Amalfi AND Pompeii Too Much?

We are trying to plan our 11 hour stop in Naples in early May. Our primary interest is in seeing the Amalfi Coast, including Amalfi, Positano, and Ravello?

Many of the posts describe tours that do the Amalfi Coast plus a two hour stop in Pompeii. For those who have done similar tours, was Pompeii worth it? Did you feel rushed trying to fit so much in one day?

We will have already seen ruins in Ephesus, Rome, and Athens. We like history, but also like taking our time exploring local culture, strolling around town, trying the local food...

Any advice?

I am planning to do the same thing. The advice that I have gotten from others on this board is that it can certainly be done but you do need to limit your time in Pompeii. Like you, I feel that I will have plenty of opportunites for ruins in other ports, which is why I want to ensure that I spend time on the Amalfi coast...that is something very unique to the Naples stop.

The other piece of advice that I've gotten regarding this itinerary is to definately have a local, private driver since they will be very familiar with traffic patterns and such.

Something I am considering is to end in the private tour in Sorrento and take the hydrofoil back to the port. This could save time commuting since your not dealing with traffic going back to Naples and it gives you a little more time on the coast. Not sure of the hydrofoil schedule yet, that will help make my decission. If I go with this option my route would be Pompeii to Ravello to Amalfi to Positano to Sorrento. I estimate I will be in Sorrento around 3pm if I leave the port at 8am and stop along the way (including Pomeii) for a total of 5.5 hours. The ship leaves at 6pm so I would have a good 1 to 1.5 hours in Sorrento before needing to jump on the hydrofoil back to the port.

I know this isn't really the first hand experience your probably looking for, but I thought sharing my research may help a little.. :)

I think you could do it, but you might feel rushed. On our Naples stop, we took the train to Pompeii and got a private tour guide. We spent about 2 1/2 hours at the ruins, just seeing the highlights. Pompeii is huge, hot, and a lot of walking :)

If your interest is more in local culture, it would be much more enjoyable to plan around the towns you want to visit, and be able to stroll around, and have a nice lunch, without watching the clock.

It depends on what kind of traveler you are. I would rather limit things and not worry about time; there are different ways to miss things.

We did Pompeii and the Amalfi coast on our first Med cruise and it was, as expected, more rushed than I would have liked; but it was a wonderful day and we got to see so much. We had an extra hour, being there from 7 till 7. On our second Med cruise, we just did all Amalfi Coast and had a marvelous day. With only 11 hours, I would pass on Pompei. It is a difficult decision to make, but hopefully you will be able to go back and see Pompeii then. You can see our Amalfi Coast pics from both of our cruises there on our website www.thepreismans.com.

Carte005: We are on the Solstice with you in May. We stopped in Naples on our last cruise and did a private tour. We went straight to Pompeii and had a private guide waiting for us and did a 2-1/2 hr tour there. Pompeii is so huge you could spend days there ! But we did hit the highlights and saw alot as there were only 8 of us. Then we went to Ravello, Amalfi and Positano. We had free time in each place (about an hour or more) and finally to Sorrento where we took a ferry (not the hydrofoil but the ferry the locals use to get back and forth to work etc) back to Naples. It docked right next to our ship. 3 minute walk maybe and we were back onboard way before last call.

This was my favorite day of our whole trip. It was indeed long but omg what a place ! Our driver was really good about keeping us on a schedule without really making it feel like we were on a schedule. We had time in each place to stroll about, shop, eat or catch a cup of coffee etc. Could I have spent more time in each place....well yeah. I could live there :D We enjoyed what we did so much last time we are really torn about what to do this trip. I feel we should maybe do something different like Capri but feel very drawn back to Amalfi coast. Still havent decided our day here :confused:

If you want info on who we used.....let me know on our roll call. TEX

We are trying to plan our 11 hour stop in Naples in early May. Our primary interest is in seeing the Amalfi Coast, including Amalfi, Positano, and Ravello?

 

Many of the posts describe tours that do the Amalfi Coast plus a two hour stop in Pompeii. For those who have done similar tours, was Pompeii worth it? Did you feel rushed trying to fit so much in one day?

 

We will have already seen ruins in Ephesus, Rome, and Athens. We like history, but also like taking our time exploring local culture, strolling around town, trying the local food...

 

Any advice?

Yes, very doable!

