If your ship calls at Naples, the islands in the bay are close, and the boats to Capri, Ischia and Sorrento are an obvious idea for a day ashore. The catch is that the boats do not all leave from the same place. Our Naples ferry hub lists the routes with their sources; this guide covers the practical side: which pier, how to get there, what to ask about assistance, and how to think about the return.
1. Why the pier matters more than the route
The port authority (in Italian) says hydrofoils leave from Molo Beverello, at Piazza Municipio, and from Mergellina, and that ferries leave from Calata Porta Massa. It adds that access to Beverello is on foot only. Capri Tourism (capritourism.com), a guide site run by a private company, gives the same split by company: Snav, NLG and Gescab-Snav from Molo Beverello, and Caremar from Calata Porta di Massa. Caremar's own schedule page lists its ferries to Procida and Ischia, and the service to Capri it labels TMV, at Porta di Massa, and its Procida and Ischia hydrofoils at Molo Beverello. In short, your ticket names the pier. Check it before you leave the ship.
2. Getting to the terminal
The port authority's page on reaching the port says the Alibus airport line starts from the Stazione Marittima (Molo Angioino/Beverello) and runs about every 15 to 20 minutes, daily, from 5:30 to midnight. The same page puts Piazza Garibaldi, the main rail and metro terminal, 10 minutes away. We found no official page that states the walking distance between the cruise terminal and Calata Porta di Massa, so ask your ship's port information before you assume you can walk it.
3. Routes and operators
| Route | Operators | Pier as the source states it | Time as the source states it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naples to Capri, high-speed | Snav, NLG, Gescab-Snav (Capri guide) | Molo Beverello | 50 minutes |
| Naples to Capri, Caremar | Caremar | Calata Porta di Massa | 60 minutes fast ferry; 85 minutes standard ferry |
| Naples to Ischia | Alilauro, Caremar and SNAV; the schedule also lists Medmar (Ferryhopper) | Beverello and Calata Porta di Massa both appear in Ferryhopper's schedules | From 50 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes; boats call at Ischia Porto, Casamicciola and Forio |
| Naples to Sorrento | Alilauro | Alilauro lists Napoli (Beverello) | Not stated on the page we read |
| Naples to Amalfi | NLG and Positano Jet direct; Alilauro via Sorrento (Ferryhopper) | Ferryhopper says Amalfi boats typically leave from Molo Beverello | Direct 1 hour 45 minutes to 3 hours; with a change at Sorrento 2 hours 40 minutes to about 5 and a half hours |
Ferryhopper is a booking site, so we use it only for what its own listings state. It says Amalfi boats run all year, with up to 7 daily crossings in the high season and fewer from November to March, and that there is no overnight service. It lists the last high-season departure from Naples at 17:40 and the last low-season departure at 15:35, which is worth knowing before you plan an Amalfi day around a ship that sails in the evening. These are sample times from a page read on 29 October 2026; check the operator's timetable for your date.
4. Tickets and timing
Capri Tourism says seats fill up fast and that times are subject to change, so check the schedule for your date. NLG's route page, read on 29 October 2026, splits its timetable into periods: 12 departures a day listed from Naples for 1 April to 3 November 2026, and 4 a day for 4 November to 31 December 2026. The same page lists the Naples ticket office hours as 07:30 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 18:30. Island boats are seasonal; look at the month you travel.
NLG's page also states a landing contribution to Capri of €5.00 per person from 1 April to 31 October and €2.50 from 1 November to 30 March, and a luggage charge of €5.00 a piece one way. These are NLG's figures as of 29 October 2026; check before you book.
5. Assistance, luggage and comfort
Caremar's page says passengers who need special assistance should buy the transport service and report their presence at least 48 hours before travel, and that after that deadline carriage is guaranteed only within the limits of the assistance available on board. It lists a WhatsApp number and a reduced-mobility desk email on the page itself. NLG's page says crew members, recognisable by the word CREW on their uniform, offer assistance from boarding to disembarkation, and that information on accessibility can only be requested at the ticket offices when you buy the ticket or collect the boarding pass for an online ticket. It adds that on the Gulf of Naples lines it cannot say in advance which vessel will be used, so an accessible bathroom is not always guaranteed.
Neither page told us how far ahead to ask for seating or what the Naples piers offer. Put your questions in writing, and read our ferry comfort checklist and our guide to fast and conventional ferries, since the Capri times differ between boat types.
6. Plan and cautions: the return to the ship
We found no official source that gives a safe margin before the ship's all-aboard time, so we do not give a number. A ferry ticket and a cruise booking do not protect each other. Work backward from the all-aboard time with the all-aboard worksheet, read why separate tickets need a buffer, and keep a plan B. Look at the last return sailing for your date, not a typical one. For the routes and their sources, return to the Naples ferry hub.
Checked on 29 October 2026: the Port of Naples authority pages on passenger traffic for the Gulf and on reaching the port, the ferry schedule on Capri Tourism (a private guide site), NLG's Naples to Capri route and assistance pages, Caremar's schedule page, Alilauro's home and routes pages, and Ferryhopper's Naples to Ischia and Naples to Amalfi pages. We did not find an official page on the walk between the cruise terminal and the Calata Porta di Massa pier. Timetables, piers and fares change, so confirm on the operator's page before you book.