naples-safety--circumvensia--anyone recently?

has anyone been this summer to Naples and been on the circumvensia to Pompeii and/or Sorrento? How safe did you feel? Any problems? What about the walk from train to port? How easy was it to get a cab from train back to port in afternoon? thanks, Delane

has anyone been this summer to Naples and been on the circumvensia to Pompeii and/or Sorrento? How safe did you feel? Any problems? What about the walk from train to port? How easy was it to get a cab from train back to port in afternoon? thanks, Delane

Hi Delane

I went to Pompeii & Herculaneum last week. There were no problems but if you want to do both I would say get off the ship as soon as possible - by 8 am if poss. I walked across the road and bought an all day transport pass which is good for the Circumvesuviana trains and the trams or bus to and from port to station. It costs 8.40 Euros.

The walk from port to station looked very little fun, I wouldn't try it it. Not particularly for safety reasons but because it's a fair way on a day when you will be doing a lot of walking in hot sun. Take tram number 1 to the station, and back to port when at the end of the day.

Make sure you not only validate your ticket on that first tram, but that it has registered a mark or printing on it afterwards. I clearly saw someone validate his ticket but it didn't leave a mark and the inspector fined him, despite me trying to say that he had put it in the machine.

Anyway, if you know you want to go to Herculaneum as well as Pompeii buy the multipass ticket at Pompeii (20 Euros, as opposed to 11 each) Entry is free to European Union U-18s and Over 65s on proof of age (passport). Map provision is very poor at both sites so take a good guidebook with you. You can refill your water bottle in Pompeii.

Spend at least 2 and ideally 3 hours at Pompeii and head for Herculaneum by 12.30 so you will be there around 1.15, although as long as you are on site by 1.45 you will have enough time to do it justice.

It is a 10 minute downhill walk to the ruins and 15 coming back up. I took the 15.35 train back to Naples and was back on board by 16.05 as a number 1 tram came round the corner as I exited the station. Herculaneum is much quieter than Pompeii and well worth a look. Spend an hour to 90 mins there.

I can't speak for Sorrento but it's same train as for Pompeii so I can't see how it would not be equally straightforward.

I will be posting detailed YT videos of P & H but it will not be for a while as it was such an intensive cruise (Rome, Florence, Majorca, Barca, Carthage, Monaco, Palermo) that I have lots of them to make :).

All the best

Tony

We took the circumvesuviana in June to both Pompeii and Sorrento and didn't have any problems. The walk from the pier to Porta Nolana is a little long but you can take the #1 tram directly from the port entrance to the train station if you buy your ticket from the newstand across the street from the cruise terminal.

There were quite a few "musicians" on the train that were begging for money, typically with the whole family. If you want to try and avoid that, go on the first or last car of the train since there is a conductor on each end. Their presence helps deter some of this activity.

Just keep alert of your surroundings and you'll be fine. It's no worse than subways in New York.

thanks--where, across the road did you buy the all-day ticket? Can that get me all the way to sorrento, if I choose? also, was the train very hot or OK? I assume it's the type that the window will all be open?

You can get tickets from the newstand directly across the street at the crosswalk. The road is divided with the tram tracks down the middle. There is a tram station at the port entrance.

If this link works, it should take you to a street view of the newstand:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=naples,+italy+cruise+terminal&hl=en&ll=40.839545,14.255058&spn=0,0.002057&sll=26.336499,-81.88385&sspn=0.691678,1.053314&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=40.839468,14.255008&panoid=3PgxD8-r5OqsBJIk-6I0AQ&cbp=12,322.37,,0,3.5

If you want to go as far as Sorrento, you'll need a U5 day pass ticket (giornaliero). This allows unlimited transportation for a day between Naples and Sorrento (and all stops in between, such as Pompeii). Below is a link to all the train fares. Note that if you're there on the weekend, tickets are discounted. The newstand initially wanted to sell us the full fare tickets but after insisting on the weekend rate, they found the right tickets.

http://www.unicocampania.it/uploads/testistatici/5_1.pdf

The train we were on was not air conditioned. Windows were open which made it bearable, but it wasn't very hot that day.

thanks--where, across the road did you buy the all-day ticket? Can that get me all the way to sorrento, if I choose? also, was the train very hot or OK? I assume it's the type that the window will all be open?

