Six unhurried days on the Bay of Naples — ruins, an island, an espresso in Rome, and a volcano watching over all of it.
We stay in central Naples the whole time and let everything come to us — a 40-minute train to the ruins, a ferry across the water, a fast train to Rome. No packing and repacking.
Drop the bags and do nothing in particular. We wander Spaccanapoli, find the first proper pizza, and end up on the seafront as the light goes gold over Vesuvius. The whole point of day one is to have no plan.
Zero entry feesA whole Roman city stopped mid-sentence in AD 79. We arrive when the gates open — long before the tour buses — and walk the streets, the baths, the frescoed houses.
Your call on the day: roam with an audio guide, or have an archaeologist walk us through and make it speak.
Roam freeor GuidedA ferry across the bay, then — since the island bans cars — we see the best of it by boat: the Faraglioni rocks, sea caves, a swim stop if the water's willing. Afterwards, the little funicular up to the Piazzetta for a slow afternoon.
Boat around the isleSeventy minutes north by high-speed train. We pick one Rome rather than chase all of it — ancient (the Colosseum and the Forum) or the baroque heart (the Pantheon, Trevi, a piazza and a long lunch) — and ride home in the evening.
~1h10 each wayOne flexible day, three directions — a volcano, a deep dive into Naples, or the quiet island most people miss. Pick below.
See the three optionsA relaxed coffee in Chiaia, maybe the castle by the sea, then the airport — timed gently around the flights home.
No rushSame day, three completely different moods. We decide closer to the time — or on the morning, over breakfast.
Herculaneum first — smaller and far better preserved than Pompeii, with almost no crowds — then up Vesuvius itself to walk the crater rim, with the whole bay laid out below.
The Greco-Roman tunnels beneath the old town, the museum that holds Pompeii's real treasures, and a street-food crawl through the loudest, most alive part of the city.
The candy-coloured fishing island almost no one goes to — Italy's Capital of Culture, a short hop across the water, and the antidote to anywhere with a queue.
Capri keeps non-resident vehicles off the island through spring and summer, and there's nowhere to rent one anyway. So we lean into it — the best way to take in the cliffs and grottoes is from a boat, and the village itself is made for walking.
Naples · Pompeii · Capri · Rome · our chosen day · home. A bit of everything — ancient, coastal, urban, and a day out of region. The best all-rounder for a first trip down here.
Swap the Rome day for Paestum — three breathtaking Greek temples an hour south, almost to ourselves. More antiquity, less city-hopping, if ruins are what move us.
Mid-range, six days. Real numbers, room to flex up or down. Two of us travel from different airports, so flights differ.
| Where it goes | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Flights — HamburgDirect, ~2h25 (Eurowings) | €90 – 250 |
| Flights — SalzburgOne stop via Munich/Frankfurt/Vienna, ~3h30–4h | €130 – 350 |
| Stay — central Naples5 nights, split between two | €250 – 450 |
| PompeiiEntry, or a guided tour | €18 – 60 |
| CapriFerry return + boat tour | €105 – 125 |
| VesuviusEntry + shuttle up | ~€35 |
| RomeHigh-speed train, return, booked ahead | €20 – 40 |
| Naples sightsUnderground, museum & more | €30 – 45 |
| Food & coffeeNaples is gloriously cheap to eat in | €120 – 180 |
| Per person, all in | ≈ €600 – 1,000 |
Worth knowing. Flights for spring 2027 mostly aren't on sale yet — they open around 6–11 months ahead, so set a price alert and book when the window opens. Pompeii tickets are issued in your name (bring ID) and the official site releases them ~45 days out, while trusted resellers open ~6 months ahead. Book the Capri return ferry and the Vesuvius time-slot in advance. Prices shift with season, demand and how early we book.
Spring, a balcony over the bay, and nowhere we have to be.