Looking for advice/Naples and Pompeii

[scott1234]

Going on our first European cruise in November. Planning on DIY for the Naples port. Any suggestions on what to do, see, can't miss, etc would be greatly appreciated!

Also, what's overrated and not worth it (we will only be in port for 8 hours I think)

 

Thanks Scott

[HeinBloed]

Going on our first European cruise in November. Planning on DIY for the Naples port. Any suggestions on what to do, see, can't miss, etc would be greatly appreciated!

Also, what's overrated and not worth it (we will only be in port for 8 hours I think)

 

Thanks Scott

 

We did DIY to Mt. Vesuv and Herculaneum... but it's the same way to the train station to get on the train to Pompei.

 

http://heinbloed-ncl.blogspot.com/2009/11/tag-41-auf-der-norwegian-gem-in-neapel.html

 

http://heinbloed-ncl.blogspot.com/2009/11/tag-42-auf-der-norwegian-gem-in-neapel.html

 

Regards

HeinBloed

[KirkNC]

We went to Pompeii via the train than returned to Naples, had pizza...yum and than went to some churches in the heart of Naples. I highly recommend Cappella Sansevero, it contains the Veiled Christ by Sammartino, an incredible piece of work.

 

Kirk

[fayruz]

Capri, if it is a cold day, not worth going.

Ischia, for the same reason. The boats are just beside where your ship will be, anyway. In any case - everywhere - try to pay as exactly as possible so you don't have to do much counting and check very very carefully the change you are given

 

Pompei and Ercolano, get there early before the ship tours arrive.

http://www.pompeisepolta.com/english/home.htm

[Hlitner]

Scott, Naples offers many more DIY options then most ports around the MED but you need to look at those options and make a decision as to what would best suit you. As a quick primer on relatively easy places to do on your own there is Pompeii, Herculanium, Sorrento, Capri, Ischia, Procida (most cruise passengers do not have a clue about these last two places) and of course Naples (many of us do not like staying in Naples). It is also possible to explore the Amalfi Coast on your own, but this is a bit more complex as you need to first get to Sorrento and then use the regional SITA bus.

 

Hank

[euro cruiser]

You could have a lovely day at Caserta, the former royal palace, and its grounds. It rivals Versailles.

 

It's an easy bus or train ride from Naples (takes about 30 minutes).

[Captain Canuck]

we did Capri on our own...there are slow ferries and fast ones..we took the slow one as it was just finishing loading right next to the cruise ship when we made it ashore.

 

on the way back we took the fast ferry..good except it went to a different spot in Naples..a few miles down the coast from the ship...we walked as we could not find a taxi...nice walk along the beach...

 

only giving this as info as if your time was short this could be a problem....

 

Amalfi coast is great but one of the few times I would suggest the ships tour..traffic is normally a bear and when we did this we took the ships tour..we were late getting back to the ship but being their tour they waited

[scott1234]

Since I am a first-timer to this area, I want to thank everyone so far for your ideas and information...you guys are making this so much easier to figure out! The Pompeii and Pizza idea is on the top of my list!

[maryann ns]

And i agree! For a first visit Pompeii and pizza should be at the top. They are easy to do on your own. If you go to your roll call you will probably find others planning the same thing.

[madmarti]

we sailed the Legend last year and visited Naples. We booked a private tour with Romeinlimo. We visited Pompeii, a cameo factory, the Amalfi coast and stopped in Sorrento for lunch, pizza , of course. It was a great day. We were picked up at the port and returned there. The tour guide was great, Carmine. I would do it again in a heartbeat. You can go on your roll call and maybe meet up with another couple, as this cuts the cost down. We did this on a few private tours. Good luck!!;)

[rsquare]

Since I am a first-timer to this area, I want to thank everyone so far for your ideas and information...you guys are making this so much easier to figure out! The Pompeii and Pizza idea is on the top of my list!

 

HeinBloed's first link will tell you how to get the route 1 tramcar from the dock to the Circumvesuviana station. The people selling tickets speak English. The same train goes to Herculaneum (a hilly walk from the station), Pompeii (entrance almost exactly across the street from the station), and Sorrento. If you want to do Pompeii, make sure that you get off at Pompeii Scavi, not Pompeii station; the latter is for the modern town. There are signboards in each car which show the next station. Inside the ruins is a building with toilets and a not-so-great cafeteria; there are restaurants outside the ruins.

