Has Anyone Ever Done a Sorrento-Positano-Pompeii Shore Excursion?

I tend to be a bit skeptical when it comes to shore excursions--will the guides herd us like cattle? Will we have enough time at each stop? BUT I also hate the thought of missing out on going to places that are further afield (I'd absolutely love to go to Positano or Amalfi when docked in Naples) and I'm a little nervous at the thought of trying to get there/back to the ship on my own.

SO...my question is, has anyone ever done one of the excursions from Naples that visits Sorrento, Positano, and Pompeii in one day? If so, is it too exhausting? OR--is it easy enough to get a bus to Amalfi or Positano on your own? (Bonus points if you can make a case for staying in Naples.)

Basically, I have absolutely no idea what to do with my day in Naples, and I just don't want to miss out on anything big.

Take a deep breath and repeat after me.

I cannot do everything.

I cannot do everything.

I cannot do everything.

This is really true of this particular port. There are a lot of choices but they are not all next door to each other. (It's not like Epcot Center where France is literally a stroll away from Italy....lol.)

With a good private tour, you could spend a couple of hours in Pompeii and maybe see some of the Amalfi Coast. Sorrento is skippable.

Taking a bus to the Amalfi Coast and back during a port day in Naples is not something I'd do and I'm pretty adventurous. The timings just don't work well with cruise departures, traffic can get horrendous, AND the buses get very, very crowded during the cruise season.

Yes, you will be herded like cattle which is the nature of many cruise ship excursions. Doing Pompeii and Sorrento is not a difficult combination since Sorrento is really not worth a lot of time. But when you add Positano into the mix you will have a problem. Cruise ship excursions will sometimes say something like "you will see Positano" and that is a half-truth. Yes, you will likely drive along the Amalfi Drive and see Positano which lies below the road. But large tour buses are not permitted to enter into Positano so you will only "see" Positano but not experience being in Postitano and walking around some of its streets. That can only be done if you are on a small vehicle tour, arrive by boat, or go on your own.

Hank

Joe Banana's Limo was great! I highly recommend it. We did this in 2015 and are going again in a few weeks! We did the all inclusive tour which includes a family style lunch! It was our favorite meal in Italy! We visited Sorrento, Positano and Pompeii! It was an 8 passenger Mercedes van audit was great!

Our first Med cruise we used Limo in Rome, with our driver Luigi. They prearranged a private guide for Pompei. I recommend a guide as to make the ruins come to life. Go early morning, to avoid the heat as there is no shade. Crowds are minimal also. Then we were off to Sorrento. Beautiful drive along the coast and a pretty city with great shopping. On our second Med cruise, we again used the Luigi and went to Sorrento and to Positano. Personally, Positano is over hyped. Naples is a great port, but a private guide provides the best bang for the money.

I tend to be a bit skeptical when it comes to shore excursions--will the guides herd us like cattle? Will we have enough time at each stop? BUT I also hate the thought of missing out on going to places that are further afield (I'd absolutely love to go to Positano or Amalfi when docked in Naples) and I'm a little nervous at the thought of trying to get there/back to the ship on my own.

 

SO...my question is, has anyone ever done one of the excursions from Naples that visits Sorrento, Positano, and Pompeii in one day? If so, is it too exhausting? OR--is it easy enough to get a bus to Amalfi or Positano on your own? (Bonus points if you can make a case for staying in Naples.)

 

Basically, I have absolutely no idea what to do with my day in Naples, and I just don't want to miss out on anything big.

We did a private tour with Roma Limo going to all three spots. The original plan was to go to Pompei first thing in the morning and then drive to Sorrento for a short while and then spend the afternoon in Positano. Well...that day the private tour guides at Pompei decided to go on a mini strike! Had we taken a ship's tour going to Pompei only in the morning, we would have been out of luck. Our driver took us to Sorrento first, Positano second (where we had time on our own to walk thru the town, go tyo the church and beach, have lunch and do some shopping - stopping for a granita before meeting our driver, too) before going to Pompeii which was then open in the afternoon. It was a good experience. Glad we did it. Wish we had more than just a day to do it. This trip - going only to Capri on our own.

Where else are you going on this cruise? Amalfi is nice but lots of other Italian coastal towns are similar and imho Cinque Terre is the best of these areas (access from La Spezia or even Genoa). Pompei is really unique in the world, but is not everyones cup of tea. Naples itself is underrated. DIY options include also Capri or Ischia by ferry.

Where else are you going on this cruise? Amalfi is nice but lots of other Italian coastal towns are similar and imho Cinque Terre is the best of these areas (access from La Spezia or even Genoa). Pompei is really unique in the world, but is not everyones cup of tea. Naples itself is underrated. DIY options include also Capri or Ischia by ferry.

