DIY Naples Plan - please advise

My husband and I will be in Naples for one day in late June on the Reflection.

We are comfortable on public transportaion, not good at speaking Italian and have different goals for our day in Naples.

I want to see Pompeii, as much as I can fit into one day and still go to Sorrento. He wants to go eat pizza in Naples at one of the original pizza places.

So right now the plan is to get off the ship ASAP, take the train to Pompeii, DIY or get on a tour there. Spend a few hours and then take the train to Sorrento.

Wander around there for a bit, have a snack (got to save room for pizza!) and then take the high speed boat back to Naples.

Once back in Naples go to one of the original pizzerias for pizza and if there is time, and we have room, try one of the famous Sfogiatelle (however it is spelled) pastries.

Has anyone done something similar? Is this too much to do in one day, should we skip Sorrento and just go back on train to Naples from Pompeii?

My husband and I will be in Naples for one day in late June on the Reflection.

We are comfortable on public transportaion, not good at speaking Italian and have different goals for our day in Naples.

 

I want to see Pompeii, as much as I can fit into one day and still go to Sorrento. He wants to go eat pizza in Naples at one of the original pizza places.

 

So right now the plan is to get off the ship ASAP, take the train to Pompeii, DIY or get on a tour there. Spend a few hours and then take the train to Sorrento.

Wander around there for a bit, have a snack (got to save room for pizza!) and then take the high speed boat back to Naples.

 

Once back in Naples go to one of the original pizzerias for pizza and if there is time, and we have room, try one of the famous Sfogiatelle (however it is spelled) pastries.

 

Has anyone done something similar? Is this too much to do in one day, should we skip Sorrento and just go back on train to Naples from Pompeii?

I think it is too much to do in 1 day. The train station is not "right there" off the ship. It is about a mile-ish away. Pompeii should take you a couple of hours to see, if you can find a guide there--I can't remember if they have guides waiting outside, but I'm pretty sure they do. I can't remember where the train station is in Pompeii, but it is not "right there" either...You can take the train to Sorrento--but you would have to check schedules and see if it fits into your schedule.

Also of all of this is dependent on train schedules, bot schedules. I'd just pick 2 things, and see about doing it. If it is e-zier to take a ship tour, then my advice is to do that and save the time and stress. You are there for a day, and unfortunately, will not get to do it all.....

24butterfly is right; it's a lot to do in a day.

One thing most people don't allot enough time for when doing things on their own, is getting from one place to another.

Keep in mind that trains from Naples to Pompeii run about every half hour and take about 40 minutes to get to Pompeii. So if you arrive at the station just after a train departs, it will take to 70 minutes to get to Pompeii. Likewise from Pompeii to Sorrento; you have to time it right.

Getting to the train station from the ship can also take a while; you can walk it or catch a tram just outside the port -- this could take up to a half hour.

From Sorrento back to Naples, the hydrofoils are a good idea but still take 30 minutes and there isn't one leaving every 5 minutes....

Finally, I'm not sure what you want to do in Sorrento, but most shops there close between 1-3 (some a little earlier and/or later), so there won't be much shopping there. And it sounds like you're going to eat pizza in Naples, so you're probably not looking for a dining experience. My advice would be to skip it.

FWIW, guides should be available at Pompeii, if you want to pick up a tour there (at the main entrance). And the main entrance IS pretty close to the train station -- not more than half a block after you exit the station.

First, take the SITA bus to Pompei in the morning (8 AM departure from Piazza Immcolatella, a short 1/3rd of a mile walk from the cruise port within the port area), which will put you at the ruins shortly after opening time at 8:30 (you should be walking up to the ticket office at about 8:40 as there is a short walk from the bus stop of 2/10ths of a mile).

Personally, I wouldn't bother with Sorrento. It's a long way to go for not much "there", if you get what I mean. Allow yourself as much time as you want at the ruins, then head back to Naples.

You can return by bus or by the train, I've done it every which way and find the bus far more comfortable. You can catch a bus back at 11:45 or 12:15, after a good three hours of exploring the ruins. See the bus schedule here: http://www.sitasudtrasporti.it/public/tpl/campania/5001.pdf

Back in Naples you'll have plenty of time to find that pizza, with extra time to explore within a few minutes walk of the cruise port.

I was also going to suggest you take out Sorrento. I think it'll be just too darn rushed/stressful if you don't. As has been pointed out, the transportation to/from each place could really eat up your day.

If you're looking at going to di Michele for pizza in Naples, it's not far from the train station and should be an easy walk. I highly recommend navigating the streets of Naples with a compass in hand. Streets change name frequently (if you can find the street sign) and it took us a lot longer to find things than we thought. I'd been to Rome 3 times and did a 10 day land vacation in Italy and was still taken aback by Naples.

