3 days in Naples Italy. Day trips to Pompei and Herculaneum and Procida Island.

Naples is a very particular city. If you've never been there before I would advice to do some research before traveling because I think it's definitely not everyone's cup of tea. We spend one full day in Naples, mostly walking around, having numerous coffees, visiting some beautiful old churches and sights. If you happen to have a few hours in Naples I would consider visiting the following places:

- Galleria Umberto I resembles the famous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan. It's a nice place for shopping and having a coffee or gelato break

- Cloister of St. Clare  with lovely, quiet gardens where you can admire lemon and orange trees. Great place to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. Go in the morning to enjoy the quiet gardens. Bliss. 

- The Church of Gesù Nuovo - right next to the Cloister or St. Clare. Fantastic facade! It;s definitely worth seeing from the outside and the inside. 

- Via San Gregorio Armeno - a charming little street full of artisanal workshops, famous for selling handcrafted nativity-scene figurines.  

- Catherdal of Santa Maria Assunta

- The Underground Naples  - a must see if you're interested in the history of Naples

I wrote some restaurant tips in the Q&A section. Including the most famous pizzeria where Julia Roberts had her pizza in "Eat Pray Love"!

Procida is a small island close to Naples and it's a perfect place if you're looking for a one day trip. We were unsure whether to go to Procida or Ischia but we read that the latter is much bigger and one day might not be enough to explore it. Procida turned out to be a perfect choice for us. Small and very picturesque with some scenic spots (like Panoramica sulla Corricella) where you can chill in the sun and enjoy the stunning view. We had lunch at Assafa, which was a lovely little restaurant close to the Panoramica Sulla Corricella - a scenic spot with a great view of the island. It took us a couple of hours to explore the island with a few coffee/lunch stops. 

To get there we took a ferry from the port in Naples. The journey took about 40 minutes and ferries run around every 2 hours. If you want to move from Procida directly to Ischia this is also possible as there are ferries that run on a Naples - Procia - Ischia route. 

We were not sure whether we should visit Pompei or Herculaneum so we ended up visiting both places in one day. It's doable but be prepared for a long day. 

We took a train from Piazza Garibaldi to Pompei. The whole journey takes 50 minutes and you get off right in front of the entrance to Archeological Park of Pompei. 

Pompei is huge so I would advise to start there (it's also further away from Naples then Herculaneum). We bought our tickets at the official ticket office at the entrance. The queue wasn't long but bare in mind that we visited in March so off season. It took us 3,5 hours inside and we picked around 10 spots to see. Be prepared for a lot of walking as the distances can be big. You can rent an audioguide or scan QR code at the entrance and listen to the guide on your own phone (bring earphones). 

After that we took a train to Ercolano (around 20 minutes), as we wanted to visit the Archeological Park of Herculaneum. While walking from the station to the entrance, we were searching for a place to have late lunch and stumbled upon Bistrot Italia. It turned out to be a great restaurant with lots of local families dining there and it was not closed for siesta. So lucky!

Herculaneum is much smaller than Pompei but it's so much better preserved. We were already a bit tired from all the walking we did in Pompei so we only spend there 1,5hours. After sightseeing we took a train back to Naples. Each train ticket was around 3-4 euros so very cheap.