Naples Port: Pompeii + Amalfi Coast in a single day

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

For our Naples port excursion we're doing a tour of Pompeii + the Amalfi Coast.

 

We want to squeeze as much into our vacation time to see your beautiful country as we can but I also know this particular day we may be trying to do too much.

 

For background - we're a 41m/38f couple in relatively good shape (workout 5-7 days/week but not elite athletes by any means).

 

Does the trip below look like too much to do in 8.5 hours? Or do you think we'll have enough time to get a feel for both Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast?

 

Thank you in advance for any advice!

 

---

 

Tour details:

 

• Pickup at 8am
• Pompeii Archaeological Park
• Forum
• Stabian Baths
• Tempio di Giove Capitolino
• Macellum w/ stop for lunch
• Duomo di Sant'Andrea
• Dropoff at 4:30pm

[euro cruiser]

You will see almost none of the Amalfi Coast with this itinerary, unless the return takes you from Amalfi to Vietri to pick up the autostrada.  You will not see the famous view of Positano, if that's of interest.  The only thing on here that's near the coast is the Duomo (Amalfi).  

 

The most likely routing takes you over the pass on the SP1 (Pompei to Angri to the SP26 to SP1).

 

I would push back on the tour operator and ask exactly what route they would take, and how much of the Amalfi Coast drive they will take.

Edited May 20 by euro cruiser

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

10 minutes ago, euro cruiser said:

You will see almost none of the Amalfi Coast with this itinerary, unless the return takes you from Amalfi to Vietri to pick up the autostrada.  You will not see the famous view of Positano, if that's of interest.  The only thing on here that's near the coast is the Duomo (Amalfi).  

 

The most likely routing takes you over the pass on the SP1 (Pompei to Angri to the SP26 to SP1).

 

I would push back on the tour operator and ask exactly what route they would take, and how much of the Amalfi Coast drive they will take.

Thank you! 

 

I will see about finding another tour that lists more about the coast and Positano.

[Thejuggler]

Google maps is useful for working out timings and how long you have at the sights.

 

Naples - Pompeii about 30 minutes, Pompeii - Amalfi about an hour, Amalfi- Naples about 90 minutes.  So of your day 3 hours is on the road, 

 

My guess at how the day may be planned.

 

Arrive Pompeii for 9am opening, you need minimum of 3 hours in Pompeii, but your tour looks structured so you may get less, 12pm lunch, leave 1pm, travel to Amalfi, an hour or so in Amalfi then back to Naples.

[euro cruiser]

Just be aware that google maps notoriously underestimates the time it takes to drive anywhere in Naples, Sorrento, and the Amalfi Coast, so if you're planning pad their estimates.

 

What we unfortunately hear about afterwards are tour operators cutting out a stop or two from an agenda blaming it on traffic, when in fact the agenda was unreasonable from the start.

Edited May 20 by euro cruiser

[kctwinmommy]

I echo what @euro cruiser said. We did an excursion through our Viking cruise that was Sorrento & Pompeii. We honestly didn't have enough time at either of the places. Traffic was bad both going into Sorrento and getting back to Pompeii. Our friends had a private tour scheduled to just the Amalfi Coast and theirs got cancelled because the your operator said they couldn't guarantee their time back to the ship.

[Hlitner]

This is a touchy subject, but folks need to give careful thought of just how much is reasonable in a single port day.  While many cruisers (especially those going to a place for the first time) want to see it all, you run the risk of rushing through things at such a fast pace that you hardly have time to remember what you have seen.  Consider that Pompeii needs at least 2 hours to just get a decent overview and much more time if you truly want to see everythihg in depth.  The Amalfi coast is a relatively large area including places like Positano, Amalfi, and the hill top town of Revello.  The road connecting these places is a two lane country road, that can get clogged with seasonal traffic and even have bus "stand offs" which happen when two buses cannot get past each other on a curve.  What looks like a 30 minute drive can become a 1 to 1 1/2 hour drive on bad days!  

 

Is it possible to see both Positano and the Amalfi Coast on a port day?  Yes, if one moves though Pompeii in a fast way, and settles for a glimpse of only part of the Amalfi Coast.  DW and I, once for fun, decided to try and go to Pompeii, on to Positano, and than over to Capri...all on a single long port day!  We pulled it off, and it was not a good day.  By the time we got to Capri, we only had time to get up to Capri Town, grab a drink, and then head back down to grab another ferry!  We did it for fun (we have been to that area many times and spent several weeks staying on the coast) and to prove a point to ourselves.

