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Naples & the Amalfi Coast with Kids

This corner of Italy holds two of the most tangible ancient sites anywhere — a Roman town buried intact by an eruption, and the volcano that did it, still walkable to the crater rim — and then an almost vertical coastline immediately south of them. It is a remarkable stretch of country and an unusually demanding one with children. Naples traffic is relentless, the Amalfi coast road is a continuous sequence of blind hairpins that reliably makes passengers ill, and Pompeii is 44 hectares of ancient paving with almost no shade. Most families base on the Sorrento peninsula and reach everything by train and ferry rather than by driving.

Best for ages
7+
Suggested stay
4–6 days
Best months
May–Jun, Sep–Oct
Daily budget
€240

Mid-range, family of four

Why Naples & the Amalfi Coast works with children

  • A Roman town you walk through, not past

    Pompeii has streets, shops, bakeries and houses standing at something close to full height.

  • A volcano with a walkable crater

    A road and shuttle carry visitors most of the way up Vesuvius, leaving about half an hour on foot to the rim.

  • Ferries instead of the coast road

    In season, boats link Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and Capri and avoid the hairpins entirely.

  • Pizza where it was invented

    Naples pizza is fast, cheap and needs no persuading, and it is on every other corner.

Where to stay

Best areas in Naples & the Amalfi Coast for families

4 areas cover most trips here; the difference is mainly a family base versus waking up on the coast.

  • Sorrento

    Best for a family base

    The flattest town on the peninsula, with a train to Pompeii and Naples, ferries along the coast and to Capri, and the widest choice of family rooms. The sea is reached by lifts down to bathing platforms rather than by a beach.

  • Vico Equense & the Sorrento coast

    Best for space and a pool

    Apartments and small hotels along the peninsula with pools and lower prices, a few minutes by train from Sorrento.

  • Naples (Chiaia / centro storico)

    Best for the archaeological museum and the city itself

    The museum holds almost everything removed from Pompeii, and the old centre is extraordinary. Loud, chaotic and hard work with a pushchair.

  • Amalfi or Maiori (the coast itself)

    Best for waking up on the coast

    Removes the daily drive in, but restricts everything else to boats and buses, and most properties involve flights of steps.

Family hotel picks in Naples & the Amalfi Coast

  • Sorrento — family rooms by the train and the port
    SorrentoMid-range

    Sorrento — family rooms by the train and the port

    Sorrento is the one flat, walkable town on the peninsula and the hub for everything else: trains to Pompeii and Naples, ferries to Positano, Amalfi and Capri, and buses along the coast road for the days the boats are not running.

    • Circumvesuviana trains to Pompeii and Naples
    • Ferry port for the Amalfi Coast and Capri
    • A level town centre with restaurants and shops within walking distance
    • The widest choice of family rooms on the peninsula

    Fitting a family in

    Triples, quads and connecting rooms are far more common here than anywhere on the Amalfi side, where most properties are small and stepped.

    Watch out. Sorrento has no conventional beach — swimming is from wooden platforms over the rocks, reached by lifts or long staircases. The town is busy and loud in summer, and the cliff-top position means a lift or a climb every time you want the water.

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  • Vico Equense & the peninsula — apartments with a pool
    Vico Equense / Sorrento peninsulaMid-range

    Vico Equense & the peninsula — apartments with a pool

    A few minutes up the line from Sorrento, with lower prices, apartments large enough for a family, and pools that solve the afternoon in a place where the sea is at the bottom of a staircase.

    • Pool on site, which most Sorrento town hotels lack
    • Local trains into Sorrento and on to Pompeii
    • Kitchen for breakfasts and a quieter evening than Sorrento
    • Parking, which is difficult and expensive in Sorrento itself

    Fitting a family in

    Two-bedroom apartments are common and cost noticeably less than equivalent space in Sorrento.

    Watch out. The peninsula is built on cliffs, so many properties involve steps or a steep lane down to the road and the sea. Without a car, every evening depends on the train timetable.

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Things to do in Naples & the Amalfi Coast with kids

  • Pompeii
    CultureBook ahead

    Pompeii

    Naples & the Amalfi Coast

    A Roman town buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79 and excavated as a full street grid: houses, shops, bakeries, a forum, two theatres and an amphitheatre, on the local railway between Naples and Sorrento.

