Land at Naples International Airport (NAP) and head straight into the historic center so you can drop your bags and start walking without losing the afternoon. The easiest city transfer is the Alibus shuttle from the airport to Piazza Garibaldi or Porto area, then a short taxi or metro hop into Centro Storico; budget about €5 on the shuttle and 45–60 minutes total depending on traffic. If you’re arriving with light luggage, a taxi can be quicker door-to-door, usually €20–30 into the center. Once you’re settled, go straight into Spaccanapoli — this is the Naples everyone imagines, narrow lanes, hanging laundry, tiny shrines, scooters weaving through, and church bells mixing with the smell of espresso and frying dough. Give yourself about an hour to just wander without trying to “see everything”; the charm is in the chaos.
From Spaccanapoli, continue on foot to the Duomo di San Gennaro on Via Duomo, which is only a few minutes away through the old streets. The cathedral is free to enter, though the Treasury Museum and San Gennaro Chapel can cost a modest fee if you want the full experience, and they’re well worth it for the gilded baroque detail. It’s usually open into the early evening, but hours can shift with services, so go a little before closing rather than banking on the last minute. This is a good place to slow the pace: the interior feels calm and almost formal compared with the street energy outside, and it’s one of the best first anchors for understanding how deeply religion and civic pride are woven into Naples.
For dinner, walk to Pizzeria Da Michele in Forcella for your first proper Neapolitan pizza. It’s simple, famous, and very much about the basics done right: expect a short queue, fast service, and classic choices like margherita and marinara for roughly €6–10 per pizza, with a full meal usually landing around €12–20 per person including drinks. If you still want a little more after that, swing by L’Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba in the center for a second, lighter stop — think a snack, a fried bite, or dessert if you’re not over the moon from pizza already. It’s one of those places that works best when you keep it casual and don’t rush; in Naples, food is part meal and part neighborhood ritual.
Finish the day with an easy stroll along Lungomare Caracciolo. From the city center, a quick taxi or metro to the waterfront saves time, and once you’re there, the walk is the point — wide promenade, Vesuvius across the bay, fishing boats, runners, couples, and locals lingering over gelato. This is especially good at sunset, when the light softens the whole bay and the city feels unexpectedly graceful. If you want one last drink, pick a café or bar near the promenade and linger a bit; Day 1 is best kept loose, with enough structure to land smoothly and enough breathing room to let Naples show you its rhythm.
Arrive in Sorrento with enough of the day left to actually enjoy it, not just drag your bags uphill and collapse. If you’ve got a room ready, drop your luggage first; if not, most hotels and even some cafés around Piazza Tasso will hold bags for a few hours. Give yourself a slow first hour in the town center: Piazza Tasso is the easiest place to get your bearings, with café tables, scooters buzzing by, and the little valley that cuts through the center. Grab an espresso or a quick cornetto at Bar Fauno or Il Marciano, then just watch the town wake up. From there, it’s a short walk into the old lanes toward Chiostro di San Francesco, one of Sorrento’s calmest corners and a nice reset after travel. The cloister is usually open during the day with a small or no entry fee depending on event access, and it only takes about 30–45 minutes to enjoy properly.
For lunch, settle into Ristorante O’Parrucchiano La Favorita, which is exactly the kind of grand, old-Sorrento lunch spot that works on a first day: shady garden, tiled tables, and enough history in the room that you feel like you’ve arrived on the coast for real. Expect mains in the roughly €25–45 per person range, depending on wine and seafood, and don’t rush it — this is a long, sit-down meal, not a quick refuel. If the weather is mild, ask for a table in the garden; it’s one of the prettiest lunch settings in town and a classic local recommendation for a reason.
After lunch, keep the pace gentle and head to Villa Comunale di Sorrento for the best easy view in town. It’s a small cliffside park, so you don’t need much time, but the panorama over the bay is exactly what you want after a meal: benches, shade, and that big sweep of water toward Mount Vesuvius on a clear day. From here, you can wander downhill at your own speed and take in the old-town backstreets without forcing a plan. This is the part of the day where Sorrento works best — half promenade, half maze of narrow lanes, with little ceramics shops, lemon products, and tiny delis tucked between apartments and churches.
End the day at Marina Grande, which feels like a different village entirely once the light softens. It’s an easy downhill walk from the center, though if you’re tired, a quick taxi back up later is worth it rather than huffing uphill after dinner. This is the place for a waterfront seafood dinner and a slow first evening by the water — think grilled fish, lemony pasta, and a bottle of local white while the boats bob in the harbor. Good options include Trattoria da Emilia and Ristorante Bagni Delfino if you want a more polished splurge, but even the simpler places around the marina have that relaxed fishing-village feel. Aim for a long dinner of about 1.5 hours, then stroll the waterfront before heading back to your base.