 

You can hire a guide at the gate, or you can use Rick Steves' great walking tour of Pompeii. Accept that the site is more than you can do in a day, and pick your preferred sites in advance. If you'd like to do some reading up on Pompeii before your trip, I recommend Mary Beard's The Fires of Vesuvius. The book is both compulsively readable and accurate, since she is a professor of classics at Cambridge.

 

Coming back, you can follow HeinBloed's directions to Da Michele and back to the ship. On our two trips to Pompeii, we were so knackered at the end of the day that we wimped out and took a cab back to the dock (€10 or €15); if you do this, tell the driver "Molo Angioino," not Stazione Maritima which will not be recognized. Molo Beverello is easier to pronounce, and is the ferry port right next next door to where the ship docks.

[KirkNC]

HeinBloed's first link will tell you how to get the route 1 tramcar from the dock to the Circumvesuviana station. The people selling tickets speak English. The same train goes to Herculaneum (a hilly walk from the station), Pompeii (entrance almost exactly across the street from the station), and Sorrento. If you want to do Pompeii, make sure that you get off at Pompeii Scavi, not Pompeii station; the latter is for the modern town. There are signboards in each car which show the next station. Inside the ruins is a building with toilets and a not-so-great cafeteria; there are restaurants outside the ruins.

 

You can hire a guide at the gate, or you can use Rick Steves' great walking tour of Pompeii. Accept that the site is more than you can do in a day, and pick your preferred sites in advance. If you'd like to do some reading up on Pompeii before your trip, I recommend Mary Beard's The Fires of Vesuvius. The book is both compulsively readable and accurate, since she is a professor of classics at Cambridge.

 

Coming back, you can follow HeinBloed's directions to Da Michele and back to the ship. On our two trips to Pompeii, we were so knackered at the end of the day that we wimped out and took a cab back to the dock (€10 or €15); if you do this, tell the driver "Molo Angioino," not Stazione Maritima which will not be recognized. Molo Beverello is easier to pronounce, and is the ferry port right next next door to where the ship docks.

 

I read this book before our visit this summer and it added a lot to our understanding of what we were looking at.

 

Kirk

[dolittle]

can you tell me the name of a tour that would do pompeii/amalficoast thank you

[texancruzer]

And i agree! For a first visit Pompeii and pizza should be at the top. They are easy to do on your own. If you go to your roll call you will probably find others planning the same thing.

 

another suggestion is Pompeii in the morning (get there as early as you can) then back to Naples for lunch (pizza) and then a couple of hours in the Archeological Museum. This museum has all the items that they took from Pompeii and it will truly make the place come alive for you if you go there after you visit the ruins. We spent 2-2.5 hrs there and it was plenty. Not far from the port either. So no worries about getting back.

[shaydoll]

can you tell me the name of a tour that would do pompeii/amalficoast thank you

 

 

We are using Rome in Limo to do this tour next month. You can check them out at www.romeinlimo.com.

 

Shay

[maryann ns]

Just about all the private tour companies will do tours to Pompei and the Amalfi Coast. We were very pleased with Marcello from seesorrento.com

[hubofhockey]

can you tell me the name of a tour that would do pompeii/amalficoast thank you

 

AP Tours is based in Sorrento and has very good prices on Pompeii/Amalfi Coast tours.

[dnbnor]

at the port exit you will see a red open top bus which is a hop on hop off. The bus is the shuttle that will take you to the ticket kiosk which is at the back of the castle seen directly infront of the port . The ticket is eur22 and you can go on one or all of the 4 routes offered, the red busses are lined up with the relevant coloured route stated on the front. We took the 90 mins red route town tour which also took us to the museum which is at the top of the hill overlooking Naples, here there are lovely lawns and trees. Many people dismiss Naples as dirty and uninteresting but I think it has a lot to offer if you do not fancy travelling further to Pompei, Sorrento, Capri etc.