A week in Naples for the America's Cup 2027 — races, Pompeii, islands

Day one, start at Piazza del Plebiscito by 8:30 with a caffè at Gambrinus. Walk up Via Toledo and cut into the centro storico along Spaccanapoli, sfogliatella at Scaturchio on the way. Lunch is pizza at Sorbillo on Via dei Tribunali or Da Michele at Forcella, eaten early: be on the seafront by 13:00.

From the centro storico the Lungomare is a 25-minute walk through Chiaia, or Metro Line 1 to Municipio and a stroll past Castel dell'Ovo. In 2026 the Race Village at Rotonda Diaz was free, with giant screens and dock-out shows, and is expected to stay free in 2027 — footprint and entry rules are not yet published, so check americascup.com. Bring a hat: event director Leslie Ryan told Il Mattino that lack of shade on the seafront is a 2027 problem to solve.

Day two, book a morning tour of Napoli Sotterranea (the first slots are around 10:00; check the current timetable), then wander Via San Gregorio Armeno. On a non-race day keep going — the Duomo, the Cappella Sansevero, a loud, cheap lunch at Da Nennella in the Quartieri Spagnoli. If racing is on, take the Funicolare Centrale to the Vomero instead: the terrace by the Certosa di San Martino gives a wider, higher view of the whole course.

Day three is Pompeii. Take the Circumvesuviana from Garibaldi to Pompei Scavi (about 40 minutes) and be at the Porta Marina gate for opening time — 9:00 in summer, check pompeiisites.org — before the coaches. Three hours is plenty; Herculaneum, at Ercolano Scavi on the same line, is smaller, shadier and closer to town. Either way you are back by 13:00.

Day four is for the boats and the bases, not the racing. The seven teams — Defender Emirates Team New Zealand, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, GB1, Tudor Team Alinghi, La Roche-Posay Racing Team, ARC Team USA and Team Australia — will be based at Bagnoli, about 10 km west of the course; the bases are due to be completed over winter 2026–27, with teams expected to move in from January 2027. A free AC Tech FanZone with screens, team shops and bars is planned behind the hangars. The bases themselves are closed to the public and there is no live racing to watch from there: Bagnoli is for the late-morning dock-out and the afternoon on the screens.

Get there on the Cumana from Montesanto, roughly every 15 minutes, or on Metro Line 2 if the stretch west of Campi Flegrei has reopened. That section was suspended in June 2026 because of volcanic CO2 in the tunnel and then kept closed for works on the new stop, with replacement buses; the new Porta del Parco stop is targeted for May 2027 but not confirmed. Check Trenitalia for Line 2, eavsrl.it for the Cumana and anm.it for Line 1 and the funiculars before travelling.

Day five is an island, ideally on a non-race day. Hydrofoils leave from Molo Beverello and reach Capri in around 50 minutes; the slower Procida ferry, about an hour, leaves Calata Porta di Massa, a kilometre east. Procida is the easier call during the Cup — smaller, cheaper, less crowded, and Marina Corricella at 18:00 alone is worth the trip. In September 2026 the harbour master's exclusion zone around the course added about ten minutes to Ischia and Procida hydrofoils and twenty to the ferries; the 2027 ordinance is not out yet, so allow extra time.

Day six, pick between the volcano and the volcanoes. Vesuvius is the obvious one: roughly half an hour on foot from the car park to the crater rim, and on a clear morning the whole gulf lies below you. The Campi Flegrei, just west of Bagnoli, are the quieter alternative — Pozzuoli with its Rione Terra, Baia a little further on. The area had a magnitude 4.7 quake on 31 July 2026, so check the rail links first.

Day seven, if there is racing, watch from above like Neapolitans do. Via Petrarca and Via Orazio in Posillipo, Monte Echia at Pizzofalcone and Via Aniello Falcone at the Vomero all look straight down on the course for free; Parco Virgiliano has been only partly open since June 2026, so check first.

Every evening ends the same way: the passeggiata from Piazza dei Martiri through Chiaia to the water, an aperitivo on Via Partenope facing the castle, dinner late. On race days the Lungomare after 19:00 is the best part — the boats are in, the crowd stays, Vesuvius goes pink across the gulf.

On where to stay: Chiaia, the Lungomare and Posillipo put you within walking distance of the course, but estate agents quoted by Il Mattino and Stylo24 call them the most sought-after and most expensive areas. The centro storico and the Vomero are a 25-minute walk or a funicular away and better for this plan's mornings. Federalberghi Napoli reported hotels close to sold out for the September 2026 Preliminary Regatta, and we expect apartments to follow for the Cup weeks — our Vesuview team is local, so ask early. Tourist tax at 2026 rates is €6 per person per night in short-term rentals; 2027 rates have not been published.