Start at Sorrento Marina Piccola ferry terminal and aim for one of the first boats to Capri if you can — early sailings are the difference between a relaxed island day and spending half of it in a queue. In high season, ferries typically begin running from around 7:00–8:00 AM, with the crossing taking roughly 25–30 minutes. Tickets are usually around €20–25 round-trip depending on the operator and seat class; book ahead if you’re traveling on a busy spring date, especially with NLG or Caremar, but in practice the main thing is showing up a little early and boarding calmly. Once you dock, walk or take the funicular up into Capri town and head straight to Piazzetta di Capri — this is the island’s living room, where people meet for coffee, gossip, and a little people-watching before the day gets polished and crowded.
From Piazzetta di Capri, make your way onto Via Camerelle, which is basically the island’s most elegant promenade. It’s an easy stroll, but don’t rush it: this is where you get the full Capri mood, with perfumeries, boutiques, and grand hotel façades tucked into the narrow lanes. If you want a quick coffee stop, this is a good area to duck into a café for an espresso at the bar rather than sit down and pay island terrace prices. Keep going to Giardini di Augusto before lunch — entry is usually only a few euros, and the views over the Faraglioni are exactly what people come here for. Give yourself time here to wander to the railings, look down at the bends of Via Krupp, and just pause; it’s one of those places that’s better when you don’t try to “do” it too fast.
For lunch, settle in at Da Paolino and let the island do the rest. It’s a classic Capri splurge, famous for the lemon grove setting and for feeling like a proper occasion without being stiff. Expect roughly 1.5 hours at the table and a bill around €45–80 per person depending on what you order and whether you have wine. Go a little hungry, because this is more of a leisurely lunch than a quick refuel, and reservations are very wise in spring and essential in summer. If you want the experience to stay pleasant, don’t linger too late: a lunch sitting that starts around 12:30–1:00 PM usually keeps the rest of the day smooth.
After lunch, head back down for the ferry to Sorrento once the biggest day-trippers have started to thin out; late afternoon boats are usually the least frantic, and the return crossing still takes about 25–30 minutes. Back in Sorrento Centro, end the day with Gelateria Davide — it’s the kind of stop that makes sense after a full island day, especially if you want something simple and good rather than another sit-down meal. Expect to spend about €5–10 per person if you’re doing gelato and maybe a drink nearby. If you still have energy, take a slow walk through the center before turning in, but don’t overplan it; this is a day that works best when you leave a little room for ferry timing, sunshine, and wandering.
Leave Sorrento early and aim to be in Positano before the village fully wakes up — that first light on the stacked houses is when the town looks its best. After you arrive, head straight down to Spiaggia Grande, the main beach and harbor, for the postcard view: colorful fishing boats, the domed skyline, and the cliffside hotels rising behind you. It’s busiest from late morning onward, so this is the sweet spot for photos and a quieter stroll along the waterfront.
From the beach, wander uphill through the compact center to the Church of Santa Maria Assunta, one of Positano’s most recognizable landmarks. It’s a quick stop — usually 20–30 minutes is enough — but worth it for the tiled dome and the black Madonna icon that locals are genuinely attached to. From here, the lanes around Via Cristoforo Colombo and the little stairways nearby are the nicest way to drift without a plan: boutiques, ceramics, lemon prints, and steps that keep revealing new sea views every few minutes.
For lunch, make it a proper sit-down at Le Sirenuse / La Sponda in Positano Centro if you want the classic elegant experience. This is one of those places where the terrace setting is part of the meal, so don’t rush it. Expect around €35–90 per person depending on whether you’re doing a light lunch, wine, or cocktails; lunch service is typically easiest to book around 12:30–2:00 PM. If you’re not doing a full meal, even stopping for a drink here still gives you that polished Positano atmosphere without overcommitting the afternoon.
After lunch, head up toward Nocelle and take a short stretch of the Sentiero degli Dei access from Nocelle side — you do not need to do the full hike to get the payoff. A 1.5–2 hour out-and-back segment is enough for the big Amalfi Coast drama: terraced hills, limestone cliffs, and views that make the climb worthwhile. Wear decent shoes; the path is uneven, sunny, and can feel hotter than it looks, especially if you start mid-afternoon. Finish back down by the water for an aperitivo at Covo Dei Saraceni on the terrace — a very good place to slow the day down with a spritz or a glass of white wine, usually around €18–30 per person. If you can, time it for golden hour: the sea gets softer, the crowds thin a little, and Positano feels exactly as cinematic as people promise.
