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Hi, first time cruisers doing Italy & Greek Isles on RC Jewel of the Seas in the beginning of June. Could anyone advise if it's possible to do Pompeii on your own e.g. take a taxi from the port and purchase tickets when you get there instead of taking a ship excursion or pre-booking a private tour, would taxis be expensive? thanks in advance.

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Hi, first time cruisers doing Italy & Greek Isles on RC Jewel of the Seas in the beginning of June. Could anyone advise if it's possible to do Pompeii on your own e.g. take a taxi from the port and purchase tickets when you get there instead of taking a ship excursion or pre-booking a private tour, would taxis be expensive? thanks in advance.

 

With limited time in port. Probably a ships or private tour would be brst.

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^^ Not true at all. Plus the OP has 11 hours in port, which isn't what I'd consider limited time as a port stop goes....

 

There are several easy ways to get to Pompeii on one's own.

 

Taxis have a fixed rate to take you to Pompeii and wait 2 hours for you, then return. As of 2017, that fixed rate was 100 euro per taxi (not per person). I couldn't find the 2018 rate card, perhaps it is not published yet.

 

There is also an express bus that leaves from near the port terminal and takes you directly to Pompeii. One regular poster (euro cruiser) has posted about this service a number of times; it has limited times but if the times work for you, it is supposedly very easy. See, for example, this post: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2568597&highlight=pompeii+express+bus

 

The post linked above also discusses the other options -- a commuter metro/train (Circumvesuviana line) and a more express train line, the Campania express, again with limited runs.

 

All of the options mentioned above are considerably less expensive than a taxi. You can find out more by searching this forum (or Google is also your friend).

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The upside of the bus or train is that you can stay as long as you want, without incurring extra cost. You could also stay longer with a cab, but would have to pay extra for that. While transportation is not hard to do on your own, I think you will get more out of your visit if you hire a guide at the gate. Best value would be to join with a small group either forming there or from your cruise. After the organized tour you can continue to spend time OYO if there is more you want to see.

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The official site for the ruins offers some information to get you started here, in English: http://pompeiisites.org/allegati/A%20Guide%20to%20the%20Pompeii%20Excavations.pdf

 

It's very easy to get there and back on your own.

 

Primary transport options:

  • SITA bus (closer to the cruise port than the train, pretty much guaranteed a seat, AC works, but slightly longer walk to entrance of the ruins - two tenths of a mile, and only a couple of runs each morning)
  • CAMPANIA EXPRESS train (far more comfortable than the regular commuter train, you will get a seat and the AC works, but it is slightly more expensive and there are only a few runs each day, station is over a mile from the port)
  • CIRCUMVESUVIANA train (inexpensive and frequent runs throughout the day but insanely overcrowded, few seats, AC can't keep up, constant issue of pickpockets, station is over a mile from the port)
  • TAXI (most expensive, if you want to stay longer than the set fare time of two hours you must negotiate higher fee vs. fixed fare)

Once you decide what you want to do we can help you with the specifics.

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^^ Not true at all. Plus the OP has 11 hours in port, which isn't what I'd consider limited time as a port stop goes....

 

There are several easy ways to get to Pompeii on one's own.

 

Taxis have a fixed rate to take you to Pompeii and wait 2 hours for you, then return. As of 2017, that fixed rate was 100 euro per taxi (not per person). I couldn't find the 2018 rate card, perhaps it is not published yet.

 

There is also an express bus that leaves from near the port terminal and takes you directly to Pompeii. One regular poster (euro cruiser) has posted about this service a number of times; it has limited times but if the times work for you, it is supposedly very easy. See, for example, this post: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2568597&highlight=pompeii+express+bus

 

The post linked above also discusses the other options -- a commuter metro/train (Circumvesuviana line) and a more express train line, the Campania express, again with limited runs.

 

All of the options mentioned above are considerably less expensive than a taxi. You can find out more by searching this forum (or Google is also your friend).