    Ages
    8–17
    Time
    4h
    Adult, from
    €22

    Good to know. Roughly 44 hectares of open ruins with almost no shade, paved in large uneven basalt blocks — hard going with a pushchair and very hot from late morning in summer. Drinking fountains inside are free. A guide or a children's audio guide is the difference between a ruin and a story.

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  • Mount Vesuvius crater path
    AdventureBook ahead

    Mount Vesuvius crater path

    Naples & the Amalfi Coast

    The volcano that buried Pompeii, inside a national park. A road and shuttle carry visitors most of the way up, leaving a walk of around half an hour to the crater rim and a path along part of its edge.

    Ages
    6–17
    Time
    3h
    Adult, from
    €15

    Good to know. Entry is by pre-booked timed slot and the path closes in high wind, storms or poor visibility, so keep an indoor alternative for that day. The climb is on loose volcanic gravel with no shade and a steady gradient, and the summit is noticeably colder and windier than the coast below.

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  • The Amalfi Coast by ferry
    WaterBook ahead

    The Amalfi Coast by ferry

    Naples & the Amalfi Coast

    Seasonal passenger boats linking Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and Capri, covering the same coastline as the corniche road but from the water and in the open air.

    Ages
    3–17
    Time
    3h
    Adult, from
    €20

    Good to know. Services run roughly from spring to autumn and are cancelled in swell, sometimes at short notice — never let one be the only way back. Positano and Amalfi both climb steeply from the jetty, so arriving by boat still ends in a long flight of steps.

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Getting around Naples & the Amalfi Coast

The Circumvesuviana local railway links Naples, Herculaneum, Pompeii and Sorrento and is the practical way to reach the ruins; it is old, crowded and without reliable air conditioning, and it has a pickpocketing reputation worth taking seriously with bags and children. The Amalfi coast road is narrow, continuously curved and slow — a 25 km stretch can take well over an hour in summer, with buses and cars reversing for each other at the tightest bends. In season the ferries between Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and Capri are faster, cooler and far kinder to anyone prone to motion sickness. Driving and parking on the coast in July and August is genuinely difficult and expensive.

Naples & the Amalfi Coast tips for families

  • Health & safety

    Pompeii has almost no shade

    The site is a large open grid of stone streets whose roofs went two thousand years ago. Go at opening, take hats, refill bottles at the drinking fountains inside, and plan to be out before the early afternoon in summer.

  • With kids

    Herculaneum is the better first ruin for younger children

    It is a fraction of the size, better preserved with upper floors and wooden fittings still in place, and takes around two hours rather than a full day.

  • Health & safety

    Take the boat rather than the coast road

    The coast road is an unbroken sequence of hairpins with a drop on one side. Anyone prone to travel sickness suffers on it in both directions, and the ferries cover the same route in the open air.

  • When to go

    Vesuvius entry is timed and weather-dependent

    Access to the crater path is by pre-booked slot, and the park closes the path in high wind, storms or poor visibility. Keep the archaeological museum in Naples as the alternative for that day.

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Naples & the Amalfi Coast with kids: common questions

What age is Pompeii good for?
About eight and up, and considerably better with a guide or an audio guide pitched at children. The interest lies in understanding what happened, and the site is a long hot walk on uneven ancient paving — a full visit is hard work below that age.
Where should families base for Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast?
The Sorrento peninsula. It is on the train line to Pompeii and Naples, it is the ferry hub for the coast and Capri, and its towns are flatter than anywhere on the Amalfi side.
Is the Amalfi Coast road really that bad with children?
It is narrow, continuously winding and slow, and travel sickness is common on it in both directions. In season the ferries cover the same stretch faster and in fresh air, which is why most families use them.
Can you climb Vesuvius with kids?
Yes, from roughly six or seven. A road and shuttle take you most of the way, leaving a climb of around half an hour on loose volcanic gravel to the crater rim. There is no shade, the path is exposed, and entry is by timed ticket.
Does Sorrento have a beach?
Not a conventional one. The town sits on a cliff and its swimming is from wooden platforms built over the rocks, reached by lifts or stairs. Families who want sand generally go to the smaller beaches along the peninsula or take a boat.

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