1st visit to Naples - Capri or Positano/Almalfi Coast

[Wayfairers]

1st visit to Naples and I need help from those who have been there.... We are looking at 2 tours one goes to Capri the other along the Almalfi coast stopping in Positano. Which one would you recommend and why? We like great views and exploring new places.

[maidncruze]

This is our first visit to Naples and so much that we want to see. Part of me wants to tour the Amalfi coast, Sorrento, Positano and Pompeii BUT I also want to see the Island of Capri.

[Langley Cruisers]

We are back from our Med cruise last week. It was phenominal. We chose a ship's excursion which included a motor launch (boat ride) up the Amalfi Coast. This was a fantastic trip, about 45 minutes each way, and gave gorgeous panoramic views of the Amalfi Coast from the sea, that you obviously can't see from the road. It was incredible. The bus picked us up afterward and we continued on to Pompeii.

 

Didn't do Capri so can't answer abvout that, but we do not regret our Amalfi Coast excursion.

[Calif.Girl]

The first time I went to Naples I took a ship excursion and saw Capri, Pompeii and Sorento and absolutely loved it. This last time I did a private tour of the Amalfi coast and loved it too. Both are are so beautiful. I am happy I did it in this order because I really would have felt I missed something if I didn't see these places in this order.

[maidncruze]

Were you rushed when you did Capri, pompeii and Sorento? I figure we have about 10 hours. Did you take the ferry over? I hear that in August the ferry line-ups can be quite long.

[TLCOhio]

1st visit to Naples and I need help from those who have been there.... We are looking at 2 tours one goes to Capri the other along the Almalfi coast stopping in Positano. Which one would you recommend and why? We like great views and exploring new places.

 

BOTH places are super wonderful, plus there are many other good options to consider in this area. We did four land days in 1999, plus being there on our cruise visit last month. Below in my live posting you can see much more details about the Amalfi Coast, Herculaneum, Positano, etc. Below are some visual samples. We had previously seen Pompeii, Capri, Sorrento, etc.

 

Much depends on your personal tastes, interests, what else you will be seeing on your cruise, etc. Tell us more about that background, your "loves to see and do", etc. Much depends on what areas of the Amalfi Coast you will be seeing and stopping at. Share more and we can give added reactions and suggestions.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Just back from a June 7-19 Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc. These postings are now at 22,136 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2011, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 46,787 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

Appreciate those who have “tuned in” for these two posts. Don’t be shy and feel free to comment and/or ask any questions of interest.

 

 

Here is the view of Positano from the east of this spectacular town stacked along the coast.:

 

 

 

Overlooking Positano, this is the view as we dined, family-style for lunch, at the Elisir di Positano per La Caglioita. The views here were super and the sun came out in strong force as we enjoyed our three-course lunch with local wine and drinks.:

 

 

 

Along the Amalfi Coast, here’s a view with a special flowering plant in the foreground.:

 

 

 

Near the town of Amalfi on this coast, here is one of the “fjords” as they are called coming off of the water and allowing for a small beach and area to keep boats. Very scenic!!:

 

 

 

Ravello has many nice ceramics shops with locally-made pieces of many sizes. Here is the owner making a welcoming toast to come in and shop.:

 

[William Dean]

Much as I dearly love Capri, I would say that if you are on a once only visit to Naples, you have other things to see.

 

Capri, to do it any justice, is an all day trip. Going for part of the day means you cannot go up to Anacapri, do the chairlift and actuallly see the best bits.

 

On the mainland you have Pompei, Ercolano and Napoli itself, as well as the Amalfi coast. I would suggest either Pompei or Ercolano (we did the latter) and then the coast OR the city.

 

Napoli is a wonderful stop.

 

And Capri is best after 17:00 - when all the day trippers leave!

 

WD

[maidncruze]

Thanks for the info WD.

 

I think I will save Capri for the next visit when we go on our own. I also just found out that the day we are in Naples it's Ferragosto, which is a big Italian holiday. I would suspect that getting to the island could be a long wait.

[dolittle]

That is the proplem with Napels. All of the side trips are great . We have done all three go with your heart you cannot go wrong. One tip I always give in Naples when you get back from your trip you will have time to get out in the city (the ship docks in town) . I know you will be tierd but try it is worth it just to see them drive .Be carefull crossing the street in front of the pier two will try to hit you and three will curse you out.(just kidding they wont hit you just curse you out)

[Calif.Girl]

You had asked if I felt rushed when I went with the excursion through the ship to go to all three towns. I didn't feel rushed and our excursion went longer than it should have, and we were late getting back, but of course the ship waited for us to get back because we went with them. I was happy I was able to get a touch of each in one day. When I went back a few weeks ago, I had no regrets not seeing the places I had visited before. I just enjoyed the whole experience of the Amalfi coast.

