Which would you choose and why?

[maidut]

these are two private tours I am considering from Naples (in port form 8AM-7PM):

 

#1

2 hours in Pompeii

Sorrento

Positano

back to port in Naples

 

OR

 

#2

2 hours in Pompeii

Positano

Amalfi

Ravello

drop off at the Port of Sorrento to take the ferry back to Naples

this one is 20E more, plus the 22E for 2 tickets on the ferry

 

with number #2 you see more places, but is it pushing it fit in too much?

[TLCOhio]

these are two private tours I am considering from Naples (in port form 8AM-7PM):

#1

2 hours in Pompeii, Sorrento, Positano, back to port in Naples

OR

#2

2 hours in Pompeii, Positano, Amalfi, Ravello, drop off at the Port of Sorrento to take the ferry back to Naples, this one is 20E more, plus the 22E for 2 tickets on the ferry.

with number #2 you see more places, but is it pushing it fit in too much?

 

Both can work out well! Does #2 give you more time to hang out and walk around in Sorrento? All of these areas are super wonderful. Lots to see and do. Then there is the "personal choice" as to your age, energy and travel "style". Compare the time differences in what's offered plus how it fits with your personal interests and needs. #2 costs more, but offer more in an area that is so totally wonderful. Tell us more on your interests and timing factors with both tours.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[maidut]

OK, I will try to give you more info:

 

My husband likes to explore and takes picutres of places. As a reference, he LOVED driving the Road to Hana in Hawaii (we did that, there and back, in one day). I thought it would be nice to have a driver at this port, so he can enjoy the scenery as well.

 

I do want to see Pompeii and think 2 hours should be OK with us.

 

As it is a vaction, my husband will not want to be too rushed, but I do like the idea of seeing so many beautiful places as I dont know when we will be back to this part of the world again.

 

While along the coast, I would love to get lemoncello, eat a lovely meal, explore a few shops, get a gelatto and soak up the view with lots of photos :)

[maidut]

Oh, and we are in our early 30s and this trip we be over our 1st wedding anniversary.

[Billiam]

In October we did your 2nd tour but without Pompeii. It was a full but also relaxing day. I couldn't imagine trying to work Pompeii in unless your goal is to just see as much as possible. I had been to Pompeii on an earlier cruise and frankly was not that impressed but others will certainly disagree. On a quick tour such as yours a guide would need to be employed. Save something for the next trip. IMO the Amalfi Coast is the most beautiful place on earth and you will come back. This area is not something to hurry around on, have a great lunch overlooking the sea and mill around each town for 30 minutes or so. You'll enjoy it no matter how you end up doing your trip. Happy cruising

[chipmaster]

these are two private tours I am considering from Naples (in port form 8AM-7PM):

 

#1

2 hours in Pompeii

Sorrento

Positano

back to port in Naples

 

OR

 

#2

2 hours in Pompeii

Positano

Amalfi

Ravello

drop off at the Port of Sorrento to take the ferry back to Naples

this one is 20E more, plus the 22E for 2 tickets on the ferry

 

with number #2 you see more places, but is it pushing it fit in too much?

 

Private is the way to go, pricey but if you fill the vehicle can end up cheaper than any cruise tour.

 

If you are going in the busy summer months I'm skeptical #2 is doable on days when the roads will be crowded. Its a long drive, unless the schedule assumes you cut it close, IE bet back to ship past 6pm.

 

If you SO likes to shoot, tell him ahead of time plan ahead, where and what he wants to shoot. Flickr is a good place to get a flavor of what and prospective. He needs to plan and compose and shoot fast! We did private Pompeii, Amalfi, Lunch than Ravello, a short 30' stop for shopping in Naples and back at the boat around 4:30. I beleve total off boat time was 7:20-4:30. We did also spend a good hour for a very relaxing lunch overlooking Amalfi, well worth it. Cut out long lunch but add exploring I'm still skeptical you'l have lots of leisure time to wander and shoot.

 

Pompeii can be a shooters paradise, get there as early as possible, know where you want to go and walk ( run ) fast. Many of the best attractions become a stream of bussed in cruse ship tourists and shooting the bath houses or other vistas without a horde of people in the background becomes impossible past 9:45am.

 

It was one of our highlght stops of many, even with all the driving and only brief stops.