Hi Elaine

You walk straight out of the port and keep going until you come to a main road which you cross to the far side. Look for a newspaper cabin/stall (the tabacchi is 20 yards to its right but they couldn't sell me a ticket and directed me to the other place). Your all-day ticket (12 Euros according to Trabeler, 'cos it's further than Pompeii) will get you to Sorrento and back, plus any bus/tram travel from port to station.

The Circumvesuviana runs between Naples and Sorrento. I was only going to Pompeii but dimly recall that Sorrento is about twice as far so will take about an hour. When you arrive make a note of the return times, which I think are half hourly.

The train was perfectly comfortable even though it was a hot day.

Tony

We took the train to Pompeii two weeks ago. The train was fine, but being on Sunday it was very crowded as a lot of local fill it for the day trip to the beach in Sorrento. We ended up taking a taxi from the port to the train station. I'm glad I had read online that the max to pay a taxi driver is 10 euros, since the driver tried to get 15. I stuck firm to 10 and he finally agreed. Even though the train was very crowded, I felt completely safe. We got on at the first station (the beginning of the line) and I'm glad we did, because to easily got seats. At the second station, a mass of people got on, and many had to stand. The Pompeii stop (Pompei Scavi) is right at the entrance to the ruins.

Enjoy, Jim

An all day transportation ticket that will get you from Naples to Sorrento and back is a U5, and costs 12 Euro on weekdays and Euro 6,30 on weekends.

An all day ticket from Naples to Pompei and Ercolano and back is a U3, it costs Euro 8,40 on weekdays and 4,50 on weekends.

I read all posts and was worried about getting to and from the station so we took the bus. As suggested by someoneslse on these boards.

http://www.sitabus.it/sitabus/campania/orarioCAMPANIA/QUADROVIII_BIS_2010.pdf

Sorry I have lost the link to their name but these were the instructions we followed.

We headed off the ship about 7:35 am, after winding our way thru the terminal building we made it past the taxi drivers to the road. (We did have a taxi driver out by the road offer to take us to the train for E10, but all the closer ones wanted to do a "tour") We turned right and walked down about 5 minutes, walking along a sidewalk with the water on our right. We came to a lot with 7-8 SITA buses in it, walked over a cable (not sure why, probably just to save a few steps) and past the buses to a building to buy tickets. It was E8,50 for 2 adults, 2 children. We walked back out to the buses, got on the one that said "Pompeii Scavi" and we were sitting there at 7:50 am. The bus left at 8:00 am. We arrived at Pompeii at 8:33 am.

Our tickets were E2.80 each. On returning to Naples by bus we had to purchase the tickets from the train station in Pompeii so infuture I would buy twice the number of tickets as the return stop was directly opposite the drop off stop. The bus only had 3 other people on!!! It made one other stop in Naples at the station.

On returning again empty apart from one other cruising family. Last stop was near the castle building near the cruise terminal. Easy walking no hassle distance.

I read all posts and was worried about getting to and from the station so we took the bus. As suggested by someoneslse on these boards.

http://www.sitabus.it/sitabus/campania/orarioCAMPANIA/QUADROVIII_BIS_2010.pdf

Sorry I have lost the link to their name but these were the instructions we followed.

We headed off the ship about 7:35 am, after winding our way thru the terminal building we made it past the taxi drivers to the road. (We did have a taxi driver out by the road offer to take us to the train for E10, but all the closer ones wanted to do a "tour") We turned right and walked down about 5 minutes, walking along a sidewalk with the water on our right. We came to a lot with 7-8 SITA buses in it, walked over a cable (not sure why, probably just to save a few steps) and past the buses to a building to buy tickets. It was E8,50 for 2 adults, 2 children. We walked back out to the buses, got on the one that said "Pompeii Scavi" and we were sitting there at 7:50 am. The bus left at 8:00 am. We arrived at Pompeii at 8:33 am.

Our tickets were E2.80 each. On returning to Naples by bus we had to purchase the tickets from the train station in Pompeii so infuture I would buy twice the number of tickets as the return stop was directly opposite the drop off stop. The bus only had 3 other people on!!! It made one other stop in Naples at the station.

On returning again empty apart from one other cruising family. Last stop was near the castle building near the cruise terminal. Easy walking no hassle distance.

Hi Jackie

Have you been to Sorrento?

Could you e mail me please at

gillian at clarkrecruitment dot co dot uk

Thanks

Gillian