The short version: five days lets you eat both halves of this coast — two days in Naples for the world’s best pizza and its wild street food, then out to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast for lemons, mozzarella, a cliffside cooking class and long seafood lunches. Below is a loose, food-first shape for the trip, not a fixed schedule — bend it around ferry times and your own appetite.
A note on how to use this: these are suggestions and options, not a minute-by-minute plan. Cooking classes and boat trips need booking, and ferry timetables, restaurant and tour hours change through the season — so treat the days as a flexible outline and confirm anything time-sensitive directly with the operator before you travel.
At a glance
| Day | The idea |
|---|---|
| Days 1–2 | Naples — pizza, street food, a food tour, maybe a pizza-making class |
| Day 3 | Sorrento — settle in, limoncello, mozzarella and a food walk |
| Day 4 | Positano and the Amalfi Coast — a cooking class and a lemon-terrace lunch |
| Day 5 | Your choice — Capri by boat, Ravello, or a slow coast day |
| Best base | Two nights central Naples, then Sorrento or Positano for the coast |
| Getting around | Train Naples–Sorrento, ferries and the coast bus; no car needed |
Days one and two — Naples
Start in Naples, the birthplace of pizza and one of Europe’s great street-food cities. Eat a true pizza napoletana — blistered, soft, folded a portafoglio and eaten on the move — and work through the fried street food: pizza fritta, frittatine, cuoppo of fried seafood, and a sfogliatella pastry with coffee. A Naples food tour through the Centro Storico is the best way in. With an extra half-day, learn to stretch the dough yourself in a Naples pizza-making class (our pick of the best pizza classes in Naples helps you choose), or a broader Naples cooking class. Curious how the styles differ? Our Neapolitan vs Roman pizza guide explains. Browse everything on the Naples hub.
Day three — Sorrento
Take the train down to Sorrento and change gear. This is lemon country — terraces of giant sfusato lemons that become limoncello (see how limoncello is made) — and a gentle base with ferries along the coast. Spend the day on a Sorrento food walk, taste fior di latte and gnocchi alla sorrentina, and read our what to eat in Sorrento guide for the plates to order. If you’re deciding where to sleep for the coast half, Sorrento or Positano compares the two.
Day four — Positano and the Amalfi Coast
Give a full day to the Amalfi Coast itself. The signature experience is a cooking class in a lemon garden or a family home above the sea — fresh pasta, mozzarella, and often limoncello to finish (our Amalfi Coast cooking classes guide covers what to expect), with dedicated Positano classes too. Eat scialatielli ai frutti di mare, delizia al limone and the coast’s bright seafood — see what to eat on the Amalfi Coast — and taste the local whites and reds from the terraced vineyards on an Amalfi Coast wine tour. If you want a tighter, coast-only version of the trip, our 3 days on the Amalfi Coast itinerary focuses just on this stretch.
Day five — your choice
Use the last day for whatever calls. Take the boat to Capri for a long seafood lunch and a caprese salad where it was born, or up to Ravello for gardens and views, or simply slow down in a coastal town with a beach and a lingering meal. Whatever you pick, keep it unhurried — this coast rewards a slow table over a packed schedule.
Where to base yourself, and how to travel it
The easy structure is two nights in central Naples (near the Centro Storico), then two on the coast in Sorrento or Positano. You need no car — the coast road is slow and parking is brutal — so use the Circumvesuviana train from Naples to Sorrento, ferries between the coastal towns, and the SITA bus or a boat for the cliff villages. Book cooking classes and pizza classes ahead in summer, mention dietary needs when you reserve, and build in slack for ferry delays. Plan the whole trip from the Amalfi Coast hub and the Naples hub.
Frequently asked questions
How many days do you need for Naples and the Amalfi Coast?
Five days works well: two in Naples for pizza and street food, then three on the coast around Sorrento and Positano for cooking classes, lemons and seafood. Three days is enough for the coast alone if you skip Naples.
Should I base in Naples, Sorrento or Positano?
Do both: two nights in central Naples for the city food, then move to Sorrento (easy, well-connected, a little cheaper) or Positano (more scenic and pricey) for the coast. Sorrento is the most convenient hub for ferries and day trips.
Do you need a car on the Amalfi Coast?
No — a car is more trouble than help. The Circumvesuviana train links Naples and Sorrento, ferries connect the coastal towns, and buses and boats reach the cliff villages. Most cooking classes arrange transfers.
What food should I try?
Pizza napoletana and fried street food in Naples; then mozzarella and fior di latte, gnocchi alla sorrentina, scialatielli ai frutti di mare, fresh seafood, delizia al limone and limoncello along the coast.
Plan your Naples and Amalfi Coast food trip
Start with a Naples food tour or pizza class, book an Amalfi Coast cooking class or a Sorrento food walk, or see everything on the Amalfi Coast hub.
