Naples

We'll be in Naples this spring. We've already been to Pompeii, so both there and Herculaneum (which seems to be the same) are out. We'll have already stopped in Salerno, so going to Sorrento is unlikely since we'll have been there too. Naples, the city - I've been told - is dirty and with not a lot of sightseeing to do. Any ideas of what to do?

We'll be in Naples this spring. We've already been to Pompeii, so both there and Herculaneum (which seems to be the same) are out. We'll have already stopped in Salerno, so going to Sorrento is unlikely since we'll have been there too. Naples, the city - I've been told - is dirty and with not a lot of sightseeing to do. Any ideas of what to do?

The bits of Naples that I've seen are grubby, tho apparently the shopping areas are fine.

Consider the archaeology museum in Naples, it has a great reputation & houses the artefacts from both Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Or take a ferry from near the cruise terminal across the Bay of Naples to the isle of Capri. A super place, with the town perched at the top of towering cliffs and other places to explore. :cool:

Take a few hundred dollars if you want to buy a coffee or beer :D

Ferries also to Sorrento just for the ride & to laze in the harbour. Or return from Sorrento on the inexpensive half-hourly Circumvesuviana train - it passes both Pompeii & Herculaneum, consider stopping-off at Herculaneum which is much smaller but much more complete than Pompeii.

A Herculaneum visit from Ercolan Scavi station is worth 2 to 3 hours including the walk or shuttle hop to the site.

Ferry, Sorrento, train, Herculaneum, and continue back to Naples on the train makes a pretty relaxed & varied day

JB :)

You could also go up to the top of Mt. Vesuvius. We did this when we were there in August. The tour company takes you to about 800 meters from the top and you walk up the rest of the way. Great views of the Bay of Naples and the surrounding area from up on top. It is a fairly steep walk, but wide paths and you can rest whenever you want. The tour company we used was right outside the train station at Ercolano Scavi. I know there are other tour companies near Pompeii as well. Not sure about right in Naples. The train ride to Ercolano Scavi from Naples is a short one. Ten euros per person for the bus ride up Vesuvius and ten euros per person to get into the park on Mt. Vesuvius.

And I agree with the previous poster that Herculaneum is not the same as Pompeii. Much smaller and better preserved. Depending on your time in port, you could do Vesuvius and Herculaneum as they are both at the same train stop.

Naples gets a bad rap. It's not a pretty postcard town like those on the Amalfi coast, it's a big city and like any big city it's not all beautiful. However, there are definitely things worth seeing there if you are into history. The Archaeological Museum is near and dear to me but there are also a number of churches worth a visit, an Underground Naples tour, some scenic neighborhoods (the one where they make the traditional nativity figures comes to mind....)

Also, I feel a little more description regarding the differences between Pompeii and Herculaneum is needed...

Herculaneum isn't more "complete" in the sense of giving you a complete picture of a Roman town -- Pompeii excels here. You see a much greater variety of buildings at Pompeii (theaters, baths, gyms, temples, market, amphitheatre, water tower, necropolis), whereas in Herculaneum you mostly see houses of the wealthy.

I'd also argue that Herculaneum isn't better preserved. Most people just don't take the time to identify the areas of Pompeii that are in an excellent state of preservation. The Villa of the Mysteries is wonderful and as well preserved (or better) than anything at Herculaneum -- it should be a must see for anyone visiting Pompeii. So are the Forum baths. And various other houses I've seen are as well, including some that have recently reopened after having been under restoration for a number of years.

I have to agree with the above poster. Naples is a fantastic city with amazing food! Check out the underground Naples and the restaurants and market in the neighborhood around it. You will find great authentic crafts and gifts, plus great food. The Archaeological Museum is also AMAZING!!! I spent hours there, the mosaics from both Pompeii and Herculaneum will blow your mind. Don't miss out : )

Two words - Amalfi Coast. Another option - Capri. Both of those would be excellent choices from Naples.

Capri is great, but we loved Naples best pizza I ever had in my life , would love to return

Naples received special recognition from UNESCO recently for its pizza: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/13/world/europe/naples-pizza-unesco.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Ftravel&action=click&contentCollection=travel&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=3&pgtype=sectionfront

Another vote for the National Archaeology Museum - it is outstanding. Among my favorites are the Villa of the Papyri and the Farnese collections.

https://www.museoarcheologiconapoli.it/en/room-and-sections-of-the-exhibition/

I just stayed in Naples in July a couple days with 4 other people. A couple of them hated it and a couple of us liked it but not loved it. It is definitely different. I love the old city charm and the streets. But be careful walking on the side streets cause the small cars and scooters just run by you. It didn't have that pleasant feeling (I really can't explain it) but I did like it. I don't know if I would go back though. Sorrento, Positano- I have that longing to return but Naples not so much.

We took a tour with Joe bananas Limos From Naples and had a great time. We had done Pompei previously and also tours to Sorrento/Positano through Italytoursharing.com but this time we did a coastal tour. It was fabulous. They picked us up right from our hotel. We stayed at Hotel Bellini- Great hotel.

I definitely recommend seeing Naples as everyone has a different outlook on things.

We enjoy wandering around Naples and having pizza. We have visited several times and always enjoy the area.

Once we took the ferry to Ischia to see a different island, which we enjoyed. We also took the train to Caserta to see the immense palace that was used in filming Star Wars. So many options. Loved the archaeological museum and Herculaneum was very enjoyable and different from Pompeii, so a wealth of choices! And Sorrento, Amalfi coast and Capri are always worth another visit.

We had a lovely morning escaping from the August sun here.http://www.catacombedinapoli.it/en/places/catacombs-of-san-gennaro-naples

It was inexpensive & included a tour guide.

Thanks to some urging by Eurocruiser (a frequent poster here) we have learned to enjoy Naples (the actual city). But, we are very frequent travelers (land and sea) in Italy so perhaps we have become used to things in Italy that do not normally go over well with many Americans. But you do have lots of other options from Naples so lets mention a few. You could take a high speed boat (from the nearby ferry terminal) to the islands of Capri, Ischia or perhaps the more laid back (and quite small) island of Procida. And then there is the town of Caserta where the Royal Palace of Caserta (short distance from the train station) is a pretty nifty tourist attraction. This Palace was a big part of WWII history (read about it online) and is open to the public. The gardens (in the rear of the Palace) are huge and very well maintained. This is an easy daytrip from Naples via train. As long as you have no mobility problems you can walk to the Palace from the train station...and there are a few decent cafes/pizzaria/restaurants between the station and Palace.

We had an enjoyable day just walking around the city on our own when we visited Naples the second time on a b2b cruise. Easy to do and quite relaxing if there is no mobility issues.

B_Cruise --how did you pick Joe Bananas Limo ---i have a quote for sept 7 sorrento-almalfi coast-herculeum

aptours is so much cheaper with good reviews also --having a hard time picking

worried about safety these days with so many accidents around the world --is it better to stick with crystal cruise excursions

is $ the criteria ? not sure

arl_nocaps