Options from Naples

[Mary Louise]

Hi,

 

  What have fellow CC done from Naples  either a DIY, or with a tour company? We have already done Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius. We were thinking of going to Capri and doing the Blue Grotto. 

 

We are open to other suggestions. A friend suggested going on a boat tour and seeing other grottos,  others have suggested Sorrento and Amalfi. 

 

Are there tour companies at the port of Naples that will do tours, if so  who have you had experience with?

 

Thank you

 

ML

[kpd21880]

Following!

 

ML, I am searching for the same thing. We’ve done Pompeii with a Joe Bananas tour 3 years ago that included some time in Positano and Sorrento. We’d love to spend more time in Positano & Sorrento &/or visit Capri and the Blue Grotto when we return this summer. 

 

It seems a lot of money to spend to do a shared tour to these places when you’re really just getting transportation to them and then “free time” to explore. We want that free time to explore and eat! I was looking at the Ferry schedules between Naples/Capri, Capri/ Sorrento. Would love to hear from anyone who has done it that way? Wondering if we do the ferry if it’s best to pick one and just do that place for the day? Or possible to do Capri and Sorrento? We are in port 7am - 6pm. 

[mapleleaves]

we hired a driver to enjoy a day on the Amalfi Coast.

We spent about 1 1/2  hrs in Positano, took the ferry (1/2 hr) to Amalfi where we spent 1 1/2 hrs  and met the driver for the next leg to Ravello where we spent 2+ hrs ( with lunch).  Then drove thru the mountains for the return to Naples.

It was a great day! We got to spend time in each location, stopped at several scenic viewpoints, and seeing the coastal villages from the sea provides a beautiful perspective.

 

[cruisemom42]

21 minutes ago, kpd21880 said:

Following!

 

ML, I am searching for the same thing. We’ve done Pompeii with a Joe Bananas tour 3 years ago that included some time in Positano and Sorrento. We’d love to spend more time in Positano & Sorrento &/or visit Capri and the Blue Grotto when we return this summer. 

 

It seems a lot of money to spend to do a shared tour to these places when you’re really just getting transportation to them and then “free time” to explore. We want that free time to explore and eat! I was looking at the Ferry schedules between Naples/Capri, Capri/ Sorrento. Would love to hear from anyone who has done it that way? Wondering if we do the ferry if it’s best to pick one and just do that place for the day? Or possible to do Capri and Sorrento? We are in port 7am - 6pm. 

 

It's possible, but I would recommend choosing one rather than trying to do two. Capri has a lot of variety -- there are areas for nice walks (including up to the Villa Jovis, the ruins of a Roman villa, for great views), shopping, a chair lift, good food, and of course the Blue Grotto if you wish.

 

My sister and BIL made the mistake of going to Capri in the morning and then heading to Sorrento. They found quite a few shops in Sorrento closed in the afternoon for the "siesta" -- sometimes not reopening until 3pm or later.

 

[sgmn]

12 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

It's possible, but I would recommend choosing one rather than trying to do two. Capri has a lot of variety -- there are areas for nice walks (including up to the Villa Jovis, the ruins of a Roman villa, for great views), shopping, a chair lift, good food, and of course the Blue Grotto if you wish.

 

My sister and BIL made the mistake of going to Capri in the morning and then heading to Sorrento. They found quite a few shops in Sorrento closed in the afternoon for the "siesta" -- sometimes not reopening until 3pm or later.

 

If we took the ferry from Naples to Sorrento, is it easy to do?  We have taken a ferry from Naples to Capri before, is the ferry to Sorrento from the same place.  If so its very close to where the Ships berth.  Would you buy the tickets in advance or just at the port on arrival? thanks for your replies 

[Mary Louise]

 

14 hours ago, mapleleaves said:

we hired a driver to enjoy a day on the Amalfi Coast.

We spent about 1 1/2  hrs in Positano, took the ferry (1/2 hr) to Amalfi where we spent 1 1/2 hrs  and met the driver for the next leg to Ravello where we spent 2+ hrs ( with lunch).  Then drove thru the mountains for the return to Naples.

It was a great day! We got to spend time in each location, stopped at several scenic viewpoints, and seeing the coastal villages from the sea provides a beautiful perspective.

 

Did you arrange the driver ahead of time? If so who would you recommend?

 

Thank you

 

 ML

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, sgmn said:

If we took the ferry from Naples to Sorrento, is it easy to do?  We have taken a ferry from Naples to Capri before, is the ferry to Sorrento from the same place.  If so its very close to where the Ships berth.  Would you buy the tickets in advance or just at the port on arrival? thanks for your replies 

 

Yes, ferries to Sorrento leave from the same place. It is quite easy. 

 

For me, I'd wait until the day to buy tickets UNLESS you are looking at a particularly tight timeframe from the time your ship arrives to when the ferry departs. 

 

You can see the ferry schedules online (for example: https://www.naplesbayferry.com/en/t/napoli/sorrento) but just remember this is the off-season schedule and more routes will be added in April.

 

[mapleleaves]

3 hours ago, Mary Louise said:

 

Did you arrange the driver ahead of time? If so who would you recommend?

