Background During Thanksgiving week 2025, our family took a trip to Italy! November is a tricky time to travel with weather, but the prices and crowds convinced us to go. Ben and I had been before without kids (link) but this time we decided to take the kids! We loved spending a few days in Rome with some history and museums and then took the train down to Naples/Amalfi Coast area where we explored the cities in that area, including an epic visit to Pompei.  We love European travel as it always has family-friendly towns, easy navigating with trains and so much history and beauty. Traveling internationally with kids can be daunting but with a little preparation and research and tips from other travelers, we had a successful trip! This post covers our days in the Amalfi Coast area with Salerno as our home base. For more on our Italy Adventure, see our posts here Italy Adventures with Kids- Rome and Amalfi Coast Itinerary and Logistics 3 days in Rome with Kids 3 days Amalfi Coast Itinerary for Families After our three action-packed days in Rome, we took the high-speed train south to Salerno, the perfect base for exploring the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, and Naples. Salerno is the Cutest! We knew we wanted to see the Amalfi Coast, but we preferred a base that felt less like a tourist trap and more like a real Italian town. Salerno was the perfect fit. It felt like we were part of regular life here-with walkable streets and alleys and real people with their cute running clubs and vibes. It didn’t feel overrun with tourists. Apartment home base Housing here was incredibly cheap in chilly November! We booked a Mini Apartment at Il Salernitano (via Booking.com) for a steal at about $80 a night. It had decent space, with 2 bedrooms, and a mini kitchen. It didn’t really have a dining or living space but that’s ok, the kids enjoyed setting up their Nintendo switch on some down times. The location of the apartment was an easy walk or bus ride to the main train station and port, and definitely met our needs. Our 3 day itinerary in the Amalfi Coast Day 1: Arrival in Salerno We arrived early afternoon in Salerno after a train from Rome. One of the reasons we picked Salerno was for the Luci d’ Artista Christmas lights. This was a magical bonus of visiting in the winter months. From mid-November to early February, Salerno hosts a spectacular Christmas light display. The streets and park are lined with beautiful  light installations such as jellyfish, clouds, flowers, and dinosaurs. It felt like a low-key version of the cool light projections we’ve seen in places like Chartres and Innsbruck. Definitely check the dates if you visit in winter! Because it was raining when we arrived, we decided to do some exploring at the Salerno Archeology Museum: Not a must-do, but it was a fun, free, short stop right in town to break up the afternoon. We didn’t spend a whole lot of time exploring Salerno except for the lights. One thing I wished I had done ahead of time was to make reservations at La Botte Pazza: I found a recommendation for this restaurant with all-you-can-drink wine! We missed out because we didn’t book ahead. We ate close by at other restaurants and had great pizza,  pasta and steak options. Day 2: Naples Visit Because of some yucky rain, we pivoted our plans and decided that indoor museums in Naples (about an hour’s train ride from Salerno) were the best use of the day. A mini umbrella would be a great item to pack if you have room! Morning: Naples National Archaeological Museum (MANN) We skipped a lot of museum time in Rome because all of the sites were really outdoor museums. We really enjoyed this museum in Naples as a rain option. This archeological museum houses the best artifacts recovered from Pompeii, giving us context before seeing the ruins themselves. Every exhibit had English signage, which helped us read up on the history. We used the Rick Steves audio guide here, too! (Just the transcripts) The downstairs statues were beautiful. We especially liked the Roman Gods room, which features the massive Hercules statue and the impressive Farnese Bull.  Near the stairs, there was a cool video about the House of Faun. It made our later visit to the actual site in Pompeii come to life. Kid-Tip: Bathrooms are in the basement! Use the elevator rather than trying to wrangle kids down the stairs. Pizza Lunch & Afternoon Wandering We grabbed pizza along a Via dei Tribunali where there were tons of choices. We went to the famous Gino Sorbillo on Via dei Tribunali. This was the best pizza of the entire week! It was packed and busy but worth the wait. We briefly considered the science museum outside the city but decided the 30-minute commute wasn’t worth the time investment. Sometimes, cutting an activity is the smartest move! Sunset at Castel Sant’Elmo After a late lunch, we walked towards the Castel Sant’Elmo. This castle is mostly just a viewpoint, but it was half-price after 4 PM! (Don’t be like us and accidentally walk all the way around the castle to get to the top!) Look for the elevator to go up. Even with the rain, the views of the Bay of Naples were spectacular. We took a funicular down and had pasta near the Napoli train station before heading back to Salerno. Day 3: Gorgeous Amalfi Coast Views Boat Itinerary We planned a full-day ferry trip with Travelmar for about €142 total, aiming for: 9:40 AM Salerno to Positano Short time in Positano 1:30 PM Positano to Amalfi Short time in Amalfi 4:30 PM last ride back to Salerno Our boat to Positano was canceled due to weather, so we ended up with a simple 9:40 AM ferry straight to Amalfi and spent the full six hours exploring the area.