 

 

 

Thanks

 

 

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The official site for the ruins offers some information to get you started here, in English: http://pompeiisites.org/allegati/A%20Guide%20to%20the%20Pompeii%20Excavations.pdf

 

It's very easy to get there and back on your own.

 

Primary transport options:

  • SITA bus (closer to the cruise port than the train, pretty much guaranteed a seat, AC works, but slightly longer walk to entrance of the ruins - two tenths of a mile, and only a couple of runs each morning)
  • CAMPANIA EXPRESS train (far more comfortable than the regular commuter train, you will get a seat and the AC works, but it is slightly more expensive and there are only a few runs each day, station is over a mile from the port)
  • CIRCUMVESUVIANA train (inexpensive and frequent runs throughout the day but insanely overcrowded, few seats, AC can't keep up, constant issue of pickpockets, station is over a mile from the port)
  • TAXI (most expensive, if you want to stay longer than the set fare time of two hours you must negotiate higher fee vs. fixed fare)

Once you decide what you want to do we can help you with the specifics.

 

 

 

Thanks

 

 

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Pompeii is the bigger, more iconic site, but it's also worth checking out Herculaneum if you get time. It's also easily accessible by train.

 

I've always used tours, but I seem to remember other posts talking about long queues in line to buy tickets, so if you can buy in advance it sounds like it is worth doing that.

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I found useful info at http://www.rometoolkit.com

I have taken the train to Herculaneum and then to Sorrento for shopping and lunch. I found it a great way to travel. As mentioned, always be aware of your belongings, no matter where you are.

There was a tram, just outside the port , that would shuttle you to the train station. I bought tickets at the tobacco stand.

If you are lucky enough to be there on the first Sunday of the month admission is free.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sorry to chime in a little late...

 

DH and I did Pompeii as a DIY day two years ago. I can't comment on how best to get there as we were docked in Livorno (we took the train - quite simple from there). However, I would suggest if it is possible to buy tickets ahead of time to do so. We entered from the lower entrance (because of where we were coming from) and even there we had to wait in line to buy our tickets. I don't remember it being an overly long wait time, but I suspect that the main entrance has even longer lines.

 

We used the Rick Steves' walking tour that I had downloaded before we left. I think it would be hard to grasp what all you were seeing without some sort of commentary. We supplemented that with the maps that we got with our tickets and a few things I had printed out ahead of time. We had a great day and really enjoyed ourselves.

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DH and I did Pompeii as a DIY day two years ago. I can't comment on how best to get there as we were docked in Livorno (we took the train - quite simple from there).
I think your memory is a little off here, it's not possible to go to Pompei from Livorno in the same day, the train ride alone is a minimum of six hours.

 

Possibly you were ending your cruise at Civitavecchia and went from there? This is a four hour train ride, so it's possible to get to Pompei in time for an afternoon visit if you're spending the night, but not a day trip.

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I think your memory is a little off here, it's not possible to go to Pompei from Livorno in the same day, the train ride alone is a minimum of six hours.

 

Possibly you were ending your cruise at Civitavecchia and went from there? This is a four hour train ride, so it's possible to get to Pompei in time for an afternoon visit if you're spending the night, but not a day trip.

Oh my goodness you are right... it was Salerno. I always get those mixed up!! Can I edit my previous post?

 

I'm in Taiwan currently so I'm blaming jet lag!!!

 

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The Circumvesuviana Commuter Train from Naples Central Train Station to Pompeii takes just 25 minutes but you might want to take a taxi from the cruise port to the Naples Train station as it is quite a walk.

 

https://naplesitaly.ca/transportation/

 

If you plan to take the Circumvesuviana, it's much better to go to its first stop, Porta Nolana, which is closer to the cruise port than the main train station. (Because it is the first stop, there is more likelihood of gaining a seat also....)

