Day Trip to Procida by Boat from Molo Beverello

What it is

Procida is the smallest island in the Gulf of Naples: about 3.7 km², just under ten thousand inhabitants and no monument that makes you queue. What you come to see is the island itself: a fishing harbour with coloured houses, a walled village on the heights and coves you reach on foot. In 2022 it was Italian Capital of Culture, the first island to be, and scenes from Il postino and The Talented Mr Ripley were filmed here.

Compared with Capri or Ischia, it is a quiet day trip, done on foot and needing nothing booked except the boat.

Getting there

The public shipping company Caremar links Naples with Procida all year with two types of boat:

• Aliscafo (hydrofoil, fast boat): leaves from Molo Beverello and takes about 40 minutes. It costs €17.40 each way.
• Ferry (traghetto): leaves from Calata Porta di Massa, a little further east in the same port, and takes around an hour. It costs €12.70.

Children under 4 travel free on the ferries and ages 4 to 12 get a discount. Buying online adds €1 per ticket, and buying in advance adds a 12% surcharge. Timetables change by season: check them on Caremar's website, which has a real-time upcoming departures page. From Procida there are also boats to Pozzuoli and Ischia, in case you want to chain islands.

You arrive at Marina Grande, the main port, with a ticket office, bar, cash machine and taxi rank.

What to see in a day

1. Marina Grande. The harbour, with the coloured façades you see as you arrive.
2. Terra Murata. Walk up to the walled village, the oldest part of the island, on the highest hill, at 91 metres. At the top are the abbey of San Michele Arcangelo, from the 11th century, and the Palazzo d'Avalos, a 16th-century palace that was a prison.
3. Corricella. From the viewpoints at Terra Murata you go down to this fishing harbour of pastel houses, the image of the island. It is a good place to eat fish in front of the boats.
4. Chiaiolella and Vivara. To the south, the Chiaiolella marina, and next to it the islet of Vivara, a nature reserve joined to Procida by a bridge, within the Regno di Nettuno marine protected area.

You can do it all on foot if you like walking. To go south there are local buses.

How long and when to go

A full day is ideal: take one of the first boats in the morning and come back late in the afternoon. If you like it, the island lends itself to staying the night. From May to October you can add a swim; in winter the boats run just the same and the island is even quieter, although fewer restaurants are open.

In rough seas the hydrofoils may be suspended. If the day is rough, check the upcoming departures before going to the port and bear in mind that the ferry copes better with bad weather.

With children

It is a comfortable excursion with children: the boat ride is short and there are no great distances on the island. The streets are narrow and cars and motorbikes pass: hold their hands. The climb to Terra Murata is steep: with small children, a baby carrier is better than a pushchair.

Combine it with

If you have a spare day in Naples, the Great Cone of Vesuvius or Herculaneum can be done by train and bus. On the way back, a walk through Spaccanapoli rounds off the day well: Molo Beverello is about twenty minutes' walk from the historic centre.