Need Advice for Ischia

[JLC@SD]

We will be in Naples in June and are thinking about spending the day at Ischia. We have seen Pompeii, Capri, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast and think Ischia might be interesting. I would appreciate any advice on how to get there, how to get around and what to see.

[nibird2]

We will be in Naples in June and are thinking about spending the day at Ischia. We have seen Pompeii, Capri, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast and think Ischia might be interesting. I would appreciate any advice on how to get there, how to get around and what to see.

 

Ischia

 

Ferry terminal about a 5 minute walk from cruise terminal. Check the ferry schedule so as not to waste too much time waiting around. Very pleasant there. Italians use it as their Capri. Charming shopping area, a very nice beach and you can walk or take a bus down the road to see some nice vistas and some more shops.

 

We enjoyed the day and plan to go back. Need to budget abt two hours for the roundtrip ferry .

[Hlitner]

I love the fact that some cruisers want to venture out to the less popular places such as Ischia. As has already been posted, you just walk over to the ferry terminal (the same place you catch the boats to Capri) and buy a ticket on the next jetboat going to Ischia. One you arrive on the island you are right in the main town. There are two bus routes (one in each direction) that actually circle the entire island in case you want to venture out of town. There is a tourist office near the ferry pier where you can get bus info. To be honest, we were not overly impressed by Ischia as a port-day destination, but for those who have been to Naples many times it is a fun option. One other option you might want to check is to take a boat (from the Naples ferry pier) to the even smaller island of Procida (you can see this island on your way to Ischia) which is even lesser known to most crusiers. We have never personally been to Procida (this will be our destination the next time we are in Naples) but have heard it has even more charm than Ischia.

 

Hank

[JLC@SD]

Nibird and Hank, thank you for you responses....and I plan to do more research. We have taken the ferrys from the dock.......to Capri and Positano........so I will check to see if they have schedules on line.

[CoralReef]

Ischia is lovely! Here's my trip report in case it's useful:

 

My husband’s grandfather was born on the island of Ischia in the Bay of Naples, so of course we wanted to see his birthplace. For anyone who wants a change of pace from Pompeii, Capri, Sorrento, and the other major sights of the Naples area, I’ll say just a few words about Ischia, because it really is a lovely place. People who want to take the hydrofoil to other locations such as Capri or Sorrento may also be interested in the next paragraph.

 

The cruise ship docked right beside the ferry pier at Molo Beverello. From the port building, it was a walk of 200 yards at most, to the building where ferry tickets are sold. If you go around the building to the street side, they have an electronic billboard showing the time and company of the next departure to each destination, so you can choose from among Alilauro, Caremar, SNAV, and Medmar lines. Alilauro had the most hydrofoils (faster than ferries) to Ischia and were leaving next at 7:35, so we bought tickets at their window. Their schedule that day was exactly what we expected from their website at http://www.alilauro.it//orari.php?lingua=english (choose your route from the dropdown). Fare was 13 € per person each way. The hydrofoil had comfortable upholstered seats, bathrooms, and a snack bar. It made the trip to Ischia in about 35 minutes.

 

Ischia provided a relaxing day trip. It has a couple of pretty beaches, and is a charming island with softball-size lemons on the trees, picturesque white and pastel buildings, bougainvillea draped everywhere, and a green volcanic slope looming over the center of the island. There is a medieval castle you can visit, which hosts a torture museum. There are lots of shops and restaurants; the island is highly geared towards tourism, albeit mostly Italian tourists. However, we didn’t get a sense of crowding (except on the bus!), and we enjoyed the cobblestoned streets and the picturesque town squares and churches. We had excellent Neapolitan-style pizzas in the pedestrianized shopping area of Ischia Porto.

 

The ferry dropped us at Ischia Porto. To get to Grandpa’s birthplace in the town of Forio, we took the bus. Buses are frequent, and can be found at the bus stop located about two blocks to the right of the ferry dock (standing with your back to the sea), and one street inland from the harbor. Since we thought we might continue all the way around the island, we bought giornaliero (24 hour) bus passes at 4 € each. The numbered buses all show their destination on the front, so it was easy to get anywhere. Also, the CD bus goes clockwise around the island all day, and the CS bus goes counter-clockwise. (Remember D = destra, S = sinistra.) For the castle (Castello Aragonese), you want Ischia Ponte, about 10 minutes clockwise from Ischia Porto. Forio was about 20 minutes counter-clockwise (although we took the 7 bus) from Porto. The bus did get awfully crowded, but was a cheap and convenient way to travel around the charming island of Ischia.

[JLC@SD]

Ischia is lovely! Here's my trip report in case it's useful:

 

My husband’s grandfather was born on the island of Ischia in the Bay of Naples, so of course we wanted to see his birthplace. For anyone who wants a change of pace from Pompeii, Capri, Sorrento, and the other major sights of the Naples area, I’ll say just a few words about Ischia, because it really is a lovely place. People who want to take the hydrofoil to other locations such as Capri or Sorrento may also be interested in the next paragraph.

 

The cruise ship docked right beside the ferry pier at Molo Beverello. From the port building, it was a walk of 200 yards at most, to the building where ferry tickets are sold. If you go around the building to the street side, they have an electronic billboard showing the time and company of the next departure to each destination, so you can choose from among Alilauro, Caremar, SNAV, and Medmar lines. Alilauro had the most hydrofoils (faster than ferries) to Ischia and were leaving next at 7:35, so we bought tickets at their window. Their schedule that day was exactly what we expected from their website at http://www.alilauro.it//orari.php?lingua=english (choose your route from the dropdown). Fare was 13 € per person each way. The hydrofoil had comfortable upholstered seats, bathrooms, and a snack bar. It made the trip to Ischia in about 35 minutes.

 

Ischia provided a relaxing day trip. It has a couple of pretty beaches, and is a charming island with softball-size lemons on the trees, picturesque white and pastel buildings, bougainvillea draped everywhere, and a green volcanic slope looming over the center of the island. There is a medieval castle you can visit, which hosts a torture museum. There are lots of shops and restaurants; the island is highly geared towards tourism, albeit mostly Italian tourists. However, we didn’t get a sense of crowding (except on the bus!), and we enjoyed the cobblestoned streets and the picturesque town squares and churches. We had excellent Neapolitan-style pizzas in the pedestrianized shopping area of Ischia Porto.

 

The ferry dropped us at Ischia Porto. To get to Grandpa’s birthplace in the town of Forio, we took the bus. Buses are frequent, and can be found at the bus stop located about two blocks to the right of the ferry dock (standing with your back to the sea), and one street inland from the harbor. Since we thought we might continue all the way around the island, we bought giornaliero (24 hour) bus passes at 4 € each. The numbered buses all show their destination on the front, so it was easy to get anywhere. Also, the CD bus goes clockwise around the island all day, and the CS bus goes counter-clockwise. (Remember D = destra, S = sinistra.) For the castle (Castello Aragonese), you want Ischia Ponte, about 10 minutes clockwise from Ischia Porto. Forio was about 20 minutes counter-clockwise (although we took the 7 bus) from Porto. The bus did get awfully crowded, but was a cheap and convenient way to travel around the charming island of Ischia.

 

Susan, thank you for all the information, it is very helpful.