 

One interesting tidbit about the routes.  There is a faster way to get back to Naples, from Ravello, if one uses a back road and avoids the famous "Amalfi Drive."  We once had a rental car and were heading back to Naples (for our cruise ship) on that back road (SP1) when we were stopped by an unexpected mudslide...which closed the route.  We had to do a U-turn, drive all the way back to the Amalfi Drive, west to Sorrento, and up to Naples.  We did not get back to the port until nearly 10pm!  Fortunately (for us) that was a cruise ship (Prinsendam) that was overnighting in Naples...or we would have missed the ship.  There are very few alternative routes, in that part of Italy, due to the mountains.  

 

One other thing.  Many consider the "place to go" on the Amalfi Coast to be the jet setter town of Positano!  This town only has a single road, that winds through the town and connects to the Amalfi Drive,  Tour buses are not permitted on that road, which means the only way to go down into Positano is in a car, small van, or the local "orange" buses.  I mention this, because cruisers who book cruise line excursions that say something like "you will see Positano" will indeed "see Positano" but it will be from a lookout on the Amalfi Drive (above the town).  If you truly want to go into Positano to shop, eat, walk, etc. you need to do it with a small vehicle, of by a long hike down from the Amalfi Drive.

 

Hank

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

5 hours ago, Hlitner said:

This is a touchy subject, but folks need to give careful thought of just how much is reasonable in a single port day.  While many cruisers (especially those going to a place for the first time) want to see it all, you run the risk of rushing through things at such a fast pace that you hardly have time to remember what you have seen.  Consider that Pompeii needs at least 2 hours to just get a decent overview and much more time if you truly want to see everythihg in depth.  The Amalfi coast is a relatively large area including places like Positano, Amalfi, and the hill top town of Revello.  The road connecting these places is a two lane country road, that can get clogged with seasonal traffic and even have bus "stand offs" which happen when two buses cannot get past each other on a curve.  What looks like a 30 minute drive can become a 1 to 1 1/2 hour drive on bad days!  

 

Is it possible to see both Positano and the Amalfi Coast on a port day?  Yes, if one moves though Pompeii in a fast way, and settles for a glimpse of only part of the Amalfi Coast.  DW and I, once for fun, decided to try and go to Pompeii, on to Positano, and than over to Capri...all on a single long port day!  We pulled it off, and it was not a good day.  By the time we got to Capri, we only had time to get up to Capri Town, grab a drink, and then head back down to grab another ferry!  We did it for fun (we have been to that area many times and spent several weeks staying on the coast) and to prove a point to ourselves.

 

One interesting tidbit about the routes.  There is a faster way to get back to Naples, from Ravello, if one uses a back road and avoids the famous "Amalfi Drive."  We once had a rental car and were heading back to Naples (for our cruise ship) on that back road (SP1) when we were stopped by an unexpected mudslide...which closed the route.  We had to do a U-turn, drive all the way back to the Amalfi Drive, west to Sorrento, and up to Naples.  We did not get back to the port until nearly 10pm!  Fortunately (for us) that was a cruise ship (Prinsendam) that was overnighting in Naples...or we would have missed the ship.  There are very few alternative routes, in that part of Italy, due to the mountains.  

 

One other thing.  Many consider the "place to go" on the Amalfi Coast to be the jet setter town of Positano!  This town only has a single road, that winds through the town and connects to the Amalfi Drive,  Tour buses are not permitted on that road, which means the only way to go down into Positano is in a car, small van, or the local "orange" buses.  I mention this, because cruisers who book cruise line excursions that say something like "you will see Positano" will indeed "see Positano" but it will be from a lookout on the Amalfi Drive (above the town).  If you truly want to go into Positano to shop, eat, walk, etc. you need to do it with a small vehicle, of by a long hike down from the Amalfi Drive.

 

Hank

I appreciate the perspective and this all makes sense. 

 

With it being difficult to fit everything in, why do you think the most common excursion I see on all the sites for Naples seems to be Pompeii + Amalfi Coast?

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

I appreciate the perspective and this all makes sense. 

 

With it being difficult to fit everything in, why do you think the most common excursion I see on all the sites for Naples seems to be Pompeii + Amalfi Coast?

I think that particular excursion, offered by most cruise lines, is somewhat of a con (we continue to point this out so folks are forewarned) .  We have more than a few folks complain that they expected to go into Positano.  What they get is a bus ride to the ruins at Pompeii (quite amazing), and then a bus ride past Sorrento (some of the excursions will get a short visit to Sorrento)  to the Amaffi Drive.  Along the drive, there is a pull-off area from where folks can look down on Positano.  But those excursions do not actually go to Positano, they simply "see it."   As I explained earlier, even if they had enough time for a visit to Positano, the tour buses are not permitted on the road that leads down into the town.  When we go to the Amalfi Coast, we usually spend several nights in the town of Praiano (a few short miles on the Amalfi side of Positano).  Even with several days, we generally find we do not have enough time to do, and see, everything on our agenda.  In fact, I am still curious about some vineyards that lie below Ravello, and one of these days I want to try and arrange some kind of visit.  We would also like a visit to place that grows the so-called Amalfi Lemon (sfusato Amalfitano) that are as large as grapefruits and make the best Limoncello on earth.  