[fumples]

We just returned from spending 10 days in Sorrento and Positano. We used Di Sarno Car Service (http://www.disarnocarservice.com/index.htm) for airport transfers and a few all day tours. We found them to be extremely reliable with competitive prices. Their vehicles had air conditioning and were well maintained. Our driver, Salvatore, was very helpful and spoke terrific English. I would recommend Positano and the Amalfi coast over Capri. Capri is very similar to the towns along the coast, but you would be able to see & experience more if you did the coast line. I would suggest: Positano, Amalfi and Ravello. If you have time (and are in good shape as there are at least 500 steps down the cliff side), stop at one the tiny beaches along the way (I suggest Mare Petite Restaurant at Marina de Praiano) for lunch. You will feel like a local.

[Wayfairers]

Thanks for all the suggestions and great information!

 

We have decided to take a private tour that goes to Herculaneum, Sorrento and Positano with a drive along the Amalfi coast. We will save Capri for another trip - our next trip to Italy will probably be a land trip where we can spend more time exploring. We have found that a cruise is a good introduction to new areas then we can go back to spend more time at the places we liked.

[maidncruze]

Thanks for the info fumples.

 

Did you visit Pompeii? I really want to see Ravello but don't think we can fit in Pompeii.

 

Frank

[maidncruze]

Wayfairers,

 

We have also decided to visit Capri another time. The deciding factor was that August 15th is national holiday in Italy and I suspect transportation to and from the Island may be hectic.

We are also going to tour Sorrento/Positano/Amali/Ravello.

 

Frank

[TLCOhio]

Thanks for all the suggestions and great information! We have decided to take a private tour that goes to Herculaneum, Sorrento and Positano with a drive along the Amalfi coast. We will save Capri for another trip - our next trip to Italy will probably be a land trip where we can spend more time exploring. We have found that a cruise is a good introduction to new areas then we can go back to spend more time at the places we liked.

 

Sound like a good plan, including going back at a later time on a another trip. This whole area is super wonderful with many options. A limited, one-day cruise visit is only a good "small sampler" to help you know more for when you come back later. Below are some preview pictures for what you will see at Herculaneum. You can see more details from the full live-blog posting that I did and as linked below.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Just back from a June 7-19 Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc. These postings are now at 23,332 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2011, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 47,088 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

Appreciate those who have “tuned in” for these two posts. Don’t be shy and feel free to comment and/or ask any questions of interest.

 

 

We are getting ready to enter Herculaneum's main market area and this is part of the overall view for this section of the town.:

 

 

 

For the baths at Herculaneum, this view shows the arched roof that managed to survive the fall-out and coverage by the volcano ash.:

 

 

 

This is part of the design for the floor of the bath house in Herculaneum. Under this floor, the Romans had heating ducts constructed as a part of the bathhouse design:

 

 

 

This is the interior of the temple or religious area at Herculaneum used by local residents there.:

 

 

 

This picture gives more of the overall, cut-away view for one side of Herculaneum that would have faced the waterside area.:

 

 

 

In the interior of the temple or religious area at Herculaneum, here is the large wall graphic.:

 

[Wayfairers]

Stumbled upon this old post from our previous cruise to Europe in 2011. We are now returning to Naples on another cruise and this time planning to visit Capri as long as the weather cooperates since it will be in November. If the weather is bad, guess we will walk around Naples.

 

We absolutely loved the Almalfi Coast and Herculanium on our 2011 visit.

[realnice46]

Stumbled upon this old post from our previous cruise to Europe in 2011. We are now returning to Naples on another cruise and this time planning to visit Capri as long as the weather cooperates since it will be in November. If the weather is bad, guess we will walk around Naples.

 

We absolutely loved the Almalfi Coast and Herculanium on our 2011 visit.

 

We loved Naples. Read Rick Steve's book about Naples. He has a wonderful walking tour, just keep you belongings close a little seedy but okay if you are with other people. The archeological museum also good. Not too be missed the best pizza we have ever had, use Rick's suggestions.

 

If weather cooperates catch the boat immediately when disembarking the ship, you could also take boat to Sorrento from Capri and then take train back to Naples depending how long you are in port.

[waterbug123]

Thanks for all the suggestions and great information!

 

We have decided to take a private tour that goes to Herculaneum, Sorrento and Positano with a drive along the Amalfi coast. We will save Capri for another trip -

 

That is still a lot to fit in one day. If you are driving the Amalfi Coast anyway, stop and spend some time in Positano and skip Sorrento. Most people much prefer Positano to Sorrento, as do I (we spend 5 days in Positano and visited Sorrento while there). You could possibly also stop in another coast town such as Amalfi or Ravello, but I'd concentrate on Positano.

[Wayfairers]

That is still a lot to fit in one day. If you are driving the Amalfi Coast anyway, stop and spend some time in Positano and skip Sorrento. Most people much prefer Positano to Sorrento, as do I (we spend 5 days in Positano and visited Sorrento while there). You could possibly also stop in another coast town such as Amalfi or Ravello, but I'd concentrate on Positano.

 

That was what we did in 2011. Yes, it was a busy day, but wonderful. That area is gorgeous!