[hubofhockey]

We are doing a private (roll call 15 people) tour much like your option #1. It is the second week of July and our tour includes (at extra cost) a gelato making demonstration and eating, which is probably good for that time of year. I think we do lunch in Positano.

[deadzone1003]

2 is much more interesting, time will be a problem. If your ship's next stop is Rome (Civitavecchia), you can chance it. Keep your lunch short - Keep your touring time short - it is doable, but how enjoyable it will be may be another story. I'm doing a similiar tour from Sorrento - Positano - Amalfi - Ravello, but leaving from Naples and I'm worry I will not have enough time. We are already planning Sorrento as the town that we can minimize our time. Also, make sure you have the ferry schedule before you even start book the tour.

 

If you decide on 2, make sure you have your credit cards/sufficent cash in case you don't make it back to the ship on time.

[maidut]

2 is much more interesting, time will be a problem. If your ship's next stop is Rome (Civitavecchia), you can chance it. Keep your lunch short - Keep your touring time short - it is doable, but how enjoyable it will be may be another story. I'm doing a similiar tour from Sorrento - Positano - Amalfi - Ravello, but leaving from Naples and I'm worry I will not have enough time. We are already planning Sorrento as the town that we can minimize our time. Also, make sure you have the ferry schedule before you even start book the tour.

 

If you decide on 2, make sure you have your credit cards/sufficent cash in case you don't make it back to the ship on time.[/quote]

 

Yikes, that is a scary thought. This is an organized tour with APtours, so I hope they would get us back in time. We can always tell them to omit one of the destinations...which one is the trick...

[euro cruiser]

Given these two choices, I'd go for the second option.

 

Odds are that the route would take you from Pompei to the end of the Amalfi Coast drive at Vietri Sul Mare on the autostrada, then head back west along the drive, stopping at Ravello, then Amalfi and Positano, ending at Sorrento.

 

You wouldn't have much time in any of these places, but you would have the beauty of the entire drive, along with the efficiency of only traveling on it in one direction.

 

Assuming you get off the ship quickly and don't hit unusual amounts of traffic heading to Pompei, you should be able to get there by 9 or 9:30 in the morning. If you leave the ruins by 11:30 and head straight to Ravello on the autostrada, you'll get there about an hour later, or 12:30, just in time for lunch and some time visiting the shops and gardens.

 

If you are on the road again by 2:00, and if traffic isn't insane (I don't remember reading the time of year you'll be there), Ravello to Amalfi is only about 10 - 15 minutes. (I didn't find Amalfi all that interesting to walk around personally, but maybe I was having an off day, or was overwhelmed by views by that time.)

 

Let's say you spend a half hour in Amalfi and hit the road again at 2:45. A half hour on a good day, or an hour later in the summer, and you'll be at Positano. Assuming the worst case scenario, you get there at 3:45.

 

Now, the drive from Positano to Sorrento takes about a half hour when all goes well, but can be double that time in summer. Based on when you need to be at the dock for the traghetto back to Naples, you may not have much, or any, time left at this point.

 

The schedule I saw for Alilauro, the traghetto company, had the last one from Sorrento to Molo Beverello leaving at 4:25 PM. That seems rather early to me, but if that's the case, it would be pretty tight and you'd likely have to choose only two of the stops along the coast.

 

All this is my very long winded way of saying I'd go for the one way drive along the coast with the boat back, especially if you're there during the peak season. Coming back via the water will be so much more pleasant than the highway into Naples.

[skisteamboat]

My vote would be No 1. I did that one while the wife did a tour of Naples only. We were both happy.

 

Cheers

[maidut]

I spoke to the dirve for option one and he said we could drop us off in Sorrento so we can take the ferry back, thus making the trip one way.

 

We would be able to enjoy our time in Sorrento and Positano, rather than feeling rushed.

 

I guess this could work well too b/c if the hydrofoil is cancelled for any reason, the driver can still take us back to the port.

 

I know we will be missing Ravello and Amalfi, but do you think its better to linger in Sorrento and Positano and miss the other two, or sqeeze them all in? The reason I ask is b/c Ravello looks to be stunning! ...grr...so many choices.

 

Oh, and it will be the end of April when we visit

[zelker]

I'm trying to make the same decisions. We'll be there in the later part of October and are docked in Naples from 7 am to 7 pm.

