Naples - can we fit this all in?

[romes]

We'll be in Naples from 11-7 on MSC Fantasia Aug 24th. We def want to visit Pompeii (probably first thing due to the heat), then Capri. Would the best way to do that be to take a shuttle/bus/train to Pompeii (is it about 15 minutes from port in Naples), walk it in about an hour? Then how do we get to Capri - I know from port in Naples we could buy tickets to the hydrofoil (is this a boat?) to Capri. How long does that take? And from Capri is it worth it to buy a chair lift ticket to AnaCapri?

 

I'm curious about costs, travel time for each? And best order to do these in. I've decided against the Almalfi coast b/c of posts of traffic & too far/too long. Is Sorrento too much to fit in too?

 

Thanks! We've never been & want to do as much as possible here. And on our own.

[sandinmyshoes]

Pompeii and Capri should be doable in the time you have allotted. Although we stuck to Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast I can help with part of your question. We did Pompeii via private tour co. who had pre-arranged a licensed guide for inside Pompeii. We took about 2 1/2 hours, but you can get the 1 hour shortened version. I would definetly recommend getting there as quickly as you can as it gets crowded quickly. You should be able to find a taxi from the port to take you here for not too much. There will also be taxis outside the main gate waiting to take you to the hydrafoil (boat for Capri) if you desire. I would say to pay the additional fee for a licensed guide. (If you can prearrange this online, that would be helpful, but there should be plenty of guides at the gate if need be...just note their English may not be clear.) They really help you understand what you are seeing now and help you imagine what it looked like during its prime...also you won't miss the most important and memorable sites.

Good luck! You will have a nice time...the area is lovely!

 

I've been told if you want to go to Capri, the places along the Amalfi Coast (Sorrento) aren't feasable in a cruise stop's time frame. The towns are amazing, but I've heard Capri has just as much splendor so go where you want and have fun. ;)

[KCcruisin07]

The only way to do all three is to take the shore excursion. If I were doing the other two, I would go to Capri first to make sure I got the hydrofoil back in plenty of time. I would allow at least two hours at Pompeii. It is awesome!!

[cruisemom42]

Your day in Naples is significantly shorter than most -- you only have 8 hours (which is really only 7 hours maximum as it will take at least some time to disembark and embarkation is at least 30 mins before sailing...) I don't think you can reasonably do Pompeii and Capri in that amount of time. Pompeii is a large site and spending one hour there seems hardly worth going.

 

The hydrofoil to Capri from Naples takes 40 minutes alone (plus time you have to wait for departure).

 

The train from Naples to Pompeii is about 35 mins each way (the trains run about every half hour, so you may have waiting time there as well....). If you take a taxi you may save a little time -- or you may hit traffic and take longer. I seem to recall a lot of traffic on the road returning from Pompeii to Naples.

 

So, at a minimum you are looking at over 2.5 hours of transit time just to get to the two locations.

 

My recommendation would be to either do Capri on its own, OR do Pompeii plus maybe something in Naples like the Archeological Museum.

[CintiPam]

With the time you have, I concur with Cynthia's suggestions that you choose one or the other, due to the considerable time you need to allot for travel to and from Naples.

 

A Circumvesuviana train to Pompeii and back, with a trip to the Archaelogical Museum would make a lovely day, with few concerns about transportation links. Or a hydrofoil to and from Capri.

 

If you want to do both, you could only accomplish it with a ship's tour.

 

Enjoy your visit to this delightful area!

[AmoMondo]

I was on the fantasia in April. We got the train to Pompei and then on to Sorrento and that was tight. For a start a taxi to Pompeii from the Port will cost about 80 euros. We got the train but had to walk to the taxis outside the port to get to the station as the ones in the port were not interested in a short journey. from getting off the ship to arriving in the station took about 25 minutes. the train takes about 30 minutes to Pompeii. We spent 2 hours in Pompeii and then ended up with only an hour and a half in Sorrento. You may be luckier with the hydrofoils than we were but when i checked the return times they were either too early to make it worth our while or far too late to get back for our sailing, so we eneded up doing it all by train

[bardstowntraveller]

With the time you have, I concur with Cynthia's suggestions that you choose one or the other, due to the considerable time you need to allot for travel to and from Naples.

 

A Circumvesuviana train to Pompeii and back, with a trip to the Archaelogical Museum would make a lovely day, with few concerns about transportation links. Or a hydrofoil to and from Capri.

 

If you want to do both, you could only accomplish it with a ship's tour.

 

Enjoy your visit to this delightful area!

Make that three that agree. Pompeii and the National Archeological Museum are a good doable trip. Trying to add in the coast will suboptimize all sites. We spent a week in Sorrento a couple of years ago. We enjoyed the coast but the traffic and crowds can be horrific. Pompeii is not to be missed

[Hlitner]

Given the relatively short port day on the OP's cruise, I would strongly recommend forgetting Capri unless you want to make that your only excursion. Keep in mind that the boats between Naples and Capri take 50 min each way and you need to allow additional time on Capri to get the funicular up and down to the town of Capri. On a day when Capri is busy, it is often necessary to queue-up for the funicular down to Marina Grande (the ferry pier) by 3 pm in order to catch a return boat. If you dock at 11 am, you would probably not even get to Pompeii until at least noon. Giving yourselves 2 hours at Pompeii, you would than need at least 40 min to get to Sorrento and than you would need to walk down to the ferry pier (assuming you want to go to Capri). This means it is unlikely you would get to Capri until at least 2 pm, which means you have hardly any time. And remember, all this transportation is not cheap so you would want some time to enjoy these places.

 

Hank

[euro cruiser]

I wouldn't try this with only an eight hour day, but if I were to do it, after visiting Pompei I'd take the Circumvesuviana train (the same one you take from Naples to Pompei) and continue south to Sorrento and take the ferry to Capri from Sorrento, then return from Capri to Naples via ferry. That would save a significant amount of time.

[Saturated]

It depends on your mobility really. Capri is not really suitable for anyone with mobilty issues anyhow, as it's a mountainous island. If you are healthy you could see Capri and Sorrento pretty easily. Make sure you take the hydrofoils and not the ferries. Naples to Capri......appx 30 mins, Capri to Sorrento....apx 20 mins....Sorrento to Naples appx 30 mins. Total waiting time for hydrofoils...appx 1 hr. Total cost, appx 50 euros pp, much cheaper than any RC Amalfi excursion by bus. 90 mins in Sorrento will give you a good lookaround, as it's a small town, very pretty. That comfortably gives you 3 hours on Capri. You'll arrive in Marina Grande from Naples. You could either do an island boat tour in 2 hrs, or head up to Piazza Umberto, the main square. It's small and has a number of bars and restaurants ( and a tourist info booth). You could walk to see a spectacular view of Faraglioni ( the sea stacks) One hour round trip walking from Piazza Umberto ( ask for directions at the tourist booth). :)