Has anyone done Pompeii without a guide or ship excursion?

[Sandy R]

I'm planning our June 2005 Venice to Rome cruise and have already contacted a few private guides I found on the boards, for a day tour in Naples. 400 euro seems a bit steep for just the 2 of us. As it gets closer, we might be able to find some cruisecritics that want to share but I'd hate to get stuck spending $485 U.S. to see Pompeii, Herculaneum and Sorrento. We really, really don't want to go with a ship excursion. Has anyone hired a taxi for the round trip to Pompeii and Herculaneum? Any other suggestions...

 

Thanks for the input... Sandy

[Aussie Gal]

I believe you can get to Pompeii on your own using the train. In fact last year there were postings about this on the board. Once at Pompeii I would then pay for a guide to take you around. The guide would be able to tell you the history of each building, well worthwhile.

 

The best time to go is first thing in the morning before all the crowds and the heat. It is usually vey hot.

 

Jennie

[jacalyker]

Yes, Several years ago, we toured Pompeii without a guide and it was great. We returned five years later, hired a guide who was 80 years-old, had been guiding for over 40 years, and it was like night and day. HIRE A GUIDE!

[babylene]

I thought I could do it better. Bought the guide book at the bookstore. Got lost a million times. Constantly asking guides for directions! But we had a fun day.

[Sandy R]

Thanks for the input. We'll definitely hire a guide once there. My concern is how to get from the port of Naples to Pompeii... how much a taxi might charge, how long it takes. Should we keep the taxi or will there be taxis to takes us back to Naples. Is the train station close to the cruise port and again, close to Pompeii? Those of you that booked the 400 euro tours... did you have to pay up front and/or give your credit card to hold the booking or did they actually charge your credit card in advance. I wouldn't mind booking with the idea that we'll find another couple to share.

 

Thanks... Sandy

[Artemis]

Issue 1, guiding at the actual ruins site. I agree with everyone else, you really need a guide to show you what you are looking at. It is hot, dusty, and on first blush, appears to be acres of rubble. You can pre-arrange a guide or take your luck with the guides who are hanging out at the entrance.

 

Issue 2, independent ground transport. If you and/or your traveling companion are savvy travelers--know how to plan, figure out train & ferry schedules, have a good sense of direction, etc.--it is not difficult to make the day trip you envision. However, it will be a full day, and you'll need to detail the logistics before you go to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible. Basically, from the port at Naples, you will taxi to the central train station, go downstairs and catch the local Circumvesuviana train (that runs the arc from Naples-Sorrento-Naples), get off at Herculaneum if you wish, get off at Pompeii, complete the ride to Sorrento, enjoy Sorrento for whatever reasonable time you have left, ferry to the dock in Naples.

 

We did the Med. 100% independently in June. We had traveled in Europe several times before. Although we felt like our independent port touring resulted in mostly A+ days, there were a few times I was just plain tired of being responsible for the day and would have loved to "leave the driving to someone else." Note, also, that multi-cultural overload and trip fatigue can impact how "up" you feel toward the end of such a port-intensive journey, e.g., Athens was our next-to-the-last stop, and we were tired, Greek was our 4th language for the trip and very different from the romance languages, it was hot, and Athens--a place we'd never visited before--is one big city that presents more logistical issues than, say, just hopping off the ship to enjoy a Greek Island or the medieval gem, Dubrovnik. I was kicking myself that we hadn't gone with a private guide in Athens!

 

The point of all of that is simply, yes, independent touring can save you money. However, don't let cost get in the way of making smart decisions. Seeing the Med. is an incomparable experience, and you are lucky to have a long time to plan and, if necessary, save for costly shore touring, when indicated. I don't think you need an organized tour of any kind for the islands and smaller port cities. However, for any of the bigger cities that you've never visited and for places where some logistics are involved (e.g., Naples if you plan to do any combo like the ruins/Amalfi Coast and Livorno if you plan to go to Florence), I think it is smart to consider assisted touring.

 

Just my two cents. Have fun researching & planning!

[Andym]

You will probably find that the $400 does not cover your entrance into Pompeii. The guides in Italy are licenced including Florence and Pompeii. You will have to arrange a guide once at Pompeii, but the money is worth it. Ours brought the place alive with his narration of the tour. I have seen another posting on this site quoting $100 for a guide.

 

Have a look at this gem ;

 

http://www.thecolefamily.com/italy/pompeii/index.html

 

Have a couple of hours to spare when looking at this.

[Mike Andrews]

Having done Naples on several occasions including two private tours,I would definately go for the private tour route with a tour that would include Pompei and an Amalfi Coast tour with the definate inclusion of visits to Positano and Ravello. On our visit to Pompei we used the audio guide which was fine for an overview in the time we were there but I would however like to return and hire a private guide for a more detailed tour. We have used Salvatore of DriveAmalfi (*****) twice and rate him as the best driver out of Naples.

[eddycool]

Hi Sandy! I'm a licenced tour guide operating in Pompeii and surroundings.I read your message about your next plans,so I'd like to propose myself as your private guide.For any informations and rates, please do not hesitate to contact me in this board or to e-mail me at robmot2002@libero.it. Hope to hear from you!

