the wine is made in a traditional Italian way. Get a first-hand experience of how the grapes are cultivated and harvested, and learn more about the many steps of the journey from vineyard to bottle.

Your wine tasting will come accompanied by a traditional lunch, so prepare to spoil your taste buds with “primi” and “segundi” containing Italian delicacies like locally harvested olives, local cheeses and sun-dried vegetables.

You will also be offered to taste sweets and jams; the marmalades make great gourmet souvenirs, so buy some for friends and family back home.

If you just want to visit a winery, the tour will take max. 3 hours; wine tasting trips are among the short, but still highly recommended Naples day trips.

Wine tour from Naples 

Wine composition

Naples Street Food Tour 

The Italian food culture is like no other in the world, and for your Naples day trips, we highly suggest you join a guided tour to learn more about the Italian culinary traditions.

On a Street Food Tour around Naples, your guide will introduce you to some of the most popular Italian gourmet specials and show you some of the most prominent landmarks in Naples (like the Naples Music Academy, also known as “Conservatorio”) at the same time!

Some of the best eateries can be hard to find if you are not familiar with the city but led by a local guide, you can be sure to visit the best-hidden restaurants.

You will sample baccala and pizzas, try ragu and zucchini flowers, and the tour includes a Limoncello tasting as well!

To sweeten it up a bit, you will get the chance to taste local artisan-made gelato and nibble local sweet pastries like Sfogiatella (shell-shaped Italian pastry, in English also known as “Lobster Tail”) and Babá (small yeast cake, made with hard liquor, served dipped in syrup and with whipped cream).

The tour will conclude at Piazza Gesú Nuovo in the historic centre of Naples. There your guide will tell you more about Naples Centre, an official UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Naples Street Food Tour 

oven and pizza removed from the italian pizza maker with a special shovel

Naples Walking Tour, including Naples Royal Palace and Castel Nuovo

If you are looking for interesting day trips, you do not have to leave Naples. We recommend taking part in a walking tour around Naples which will allow you to come closer to some of the city’s most incredible and well-known historical and cultural landmarks like the Royal Palace of Naples and Castel Nuovo (one of the landmarks of Naples Historical Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Site).

Naples Royal Palace is also known as Palazzo Reale. The construction began in the 17th century, following a design by Renaissance architect Domenico Fontana.

The Royal Palace highlights include Ferdinando Fuga’s Court Theater, the Throne Room and the Royal Chapel. One of the reasons we recommend joining a tour rather than visiting the Royal Palace on your own is the long waiting times.

Join a curated tour, let your guide take care of the ticket pre-booking and enjoy the sights of the most prominent landmark in Naples’ centre.

During Naples walking tour you will also see Teatro di San Carlo, Europe’s oldest opera house as well as Galleria Umberto I, a grand shopping arcade that dates back to the 19th century.

At the end of the walking tour, you will arrive at Piazza San Gaetano where you can rest your legs at a local café and enjoy an afternoon cup of coffee with a piece of traditional Italian cake.

Naples Walking Tour, including Naples Royal Palace and Castel Nuovo

NAPLES, ITALY - The Castel Nuovo seat of the medieval kings of Naples.

Recommended Day Trips from Naples

If you’d like to save it for later, please save it to Pinterest.

Best Day Trips from Naples
Best Day Trips from Naples
Best Day Trips from Naples

Author

  • Samantha King

    Sam, a seasoned traveler across four continents and 49 countries, is a leading authority in travel planning. Her website, Travelling King, offers tailored itineraries and expert guides for seamless trips. Sam's expertise in luxury travel, fast travel, and destination guides keeps her at the forefront of the travel community.

    View all posts

Similar Posts