 

We'll either tour Herculaneum or Pompeii and then the Amalfi coast. At first I thought we'd do the full circle drive tour but I'd really like to spend a bit of time in Positano and perhaps Sorrento, so after reading through this, I'm thinking that maybe we skip Ravello and Amalfi this trip. Will we kick ourselves later or are most of the towns along the coast fairly similar?

 

Also, any thoughts on Pompeii vs. Herculaneum and what about the museum?

 

Thanks.

[maidut]

As a reference, here is the itinerary from the driver:

 

Pick up would be at 08.00am.

Then go to Pompei(about 2hours stop).

After that to Ravello (there about 40minutes stop would be

enougth-there is not so much to see) should .

Then to amalfi-I would recommand to visit at least the

Amalfi Catheral-it's verry beautiful

On the way you will have a lot of beautiful views along

the Coast and we can make some foto-stop(where possible).

I would recommend a stop for lunch overlooking

Positano-really good lunch and amaizing view.

then visit Positano and drive to Sorrento.

The Hyddrofoil gets at 16.25 -the duration is

about 30minutes.

[agabbymama]

We did Pompeii and Sorrento with a private driver in Oct '08. We left the ship at 9:00 and was back at 4:00, just visiting the two places.

 

A lot will depend on the traffic, and how long you linger.

 

At Pompeii, we did not even enter the actual site. We were satisfied with what you could see from the outside. We walked along the walls and took photos, but decided against the interior as it was quite up-hill/down-hill.

There is a huge flea market-type area outside the walls, so you can spend a lot of time looking and walking through that too. We were at Pompeii the same 2 hours you mention. There is a great limoncello store right in front, that has great selection & price. They showed us how they make it, then had free samples. It was sufficient time there for us.

 

Then on to Sorrento. We walked around town, did some shopping. Then lunch at a restaurant the driver had pointed out. We didn't make it down to the beach, as we looked at the road down, and knew we would have to walk back up. Unlike you, we are 63 & 79, so didn't feel we could make the climb.

 

Then back to Naples for a mini-tour (just drive, no stopping) around the main sites of Naples. Then back to the ship.

 

I would be very careful watching the time clock, but you do have a few more hours than we did. Our ship was leaving at 5:00, so we knew we had to be back at 4:00. With your ship not leaving until 7:00, you do have a couple more hours than we did. The drivers do this all the time, so they do know what the schedule demands.

 

Have a great time, no matter which option you choose.

[euro cruiser]

As a reference, here is the itinerary from the driver:

 

Pick up would be at 08.00am

 

Then go to Pompei(about 2hours stop) So arrive about 9, depart at 11

 

 

After that to Ravello (there about 40minutes stop would be enough-there is not so much to see) Well, I don't agree with his assessment of Ravello, but sticking with his plan this means arrive about noon, depart about 12:45

 

 

Then to amalfi-I would recommand to visit at least the Amalfi Catheral-it's very beautiful Arrive about 1:00, depart at 1:30

 

 

On the way you will have a lot of beautiful views along the Coast and we can make some foto-stop(where possible). I would recommend a stop for lunch overlooking Positano-really good lunch and amaizing view. then visit Positano Arrive Positano about 2:30, depart at 3:30 - 3:45, in order to make the hydrofoil at 4:25 in Sorrento.

 

 

drive to Sorrento. The Hyddrofoil gets at 16.25 -the duration is about 30minutes.

 

It's helpful to see it laid out like this. Following your driver's proposed schedule, you won't have much time anywhere other than Pompei, and you'll need to have a very fast lunch.

 

The ratio of time spent sitting in the car vs. out enjoying Italy is a little out of whack for me, but it depends on what you like, doesn't it?

 

Also, lunch at 2:30 feels a little late to me; the drivers all have relationships with certain restaurants and will steer you toward them, but I'm sure he also has some in Amalfi, if you'd rather eat there.

 

I still like the idea of what you have proposed, but I think I would drop one of the stops in order to spend more time in the others. So, two of the three (Ravello, Amalfi, Positano), vs. trying to see just a hint of all.

 

It's unfortunate that the last hydrofoil is so early - you'll be back at your ship 90 minutes before you need to be. Of course, you could use that time to wander a little in Naples right near the port, perhaps tour Castel Nuovo or, even better, the Palazzo Reale. Both are only a few minutes walk from the cruise ship terminal and Molo Beverello, where the hydrofoil will drop you off.

[maidut]

I still like the idea of what you have proposed, but I think I would drop one of the stops in order to spend more time in the others. So, two of the three (Ravello, Amalfi, Positano), vs. trying to see just a hint of all.