 

There is a bus (#151) that stops on the right just outside the port that will take you to this station. There used to be a tram (#1) that was discontinued a couple of years ago -- not sure if it was due to the construction in the area or for other reasons). You can get a ticket at the little shop near the stop.

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The upside of the bus or train is that you can stay as long as you want, without incurring extra cost. You could also stay longer with a cab, but would have to pay extra for that. While transportation is not hard to do on your own, I think you will get more out of your visit if you hire a guide at the gate. Best value would be to join with a small group either forming there or from your cruise. After the organized tour you can continue to spend time OYO if there is more you want to see.

 

Agreed about joining up with a tour. My daughter was just there a couple of days ago on a land tour through Italy and found a tour guide who was gathering up peope right before the entrance. She and her friend were able to get on with this tour of about a dozen other people for €15 per person for two full hours. (Entry into the site is a further €15).

 

One of the many advantages was that the guide was able to cut the line and buy tickets for the whole group so that they did not have to stand in line. After the two hour tour, they stayed inside the site on their own for a further couple of hrs. There are some agencies that will let you pre-book that same price for some specific dates/times online. Not sure if I can mention their names here, though. One of them is located in or right next to the Suisse Ristorante by the entrance. Even a mediocre tour guide can bring to life what would be merely stone and rubble to the layman’s eyes.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Happy Hols 2018...

 

You absolutely can do this on you own! I spent a lot of time researching all the options and settled on the train from Naples.

We just returned 2 weeks ago. It was awesome!

 

The one place my wife specifically requested to visit on this entire trip was Pompeii, so we set our sights on seeing Pompeii and the lessor-known city of Herculaneum. Both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. You can find tours and taxis to both ruined cities, or you can get there easily and inexpensively on your own. Pompeii is just a 30-to-40-minute train ride away, and Herculaneum is just 15 minutes away. Thankfully they can both be accessed from the same trains, but you still need to get to the train station from the port.

 

Both sites are free on the first Sunday of each month. Sure, we saved €13 pp at Pompeii and €11 pp at Herculaneum, but we had to deal with much heavier crowds than we otherwise would have. Since we only had one day in port we got off the ship as soon as we docked at 7:00 am and headed into town to catch a metro to the train station in hopes of reaching Pompeii when they opened at 8:30 am.

 

The Naples cruise port is located in the historic center, facing the medieval Castel Nuovo. You can walk from the ship, through the Maritime Station, across the parking lot, and past a snack bar and smack into a 7 lane road Via Ammiraglio Ferdinando Action. There will be a very obvious cross walk in front of you. Cross the street and walk up a ramp alongside the castle which will take you to its entrance.

 

If that's your destination, turn left and go in. Another 1.5 blocks up the road (Via San Carlo) is Galleria Umberto I, across from the San Carlo Theater (18th-century Opera House). Just one block past that is Piazza del Plebiscito with equestrian statues fronting Basilica Reale Pontificia San Francesco da Paola which features Greek-style columns lining the facade of this Pantheon-style church filled with sculpture and paintings. The Royal Palace is across the street (as you head back towards the port).

 

If you're heading for the metro, turn right instead and walk two blocks down Via Vittorio Emanuele III to Piazza Municipio, a small one block plaza. The metro station, designated by a big "M" can easily be seen. Buy your metro pass (€1,10) in the little shop on the right before heading downstairs to the station. Use your metro ticket to enter the turnstiles and go down several floors following signage for Garibaldi. Once at the correct station, take the first subway arriving from your right and traveling to your left, regardless of the "next train" time shown on the overhead monitor.

 

You'll arrive in 5 to 10 minutes. Follow the crowds or signage to the exit upstairs. You'll find yourself in a mall. Turn left and stay to the right. Ignore the first escalator you pass on your left and instead take the first escalator on your right. At the top turn right and follow the signs to Circumvesuviana (train). You will see ticket booths. Buy your one-way (€3,30) train ticket to "Pompeii Scavi". Go through the turnstiles, go down stairs and wait on the middle platform #3.

