Tours from the port at Naples

We will be on a cruise this December. I know it is rainy season and hesitate to book a tour of Pompeii or the Amalfi Coast in advance. I really don't want an eight hour tour. Are there any tours at the pier?

I have prearranged tours in Olympia, Ephesus and one day in Istanbul.

I am thinking of Herculaneum if it is a nice day but am curious if there are tour buses outside the port. We might like a scenic tour after all the historic sights.

Thanks.

Europe is not like the Caribbean. The amount of tours at the dock is far fewer. You will be essentially grabbing a taxi, and by law, they are drivers, not tour guides.

Some reading on the board would reveal Pompeii and Herculaneum are very accessible by public transit from the port. Amalfi Coast is a different topic. There are many venders recommended on this board, including the wonderful Rome in Limo.

I agree with CruiserBruce.

You will mainly see taxis at the pier.

I would do your homework and figure out what to do.

You might want to just do Naples on your own.

One thing about the Med. It is very port intensive and sometimes people do full day tours each day and I have seen them get burnt out during the cruise. I recommend balancing your days so that you not tour each and every day on a formal tour nor run around every minute in port. Do some things where you just leisurely visit an area so you are well rested for those foul day tours.

Keith

Usually in December there aren't a lot of cruises docking in Naples, so you could try to book a last minute tour after checking the weather.

For a full day tour I would really suggest to do Pompeii and Amalfi Coast, in December it will be really different as a lot of shops will be closed, but you can enjoy the wonderful landscape!

I always sugget to use a local operator, just try to search for Amalfi Coast tour provided by a company in Sorrento or Amalfi Coast area.

Thanks for your help. We don't want to overdo our port days. Hoping for a day with no rain.

Hi, WE went to Naples and what we did was take the train from Naples to Sorrento that makes a stop at Pompeii scavi. Visited Pompeii and then got back on the train went to Sorrento for lunch, after which we took the hydrofoil back to Naples which is about a 25min ride,with enough time for a stroll through Naples.

We will be on a cruise this December. I know it is rainy season and hesitate to book a tour of Pompeii or the Amalfi Coast in advance. I really don't want an eight hour tour. Are there any tours at the pier?

I have prearranged tours in Olympia, Ephesus and one day in Istanbul.

I am thinking of Herculaneum if it is a nice day but am curious if there are tour buses outside the port. We might like a scenic tour after all the historic sights.

Thanks.

Suggest you give these guys a look - SeeAmalfiCoast.com. We just returned, and this was the best tour we have ever had, anywhere. Ask for Carmine, the owner, to be your guide. He is a native of Naples, and I'm sure he would have bad weather alternatives for you, Trip Advisor :http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187785-d1841286-Reviews-See_Amalfi_Coast-Naples_Province_of_Naples_Campania.html

Following is the review I posted on TripAdvisor about our day at the port of Naples .... hope it helps:

The 9-hr “Simply The Best Of The Amalfi Coast” shore excursion that our group of 8 took with BENVENUTO LIMOS AND PRIVATE TOURS on June 20, 2014, was/is “SIMPLY THE BEST!!”

We were told that a “driver” would be our escort for the day. Much to our surprise and delight, we were actually accompanied by an extremely friendly, efficient, knowledgeable and funny Professional Driver Guide … MARIO GIAFFALLI … who provided a running commentary of the culture, history and beauty of the Amalfi Coast from the moment we boarded the comfortable 8-passenger mini-van until our return to the ship at the end of the day.

In addition to our numerous photo-op stops to admire the beautiful coastline, we explored the narrow streets of Positano with its numerous terrific boutiques as we wended our way toward the beach. We then proceeded Southeast past a number of picturesque fishing villages on our way to visit the town of Amalfi. Afterwards, we continued on up to Ravello for a breathtaking view of the coastline. Then … for the highlight of our day … Mario took us to a winery in Naples to taste a variety of local wine and partake of a delicious multi-course lunch. At Mario’s arrangement, one of the co-owners personally walked us through the vineyard, explaining along the way how the grapevines were nurtured by the volcanic soil.

Throughout the day, Mario was most attentive … always ensuring that each member of our diverse group (ages 28 to 71 years) was comfortable and enjoying the tour. Thanks to Mario and Benvenuto Limos And Private Tours, our visit to Naples was fabulous and memorable.

Grazie Mille

Suggest you give these guys a look - SeeAmalfiCoast.com. We just returned, and this was the best tour we have ever had, anywhere. Ask for Carmine, the owner, to be your guide. He is a native of Naples, and I'm sure he would have bad weather alternatives for you, Trip Advisor :http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187785-d1841286-Reviews-See_Amalfi_Coast-Naples_Province_of_Naples_Campania.html

Totally agree. Carmine was THE BEST!!!! We just got back and spent the day with him. He knows and loves this area and it will be well worth it to arrange to have him show you around. We happened to have amazing weather but dispassion for this part of Naples will ensure you have a great day no matter what.

Thanks for your help. We don't want to overdo our port days. Hoping for a day with no rain.

Hi Susan

If it's any help or gives you some ideas there are some videos of what I did over 3 cruise days from Naples in this 'playlist' ( Number 5-11)

Thanks for your help. We don't want to overdo our port days. Hoping for a day with no rain.