Take the Positano to Amalfi leg early, while the light is still soft and the coast feels calm. If the ferry schedule lines up, that’s the nicest option: you get the full cliff-and-water reveal in about 25–40 minutes and avoid the stop-and-go road traffic. If ferries are sparse that morning, the SITA bus is the backup, usually 45–60 minutes but it can run longer if the road is busy. Either way, try to be in Amalfi before the main crush of day-trippers arrives, ideally by 9:30–10:00 AM, so you can do the town properly instead of just passing through it.
Once you’re in the center, go straight to Amalfi Cathedral (Duomo di Sant’Andrea). The staircase itself is part of the experience, and early morning is the best time to see it without a wall of people on the steps. Inside, it’s worth lingering for the mix of solemn church space and almost theatrical Amalfi grandeur; budget about 45 minutes. Right next door, slip into the Cloister of Paradise (Chiostro del Paradiso) for a quieter reset — the arcades and old columns are a lovely contrast to the noise of Piazza Duomo, and 30 minutes is plenty unless you’re in a lingering mood.
For a proper pause, stop at Pasticceria Pansa on Piazza Duomo. This is the classic “sit down, have an espresso, and watch the town move” moment; expect €8–15 per person depending on whether you keep it to coffee and pastries or add a tart or gelato. It’s a good place to take your time, especially around late morning into early afternoon when the cathedral area starts feeling busier. If you want to stretch your legs afterward, just browse the lanes around the piazza rather than trying to cram in too much — Amalfi is nicest when you let it breathe a little.
From Amalfi, head uphill to Ravello for a change of pace and a real view payoff. The bus is the easiest public option, but a taxi is worth considering if you want to save energy and keep the day relaxed; either way, give yourself a bit of buffer because mountain-road timing can be unpredictable. In Villa Rufolo, plan on 1 to 1.5 hours to wander the gardens, terraces, and lookout points properly. The whole place is about perspective — sea below, hills around, and that calmer Ravello atmosphere that feels a world away from the harbor bustle. If you arrive later in the afternoon, even better; the light gets softer and the crowds thin out.
Settle into Ristorante Vittoria for dinner and make it a slow one. The terrace views are the point here, so don’t rush it — this is a place for seafood, pasta, and a glass of local white while the day unwinds, and you should allow around 1.5 hours. Expect roughly €30–60 per person depending on how many courses you order. After dinner, if you still have energy, take one last short walk in Ravello before heading back down; it’s one of those evenings where the quieter hill town makes the whole coast feel bigger than it did in the morning.
Arrive in Amalfi and keep the first hour easy: drop your bags, take a slow pass through Porto di Amalfi, and let the town “load” around you before you start walking uphill and into the lanes. The harbor area is the best place to get your bearings — ferries, cafés, taxis, and the main pedestrian flow all radiate from here — and it’s especially pleasant before the day-trippers fill the waterfront. If you want a quick espresso stop, the kiosk side of the marina is fine; otherwise just keep moving and save your appetite for lunch.
From the harbor, head into the quieter back lanes toward Valle dei Mulini for Museo della Carta. It’s one of the most interesting small museums on the coast, set in a medieval paper mill, and it gives you a real sense of why Amalfi mattered long before it became a postcard stop. Plan around 45 minutes here; tickets are usually modest, and guided demos are the highlight, so if one is running, stick around for it.
Walk back down into the center and settle in at Trattoria da Gemma for lunch. This is the kind of dependable, old-school place locals still suggest when you want proper seafood, pasta, and a long table lunch without overthinking it. Expect roughly €25–45 per person depending on wine and extras, and allow about 90 minutes so you’re not rushing. If it’s busy, that’s normal — in Amalfi, a good lunch spot earns its crowd.
After lunch, make the short stroll to Arsenale della Repubblica. It’s compact, so this works beautifully as a post-lunch stop rather than a big standalone outing. The vaulted stone hall is a reminder of Amalfi’s maritime past, and it pairs nicely with the paper mill visit because you get both the trading-and-seafaring story in one day. Give it 30–45 minutes, then wander a little through the central streets nearby — this is the part of town where you can slow down, browse a gelato, or sit for a while without needing an agenda.
