Naples

[cruises89]

Sailing on Wonder this summer in the Med. Is Naples worth visiting on its own or should I book a tour to Capri or Sorrento? Have heard some not so good reviews of Naples - we were just planning on explore the city on our own, but got a little concerned

[steamboats]

Check the Italy board... Sorrento is highly overrated. For Capri you only have to walk 5 min to the ferry landing and buy a ticket there. The ship tours use the regular ferries too. I love Naples as there is so much to do and explore. Done a food tour, did Naples underground and more.

 

steamboats

[Billy Baltic]

Don’t use the RC tours. Their prices are extortionate. Google is your friend. 

[shipgeeks]

We spent our entire day walking around Naples, and just loved it.

[bonsai3s]

We visited Capri recently on our own.

Yes, the ferry and ticket booths are literally next door to the cruise terminal...about a 5-minute walk.

 

There were 3 ships in Naples that day, so the queues were long and tickets for the early ferries sold out quickly. We were able to gef the 9:30am departure and 1:40pm return. Cost: €39.90/person.

 

The ferry takes about an hour each way...there's a bar for drinks and coffee, snacks...and restrooms.

 

Once in Capri, there were many options for tours available at the dock. We chose to take the cable car up to the top town square...walked around and soaked in the breathtaking views.

Before leaving, we spent a relaxing time at a beach (mostly pebbles, but sandy closer to a hotel), only a couple of minutes walk from the ferry dock.

 

Edited May 29, 2022 by bonsai3s

[John&LaLa]

Love Sorrento. Try and do the morning in Sorrento then a boat ride on the Amalfi Coast after lunch

[alfaeric]

2 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

We spent our entire day walking around Naples, and just loved it.

+1  

We started at the Cathedral, and then wandered the old streets to it's right and then back to the ship.

[pcur]

It's not Sorrento that's so fabulous, it's the drive there. Most tours include Positano and other stops along the way aong the Amalfi Coast.

[CGinMTL]

Rome in limo has the best tours in Italy 

[lola2013]

I would never pass up the opportunity to visit Sorrento.  We spent the whole day pre-cruise on our last JOTS cruise.  One of my favorite places on the planet to just wander and enjoy the sights, food and ambiance.  Our last cruise  stop was Naples; our group booked with Touring Italy…full day with stops in Positano, lunch in Amalfi and Ravello.  We were lucky enough to get to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast on that trip.

Edited May 29, 2022 by lola2013

[euro cruiser]

2 hours ago, pcur said:

It's not Sorrento that's so fabulous, it's the drive there. Most tours include Positano and other stops along the way aong the Amalfi Coast.

 

?  The drive along the Amalfi Coast, when not mired in traffic, is beautiful but the drive from Naples to Sorrento, not so much.  A lot of it is through tunnels to deal with the mountains.  There are a couple of places along the drive with beautiful views of the bay, Vesuvio and Naples, but maybe three or four minutes out of an hour drive.

[euro cruiser]

Naples is an embarrassment of riches for a one day port stop, there is so much to choose from.

 

It helps to define what you like and are comfortable with.  Naples is a very big city, Sorrento is a large town, Amalfi is a small town and pretty much everything else is villages.  There are times in Sorrento, during the tourist season, that you could think you were in an English resort.  This is appealing to a lot of travelers, it's very comfortable and easy.

 

I know Naples well and I'm very comfortable there, but I don't know that I'd ever use the words "comfortable" or "easy" to describe Naples.  It is a big city with all of the good and not-so-good that implies.

 

Then there's Capri, Pompei, Vesuvio, Herculeneum, Caserta, Baia, and the entire Amalfi Coast.  It's a lot to choose from.

 

 

Edited May 29, 2022 by euro cruiser

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, lola2013 said:

I would never pass up the opportunity to visit Sorrento.  We spent the whole day pre-cruise on our last JOTS cruise.  One of my favorite places on the planet to just wander and enjoy the sights, food and ambiance.  Our last cruise  stop was Naples; our group booked with Touring Italy…full day with stops in Positano, lunch in Amalfi and Ravello.  We were lucky enough to get to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast on that trip.

