Italy
NAPLES – POMPEII – ROME – CAPRI
- 6 days
- singles, couples, w/ kids
- spring, summer, fall
A beautiful sightseeing trip that is packed with activities. Six days in the iconic Italian city of Naples. A city that may be a little intimidating at first, but then you'll fall in love with it. You'll discover its historic centre, both its world-famous and lesser-known sights. You'll taste a lot of Italian food and wine. You'll explore Pompeii, see Vesuvius. Take a day trip to Rome by high-speed train. Take a boat to the amazing island of Capri. It's a really packed six days. And if you've never been to Rome, you can extend your holiday by staying there a little longer. Plus, flights to Naples are often very reasonably priced, so it can be a less expensive holiday. The ideal time to travel here is spring or autumn – in the summer it will be very crowded and also quite hot, but you can swim in the beautiful Mediterranean Sea, on the other hand.
Transfer by train to Rome for a full day of sightseeing. In the evening take the train back.
On the third day there is another full day trip, this time to Rome. If you’re coming here in the summer season, you’ll need to book some entrances in advance, but even off season this will save you time.
You can get to Rome by train from Stazione Napoli Centrale. It’s very comfortable and very fast. The train takes just over an hour. Another advantage is that the train station in Rome is practically in the centre. Buy your tickets at Roma Termini station. Either get your train tickets online in advance – here’s an overview page on train connections to Rome. Or it’s maybe easier to arrange everything directly at the station. The day before, when you go to Pompeii, head to the station in advance and buy your tickets directly from one of the train companies. There are kiosks in the lobby of the main station, just go around and ask for prices. We also found it useful that the lady behind the counter at one of the kiosks informed us that if we missed our train back, it could be re-booked for a later train for free as long as we re-book it 30 minutes before departure. And she also gave us instructions on how to do it, which we then took advantage of. So, I would recommend arranging everything locally at the station rather than buying online.
Of course, you need to leave as early as possible in the morning. So, as the train journey only takes about an hour, you want to leave Naples at say 9am. The trains are very comfortable and although we don’t travel by train often, there was no problem navigating the station or anything alike.
Of course it is impossible to see the whole of Rome in one day, but it is possible to visit some of the main sights. The best way to explore the city is on foot and the suggested route corresponds to that.
The first stop is the Colosseum (route from the train station). The Colosseum is one of the sights for which it is a good idea to buy tickets in advance. Purchase procedure: go to the Colosseum website (here), click on the Colosseum, Forums and Palatine ticket link on the right, then click on “Buy Tickets” and you will be redirected to the site here. Buy the following tickets: the Colosseum, Forums and Palatine Regular Entrance tickets at 18 EUR each. The ticket for the Colosseum is valid for the Palatine Hill and the Forum Romanum as well! Here you will find a complete list of tickets (and discounted tickets as well). Ideally, you should have your tickets printed out, and then you can head straight to the queue with people who also already have a ticket. You should also be able to buy tickets for a specific time – check the types of tickets on offer on the website. Expect the place to be very crowded and maybe slightly confusing at times. But there is also plenty of staff who will be happy to help you. Anyway, a bit of chaos and waiting is definitely worth seeing the Colosseum!
From the Colosseum, continue through the Forum Romanum to the Pantheon (route). It’s a fascinating building, so be sure to check it out. Then continue to the beautiful Piazza Navona, where you can see the 3 fountains: Fontana del Nettuno, Fontana dei Fiumi and Fontana del Moro. Then go to Castel Sant'Angelo (route).
Then it’s just a short walk to Piazza San Pietro at the Vatican (route). Basilica di San Pietro is right in front of you. Admission is free, but you have to expect quite a queue – it starts to the right of the entrance. Wear appropriate clothing: no shorts, no exposed shoulders, etc. Once you enter the basilica, you can stay as long as you like. The queue can be really long, and the wait is normally around 1 hour. However, it is worth it! I haven’t tried it, but there is also an option to not stand in line and take the paid tour with an audio guide, it’s not free and it’s only booked for a specific time (more info here).
Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel are some of the other possible Roman sights. Here, however, you need to consider how much time you have. If you go to the Colosseum, it is then highly unlikely you would also manage a tour of the Sistine Chapel. It is therefore possible to organise your day differently: start the whole day at the Sistine Chapel and then follow the route we have suggested above, leaving the Colosseum and Forum Romanum for another time. The ideal solution is then to buy a private tour to the Sistine Chapel, which is booked only for a specific time. Most importantly, there are no queues for this tour.