 

You are going to take the train toward "Sorrento". The trains run about every 30 minutes. The monitor will tell you when the next Sorrento train is scheduled to arrive. "Pompeii Scavi" is one of the stops. You'll arrive in about 30 minutes. Follow the crowds to the right, past a few shops and cafes, and a half-block later you'll be pleased to see that you've arrived at the entrance to Pompeii!

 

We arrived around 9:00 am. Since admission was free today due to being the first Sunday of the month, we bypassed the ticket booth and headed straight for the turnstiles. Wrong! We still needed a ticket. So we went back to the ticket window and secured our free tickets. We also picked up a free sitemap in the little room to the right of the ticket windows. This was the only place we saw maps all day. With tickets and maps in hand we went through the turnstiles and headed in.

 

Once a thriving Roman city, Pompeii was buried under tons of ash and pumice courtesy of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. The preserved site features excavated ruins of houses, buildings, and streets and you can freely roam. The nicer houses (with tile mosaics, infrequent statuary, courtyards, and columns) open and close on a rotating schedule. The site is massive and a lot of fun to explore. Photo opportunities abound.

 

We easily could have spent the whole day there, but we also wanted to see Herculaneum and get back to our ship before it left. On our way out, we noticed the entrance had closed to new visitors. The policy is to close by 12:30 pm, with expectations to reopen again after 2:30 pm, to regulate the flow of crowds on the free Sundays. (If they reach 15,000 people before 12:30 they will close earlier.)

 

We were sure glad we arrived early. Pompeii did seem to get crowded by 10:00 am. However, the further you get from the Forum (central square about 3 blocks in from the entrance), the less crowded it feels. Heading back to the train station, we bought our tickets (€2 each) to "Ercolano Scavi" (the stop for Herculaneum) and waited on platform #2, which requires that you take the stairs which directly across from the ticket office down and go under the tracks to the other side. Take the first train that comes as they'll all stop at Ercolano Scavi on the way to Naples / Napoli.

 

Carefully watch for your stop as signage isn't great and the stops are short. The train to Ercolano Scavi takes about 15-20 minutes depending upon the number of stops your particular train makes. We accidentally got off one stop too soon and had to use the GPS and offline maps on my phone to journey, mostly downhill, to Herculaneum's rear entrance. Assuming YOU get off at the right stop, walk directly downhill about 6 blocks on Via IV Novembre and you'll be at the rear entrance to Herculaneum. You can't miss it. If you're hungry, stop in at Bar Sandwich / Herculaneum Cafe across the street for an inexpensive meal. We shared a caprese sandwich with a wonderfully tasty fresh roll.

 

We secured our free tickets and map and walked into the site. Although Herculaneum is a significantly smaller city (about 1/4 the size, and only a fraction of that has been excavated), it's a much better preserved site than Pompeii. It's therefore easier to feel transported back in time. Herculaneum was smothered by the same volcanic event that destroyed Pompeii, albeit a later phase.

 

While Pompeii is all on "street level", Herculaneum is in a huge open pit. Pompeii was buried under just 12 feet of mostly volcanic debris, whereas Herculaneum was buried in 60 to 70 feet of mud and volcanic ash. Keeping in mind that Herculaneum used to be an oceanfront city, you instantly get a better idea of the magnitude of what they were buried under. Nearly 80% of Herculaneum is still unexplored, mostly due to being hidden underneath present day buildings.

 

The solemn visual representation of the death of each city's respective inhabitants is starkly different. Pompeii enthralls visitors with the bodies of victims that have been recreated through casting of plaster of Paris into soft cavities in the ash. These cavities were actually the outlines of the bodies that retained their shape despite decomposition --- though they still held the bones of the cadavers. The bones became incased when the plaster filled the soft ash. By contrast, visitors to Herculaneum can view boat houses with hundreds of skeletons waiting in the shade for a rescue that never arrived. So far, about 300 skeletons have been unearthed in 12 arched chambers.