End the day at Lido Azzurro on the waterfront for dinner with harbor views and an easy, unhurried finish. Go a little before sunset if you can; the light on the water is the whole point here. Dinner typically lands around €35–70 per person depending on what you order, and reservations are smart, especially if you want a good terrace table. It’s the right kind of final stop in Amalfi: relaxed, coastal, and close enough to your base that you can stroll back without a plan afterward.
Start early and keep this one loose: Amalfi to Praiano by SITA bus or taxi is a short hop, but it’s worth leaving before the day gets warm and the buses get crowded. If you’re taking the SITA bus, plan on roughly 25–40 minutes depending on traffic and stops; a taxi is faster and much easier with bags or if you’re trying to save energy for the day, but it’ll cost a lot more. In practice, I’d aim to be in Praiano by around 9:00 AM so you can enjoy the coast while it’s still quiet.
Your first stop should be Marina di Praia, which is one of those places that still feels like a local secret even in season. It’s a tiny cove tucked under the cliffs, with fishing boats, clear water, and that dramatic rock-wall backdrop that makes the whole Amalfi Coast look exactly how people imagine it. Give yourself about 45 minutes here for photos, a coffee, or just sitting by the water before the village wakes up.
Then head uphill to the Church of San Gennaro, which is less about ticking off a landmark and more about enjoying the atmosphere around it. The tiled square out front is one of the nicest open spaces in Praiano, and because it sits higher up, the views back toward the sea are especially good in the late morning light. It’s a calm stop, usually free to enter when open, and you only need about 30 minutes unless you want to linger on the benches and watch daily life go by.
For lunch, settle into Kasai in the Praia cove area. It’s one of the easier places to turn into a proper long lunch without making the day feel rushed, and the setting is very much part of the experience — beachy, relaxed, and a little upscale without being stiff. Budget around €25–50 per person depending on what you order, and allow about 1.5 hours so you’re not eating against the clock.
After lunch, walk off the meal on the Path between Vettica and Praiano viewpoints. This is one of the best low-effort scenic walks on the coast: not a big hike, just a rewarding stretch with classic cliff-and-sea views and plenty of chances to stop for photos. If the light is good, this is where the coastline really comes alive. Give it 1–1.5 hours, wear proper sandals or sneakers, and bring water because even short walks here can feel steeper than they look on the map.
Head back into Amalfi for a relaxed finish and keep the evening simple at Bar del Sole. It’s the kind of place that works well for an easy aperitivo, a gelato, or something sweet after a full day of moving around. Expect to spend about €10–20 per person, and if you time it right, you’ll catch the town in its most pleasant hour, when the ferry crowds thin out and everyone slows down a bit. This is a good night to do very little else — just sit, people-watch, and let the coast do the rest.
Leave Amalfi early and keep the transfer tight — this is one of those days where the coast is beautiful, but the timing matters more than the scenery. Aim to be out of the hotel with enough buffer for your ferry and train connection so you’re not racing the clock. Once you’re back in Naples, head straight toward Via Toledo and work your way slowly into the center; it’s the easiest stretch for a last stroll, and you can still pick up a few small gifts or a box of pastries without wandering far from transit.
First stop should be Galleria Umberto I, which is right in the heart of Naples Centro and perfect for a quick elegant pause. The arcade is usually open all day, so timing is flexible, and you only need 20–30 minutes to enjoy the ironwork, mosaic floor, and that classic Neapolitan grandeur. From there, it’s a short walk to Caffè Gambrinus on Piazza Trieste e Trento — go for a strong espresso and a last sfogliatella or babà al rum; expect roughly €8–15 per person depending on whether you sit or just stand at the bar.
After coffee, cross into Piazza del Plebiscito for your final big-city vista. It’s one of those places that makes sense even on a short stop: wide, theatrical, and beautifully framed by Basilica Reale di San Francesco di Paola and the royal buildings nearby. Give yourself 20–30 minutes here, then drift back along Via Toledo for any final shopping or an easy walk with no pressure. If you need a proper lunch, keep it light and quick — this part of town is best used as a buffer, not a sit-down meal day.
Plan to arrive at Naples Centrale or Naples Airport with at least 1.5–2 hours before departure, especially if you’re checking bags or traveling at weekday rush hour. Naples traffic can look innocent and then suddenly swallow time, so don’t cut it close. If your schedule allows, stay flexible and use the last stretch in the center to absorb a bit more of the city before you head out — this is a good goodbye route because it keeps everything compact, elegant, and easy to exit from.