Do Pompeii in the morning before it is hot, secure a guide to make the most of your couple hours there. Try to get there at the opening, then you can enjoy the place before the tour busses arrive which really slow your ability to tour some of the ruins. You can be out of there in an hour and half, but like most cities you can't do it at your leisure as you might like :mad:

If traffic be permitting you can make the coast for lunch at a place with spectacular views :) We made 3 stops and had about 20-45' at each stop. Not ideal, but that is the way with these kinds of things.

Be warned it is a long drive, but doable and well worth it!

 

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We will have already seen ruins in Ephesus, Rome, and Athens. We like history, but also like taking our time exploring local culture, strolling around town, trying the local food...

 

Any advice?

I thought similar but Pompeii is so different from Ephesus, Acropolis, or Colosseum/Forum. Yes they are all ruins but very different. Its like saying I've had some fruit already ( apple, orange) I'll pass on the Banana. At least for my parents and my kids Pompeii of all the ruins this was the one they had heard lots about and really wanted to see.

In the end only you can decide, it is true its just another pile of rocks :D and to decide between that and spending say an extra couple hours lounging on the Amafli coast is a difficult one. You should still have time to have a leisure lunch of an hour or so and then time enough to stroll Ravello and Amalfi for a bit, traffic be willing.

Enjoy!

We did it the opposite way (Amalfi Coast and lunch first) then napped on the drive to Pompeii and had a good two hours there. We did not feel rushed and had a wonderful day--only place we used a local guide. Lunch was long--1 1/2 - 2 hours but fantastic.

The argument for doing it that way is that Pompeii is much closer to Naples and less risk for getting caught in traffic. You would not want to be stuck on the coast road somewhere--completely unforgiving and one huge tour bus not making a curve could potentially be devastating to your time schedule.

I think it would be a shame to go all that way and not see Pompeii--very different from the other ruins that you will visit.

Cathy

One of the perks of going "off season" is that the traffic and crowds are not as bad.

We went very end of Nov. last time......going first cruise for Solstice very beginning of May this time.

I would never try to do this during the peak months. Most of your private tour companies would never let you either.....they know how bad it can be.

We thought about doing it the opposite but tour co. assured us it was very doable for the time of year we would be there. And they were right. Ferry saved us a good 45 minutes of time as it is faster to go back to Naples from Sorrento via ferry than to drive. It did cost a bit extra (9 euros pp I think) but also gave us a different perspective of this area. Beautiful from the water too ;)

chipmaster: Love the fruit thing :D

Now for another point of view. Yes, you could do this and spend a little time in each place, but you are not going to get as much out of it as you would if you do less.

We spent an entire week last spring in Amalfi and didn't see everything.

It takes at least 1/2 a day to truly see Ravello--the estates and gardens there are amazing. We spent just 2 hours in the actual town of Amalfi--not enough in my opinion.

You would be better off to see Pompeii (about 2 1/2 hrs for a superficial visit) then drive down along the Amalfi coast to Sorrento and Positano. This would give you a good look at it, but you would have more time for exploring and having a nice lunch.

We do 2-3 European trips a year. When I first started travelling, I tried to pack way too much into my trips instead of just taking a bit more time and enjoying where I am more. Sometimes people just rush from place to place too much instead of looking around, relaxing, and enjoying where they are. You can always visit the places you love again later.

We are trying to plan our 11 hour stop in Naples in early May. Our primary interest is in seeing the Amalfi Coast, including Amalfi, Positano, and Ravello?

 

Many of the posts describe tours that do the Amalfi Coast plus a two hour stop in Pompeii. For those who have done similar tours, was Pompeii worth it? Did you feel rushed trying to fit so much in one day?

 

We will have already seen ruins in Ephesus, Rome, and Athens. We like history, but also like taking our time exploring local culture, strolling around town, trying the local food...

 

Any advice?

Hey Jason/Molly,

We're on this sailing with you. As other's have said, Pompeii is amazing! We were in the Naples bay for 2 days a few years back. Pompeii was HOT and dusty (but that was in mid June) but we appreciated the history behind the ruins.

One thing to consider is that this is the last port of the cruise and the next day you're back in Rome and off the ship. Personally, by the end of this cruise, I would "ruined" out and would want to do something different. So, it might be nice to just take it easy that day rather than rush to take it all in one day.

