1Naples
Base · 3–4 nights
Campania’s indispensable urban base: historic-center intensity, major museums, churches, pizza and the best transport connections for Pompeii, Sorrento and the islands. Come for a real city, not a polished backdrop.
first-timersfoodiesurban travelers
Pompeii, Herculaneum and Vesuvius
2Pompeii, Herculaneum and Vesuvius
The Bay’s essential Roman-and-volcanic circuit. Pompeii needs time, Herculaneum is the sharper compact visit, and Vesuvius is worth the extra transfer only if the crater walk matters to you.
first-timershistory travelersfamilies
3Sorrento and the Sorrentine Peninsula
Base · 2–3 nights
The region’s most useful southern base for Capri, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast, with reliable-enough transport logic and good evening life. Stay here for efficiency and Bay views, not for an undiscovered-town fantasy.
first-timerscouplesindependent travelers
Amalfi Coast
4Amalfi Coast
Base · 2–3 nights
Positano, Amalfi, Ravello and Praiano deliver the cliff-road scenery people come for, but every move takes longer than it looks. Commit to a few nights rather than treating it as a sequence of rushed stops.
scenery-first travelerscoupleswalkers
Capri and Anacapri
5Capri and Anacapri
Capri earns its reputation for limestone scenery, sea views and walking, while Anacapri offers more breathing room. It is far better overnight or visited early than tackled as a peak-summer queue marathon.
coupleswalkerssplurge travelers
Ischia and Procida
6Ischia and Procida
Base · 3 nights
Choose Ischia for thermal bathing, beaches and an actual slow island stay; choose Procida for compact harbors and a more working-island feel. They are a better antidote to Capri than an add-on to an already packed itinerary.
familiesslower travelersrepeat visitors
Salerno and Vietri sul Mare
7Salerno and Vietri sul Mare
Base · 1–2 nights
Salerno is the practical eastern gateway: a functioning city with strong rail links and, in season, useful boats to Amalfi. Add Vietri for ceramics, but use Salerno as the base if value and transport matter more than sleeping above the sea.
independent travelersbudget-conscious travelersrail travelers
Paestum, Velia and the Cilento
8Paestum, Velia and the Cilento
Base · 3–4 nights
This quieter southern stretch combines outstanding Greek temples, buffalo mozzarella, beaches and a less stage-managed coast. Paestum works by train; the broader Cilento rewards a car and several unhurried days.
archaeology travelersroad trippersbeach travelers
Caserta
9Caserta
Short stop · 1 night
Go for the Reggia di Caserta, a vast Bourbon palace and park that deserves most of a day rather than a hurried detour. It is an easy, worthwhile contrast to Naples and Pompeii.
architecture fansgarden lovershistory travelers
Benevento and Irpinia
10Benevento and Irpinia
Inland Campania trades coast crowds for Roman and Lombard Benevento, vineyard hills and serious Fiano, Greco and Taurasi. This is a car trip, not a casual public-transport wine crawl.
wine travelersdriversfoodies
Sample routes
First Campania trip, no car
8 nightsNaples (3 nights) → Sorrento and the Sorrentine Peninsula (3 nights) → Salerno and Vietri sul Mare (2 nights)
The cleanest first-timer route: Naples handles city life and archaeology, Sorrento covers Capri and the western coast without luggage chaos, and Salerno gives you a sensible base for Paestum or the eastern Amalfi Coast. It gets the famous sights without pretending every coastal transfer is quick.
Plan this routeSlow islands and coast
10 nightsNaples (3 nights) → Ischia and Procida (3 nights) → Sorrento and the Sorrentine Peninsula (2 nights) → Amalfi Coast (2 nights)
For travelers who want beach and thermal-water downtime alongside the classics, rather than turning Capri into a queue-filled trophy stop. Naples supplies the city, Ischia is the real island stay, Sorrento makes Pompeii easy, and two coast nights let you enjoy Amalfi or Praiano after the day-trippers leave.
Plan this routeSouthern Campania with a car where it counts
12 nightsNaples (3 nights) → Sorrento and the Sorrentine Peninsula (3 nights) → Salerno and Vietri sul Mare (2 nights) → Paestum, Velia and the Cilento (4 nights)
Use trains and ferries for Naples and Sorrento, then pick up a car around Salerno for Paestum, Velia, buffalo farms and Cilento beaches. This is the right place for driving; taking a rental onto the Amalfi Coast in peak season is not.
Plan this routeFull regional sampler
15 nightsNaples (4 nights) → Caserta (1 night) → Sorrento and the Sorrentine Peninsula (3 nights) → Amalfi Coast (3 nights) → Paestum, Velia and the Cilento (3 nights) → Salerno and Vietri sul Mare (1 night)
For travelers with enough time to stop treating Campania as Naples plus Positano. Caserta gets the time its palace deserves; the coast gets three proper nights; and Paestum/Cilento is allowed to be a destination rather than a frantic detour. Add one island only—Capri for drama or Ischia for a stay—and remove a stop rather than cramming both in.
Plan this route