Hydrofoil to Sorrento then tour?

[coolpopp]

Has Anyone taken the hydrofoil to Sorrento and then did a tour from the port? I remember sitting in traffic from Naples and was wondering if this would be a better option

[John Bull]

Certainly the fast-ferry to Sorrento is a great deal more pleasant than the same journey by road, and journey time will be no longer.

But touring from there can be problematic.

 

We were unable to find (in advance or on-the-day) a ferry or boat trip to the Amalfi coast that suited our timings.

 

There's a bus service from Sorrento rail station to Positano & Amalfi but it's only hourly (July) & grossly over-subscribed. We waited at the tail of the line for about 20 to 30 mins, the bus arrived & filled but we were only able to move sufficiently close to the front of the line to make it onto the next bus - an hour later. We didn't want to stand there for another hour, and if the same thing happened for the return from Amalfi or Positano we'd miss our sailing & really spoil our day. So we changed plans & caught the train to Herculaneum (could've been Pompeii if we'd wanted) & same train back to Naples. Not the Amalfi coast as we'd planned, but an enjoyable day none-the-less.

No other visit-worthy places that I know of on that train route.

 

There'll be taxis at Sorrento for a tour, but I dread to think what the cost will be if not pre-booked.

 

A pre-booked tour from Amalfi is likely to be your best bet, but I suspect that tour operators mainly work from Naples. If that's the case, a ferry to/from Sorrento would be an unnecessary extra expense & complication.

But worth researching on the 'net if you don't get any suggestions on this thread.

 

JB :)

[agabbymama]

Be sure to have a back-up plan. We had planned to leave the ship early and get the 9:00 am hydrofoil to Sorrento and work our way back to Naples on the Circumvesuviana rail to Pompei and on back to Naples.

 

Unfortunately I didn't have a back-up plan and Plan "A" fell apart when the Captain announced we were at the farthest berth from the ferry terminal, but there would be a shuttle service. We are two older ladies with mobility issues and knew we couldn't walk the distance to the hydrofoil. We debarked at about 8:30 to see the shuttle but rudely told it wouldn't start until 9:00, so we would miss the hydrofoil. Next one wasn't until 11:00 and that threw our whole schedule off.

 

We sat on a wall and discussed what we wanted to do, when a very nice Italian taxi driver came over and persuaded us to use his service for 100 EUO pp, he would take us to Pompei, onto Sorrento and include a short mini-tour of Naples before returning us to the ship. It was a lot of money, but ended up being our best day of the whole 21 day trip. He was not a guide, just a taxi driver, but it was like watching the lives of the rich and famous, only we were living it. He stopped when we wanted to stop, was our own personal driver, carried our bags, escorted us across busy streets, and pointed out a restaurant to us for lunch. He allowed me to smoke in the taxi (as he was a smoker himself). He was so concerned that two older ladies were travelling around Europe ALONE. Where were our husbands, sons, etc. He got us back to the ship right on time and was overjoyed when we handed him a $20 tip.

 

Have fun planning then taking your trip. Be prepared to spend twice as much as you think, and go with the flow when things don't go as planned.

[FairyGodmother55]

Has Anyone taken the hydrofoil to Sorrento and then did a tour from the port? I remember sitting in traffic from Naples and was wondering if this would be a better option

 

Funny... I was just thinking this same thing and decided to go on the forums to see responses! How much is the hydrofoil? Our plan A is to take it to Sorrento, see a bit of that! ( Try the limoncello!) and then find the train to Pompeii, stop there and then head back to the port via the train!

[Hlitner]

Am just wondering what kind of "tour" you would do in Sorrento. This city is pretty easy to cover on your feet and there is hardly justification for needing a tour to simply walk around Sorrento. The idea of taking a hydrofoil/jetboat to Sorrento and then training back to Pompeii Scavi (the name of the station next to Pompeii) and later back to Naples is a good plan. Not sure of the current hydrofoil price to Sorrento but would estimate its about 12-14 Euros per person. The train (Cirvumvesuviana Line) is a lot cheaper and the trains run every 30 min.

 

Hank

[CasaM]

We're thinking of doing the hydrofoil to Sorrento also and I'm wondering how to get from the dock to the upper level. We did the opposite direction one time and walked down to the hydrofoil but we're not in the shape to ascend that steep area, I'm sure. Are there taxis at the lower dock to take you up and if so, what do they charge?

[tring]

We are poised to book a land holiday in Sorrento so have done a lot of looking into it in the last week or so. Taxis transfer from Naples airport to Sorrento hotels cost about 80 Euros one way if booked through a hotel or agent and taxis from Sorrento station to the hotel we are looking at (about 1km) away are routinely charging 20 Euros one way.

 

The brochures are saying that the transfers to Sorrento hotels take one and a half to two hours from Naples Airport and can take as long as 3 hour in the main Italian holidays (which I think is mid August). The distance is about 25km so the traffic must get really bad. Having previously stayed in the Italian Lakes in August and at Easter we can well believe that the traffic can be that bad in Italy. Walking was much quicker through the resorts, especially in August. Apparently if you are stuck in traffic in a taxi the meter will keep going and charge you even when you are not moving.

 

Sounds a good area though with lots to do so we are going for it.

[John Bull]

We're thinking of doing the hydrofoil to Sorrento also and I'm wondering how to get from the dock to the upper level. We did the opposite direction one time and walked down to the hydrofoil but we're not in the shape to ascend that steep area, I'm sure. Are there taxis at the lower dock to take you up and if so, what do they charge?

 

 

There's a little shuttlebus from Sorrento harbour (by the tourist information kiosk) up to the town centre, runs about every 10 mins, takes just two or three minutes, costs €1. From there, the rail station (& Positano/Amalfi bus stop outside it) is a simple three minute level walk.

 

Can't remember the cost of the fast-ferry, but it was certainly under €20 one-way.

 

JB :)

[euro cruiser]

The current fare from Naples Beverello to Sorrento by ferry is Euro 13,30.

[Waihekean]

We're thinking of doing the hydrofoil to Sorrento also and I'm wondering how to get from the dock to the upper level. We did the opposite direction one time and walked down to the hydrofoil but we're not in the shape to ascend that steep area, I'm sure. Are there taxis at the lower dock to take you up and if so, what do they charge?

 

There is a small bus that goes up regularly and if I remember well it was one euro (last year). Took taxi back down and charged me the earth for a 5 min ride.

[CasaM]

Thank you everyone for the responses. This sounds like a good plan for us. Get off the ship and take the hydrofoil to Sorrento and visit the town for a few hours. Then take the train to Herculaneum and then back to Naples.

[coolpopp]

Thanks for all the responses, ideally, we would like to take the hydrofoil to Sorrento, spend an hour there and then take a private tour to positano and almalfi for lunch then back to sorrento to catch the hydrofoil to ship but I do think all my ducks need to be in a row

[flyingboy]

We're thinking of doing the hydrofoil to Sorrento also and I'm wondering how to get from the dock to the upper level. We did the opposite direction one time and walked down to the hydrofoil but we're not in the shape to ascend that steep area, I'm sure. Are there taxis at the lower dock to take you up and if so, what do they charge?

 

There is a lift from beach level to the top of the bluff just outside of the marina area that costs 1euro pp