 

We do understand that everyone has their own idea about how to spend port days or tour days.  Years ago, I used to suggest that first-time travelers to Europe try to view a movie (before they leave home) called "If Its Tuesday it Must be Belgium."   That film is a comedy about a tour group that visits 9 countries in 18 days :).  

 

Hank

 

 

Hank

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

2 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I think that particular excursion, offered by most cruise lines, is somewhat of a con (we continue to point this out so folks are forewarned) .  We have more than a few folks complain that they expected to go into Positano.  What they get is a bus ride to the ruins at Pompeii (quite amazing), and then a bus ride past Sorrento (some of the excursions will get a short visit to Sorrento)  to the Amaffi Drive.  Along the drive, there is a pull-off area from where folks can look down on Positano.  But those excursions do not actually go to Positano, they simply "see it."   As I explained earlier, even if they had enough time for a visit to Positano, the tour buses are not permitted on the road that leads down into the town.  When we go to the Amalfi Coast, we usually spend several nights in the town of Praiano (a few short miles on the Amalfi side of Positano).  Even with several days, we generally find we do not have enough time to do, and see, everything on our agenda.  In fact, I am still curious about some vineyards that lie below Ravello, and one of these days I want to try and arrange some kind of visit.  We would also like a visit to place that grows the so-called Amalfi Lemon (sfusato Amalfitano) that are as large as grapefruits and make the best Limoncello on earth.  

 

We do understand that everyone has their own idea about how to spend port days or tour days.  Years ago, I used to suggest that first-time travelers to Europe try to view a movie (before they leave home) called "If Its Tuesday it Must be Belgium."   That film is a comedy about a tour group that visits 9 countries in 18 days :).  

 

Hank

 

 

Hank

I appreciate the perspective - I'll definitely have to take a closer look. 

 

We booked a tour with only 6 people so we're not in a bus... Not sure that changes much, but it at least means we will be easier to corral and we can make it down that road.

 

Unfortunately the only way to really find out is to try and we may end up being very disappointed. 

 

The reviews on Viator are generally pretty positive but I think I may try to find one that has less stops on the agenda so we can at least see more when we do stop.

[Hlitner]

1 minute ago, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

I appreciate the perspective - I'll definitely have to take a closer look. 

 

We booked a tour with only 6 people so we're not in a bus... Not sure that changes much, but it at least means we will be easier to corral and we can make it down that road.

 

Unfortunately the only way to really find out is to try and we may end up being very disappointed. 

 

The reviews on Viator are generally pretty positive but I think I may try to find one that has less stops on the agenda so we can at least see more when we do stop.

You will not be disappointed but might be exhausted :).  A 6 person tour is a terrific size group to do that kind of thing.  If your private tour does not include Ravello, ask your guide if it's possible to somehow fit that into the day.

 

Hank

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

Just now, Hlitner said:

You will not be disappointed but might be exhausted :).  A 6 person tour is a terrific size group to do that kind of thing.  If your private tour does not include Ravello, ask your guide if it's possible to somehow fit that into the day.

 

Hank

I'm going to go see if I can find a semi-private that includes Ravello!

 

My wife is 38 and I'm 41 and with young kids who are staying with their grandparents for this trip, we're at least used to being on the go non-stop between our careers and kids' sports 😝

 

I really appreciate your help with things, thank you!

[euro cruiser]

I would drill down into details on any excursion that says "Pompei and the Amalfi Coast".  This can be done in record time IF the trip goes nowhere near Positano or Amalfi.  From Pompei you can jump on the autostrada and get off at Vietri Sul Mare, which is technically the Amalfi Coast. Now you've fulfilled the original claim, but probably not what the customer was expecting.

 

You need to ask the tour operator to specify exactly where along the Amalfi Coast they will take you.

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

1 minute ago, euro cruiser said:

I would drill down into details on any excursion that says "Pompei and the Amalfi Coast".  This can be done in record time IF the trip goes nowhere near Positano or Amalfi.  From Pompei you can jump on the autostrada and get off at Vietri Sul Mare, which is technically the Amalfi Coast. Now you've fulfilled the original claim, but probably not what the customer was expecting.

 

You need to ask the tour operator to specify exactly where along the Amalfi Coast they will take you.

That's helpful, I will ask. 

 

Thank you!

[euro cruiser]

8 hours ago, Hlitner said:

One interesting tidbit about the routes.  There is a faster way to get back to Naples, from Ravello, if one uses a back road and avoids the famous "Amalfi Drive."  We once had a rental car and were heading back to Naples (for our cruise ship) on that back road (SP1) when we were stopped by an unexpected mudslide...which closed the route.  We had to do a U-turn, drive all the way back to the Amalfi Drive, west to Sorrento, and up to Naples.