I'm planning our June 2005 Venice to Rome cruise and have already contacted a few private guides I found on the boards, for a day tour in Naples. 400 euro seems a bit steep for just the 2 of us. As it gets closer, we might be able to find some cruisecritics that want to share but I'd hate to get stuck spending $485 U.S. to see Pompeii, Herculaneum and Sorrento. We really, really don't want to go with a ship excursion. Has anyone hired a taxi for the round trip to Pompeii and Herculaneum? Any other suggestions...

 

Thanks for the input... Sandy

[bayjoens]

Sandy, last year, we used a private driver who hired a guide for us at Pompeii. The driver was great because he had personal knowledge of the area and took us to a great place for lunch and also avoided the Amalfi Coast when it was full of traffic. Although we really wanted to see it, we were also set on seeing Pompei in the morning. He told us that if we did this and elected to do the Amalfi Coast in the afternoon, we might get stuck in traffic. So we went with his suggestion and took a less scenic mountain route. We are so glad we did. The ship left late that evening because a couple of the ship's buses got stuck in the traffic and were late back to the ship. If that had been us on the private tour, we would have been left behind. Whew!

[janine543]

Any recommendations on how to get a good tour guide for Pompei? And how much do they normally cost if you pick one up at the front gate of Pompei?

 

I am looking for someone who will "drive" us around for the day too or be a "guide" for the day. Is there a huge cost difference?

[Brahmama]

I hesitated to answer this post because I do have such a different opinion, but decided that is what makes the boards work so well. Lots of opinions and ideas help us make better choices.

 

I have been to this area twice and had two separate tours. I heartily recommend that you do not try to do a Pompeii visit in conjunction with the Amalfi Coast Drive! We did them on separate days and we were busy the whole of each day.

 

Concentrating on Pompeii, which we last visited in October 03. We had done our homework - read up on Pompeii, printed out maps. We had really studied it and knew the primary areas that we were interested in seeing.

 

We had a driver waiting for us and he took us right to Pompeii. He was not a guide. We decided to buy the great overlay book of Pompeii (around $15 I think - maybe less) and do it on our own. (There were two couples of us.) Now bear in mind that it was October, and it was a lovely day. But there were still a lot of people. Especially in the most popular spots. We spent several hours there and could have spent the day. We followed our map we bought from home - watched the signage which we thought well-done - and visited the spots we wanted to see, checking them with the overlay map to get more information if needed. We took lots of pictures, really enjoyed taking our time.

when we returned to the driver, the other couple spent a good 30 minutes shopping at the store there - and were very pleased with the prices. We sat and visited with the waiting guides. From there we went to Naples and drove around the spots we were interested in. Unfortunately the Archaelogical Museum was closed that day :( or we would have stopped there. Our driver took us to his favorite lunch spot - we were the only English-Speaking people there. We had a great lunch and wine. Then our guide took us to an ice-cream pastry store where he treated *us* to pastry and expresso. I'll share his email if you like. Brahmama@yahoo.com We loved Naples, by the way. I'm astounded to read some of the comments about Naples! It wasn't a thing like what we experienced.

Have a wonderful trip and make great memories!

[atltravel]

Its hard to answer this w/out knowing how long you are in port and does the ship go to any other port along the coast?

I agree w/Brahmama- you cant do both in one day. I did not use a guide in pompeii- to much money- we used the audio guides- are they still there? and bought a guide book w/map at the gift shop before entering. no problem. than maybe go to the musem in Naples to see the stuff they took from pompeii (what a trip!)

As for the amalfi drive- contact raffaele at raffaele.aversa@libero.it or his website www.sorrentocardrivers.com. I found him in 1999, doing a search and have used him numerous times since, and am going to use him again in April. But to really enjoy the sights you need a full day especially from Naples. Good luck.

 

Oh bye the way, I to loved Naples also. This port could rival Nice if it had a good spray washing and clean up campaign.

[cadreamer]

I too have found the prices to be high for just two people. I am thinking of taking the various email addresses with me on the ship and trying to find others to go and then contacting the private driver. I realize this is risky.

I know from past experience that the ship tour to Pompeii left me wanting to return to spend more time. There were taxis on the street where the ship docked taking people to Pompeii. Once I saw someone post that they did that for $200 for the car all day(before the $ went down).There were lots of taxis at Pompeii but many may have been waiting for passengers they brought from Naples. Does anyone have the website for hte Archeological Museum in Naples?

The Amalfi drive sounds like it has to be done by a private driver who knows his way around the traffic. I would definitely do that on a different day - not the day we go to Pompeii.

[cathi]

Caddreamer - I printed off a posting from, I believe, Chick's Pal with very specific directions for doing Pompeii from the port without a guide. I will take it with us when we go in June and hope that it is as clear in Naples as it appears from reading it!! I don't have a clue how you would go about finding this particular posting now but try searching for it because I think it was the best I have encountered on this site.

[cadreamer]

Thanks. I found it and here it is.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=64406&highlight=chick%27s+pal

You are right. It is excellent.