Do the Amali coast tour and take a stroll through the towns. We enjoyed Sorrento and walked through the various shops tasting Limoncello. Also, have you considered going to Capri? Lots of stuff to do there too... including the famous Blue Grotto. We've considered town hopping along the Amalfi coast but, crazy as it sounds, we might just sleep in that day then head straight to Capri to stroll through the shops and gardens, hang out at a cafe for lunch, people watch and really just take it easy....with a gelato in hand :p

Just my suggestion. But it's really up to you how much of the Naples bay you want to see and how you want to make use of your time. Just don't rush or feel rushed. After all, it is your honeymoon!

Joe

The Blue Grotto was a tourist trap- waste of time.

Everyone is different. If you enjoy shopping more than artifacts- I would just do the Amalfi. It is lovely and why rush back to Pompeii. Pompeii is not a stop and "snap" photos place. Pompeii is huge. It is 2 square miles of excavations and I found it fascinating. We just walked around on our own (the gude was moving at a snail's pace).

If you do Pompeii, which I highly recommend, take an umbrella for shade. We were there in July so naturally it was hot but I suspect it feels hot there because there aren't too many places to go for shade and the sun reflects off the rocks.

You can do both, but you won´t be able to see all of Pompeji, I would say. The traffic can be very bad at the amalfi coast. We stayed there for some days in summer and it took us about 4 hours from the very western part to Neapels. So taking the boat is a good plan. I would make my stop at Positano. If you are looking for a romantic lunch in wonderful setting, visit the "Le Sirenuse" Hotal. It is expensiv but everything is expensiv at that penninsula. If you want to avoid all the hassel at the famous towns, go to Massa Lubrense and have lunch at the Frattoria Terranova- a very quiet place in a lovely setting, serving traditional italien food. That is close to Sorrento, so you can catch your boat there. Enjoy!

You can do both, but you won´t be able to see all of Pompeji, I would say. The traffic can be very bad at the amalfi coast. We stayed there for some days in summer and it took us about 4 hours from the very western part to Neapels. So taking the boat is a good plan. I would make my stop at Positano. If you are looking for a romantic lunch in wonderful setting, visit the "Le Sirenuse" Hotal. It is expensiv but everything is expensiv at that penninsula. If you want to avoid all the hassel at the famous towns, go to Massa Lubrense and have lunch at the Frattoria Terranova- a very quiet place in a lovely setting, serving traditional italien food. That is close to Sorrento, so you can catch your boat there. Enjoy!

A friend of mine stayed at Le Sirenuse on his honeymoon a couple years ago. It is listed in the 1000 Places to See Before You Die book. I haven't been there, but it is supposed to be something quite nic.

The Blue Grotto was a tourist trap- waste of time.

 

Everyone is different.

The Blue Grotto was definitely worth it for us. Is it a tourist trap? Of course! Would we do it again? Probably not. But I would say it's something you should experience once if you've never been to Capri. It was a hot day and the waters were calm and not too crowded and the guy maneuvering the boat allowed extra time in the cave to let a few jump off and swim for a bit. Amazing experience! Definitely not a waste of time and was a refreshing treat after we spent time in the sweltering heat of Pompeii that morning.

Umbrella, water and lots of sunscreen definitely recommended if you go to Pompeii. And yes, the tourguides move at a snail's pace. Get a good book, study it, and do Pompeii on your own at your own pace.

We are trying to plan our 11 hour stop in Naples in early May. Our primary interest is in seeing the Amalfi Coast, including Amalfi, Positano, and Ravello?

 

Many of the posts describe tours that do the Amalfi Coast plus a two hour stop in Pompeii. For those who have done similar tours, was Pompeii worth it? Did you feel rushed trying to fit so much in one day?

 

We will have already seen ruins in Ephesus, Rome, and Athens. We like history, but also like taking our time exploring local culture, strolling around town, trying the local food...

 

Any advice?

We did Pompeii and the Amalfi coast in October. The 2.5 hours in Pompeii was well worth it but it will lave you longing for more. Any more than that at one time might be overload. We only had 8 hours in port (Sorrento) so we were met at the pier at 8AM and went stright to Pompeii. for a tour with a private guide. Our driver then took us to Ravello up the back side of the mountain. Ravello is magnificent. Do not miss the Villa Ruffolo for the most incredible views. We had lunch in Ravello and then drove up the coast towards Sorrento stopping for the view in Amalfi and then spending an hour in Positano. You will have a little more time than we did (days are longer in May) but since you will be starting in Naples the return will take longer. It was a wonderful day even if we didn't have much time to linger in the towns. We will be stopping in Naples on our TA in October and plan to visit Herculaneum and the Naples museum and save the Amalfi coast and Capri when we do our next land trip in Italy.