While we would agree that the town of Amalfi is nothing to write home about.....Positano and Ravello are two very special places. And comparing Cinque Terre to Positano is like comparing a grapefruit to a komquat (this comparison is probably as valid as yours). When we stay on the Amalfi coast we generally don't waste 15 minutes in the town of Amalfi. One reason why cruise line excursions seem to make a big deal about visiting Amalfi is because they are not permitted to visit Positano :).

Hank

We also enjoyed a private tour with Joe Banana, who took us to Pompei, and down the coast. I seem to remember stopping in one or two towns; one was Sorrento where we ate lunch. We also stopped at an olive oil place. I was worried about getting carsick, and we started down the coast in LA, but the driver eventually talked me in to trying a bit of the coast, and it was fine.

While we would agree that the town of Amalfi is nothing to write home about.....Positano and Ravello are two very special places. And comparing Cinque Terre to Positano is like comparing a grapefruit to a komquat (this comparison is probably as valid as yours). When we stay on the Amalfi coast we generally don't waste 15 minutes in the town of Amalfi. One reason why cruise line excursions seem to make a big deal about visiting Amalfi is because they are not permitted to visit Positano :).

 

Hank

Don't get me wrong I am not saying skip the Amalfi coast and stay on the boat but time is limited. If I just ate 3 grapefruits I would rather have a pastry than a Kumquat.

Also transport on the Amalfi coast is horrible. Better to stay for a longer period of time.

I tend to be a bit skeptical when it comes to shore excursions--will the guides herd us like cattle? Will we have enough time at each stop? BUT I also hate the thought of missing out on going to places that are further afield (I'd absolutely love to go to Positano or Amalfi when docked in Naples) and I'm a little nervous at the thought of trying to get there/back to the ship on my own.

 

SO...my question is, has anyone ever done one of the excursions from Naples that visits Sorrento, Positano, and Pompeii in one day? If so, is it too exhausting? OR--is it easy enough to get a bus to Amalfi or Positano on your own? (Bonus points if you can make a case for staying in Naples.)

 

Basically, I have absolutely no idea what to do with my day in Naples, and I just don't want to miss out on anything big.

We have been to a trip on the Amalfi-coast a few years ago.

In Naples you can go up to the castle and have a lovely view, seeing the spacca napoli.

There was a fantastic underground tour where you went to see the old catacombs. We loved that tour. https://www.napolisotterranea.org/en/naples-underground/

Also there is the famous archologial museum. When you visit the museum, check the timetable to see which exhibitions is open at which time. Sometimes one or the other exposition will close during the day.

https://www.museoarcheologiconapoli.it/en/

You can get from Naples to Sorrento very easily, using the Circumvesuviana, which is a local train. It will also take you to Ercolano which is similar but smaller than Pompeii.

To get to Positano you would have to take the Circumvesuviana to Sorrento and then take a bus (bus also goes further to Amalfi). There´s also a boat from Sorrento which will take you to Amalfi or maybe stop in Positano on the way. I don´t remember as we only took the boat back home from Amalfi.

Also from naples you could take the ferry and see Ischia or Capri.

I have no idea how much time you have on your hand but I´d either stay in Naples or only go to see Ercolano in the morning and then return to Naples for the rest of the day.

Don't get me wrong I am not saying skip the Amalfi coast and stay on the boat but time is limited. If I just ate 3 grapefruits I would rather have a pastry than a Kumquat.

Also transport on the Amalfi coast is horrible. Better to stay for a longer period of time.

I will certainly agree about the transport. We have driven those roads (day and night) and I once made myself car sick just driving :) Trust me that the Amalfi Drive after dark on a foggy night is not fun. But we will go to our grave loving this part of Italy (and many other parts).

Hank

I will certainly agree about the transport. We have driven those roads (day and night) and I once made myself car sick just driving

I absolutely aggree with this. We took the normal coach from Sorrento to Amalfi. Sunny day, not during the night but we were sitting further in the back of the coach. Had to get off in Positano ( with several others who were all green in the face) and wait for the next bus which then took us the rest of the way to Amalfi.

This sounds like a lot to do in one day. We've been to all these places, but not on the same cruise. First time in Naples, we "did" Pompeii and that was plenty. There's a lot of walking to be done there to see the best parts. On another cruise we did a private excursion that went to Heruclaneum (town also devastated by Mt Vesuvius), Sorrento (had lunch, shopped) and then down to Positano. That, too, was a very full day.