OK, sounds like we'll be eliminating Sorrento and spending more time in Naples.

Thanks.

I know lots of people rave about da Michele but I don't see what's so special about it. It's great pizza, but there are lots of other places to get similarly great pizza in Naples and they're in more interesting areas, like along Via Tribunali. Or near the waterfront on and just off Via Santa Lucia.

What about renting a car? This itinerary is no problem in a car. Hertz has an agent right near the port. Driving to Pompeii and Sorrento and back really couldn't be easier. Here's some added info on renting, driving, and parking from one of our Naples visits... http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1515397

I know lots of people rave about da Michele but I don't see what's so special about it. It's great pizza, but there are lots of other places to get similarly great pizza in Naples and they're in more interesting areas, like along Via Tribunali. Or near the waterfront on and just off Via Santa Lucia.

I gotta agree. Had great pizza at Sorbillo on Via Tribunali. But a lot of people want to go to "the original" pizza place of Italy.

I'm gonna disagree with everyone else (not for the first time :D).

Fast-ferry from adjacent Naples cruise terminal (there's one about 9am) across to Sorrento takes a little under an hour, little shuttlebus costing 1 euro from harbour to town (close but steep), train to Pompeii (every half-hour, seven days a week), same train on to Naples, walk or bus or white-knuckle taxi ride from the station (Piazza Garibaldi) back to the ship.

No, IMHO Sorrento doesn't have anything special to offer, but it's an attractive & laid-back little town & a much more enjoyable round-trip day than train to Pompeii & back.

Now Cruisemom I'm sure would want to spend a whole lot longer at Pompeii, but for us basic tourists three hours would be the maximum we'd want to spend in hot & dusty Pompeii.

Mebbe check your sailing time from Naples - they do vary a lot.

JB :)

ps. Worst pizza I ever had .................. was in Naples!!

I'm gonna disagree with everyone else (not for the first time :D).

Fast-ferry from adjacent Naples cruise terminal (there's one about 9am) across to Sorrento takes a little under an hour, little shuttlebus costing 1 euro from harbour to town (close but steep), train to Pompeii (every half-hour, seven days a week), same train on to Naples, walk or bus or white-knuckle taxi ride from the station (Piazza Garibaldi) back to the ship.

No, IMHO Sorrento doesn't have anything special to offer, but it's an attractive & laid-back little town & a much more enjoyable round-trip day than train to Pompeii & back.

Now Cruisemom I'm sure would want to spend a whole lot longer at Pompeii, but for us basic tourists three hours would be the maximum we'd want to spend in hot & dusty Pompeii.

Mebbe check your sailing time from Naples - they do vary a lot.

 

JB :)

 

ps. Worst pizza I ever had .................. was in Naples!!

I'm with you... So not "everyone" ;). Also, LOL at your postscript. :D

Two hours for Pompeii is not much. When we visited we spent at least 4 hours and I am not sure we saw everything. From what I have heard, if you only want to spend 2 hrs go to Herculaneum. It is smaller and closer but will give you the same sort of sights as Pompeii. In fact I believe the buildings are better preserved. Just an idea and you will have plenty of time for your pizza.

I've been to Pompeii three times, for a couple of hours each time, and still have a quarter of the site left to see. Herculaneum is interesting (visited once), but I really don't think it's a great substitute just to have more time for pizza.

Is the SITA bus reliable? Has anyone taken it around 9 or 10am to go to the Pompeii ruins? Can you buy the ticket at the bus station?

Yes, the bus is reliable and I've used it several times. You purchase the ticket at the office in Piazza Immacolatella Vecchia, where the bus depot is located.

There is no 9 AM bus, your choices are 8 AM, 10 AM, or 10:30 AM. Note that the 10 AM run is only Monday-Friday.

Schedule here: http://www.sitasudtrasporti.it/public/tpl/campania/5001.pdf

Might I suggest a Vespa tour? We did this and it was so much fun. They will customize a tour for you and show you around places you would never discover on your own. Check it out! http://www.napolinvespa.it/en/index.html

mich734,

Please check with the local tourism board. I was there in July and went to the right place, but the bus to Pompeii was not according to schedule that day. The next one was quite a bit later than the schedule I had. Fortunately, a very kind bus driver took us to the train station on his route (he spoke almost no English, but understood what we needed & gave us the ride for free). We changed our original plan to visit Vesuvius because it was very cloudy and ended up going to Sorrento for the first time, then Oplontis on the way back....a truly fabulous day!

Enjoy Italy!!!

Thanks so much for your replies!