BTW, our cruise was an ancient empires cruise but we were not tired of the ruins. It was why we took the cruise in the first place. So it all depends on your interests.

We are on a cruise in May and it stops in Naples. We want to do the drive down the Amalfi Coast. Could you please share the name of the company/driver you used?

Also a Texan.

Thanks. Ferne

We are on a cruise in May and it stops in Naples. We want to do the drive down the Amalfi Coast. Could you please share the name of the company/driver you used?

 

Also a Texan.

 

Thanks. Ferne

Not sure if you were asking me or not :confused: but just in case : we used APTours.

We are trying to plan our 11 hour stop in Naples in early May. Our primary interest is in seeing the Amalfi Coast, including Amalfi, Positano, and Ravello?

 

Many of the posts describe tours that do the Amalfi Coast plus a two hour stop in Pompeii. For those who have done similar tours, was Pompeii worth it? Did you feel rushed trying to fit so much in one day?

 

We will have already seen ruins in Ephesus, Rome, and Athens. We like history, but also like taking our time exploring local culture, strolling around town, trying the local food...

 

Any advice?

There are many issues to factor in your time. How many ships are in port, how big your ship is :eek: and how bad traffic is :(. trying to do Pompeii with the coast is too much. as I recommend for all 1st timers there, do the coast. from Ravello to Sorrento. There is so much to see and do, the roads are winding and can take alot of time up. it would be more relaxing and enjoyable this way. And there is plenty to shop for which seems to me there is never enuf time ;).

You will have to come back and do Pompeii and Naples.

Never go to Capri, unless you can spend the night, and see it after the tourist have left on the last ferry, or see it in the off season when there are no cruise ships in port :eek: and you can really see and enjoy it.

I went back and stayed 3 nights in Naples after a cruise ended in Rome. Its was they way to do it.

we are going on the summit end of august '09 -- would love to know what guides and private companies you went with. i need to get going on booking them before all the fabulous ones are taken!! let me know who you think i should contact.

thanks,

m. from houston texas :-)

we are going on the summit end of august '09 -- would love to know what guides and private companies you went with. i need to get going on booking them before all the fabulous ones are taken!! let me know who you think i should contact.

thanks,

m. from houston texas :-)

We used Mariano at Pleasant Travel. He picked us up at the pier in Sorrento and took us to Pompeii where we were met by a college history professor guide that he arranged for a 2.5 hour tour of Pompeii. We then drove over the mountain to Ravello where we had lunch and then back tracked along the Amalfi coast to Sorrento stopping in Amalfi and Positano. It was a lovely day. His email is info@pleasantravel.com and his website is www.pleasantravel.com

we are going on the summit end of august '09 -- would love to know what guides and private companies you went with. i need to get going on booking them before all the fabulous ones are taken!! let me know who you think i should contact.

thanks,

m. from houston texas :-)

I have used 3 guides in the area, Renato - recuomo@tin.it

Raffaele - raffaele.aversa@libero.it

and Marcelo - who is widely recommended on this site, can't find email right now.

Tell them Karen from Atlanta sent you.

DH and I spent a week in Sorrento on our honeymoon 10 years ago. We had the hotel concierge arrange a driver for us one day to take us to Pompeii in the morning and then along the other towns on the coast. It was fabulous. He was a local, umtenth generation to have been born and spent their whole life in Sorrento, and was very interesting to chat with as we toured the beautiful coast. We loved Pompeii and were very glad we went early in the morning as it got brutally hot! This was early June. The hotel was Grand Hotel Cocumella and I am sure that an email to the concierge could get you a list of local drivers they use for their guests.

Try www.aptours.it You can book one of their standard tours or customize your day. We had a wonderful day with them.

Do both. This is a once in a lifetime trip. Three years ago we did a med cruise and used a private tour guide (lots of recommendations can be found here). We were well into Pompei by the time our cruiseship tours arrived. This day was one of our favorites.