Campania (the region of southwestern Italy. 13,671 km², the second most densely populated Italian region after Lombardy, with the 3.1 million inhabitants of the Naples metropolitan area concentrated in the most seismically and volcanically active urban environment in the western world (Vesuvius, the Phlegraean Fields, and the Solfatara of Pozzuoli surrounding the Naples urban area)): the Italian region with the highest concentration of UNESCO World Heritage Sites per square kilometer (the Pompeii-Herculaneum-Oplontis archaeological area, the Amalfi Coast, the Paestum Greek temples, and the Caserta Royal Palace, four separate inscriptions within 80km), the origin of the pizza napoletana (the most internationally recognized single Italian dish), and the region whose specific geographic intensity (the 1,281m Vesuvius crater visible from the Naples waterfront, the Amalfi Coast's 1,000m cliffs dropping to the Tyrrhenian, and the Paestum Greek temples standing in the Sele plain 100km from Naples) makes the 7-day Campania circuit the most geographically dramatic single Italian regional week available to the visitor.
The 7-day Campania car vs. public-transport decision: the Campania public transport (the Circumvesuviana railway connecting Naples to Pompeii (35 minutes from Napoli Centrale), Herculaneum (20 minutes), and Sorrento (65 minutes, the connection point for the Amalfi Coast SITA bus). The SITA bus from Sorrento to Amalfi and Ravello. And the Trenitalia regional train from Naples to Paestum (1h30m)): the complete Campania 7-day itinerary is achievable by public transport without a car. A car simplifies the Paestum and Phlegraean Fields days (Days 6-7) and provides more scheduling flexibility on the Amalfi Coast, but the Amalfi Coast Road in summer (June-September) is frequently congested to the point where the public bus is faster than the private car.
How do you want to see it?
Campania, ItalyCompare the same experience on GetYourGuide and Viator, save what you like to My Trip, share it, and book when you’re sure. Nearest to this page first.
Official tickets in Naples — mobile tickets by Tiqets. We may earn a commission
7-Day Campania Itinerary
Days 1-2: Naples
Naples base (the best Campania base for Days 1-2): the Museo Archeologico Nazionale (MANN, the National Archaeological Museum, the primary repository of the Pompeii and Herculaneum finds: the Alexander Mosaic, the Farnese Bull, the Secret Cabinet (the erotic art of Pompeii and Herculaneum): open Wednesday-Monday 9:00-19:30. Approximately €18). The pizza (the Pizzeria Sorbillo on Via dei Tribunali (the centro storico (historic center) pizza strip, the specific Naples pizza (the Vera Pizza Napoletana, AVPN-certified, the 00-flour dough, the San Marzano DOP tomato, the fior di latte or bufala mozzarella, cooked in the wood-fired oven at 450°C for 60-90 seconds): the queue (30-45 minutes) at Sorbillo is consistent and worth it. Alternatives: Di Matteo (Via dei Tribunali 94, the fried pizza and the baked pizza in the same bakery), and Starita a Materdei (the neighborhood pizzeria on the Materdei hill favored by the Naples food professional community). The Spaccanapoli (the specific straight street that bisects the Naples historic center from east to west).
Days 3-4: Pompeii and Herculaneum
Pompeii (the 44-hectare archaeological site, the most visited single archaeological site in Italy: 4 million annual visitors): the specific Pompeii strategy (the early morning arrival (the gates open at 9:00, the 9:00-11:00 window before the tour groups arrive is the only Pompeii period with manageable crowd density in the summer season). The House of the Vettii (the 1st-century AD townhouse with the most completely preserved Pompeian interior decoration and the specific ithyphallic Priapus fresco in the entrance): approximately €18 admission. Buy online at pompeiisites.org. Herculaneum (the Ercolano stop on the Circumvesuviana, 20 minutes from Naples): the smaller site (5 hectares versus Pompeii's 44) that the organic materials (carbonized wood, fabric, and food) preserved by the 79 AD pyroclastic surge rather than the volcanic ash make the most immediate single Roman town experience in Italy: 90 minutes for the primary houses.
Days 5: Amalfi Coast (Positano, Ravello, Amalfi)
Amalfi Coast day from Sorrento (the SITA bus from Sorrento Piazza Tasso, the bus that the Amalfi Coast road's specific engineering (the single-lane sections, the passing bays, and the specific vertical cliffside hairpin turns) makes significantly faster than driving in the peak summer season): Positano (the photography village, the stacked pastel houses on the 220m-high cliff). Ravello (the cliff-top village 350m above Amalfi, the Villa Cimbrone gardens (the Terrazza dell'Infinito viewpoint, the most photographed single Amalfi Coast view) and the Villa Rufolo (the Wagner inspiration for Klingsor's garden in Parsifal)). Amalfi (the historic republic harbor town, the Duomo, the cloister, and the limoncello).
Days 6-7: Paestum and the Phlegraean Fields
Paestum (the Magna Graecia city 100km south of Naples, the three Doric temples (the Temple of Hera I (550 BC, the oldest surviving complete Greek temple in Italy), the Temple of Hera II (460 BC, the largest), and the Temple of Athena (510 BC, the best preserved)): the specific Paestum advantage over Sicily's Agrigento (the Valley of the Temples) and Selinunte: the Paestum temples are the most completely standing Greek temples in the western world (the columns intact to the entablature level in all three temples) and are surrounded by the flat Sele plain rather than the reconstructed landscape of Agrigento, making the specific Doric order geometry more directly readable. Phlegraean Fields (the Campi Flegrei, the caldera of the Phlegraean Fields volcanic system west of Naples: the Solfatara of Pozzuoli (the active volcanic vent whose fumaroles and mud pools provide the specific volcanic-landscape experience that Vesuvius's summit visit no longer offers at the crater rim), the Anfiteatro Flavio di Pozzuoli (the third largest Roman amphitheater, 40,000 capacity), and Cumae (the most ancient Greek colony in the western Mediterranean (740 BC) and the site of the Cumaean Sibyl's cave)).
Q&A: Campania 7 Days
Can I do the Amalfi Coast without a car?
Yes, the SITA bus system (the State-run bus service that operates the Amalfi Coast road between Sorrento and Salerno) connects all the primary Amalfi Coast villages (Positano, Praiano, Furore, Conca dei Marini, Amalfi, Atrani, Ravello access from Amalfi, and Minori-Maiori-Vietri sul Mare toward Salerno): the bus frequency (approximately every 30-60 minutes on the primary routes) and the specific bus advantage on the coast road (the SITA drivers know the road. The Amalfi Coast road in summer is frequently blocked for private cars by the oncoming coaches) make the SITA bus the most reliable Amalfi Coast transport. The specific tip: buy a giornaliero (day pass) for the SITA network (approximately €7-10) and use it for the full coast circuit in one direction, returning by hydrofoil (the NLG/Alilauro hydrofoil from Amalfi or Positano to Sorrento or Naples in summer).
Internal Links
- Pompei ed Ercolano: La Guida Completa
- Pizza Napoletana: Sorbillo e la Via dei Tribunali
- Fotografare la Costiera Amalfitana: Ravello e Positano
- Sentiero degli Dei: Il Trekking sulla Costiera
- Campania Fuori Stagione: Napoli in Inverno
- Campania in Treno: La Circumvesuviana e il SITA
- Spiagge Campania: Positano e la Costiera
