Both Capri & Pompeii ??

Hi fellow cruisers,

First trip to port of SORRENTO. Is it possible with a 15hour stop to visit Pompeii on a half day am tour and boat trip to Capri in the afternooon into evening?

Ship doesn't depart till 11pm.

That would be a hell of a hectic day...

At this time, last ferry from Capri to Sorrento is at 18:45

When are you going there?

It's possible. Sorrento is closer to both Capri and to Pompeii than Naples, so your transit time is less. It will be a busy day though and you probably won't have time to do full justice to Capri.

Definitely check the ferry times as the previous poster mentioned. Perhaps if you are going in summer there is a later time.

Sorrento is a tender port so that will eat into your available time. Nevertheless, that's a good long day and you should be able to see both sites. You wouldn't be able to see all of either site even it you devoted the entire day, so it's necessarily an overview visit.

Assuming that your cruise is between April and October, closing time at Pompei is 19:30, so your departure time would be about the same from either location.

We have done it, but its not something we recommend...because it does not leave you with enough time on Capri. But here is the way. Get off the ship ASAP and immediately head to the Circumvesuviana train station which is formally called "Porto Nolana." This is a little closer than the main Garibaldi Station where you can also catch the same train. The Circumvesuviana Line runs a train about every 30 min that goes from Naples to the Pompeii Scavi station (within a short walk from the ruins) and then continues on to Sorrento. So you get to Pompeii (it opens at 8:30 or 9 depending on the day of the week). You can then tour Pompeii on your own, or join an English speaking tour (organized at the main entrance). After finishing Pompeii you then take the train (the same line that brought you to the ruins) the rest of the way to Sorrento. At Sorrento you quickly head to the ferry pier and catch the next high speed boat over to Capri. Once you arrive on Capri, check the schedule for the high speed jetboats/hydrofoils that are returning to Naples (you want the Molo Beverello terminal) and buy your return tickets! If you rush your day, and get lucky with connections, you will get a few hours on Capri. When we tried this a few years ago (keep in mind that we are very familiar with the area and transportation system) it was on a whim where we simply decided to see if it could be done (we had been to both Pompeii and Capri several times). We did not get to Capri to around 12:30 (after having rushed our way through Pompeii) and took a return boat (to Naples) that departed around 4 pm. DW really loves Capri, and we much prefer to spend an entire day on the island when we have time to take the chair lift (from Anacapri) to the top of the mountain, enjoy a nice lunch, etc. But on that particular visit there was simply not enough time to "stop and smell the roses" although you would have enough time to stroll through Capri Town.

We do suggest that you check (online) the current ferry schedules just before your trip...to consider how you can work out your schedule.

Hank

We have done it, but its not something we recommend...because it does not leave you with enough time on Capri. But here is the way. Get off the ship ASAP and immediately head to the Circumvesuviana train station which is formally called "Porto Nolana." This is a little closer than the main Garibaldi Station where you can also catch the same train. ....

 

Hank

Hank, they are starting from Sorrento, not Naples. It should save some time as the ferry to/from Capri is much shorter than going from Naples. Likewise Pompeii is a bit closer.

Hank, they are starting from Sorrento, not Naples. It should save some time as the ferry to/from Capri is much shorter than going from Naples. Likewise Pompeii is a bit closer.

Didn't notice that, but not sure it saves much time. The problem is that they still must get to Pompeii and then back to Sorrento (or up to Naples...which makes less sense) to catch a boat over to Capri. One would save some time being in Sorrento.....but not as much as you would expect...considering that Sorrento is a tender port. Tendering creates its own issues such as the amount of time it takes to get ashore...plus the waiting time to even get on a tender.

But, as we said, it is certainly doable on one's own. It might even be possible to do cruise line excursions to get to both places...(this would vary by ship and the time in port).

Hank

Best way to ruin both experiences is to do them in a hurry. :cool: