Naples HOHO

Does anyone have any experience with the Naples Hop-on hop-off bus. Looks like it goes where we want to go, but reading the schedule it looks like it does one hour loops at one hour intervals. Is it really that infrequent? If I want to hop off to look at something quick, say 10 minutes, do I need to wait another 50 minutes for the next bus to come?

Also, how crowded is their HOHO bus? With that low a frequency, if a bus comes by full, waiting for the next one is not feasible.

I have not taken them but I've walked by plenty of them. They are not frequent and the traffic in Naples, better now since the ZTLs but still bad, mean that it's nearly impossible to keep to the schedule.

Fortunately, many things are easily reached by public bus or metro. What sites are you most interested in getting to?

We'd like to see Gesu Nuovo\Santa Chiara, San Gennaro and the Duomo.

Also, the ride along the coast sounds like it might be nice. If the hoho frequency really is only once an hour, we'd probably not be able to make any stops at the scenic views.

I would be a little leery of one in Naples.

Why Kirk? The HOHO in Naples is perfectly safe, or as safe as in any major city.

We'd like to see Gesu Nuovo\Santa Chiara, San Gennaro and the Duomo.

I'm not sure what you mean by San Gennaro; the cathedral is also known as San Gennaro, maybe that's what you mean? If that's the case the last two on your list are one and the same.

Santa Chiara and Gesu Nuovo are across the street from one another, just under a mile on foot from the cruise port. There are several buses you could get about two blocks from the port to take you close by. The Duomo/Cathedral/San Gennaro (all the same place) is another half mile from Santa Chiara, all easily walkable and all located in the largely pedestrian historic center of the city.

While you're in the neighborhood you might consider stopping in at Cappella San Severo to see the amazing sculptures there. Sanmartino's "Veiled Christ" is the most famous of the collection but there are several outstanding pieces. It's a small museum, easily seen somewhat thoroughly in a half hour: http://www.museosansevero.it/it/

The San Gennaro I want to go to is the catacombs (as well as the church), up near Capodimonte.

Ah, yes. I forgot about that. I've been there, using the public bus. That one has timed entries, you can't go in except as part of a tour so you might want to hit that first, then work your way back.

The R4 bus, which you can get on at the Medina stop (a less than five minute walk from the cruise port, the stop is on Via Medina just past Calato San Marco) will take you right to San Gennaro.

Bus info here: http://www.anm.it/images/stories/PDF/linee_urbane/r4.pdf

On the way back you can pick up the #168 bus at the stop on the other side of the street and take that to Via Foria stop, just before Via Duomo. It's a short walk from there to the Duomo and then from there to your other stops and back to the ship. From the Duomo back it's all either flat or downhill walking.

#168 bus info: http://www.anm.it/images/stories/PDF/linee_urbane/168.pdf

Thanks. I'll take a closer look at the public system.

Do you happen to know if the Naples buses work the same way as most bus systems - if you buy a ticket and ride on one bus, you can transfer to another bus with out buying a new ticket if it is within a certain time frame.

Do you happen to know if the Naples buses work the same way as most bus systems - if you buy a ticket and ride on one bus, you can transfer to another bus with out buying a new ticket if it is within a certain time frame.

Yes BUT the new fare system instituted in January 2015 created a new tier of fares.

Within the city of Naples there are three one-use tickets:

• Aziendale Corsa Semplice, €1. This ticket is good for one use with no transfer, strictly point A to point B, on city buses, trams, or the metro.
  
• Aziendale Corsa Semplice 2, €1,20. This ticket is good for one use with no transfer, on suburban buses and rail.
  
• Integrato, €1,50. This ticket is good for 90 minutes from the time it is validated and you can switch as many times as you like.
  

For a tourist staying within the city you'd be choosing from the first or the third one, depending on whether you think you'll need to change buses, or go from the funicular to a bus, or the metro to a funicular, etc.

There are also two all day tickets, but the only one that's realistically useful is the Giornaliero Integrato which costs €4,50. With this ticket you can ride without limit within the city on buses, metros, funiculars, and trams. You might not use it enough to justify it financially but it might be easier to have just the one and not worry about it the rest of the day.

Regardless of which ticket you use, ALL OF THESE TICKETS must be validated. The turnstile at the metro or funicular will do it automatically, for buses and trams you need to find the machine on board as soon as you get on. If you get the all day ticket it only needs to be validated once, the first time you use it.