 

Having spent a week in Sorrento a few years ago I am curious what sights you enjoyed so much? We found it fairly devoid of interesting things other than shopping and perhaps looking at the sea. It was okay as a jumping off spot for other places (e.g., Pompeii, Amalfi Coast) but as a destination unto itself, not so much. I didn't think the food was that great either, compared with other nearby places. Only managed to find one decent restaurant in seven nights, the rest I wouldn't go to again....

[pcur]

4 hours ago, euro cruiser said:

 

?  The drive along the Amalfi Coast, when not mired in traffic, is beautiful but the drive from Naples to Sorrento, not so much.  A lot of it is through tunnels to deal with the mountains.  There are a couple of places along the drive with beautiful views of the bay, Vesuvio and Naples, but maybe three or four minutes out of an hour drive.

I took this excursion in 2017, and it included Sorrento and Positano.  Wonderful day!

 

https://www.viator.com/tours/Naples/Daily-Pompeii-and-Amalfi-Coast-tour/d508-18971P1

 

I'm not one for quick driving from place-to-place; I like to see the scenery, and this tour hit all the right notes for us.

Edited May 29, 2022 by pcur

[lola2013]

4 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Having spent a week in Sorrento a few years ago I am curious what sights you enjoyed so much? We found it fairly devoid of interesting things other than shopping and perhaps looking at the sea. It was okay as a jumping off spot for other places (e.g., Pompeii, Amalfi Coast) but as a destination unto itself, not so much. I didn't think the food was that great either, compared with other nearby places. Only managed to find one decent restaurant in seven nights, the rest I wouldn't go to again....

As I said, more of the ambiance than anything.  My first visit to Sorrento was on a “if this isTuesday, this must be Belgium” bus tour.  I fell in love with Sorrento then.  The most time I’ve spent is three days at a time.  Usually it’s a day trip and that just whets my appetite for more.

[steamboats]

14 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Having spent a week in Sorrento a few years ago I am curious what sights you enjoyed so much? We found it fairly devoid of interesting things other than shopping and perhaps looking at the sea. It was okay as a jumping off spot for other places (e.g., Pompeii, Amalfi Coast) but as a destination unto itself, not so much. I didn't think the food was that great either, compared with other nearby places. Only managed to find one decent restaurant in seven nights, the rest I wouldn't go to again....

 

I totally agree! I spent a total of two weeks there (2 visits) and never found it very apalling... Good place to start excursions to Pompeii, Herculaneum, Capri, Naples, Amalfi coast but that´s it. The rest... way to many people in that main small tourist street.

 

steamboats

[steamboats]

17 hours ago, pcur said:

It's not Sorrento that's so fabulous, it's the drive there. Most tours include Positano and other stops along the way aong the Amalfi Coast.

 

Sorrento is not on the Amalfi Coast but on the way from Naples to the Amalfi Coast. The drive from Naples to Sorrento is a boaring one ... a highway through all those cities and villages along the gulf of Naples.

 

The scenic ride starts way after Sorrento.

 

steamboats

[pcur]

8 hours ago, steamboats said:

 

Sorrento is not on the Amalfi Coast but on the way from Naples to the Amalfi Coast. The drive from Naples to Sorrento is a boaring one ... a highway through all those cities and villages along the gulf of Naples.

 

The scenic ride starts way after Sorrento.

 

steamboats

Loved the entire drive.  The object being I am recommending a tour of the Amalfi coast, knowing that Sorrento is along the drive.

[euro cruiser]

A drive along the Amalfi Coast is really only possible in the very off season or at dawn during the summer months.

 

Everyone else in the world, it seems, has heard how beautiful it is and wants to experience it.  Somedays it seems like they all arrived at the same time.

 

The ferries are a great way to enjoy the coast in the summer.

[steamboats]

Since a couple of years only licensed bus drivers are allowed on that road along the Amalfi Coast. And you definitely have to know it and the rules. As a driver you have to stop immediately when you hear another vehicle honking. Then it´s usually a bus or a truck which has the right of way. I definitely do not recommend to drive on your own with a rental car. Almost 40 years ago traffic was bad and my dad was an experienced driver on mountain roads. But not everyone was experienced... and even back then the traffic was bad.

 

A very nice ride is the ferry boat from Salerno either to Amalfi or Positano. A completely different view of the Amalfi Coast.

 

But even in August 2020 the streets were packed (those you can drive on and those you can only walk).

 

steamboats