Naples &
Amalfi
Naples with kids, taken slow
We went to Naples as a family and quickly realized it's a city you experience, not control. It was loud, busy, and full of energy — but also incredibly warm and welcoming. We took things slowly, stopped often, ate great food, and let the kids absorb the street life.
The Amalfi Coast was the perfect contrast: dramatic, quiet in the mornings, and genuinely beautiful. Driving the hairpin bends with two excited kids in the back remains one of our favourite family memories.
What We Loved
Five things that made this trip unforgettable
Pizza nights as events
Simple, delicious, and loved by everyone. Naples invented pizza and it shows — L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele and a dozen neighbourhood spots that didn't need a reservation.
Pompeii with kids
The guided family tour brought the ruins to life. The kids were genuinely gripped — plaster casts, preserved kitchens, streets worn smooth by ancient carts. History you can touch.
Amalfi Drive at sunrise
We drove early to avoid traffic. The hairpin bends with morning light over the Tyrrhenian Sea, two kids pressed against the windows — there was no conversation for ten minutes.
Positano on foot
We left the car and walked. The narrow lanes, the colourful houses stacked above each other, the beach at the bottom — completely impractical, completely wonderful.
The people
Locals were patient, curious, and genuinely kind toward our kids. Strangers stopped to say something sweet. Naples felt chaotic at times, but deeply human and unforgettable.
From the trip
— real moments
Tips we'd give ourselves
— before we left for Naples
Naples is not a city you control. We made peace with that early and had the best time. Here's what actually helped.
Book Da Michele — or find a neighbourhood spot
L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele is worth the queue, but the tiny neighbourhood places with no English menus and plastic chairs were just as good. Point at what others are having. You won't regret it.
Drive the Amalfi Coast before 8am
The hairpin bends are genuinely beautiful but the road gets jammed by 9am in summer. Leave before sunrise, stop at Ravello for coffee, and have the views mostly to yourselves. Worth setting the alarm.
Book Pompeii tickets online — skip the queue entirely
The queue at the gate in August is brutal. Book online the night before, print or screenshot the QR, walk straight in. The kids will thank you — their energy is better spent inside than waiting outside.
Castel Sant'Elmo over Castel dell'Ovo
Both are interesting, but Sant'Elmo is higher, quieter, and has a genuinely spectacular 360° view over the bay. The funicular makes it easy. Castel dell'Ovo is touristy by comparison.
Let go of the itinerary before lunch
Naples rewards wandering. Our best moments happened when we gave up on the map — a courtyard we ducked into for shade, a pastry shop a kid spotted through a doorway, a conversation with a shopkeeper who pulled out chairs for us. Keep mornings planned, afternoons loose.
Positano: park at the top and walk down
There's no easy way to drive into Positano. Park at the top of the village, walk the zigzag path down to the beach — it's manageable with kids, and you get the full view unfolding as you descend. The boats back up save the legs on the return.
Pepe in Grani — worth the detour to Caiazzo
Franco Pepe's restaurant in the hilltop village of Caiazzo is about an hour from Naples and widely considered one of the best pizzerias in the world. The dough is extraordinary, the toppings are seasonal and local, and the setting in the old town is unforgettable. Book well in advance — weeks ahead in summer. If you're driving the Amalfi route, route through Caiazzo on a different day. You won't regret making it a separate trip.
How we planned Naples + Amalfi
We used Famila.Travel to plan the whole trip — Naples historic centre, a Pompeii day trip, then the Amalfi Coast. It figured out the driving route, predicted August temperatures of 30–33°C, and warned us about the Amalfi Drive's hairpin turns before we even got there.
The budget tracker kept us on track across all categories — flights, rental car, accommodation and food — all within €2,000 for four people.
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