Ischia and Procida from Naples: hydrofoils from Beverello, ferries from Porta di Massa and Pozzuoli, Corricella, Aragonese Castle, buses, one trip or two.
Ischia and Procida are two different day trips from Naples, even though they sit on the same route. Procida is small: you can cover it on foot and by bus in half a day and still have time for lunch by the harbour. Ischia is more than four times the size of Capri, with thermal spas, castles and six towns: in a day you'll see one slice of it, and it pays to choose which before you board the hydrofoil. Here's where to leave from, what to see on each island and how to get around once you land.
Hydrofoils and ferries: Beverello, Porta di Massa or Pozzuoli
There are three ports for the two islands, and journey times vary quite a bit.
- Molo Beverello, opposite the Maschio Angioino castle: hydrofoils and fast boats only, run by SNAV, Alilauro and Caremar. Procida takes about forty minutes; Ischia between fifty minutes and just over an hour, depending on the arrival port and whether it stops at Procida on the way.
- Calata Porta di Massa, a little further east: the Caremar and Medmar ferries, the ones that also take cars. About an hour to Procida, a good hour and a half to Ischia.
- Pozzuoli, in the Campi Flegrei: the shortest crossing. Around half an hour to Procida and about an hour to Ischia, with Caremar, Medmar and some smaller companies. You get there from Naples on the Cumana (a local train line) or on metro line 2.
On Ischia, the hydrofoils don't all dock in the same place: most arrive at Ischia Porto, some at Casamicciola and Forio. Read your ticket carefully, because landing in Forio when you wanted the Aragonese Castle means an hour on the bus. Sailings increase in summer and drop from November: up-to-date timetables are on the companies' websites and the ticket-office boards.
Procida in a day: Corricella, Terra Murata, Chiaiolella
You land at Marina Grande, also called Sancio Cattolico: pastel houses, bars with tables on the quay, fishermen tending their nets. From here, walk up to Terra Murata, the fortified village at the top of the island. It's a twenty-minute climb between tufa walls and lemon trees, and up there you'll find the abbey of San Michele Arcangelo and Palazzo d'Avalos, which served as a prison for more than a century and can now be visited.
From the Terra Murata viewpoint you look down on the Corricella, the fishing village with houses stacked on top of each other, painted pink, yellow and blue: it's Procida's postcard and also where Massimo Troisi's Il Postino was filmed. Take the little steps down, walk along the tiny harbour and stop to eat there: fish of the day, and Procida lemon in a salad with mint and chilli.
In the afternoon, cross the island to the Chiaiolella on the other side, with its long beach and the bridge to the islet of Vivara, a nature reserve. Get there on the EAV buses: lines L1 and L2 link the port with the Chiaiolella, and the C2 passes Terra Murata and the Corricella. Buy your ticket before boarding, at a tabaccheria (tobacconist) or the kiosks at the port.
Ischia in a day: Aragonese Castle, Ischia Ponte, spas and gardens
If it's your first time, get off at Ischia Porto and head to Ischia Ponte: half an hour on foot along the main street, or a few minutes by bus. The Aragonese Castle sits on an islet joined to the mainland by a 15th-century stone bridge. Inside are the roofless cathedral of the Assunta, the convent of the Poor Clares with its cemetery where the nuns were left seated to decompose, and terraces over the sea. A lift cut into the rock takes you to the top. The castle is open every day from morning to sunset, except during maintenance between January and early March: current prices and hours are on the official website.
The second way to spend the day is spas and gardens. The Negombo thermal park, in the bay of San Montano at Lacco Ameno, has hot-water pools set in a botanical garden, plus a beach: it's seasonal, opening in spring and closing in early October, so check the exact closing date before you go. In Forio are the Giardini La Mortella, created by Susana Walton, wife of the composer William Walton: in 2026 they're open from 2 April to 1 November, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, 9am-7pm, last entry 6pm.
On the island you get around by EAV bus. The two circular lines, CS and CD, go all the way round Ischia in opposite directions and stop in every town; other lines cover shorter stretches. At summer peak times they're crowded, but they work.
Is it worth doing both?
Procida and Ischia are fifteen to thirty minutes apart by sea and sailings are frequent, so technically you can. The problem is time on land: if you do Procida in the morning and Ischia in the afternoon, on Ischia you only get a rushed look at the port and the castle. If you have one day, pick one. Procida if you want to walk, take photos and eat well without hurrying; Ischia if you want a hot soak or the castle.
If you do want to see both, the sea is the way to do it. Ischia and Procida by boat with swims and lunch on board leaves Beverello by hydrofoil and carries on from Procida by boat with a skipper: the Corricella seen from the water, Ischia's volcanic coastline, swimming stops and lunch on board.
Other islands and day trips from Naples
If your trip has room for another day at sea, read our guide to Capri from Naples in a day; if you prefer history, the one for Pompeii from Naples. All the boat trips and out-of-town excursions are in the Outdoor section, and the Naples map shows the Molo Beverello and the Calata Porta di Massa in relation to your hotel.
- ischia
- procida
- naples to ischia hydrofoil
- aragonese castle
- bay of naples islands
- day trips from naples
Who wrote this
Gianluca Scanni
Founder @ Cose Fighe