 

 

Yes, it was arranged several months in advance.   I talked to several companies mentioned regularly on this forum, but even though this was a private tour they were reluctant to leave their fixed itinerary to accomodate my request for the ferry.  Rather surprising.  In the end I went with Aldo Limo, also found thru this forum. They're all about the same price; 400E for 8 - 8 1/2 hrs.  There were 4 of in an 8pax Mercedes minivan so we had lots of room and switched seats at every stop. The driver suggested meeting at 7:30am to get ahead of the crowds and it certainly paid off.  We didn't get stuck in any traffic jams or experience crowds.

I had been to Cinque Terre a few yrs ago and really enjoyed the view from the ferry more so than walking thru the villages, so I wanted to experience the same for Amalfi.  And it was definitely worth it.  

Have a great trip, whatever you decide !

 

[Wishing on a star]

Also following!

 

Thank you,  I will also take a look at Aldo Limo.

Have also noticed Rome in Limo also gets wonderful reviews at Naples.  but pricey.

There is also AP Tours.

And, others as well.

 

[mapleleaves]

3 hours ago, Wishing on a star said:

Also following!

 

Thank you,  I will also take a look at Aldo Limo.

Have also noticed Rome in Limo also gets wonderful reviews at Naples.  but pricey.

There is also AP Tours.

And, others as well.

 

 

italytours is the other company that gets hyped a lot on this forum.  If you go back 3 or 4 pages you'll find a lengthy thread, similar to the one for RomeInLimo.  

[John Bull]

10 hours ago, sgmn said:

If we took the ferry from Naples to Sorrento, is it easy to do?  We have taken a ferry from Naples to Capri before, is the ferry to Sorrento from the same place.  If so its very close to where the Ships berth.  Would you buy the tickets in advance or just at the port on arrival? thanks for your replies 

 

Same routine,same place alongside the cruise berths (different ticket booth), roughly same crossing-time.

 

IMHO Capri has waaaay more to offer than Sorrento, and from the town (which is accessed by funicular).some amazing panoramic and vertigo-inducing views.

 

Mary-Louise. .............

 

Consider Capri.

 

Or perhaps the ferry across to Sorrento (attractive if not mind-blowing) , from there the Circumvesuviana train to Herculaneum (station name Ercolano Scavi), which is a couple of stops past Pompeii. Herculaneum was buried by the same Vesuvius eruption as Pompeii but is smaller, much more manageable, shadier and more complete than Pompeii. Live guides or audio-guides available on-site. Then the same train back to Naples.

 

The Amalfi coast is amazing, but on a port-of-call visit needs a private tour - buses are crowded & infrequent and can only drive the high coast road, a rented car means the driver has to miss the views (giving all of his.her attention to the windy & crowded roads) & parking is very very difficult.

 

There are a great number of lesser but worthwhile options.

 

JB 

[kpd21880]

32 minutes ago, John Bull said:

 

33 minutes ago, John Bull said:

 

Same routine,same place alongside the cruise berths (different ticket booth), roughly same crossing-time.

 

IMHO Capri has waaaay more to offer than Sorrento, and from the town (which is accessed by funicular).some amazing panoramic and vertigo-inducing views.

 

JB 

 

JB, you kind of have me sold on skipping Sorrento and instead spending the whole day in Capri. Since we only did Amalfi by land last time and very much want to see it from the water this time... does the ferry provide those amazing water views? I do see multiple companies offering private/ semi-private boat "tours" of the bay and drop off in Capri, which are 5-10x the cost of the ferry. Would that be worth considering, or do you get the beautiful views from the ferry anyway?

Katie

 

 

 

[John Bull]

59 minutes ago, kpd21880 said:

 

 Hi Katie,

 

The gorgeous perpendicular views from on high are on the other (southern) side of Capri.

And I'm pretty sure that no ferries go that way.

You could search the web for boat tours out of Capri harbour which cruise that southern coast of Capri.

 

We've driven the Amalfi coast, that too is on the south side, not visible from the Naples to Sorrento or Capri ferries.

We've also taken the small ferry from Amalfi to Positano and on to Capri.

But you won't have time for that Capri - to - Amalfi Coast ferry on a Naples port-of-call visit.

And, like the Amafi coast, IMHO  the views down from on high are far more impressive than the views up from a boat.

There are perpendicular southerly viewpoints just a couple of minutes walk behind the town of Capri.

 

JB  

 

Edited January 26, 2020 by John Bull

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, kpd21880 said:

 

 

Katie, if you look at this map, you can see why you don't get views of the Amalfi coast from the ferry between Naples and Capri:

 

[kpd21880]

1 hour ago, John Bull said:

 Hi Katie,

 

The gorgeous perpendicular views from on high are on the other (southern) side of Capri.

And I'm pretty sure that no ferries go that way.

You could search the web for boat tours out of Capri harbour which cruise that southern coast of Capri.

 

We've driven the Amalfi coast, that too is on the south side, not visible from the Naples to Sorrento or Capri ferries.

We've also taken the small ferry from Amalfi to Positano and on to Capri.

But you won't have time for that Capri - to - Amalfi Coast ferry on a Naples port-of-call visit.

And, like the Amafi coast, IMHO  the views down from on high are far more impressive than the views up from a boat.

There are perpendicular southerly viewpoints just a couple of minutes walk behind the town of Capri.

 

JB  

 

 

45 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Katie, if you look at this map, you can see why you don't get views of the Amalfi coast from the ferry between Naples and Capri:

 

Thank you both! That now makes perfect sense. Hmmm, what to do, what to do!  Glad to have a few months to figure it out before July. What an abundance of fabulous options in this port.