While we would agree that the town of Amalfi is nothing to write home about.....Positano and Ravello are two very special places. And comparing Cinque Terre to Positano is like comparing a grapefruit to a komquat (this comparison is probably as valid as yours). When we stay on the Amalfi coast we generally don't waste 15 minutes in the town of Amalfi. One reason why cruise line excursions seem to make a big deal about visiting Amalfi is because they are not permitted to visit Positano :).

 

Hank

I agree with Hlitner. I rate Ravello as one of my top ten places I've visited in Italy. It's a sweet small town with beautiful views , quaint shops and architecture and friendly people.We did a private tour in 2013, but darned if I can remember the name of the tour company. Son't even attempt to add Pompeii if you want to see the Amalfi coast. You don't want to miss wandering the streets of these villages/towns. You will miss the whole flavor of the place. So - either Pompeii, or Sorentto/Amalfi.

I arranged a private custom tour to all these locations with Mariano from pleasantravel dot com in 2011. Our tour included a visit to Pompeii, Sorrento, Positano, the Amalfi Coast and a side trip to his own farm to learn about olive oil production. His wife served us local salami and wine. In Pompeii, Mariano arranged a private guide to show us around for an extra 100Euro. I think it was Sorrento that he gave us time to walk around and he stopped several places along the Amalfi Coast to view the sights. It was a rainy, miserable day and there had been recent mud slides so we didn't stop for long. It was a wonderful trip and would encourage you to contact Mariano.

I agree with Hlitner. I rate Ravello as one of my top ten places I've visited in Italy. It's a sweet small town with beautiful views , quaint shops and architecture and friendly people.We did a private tour in 2013, but darned if I can remember the name of the tour company. Son't even attempt to add Pompeii if you want to see the Amalfi coast. You don't want to miss wandering the streets of these villages/towns. You will miss the whole flavor of the place. So - either Pompeii, or Sorentto/Amalfi.

Also adding my aggree. From Amalfi we took a public bus up to Ravello. Once you´ve seen Ravello you can then walk down from there through the vineyards and lemon groves down to Amalfi again. It´s a lovely walk and I absolutely recommend it if you have the time.

We did Pompeii/Sorrento/Positano with RomeinLimo, 8 people from our rollcall, and it was great! They arranged a private tour guide at Pompeii to meet us, and everything was great. Just depends on what you want to do.

I agree with Hlitner. I rate Ravello as one of my top ten places I've visited in Italy. It's a sweet small town with beautiful views , quaint shops and architecture and friendly people.

Also adding my aggree. From Amalfi we took a public bus up to Ravello. Once you´ve seen Ravello you can then walk down from there through the vineyards and lemon groves down to Amalfi again. It´s a lovely walk and I absolutely recommend it if you have the time.

I'll be the lone voice of dissent. Ravello was pretty, yes, but after about half an hour I felt I had exhausted its charms. Yes I went into Villa Rufolo and saw the gardens; yes I stuck my head in the cathedral. Other than that it was a few streets of shops and a couple of photo points with a nice central piazza.

I've never seen the point of doing an "Amalfi drive" tour; instead I've been visiting the towns one by one on various trips. Now I'm beginning to think that this really may be a place where a quick stop on a long day tour may be enough.... :rolleyes:

If you like pretty vistas, it's charming and you'll enjoy it. If, like me, you prefer history, museums, ruins, and cities where there is more to see and do than snap a couple of photos and shop, then perhaps think twice about the Amalfi coast.

I realize I'm probably in the small minority, but give me Pompeii or Herculaneum or Villa Oplontis or Baia or Pozzuoli or Paestum -- or even Capri -- any day over the Amalfi Coast.

We actually have done both The Pompei, Positano and Sorrento from Naples, and the Cinque Terre from Livorno.

We used Rome in Limo in 2015 for the Pompei trip and reverseved the ordered to Sorrento, Positano and Pompei in the afternoon with a guide. Felt like it was one of the best excursions we did really, and RIL is excellent and extremely dependable and easy to work with. Sorrento was a short stop, and we had the most incredible lunch in Positano. We are planning to do Amalfi, Ravello and Positano again with RIL next year.

DH was not crazy about Pompei, and we all felt more herded there than anything. DH is not a ruins type guy so he was not really impressed. I have gathered more for programs on Pompei on TV than I learned from that tours. It is heartbreaking to see and hear some of the stories. Perhaps Herculeum would be better.

In 2015 NCL offered a Cinque Terre tour for Livorno and we opted for this tour. Sadly we did not get to travel by ferries and instead faced the throngs of tourists on the trains. We learned alot about independent travel via train that day! Our guides took AMAZING care of all of use and we saw enough and are considering going back again. Since NCL is no offering it I would have to use another company. Because of it's distance I am considering going somewhere else too, but it IS worth seeing once. So consider it.

Hope this helps!

Nancy