From the Vatican, head back along the Tiber to Piazza del Popolo (route). It’s a beautiful historic square where you can sit and relax for a while. From here it’s just a short walk (this way) to the Spanish Steps. It’s quite nice to walk up the steps and you get a nice view of Rome.
The way back to the train station can be found here. Alternatively, take the metro, it’s only a few stops (here).
You’ll probably get back late in the evening and will be pretty tired, so try having dinner at NAM 43 which you’ll find right outside the hotel.
Alternatives: instead of going to Rome, you can go just outside Naples to Reggia di Caserta, Palazzo Reale.
Naples main train station. From here you can go to Pompeii or Rome. The station is the same as in most big cities. In the vestibule you can find the offices of the various railway companies – for example, a journey to Rome can be bought with at least two companies.
Tickets for both Pompeii and Rome are easily bought on the spot. It's even better for tickets to Rome, the lady who sold us the tickets told us what to do and how to do it. For example, how to use the ticket for a later connection than the one we bought, etc.
Naples Central Station is easily accessible, as it is practically in the city centre. The station itself is easy to navigate. There are several companies offering transport between Naples and Rome, just go around the several stands of the carriers at the station and you will surely find the best ticket for you. There are high-speed trains on the route that travel up to 300 km per hour, so you'll be in Rome in only 1 hour and 8 minutes!
Rome’s main train station. The advantage is the location – it is practically in the city centre and the connection to public transport is great. Otherwise, a classic train station, lots of services, a bit dirty and lots of people.
The Colosseum is incredibly well preserved. The unguided tour is great, but just be sure to buy your tickets in advance and online – follow our instructions in the tour description, or check the Colosseum website. Definitely expect big queues and try to arrive as early in the morning as possible.
Beware of the various street vendors and "artists", they entice you to take a photo together, but believe me, it will be the most expensive photo you ever take.
A city was built here as early as the 7th century BC. Over the course of 2000 years, palaces, temples, and many other buildings were constructed here. Now you can walk around and admire what remains. And there is a lot of it.
Buy the combined admission with Colosseum.
A famous building that has been there for more than 2000 years. If you want to learn more about it buy an audio guide for 7 EUR – available for purchase online. I’m especially fascinated by how the water that rains down through the hole in the dome (which is 9 metres in diameter) is drained from the temple and how the whole drainage system works here.
One of the most beautiful squares in Rome. Here you will find 3 beautiful fountains, including the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, where the statues symbolize the 4 rivers – the Danube, the Ganges, the Nile, and the Rio de la Plata. There are plenty of cafés everywhere.
The Castle of the Holy Angel (Castel Sant’Angelo) has stood here since the year 139. In 1277, a covered passageway leading to the Vatican was built. Today, there is a museum on five floors. The internal spiral staircase is very interesting. The terrace has a beautiful view of the city and great photos can be taken from here.
A square, which you probably know from TV. Thousands of worshippers always stand here. The square is dominated by St. Peter’s Basilica. In the centre of the square is an ancient Egyptian obelisk, built on its present site in 1586.
Basilica di San Pietro (St. Peter’s Basilica) is simply beautiful! Admission is free, but you have to expect quite a queue here – it starts to the right of the entrance. Wear appropriate clothing – no shorts, no exposed shoulders, etc. Once you enter the basilica, you can stay as long as you like. The queue tends to be really long, and the wait is normally around 1 hour. However, it is worth it.
You can buy an audio guide and go in without the queues. I haven't tried it; the price is higher and you can get it here https://www.rome.net/activities/st-peters-basilica-tickets.
A very famous square dominated by an Egyptian obelisk 24 metres high. Until the 19th century, this square was one of the places where public executions took place.
Spanish stairs – they are beautiful, but they are just stairs. Plus there are always so many people here. The stairs used to connect the part of town where the French lived with the lower part where the Spanish lived. They were built between 1723 and1726 by the architect Francesco De Sanctis and are made of travertine.
Naples main train station. From here you can go to Pompeii or Rome. The station is the same as in most big cities. In the vestibule you can find the offices of the various railway companies – for example, a journey to Rome can be bought with at least two companies.
Tickets for both Pompeii and Rome are easily bought on the spot. It's even better for tickets to Rome, the lady who sold us the tickets told us what to do and how to do it. For example, how to use the ticket for a later connection than the one we bought, etc.
One of the better restaurants in the centre. It’s not quite the best, but they cook well, their wines are good, and the service is very nice. Reasonably priced.
Niky Malečková
17.07.2024
1369
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