Ischia - the Island where Italians go to Relax
You have been to Capri, now it's time to explore Ischia
Capri is beautiful. It is also a very expensive day. for example just lunch in Capri town: 40 to 50 euros if you want to sit down somewhere decent. A coffee in the Piazzetta: 8 to 12 euros. Add the funicular, the bus, a gelato and the ferry transfer, and a normal day trip lands at 150 euros per person to begin with.
There is another island in the same gulf. 50 minutes by hydrofoil from the same port in Naples. Italians know it well. Tourists almost never ask about it. It is called Ischia.
The ferry
From Naples, hydrofoils leave Molo Beverello roughly every hour in summer. The slower ferry from Calata Porta di Massa is cheaper. Tickets start around 18 to 25 euros each way depending on the operator and the season. The crossing takes 50 minutes to an hour and a quarter. There are over 20 daily sailings in high season. You don't need to book ahead unless you are travelling on a holiday weekend or in August.
The thermal water
Ischia sits on top of a volcanic system. Hot springs come up through the ground all over the island. This is what makes it different from Capri, from Procida, from any other island in the gulf.
There are two big thermal parks.
Giardini Poseidon Terme, in the bay of Citara, has 20 thermal pools at temperatures from 28 to 40 degrees Celsius, a private beach, a steam grotto carved into the rock. Full-day ticket: around 45 euros, 40 euros after 1 pm.
Negombo, in the bay of San Montano, has 13 pools spread through botanical gardens with art installations and its own beach. Full-day ticket: around 70 euros in 2025, with cheaper afternoon tickets from 40 euros. Both are open from mid-April to the end of October.
Then there is Sorgeto.
Sorgeto is a small bay near the village of Panza, in the municipality of Forio. Hot volcanic water comes up directly through the seabed and mixes with the sea water. You sit in natural rock pools. The temperature in some of them goes up to 37 degrees Celsius. It is open all year. It costs nothing. You walk down 200 steps from Panza, or you take a small water taxi from Sant'Angelo for around 6 euros each way. Bring water shoes. The rocks near the springs are hot. See great article here.
The food
Ischia is bigger than Capri. It has six towns, working fishermen, vineyards on the slopes of Monte Epomeo, restaurants where the locals actually eat. Coniglio all'ischitana — rabbit cooked in tomato, white wine and herbs — is the island dish. The wine is mostly Biancolella and Forastera, both white, both grown on terraces above the sea. A proper trattoria lunch with wine sits at 25 to 35 euros per person. In Capri, the same lunch is 70.
The villages
Sant'Angelo is a tiny fishing village on the south coast, no cars allowed in the center.
Ischia Ponte, with the medieval Aragonese Castle on a rocky islet you walk to over a stone bridge.
Forio for the sunsets.
Lacco Ameno for the small old center and the Mortella gardens.
When to go
May, June, September. The water is warm enough, the parks are open, the crowds are gentler. Skip the first two weeks of August. That is when Italians take their own holidays, and locals fill the island. Beautiful, but very full.
What to do if you only have one day
If you only have one day from Naples: hydrofoil at 9, taxi from the port to Negombo or Poseidon, half a day in the thermal pools, lunch nearby, late afternoon at Sorgeto for sunset, last ferry back. About 90 to 120 euros total per person, including ferry, park entry and a real lunch.
What to pack
Swimsuit. Water shoes. A small towel. Cash, especially for Sorgeto and the smaller places. A swimming cap if you plan to use Poseidon — they require it in the thermal pools.
See you in Italy,
Alessandra