As you will be there on December and you prefer to do something easy, try to take some info about San Gregorio Armeno. Practically it is a perfect place where see how the Neapolitan people are usual prepare for Christmas and a good opportunity to learn about Presepe (a Neapolitan characteristic Nativity representation).

To do that you don't need any car, if you plan all as well you can reach it walking the historical center

If the day is sunny and the seas fairly calm, you might want to consider a ferry to Capri. You can make this as short as you wish and it is a lovely island.

Thanks for the ideas.

Has anyone done Eat in Italy, a food tour in Naples.

Do not forget to taste pizza or much better if you can have a "pizza fritta" (fried pizza!) and sfogliatella (it's a sweet) then a typical genuine Neapolitan coffee!

And let know us your experience!

I have decided to book a food tour in Naples. Then, I'll see if we have time in the afternoon. I have tried sflogliatella and other delicious pastries. There are many Italian pastry shops where I worked and a great one near our house in New York. I never had pizza fritta or even heard of it.

Thanks.

Italy Share Tours stood us up at the port of Naples - we had booked a tour on a 20 passenger bus and checked the day before arrival that the bus was full. We waited over 30 minutes at the port and finally called and we were told the driver was on his way. After another 20 minutes called again and told that we did not have enough people and we would need to pay more for a smaller bus. Then had to fight with them to get a "partial" refrund - do not use them!!

Just visited Naples this past weekend. There's a tour office at the port terminal right by the escalator and they offered half-day/full day tour to all the popular places with very reasonable prices. We joined their full day Pompeii/Sorrento/Amalfi Coast tour and it was quite nice. We shared a minivan with 2 other couples and the driver/guide was professional, friendly, and spoke very good English.

We had a wonderful day in Naples with Francesco from Eat in Italy. There was a transportation strike and Francesco drove to the port to pick us up at the cruise terminal. I am not a wonderful walker and my husband and I had a private pizza class instead of the walking tour. It was so much fun and very informative. Francesco emailed us photos the next day. A memorable day.

Susan

Just visited Naples this past weekend. There's a tour office at the port terminal right by the escalator and they offered half-day/full day tour to all the popular places with very reasonable prices. We joined their full day Pompeii/Sorrento/Amalfi Coast tour and it was quite nice. We shared a minivan with 2 other couples and the driver/guide was professional, friendly, and spoke very good English.

How long was the tour? How much did it cost? Thanks

If the day is sunny and the seas fairly calm, you might want to consider a ferry to Capri. You can make this as short as you wish and it is a lovely island.

One must use some care with ferries to Capri this time of year. They are working on a limited winter schedule so the number of ferries is vastly less then in the busy tourist season. Also, many places on the island of Capri will be closed that time of the year.

Hank

We will be in Naples the first week of March. We have been to Pompeii and along the Amalfi coast on a ship tour. Wondering if anyone has been to Sorrento on the train and then to Postiano by bus? Looking at train/bus schedules and it looks like we would only have about 1 hour in each town. Would that be enough? Also will there be very many shops open?

There are not any shared tour excursions listed on our roll call. Considered renting a car. Have rented a car in Italy before. Costs (car rental, gas, parking, tolls, IDL, etc) seem to be similar to a shared excursion (if we can find one).

Also considered going to Capri (weather dependent). Also because of the lack of ferries in the winter is the shortened time on Capri worth it especially since there won't be very many shops open?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

I personally don't think it's worth it to go to the Amalfi Coast from Naples via public transit within the confines of a port day. You'll spend a great deal of time just getting around. You can speed up the Naples to Sorrento section by taking a ferry, however.

Even in March the buses along the Amalfi Coast will be crowded, we stood from Positano to Sorrento during the second week of March two years ago.

As for Capri, if your purpose in going is shopping you may be disappointed. However, there are other interesting things to see and do on the island if you're into it, including the chair lift up to the top of Mount Solaro, the hike up to (and visiting) Villa Jovis, actually several hikes all over the island, and Villa San Michele. You can read more about the options here: http://www.capri.net/en/what-to-see

Thank you for the quick response. The ferries from Sorrento are not running so the only public transport is the train/bus and very expensive private transfers.

For Capri not that concerned with shopping. Probably more worried about there only be one doable ferry back to Naples and the weather in early March. I read on a post that the water can be very choppy during that time of year.

What are your thoughts about taking train to/from Sorrento and Herculeum? Would that be doable in a port day?

Yes, it's absolutely possible to take the train to Herculeneum and Sorrento and back in a port day from Naples.

I'm curious about your comment regarding no ferry between Naples and Sorrento. These are year round.

You could take a morning ferry to Sorrento at 9 AM, arriving before 10 AM, spend some time in Sorrento, then take the train to Ercolano Scavi to see the ruins of Herculeneum before taking the train the rest of the way back to Naples.

Ferry info here: http://www.alilauro.it/orari-e-tariffe?route_group_id=3

Thank you so much Euro Cruiser. In my planning, I thought I read that the ferries from Naples to Sorrento begin in April. That will make things so much easier. If we can't find a shared excursion we will now plan on going to Sorrento by ferry then to Herculaneum or Capri.

Sorrento/Herculaneum or Capri? What would be your preference in early March?

THANK YOU!