 

Exiting Herculaneum, we headed for the Ercolano Scavi station, bought out ticket (€2,60 pp) and caught the first train back to Napoli, which turned out to be a train to Porta Nolana. (If you want to catch a train to the metro, essentially reversing the original route, be sure to catch a train to Garibaldi / Napoli Centrale instead). Upon exiting the station you can take a taxi or bus #151 back to the port; or turn left and walk. We walked three blocks, turned right, and walked 30 minutes (about 22 long blocks) along Via Nuova Marina back to the port. Walking wasn't hard but it wouldn't be my first choice next time.

Complete review of our cruise, with images: http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/eastern-mediterranean.html

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Hi, first time cruisers doing Italy & Greek Isles on RC Jewel of the Seas in the beginning of June. Could anyone advise if it's possible to do Pompeii on your own e.g. take a taxi from the port and purchase tickets when you get there instead of taking a ship excursion or pre-booking a private tour, would taxis be expensive? thanks in advance.

 

 

 

He just posted very detailed do it yourself directions.

 

Naples (Pompeii/Herculaneum): Just Got Back

 

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?share_fid=24703&share_tid=2641073&url=https%3A%2F%2Fboards%2Ecruisecritic%2Ecom%2Fshowthread%2Ephp%3Ft%3D2641073&share_type=thttps://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?share_fid=24703&share_tid=2641073&url=https%3A%2F%2Fboards%2Ecruisecritic%2Ecom%2Fshowthread%2Ephp%3Ft%3D2641073&share_type=t

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We just got back and did a DYI to Pompeii from Sorrento. We grabbed a train and went to the Scavi office to get our tickets. I downloaded Rick Steves’ Pompeii audio/visual tour to my phone and we used that as our walking tour guide. It was a great way to enjoy the city ourselves at our own pace. Once we got thru the tour, we were oriented enough to the city to read the map they provide you at the entrance and we were able to get to parts of the city many of the guided tours miss. For example, the necropolis at the South Gate was virtually devoid of tourists. The encased body casts exhibit was also empty (which we were completely surprised about)!!

 

We took the train back and returned to Sorrento with plenty of time to catch lunch before returning to our ship.

 

 

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I downloaded the Rick Steves tour as well for our trip in September...did you both listen on the same phone or use your own or one of you listened? lol I'm trying to figure out the best way for BF and I

 

 

 

We found that our phones’ batteries drained rather quickly, even in airplane mode. Also, with all the tourists, it became hard to hear. I realized that the whole audio is also transcribed on the app, along with maps. We followed the map and then at each location, we read the transcript that coordinated with each point. It led us to the main points for the first 30-45 mins. From there, we explored the rest on our own.

 

Make sure to see the amphitheater and then continue onto the necropolis towards the back gate. Once through there, follow the Scavi map and you’ll find the body casts nearby.

 

Also, when you get off the train, don’t listen to all the huxters stating you need to buy tickets at the train station. Get off the train, go right and find the Scavi entrance. You can also get an audio tour form them if you want.

 

It’s a wonderful experience!

 

 

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Last year we took the express bus to Herculaneum as we had been to Pompeii on a previous trip. The bus stopped at Pompeii first. The driver told us his schedule so we knew when to catch the bus to return to Naples. The bus picks up and drops off at the cruise terminal parking lot. It was very easy and inexpensive.

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Last year we took the express bus to Herculaneum as we had been to Pompeii on a previous trip. The bus stopped at Pompeii first. The driver told us his schedule so we knew when to catch the bus to return to Naples. The bus picks up and drops off at the cruise terminal parking lot. It was very easy and inexpensive.

I'm sure it's easy but if the bus goes to Pompei first it has to take three times as long (or more) as just jumping on the local train and being there 15 minutes later.

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