I am considering eliminting Ravello and Amalfi all together and focus on Pompeii, Positano and Sorrento.

Though, if we do the suggested itinerary, I may just do lunch in Ravello, then drive through Amalfi w/o stopping and head to Positano and Sorrento.

Also, rather than taking the hydrofoil, the driver offered to take us back to the port for 30E. This would allow us a bit more time in Sorrento, but it would also not give us the views from the sea that we would get on the hydrofoil.

Just trying to determine what is the best thing to do with our limited time. It will be the end of April, so the end of shoulder season and the start of peak...not sure about traffic...

[Hlitner]

For us, there is no contest between those two options. Opt for your tour #2 because of Ravello. When we stay on the Amalfi Coast (we have spent several weeks in this area) we generally do not even visit Sorrento unless my wife needs to shop for clothes. Getting to see both Positano and Ravello on a tour makes for a wonderful day...not to mention amazing photo ops.

 

Hank

[euro cruiser]

It will be the end of April, so the end of shoulder season and the start of peak...not sure about traffic...

There is always traffic in and around Naples, it's one of Italy's major metropolitan areas.

 

It is difficult to choose ... so much to see, so little time in a port day. All I can say is that once you've been to Italy, odds are you'll be back. Don't approach your choices as though you'll never have another chance, even if that's true.

 

There is only so much your eyes and your brain can take in and process; better to see and do fewer things, but enjoy them thoroughly and be able to remember them, than to race through a list of "must sees", but gain nothing more than a postcard view or a look out the window of a car. That you can get from a book or the internet. Smells, feelings, taste, etc. ... these require at least a little time and a fair amount of attention.

[CintiPam]

For us, there is no contest between those two options. Opt for your tour #2 because of Ravello. When we stay on the Amalfi Coast (we have spent several weeks in this area) we generally do not even visit Sorrento unless my wife needs to shop for clothes. Getting to see both Positano and Ravello on a tour makes for a wonderful day...not to mention amazing photo ops.

 

Hank

 

Once again, I totally agree with Hank's opinion here. Sorrento does not fall into the same category as Positano or Ravello IMO.

[zelker]

Once again, I totally agree with Hank's opinion here. Sorrento does not fall into the same category as Positano or Ravello IMO.

 

So assuming time permits, it sounds like you guys suggest that we visit Pompeii, then drive down to Ravello and spend a bit of time (and eat lunch), then skip Amalfi and spend some time in Positano (a "must do" for us), then skip Sorrento and go straight back to the ship? We're the ones there in October from 7 am to 7 pm. Assuming we spend 2 hrs at Pompeii, how much time would you think we could spend in each (Ravello and Positano)?

 

Thanks.

 

Barb

[euro cruiser]

Barb,

 

I wouldn't presume to chose for you between Ravello and Positano. Since Amalfi is a "must see" for you, in my opinion one of the other two must be sacrificed in order to enjoy the ones you do pick. Sorrento would not be high on my list.

 

Without repeating my entire earlier post, I'd urge you to choose either Ravello or Amalfi for lunch. The timing should be right for either one, as they are not terribly far apart. After that, the focus of the rest of your time can be Amalfi.

[zelker]

No, Positano is the must see, not Amalfi. So I want to know fi after Pompee, if we can eat lunch and spend a bit of time in Ravello, then go to Positano and spend a few hours, then head back to the ship (which sails at 7).

[euro cruiser]

Oops, sorry. Yes, your idea of having lunch in Ravello, followed by time in Positano, then heading right to the hydrofoil back to Naples, will work.

 

If you leave Ravello after a nice lunch at about 1:30 PM, you'll be in Positano by between 2:15 - 2:30, assuming no awful traffic issues. To be on the safe side regarding the hydrofoil, you'd need to leave Positano by about 3:30 - 3:45, so that gives you somewhere between an hour and an hour and a half there.

 

If more time in Positano is a priority, grab a quick lunch rather than a nice sit-down affair, and hit the road from Ravello sooner.

[zelker]

Now we're thinking we'll skip the hydrofoil and keep our driver, which will allow us to stay in both villages longer and then can take us straightaway to the ship. Since we're at the end of the season, and since it looks like we're the only ship in port that day, I don't think traffic will be horrendous on the road back to Naples from Positano, do you?