 

Lol, we had a similar experience on that road years ago, but in our case it was fog.  We suddenly could not see more than a few feet in front of the car, on a narrow winding road with farm animals using it as a causeway.  It was an interesting ride, to say the least.  We did not need to turn around, but the trip took two or three times longer than we expected.  Fortunately it was not a port day so our only issue was returning the rental car late.

[marazul]

50 minutes ago, euro cruiser said:

 

Lol, we had a similar experience on that road years ago, but in our case it was fog.  We suddenly could not see more than a few feet in front of the car, on a narrow winding road with farm animals using it as a causeway.  It was an interesting ride, to say the least.  We did not need to turn around, but the trip took two or three times longer than we expected.  Fortunately it was not a port day so our only issue was returning the rental car late.

That road sure gets you.  We got stuck a few cars behind a tour bus that broke down going around one of the hairpin bends.  It took a while for help to get there.  Eventually, we made it to Pompeii. We decided to go back to Amalfi by way of Salerno. Had enough of that road for one day!

[kctwinmommy]

@Hlitner said it perfectly! We didn't want to do the Sorrento/Pompeii tour, but I kind of screwed up, panicked, and then that was my only option. As it is, Viking had to wait until the night before to even add us. I was very disappointed in our time at Pompeii. Did I see it? Yes. Was it what I wanted? Not even close... =( I was disappointed, but I didn't let it ruin my trip either.

 

Like it was already said too, make sure you get exact details from the tour operator. Make sure they know that you're coming in on a cruise. And just be ready in case there is a problem.

[kctwinmommy]

12 hours ago, marazul said:

That road sure gets you.  We got stuck a few cars behind a tour bus that broke down going around one of the hairpin bends.  It took a while for help to get there.  Eventually, we made it to Pompeii. We decided to go back to Amalfi by way of Salerno. Had enough of that road for one day!

Yes, on the road going in/out of Sorrento, our guide mentioned how all it takes is one bus to mess it all up. Sure enough, on our way out of town, a bus heading into town had stopped on the side to let out 50 people to take photos! The backup was at least 2-3 miles! And it's already pretty slow going through there.

[Pip and Alan]

On 5/21/2024 at 4:54 AM, Hlitner said:

This is a touchy subject, but folks need to give careful thought of just how much is reasonable in a single port day.  While many cruisers (especially those going to a place for the first time) want to see it all, you run the risk of rushing through things at such a fast pace that you hardly have time to remember what you have seen.  Consider that Pompeii needs at least 2 hours to just get a decent overview and much more time if you truly want to see everythihg in depth.  The Amalfi coast is a relatively large area including places like Positano, Amalfi, and the hill top town of Revello.  The road connecting these places is a two lane country road, that can get clogged with seasonal traffic and even have bus "stand offs" which happen when two buses cannot get past each other on a curve.  What looks like a 30 minute drive can become a 1 to 1 1/2 hour drive on bad days!  

 

Is it possible to see both Positano and the Amalfi Coast on a port day?  Yes, if one moves though Pompeii in a fast way, and settles for a glimpse of only part of the Amalfi Coast.  DW and I, once for fun, decided to try and go to Pompeii, on to Positano, and than over to Capri...all on a single long port day!  We pulled it off, and it was not a good day.  By the time we got to Capri, we only had time to get up to Capri Town, grab a drink, and then head back down to grab another ferry!  We did it for fun (we have been to that area many times and spent several weeks staying on the coast) and to prove a point to ourselves.

 

One interesting tidbit about the routes.  There is a faster way to get back to Naples, from Ravello, if one uses a back road and avoids the famous "Amalfi Drive."  We once had a rental car and were heading back to Naples (for our cruise ship) on that back road (SP1) when we were stopped by an unexpected mudslide...which closed the route.  We had to do a U-turn, drive all the way back to the Amalfi Drive, west to Sorrento, and up to Naples.  We did not get back to the port until nearly 10pm!  Fortunately (for us) that was a cruise ship (Prinsendam) that was overnighting in Naples...or we would have missed the ship.  There are very few alternative routes, in that part of Italy, due to the mountains.  

 

One other thing.  Many consider the "place to go" on the Amalfi Coast to be the jet setter town of Positano!  This town only has a single road, that winds through the town and connects to the Amalfi Drive,  Tour buses are not permitted on that road, which means the only way to go down into Positano is in a car, small van, or the local "orange" buses.  I mention this, because cruisers who book cruise line excursions that say something like "you will see Positano" will indeed "see Positano" but it will be from a lookout on the Amalfi Drive (above the town).  If you truly want to go into Positano to shop, eat, walk, etc. you need to do it with a small vehicle, of by a long hike down from the Amalfi Drive.

 

Hank

I can only echo this having just returned. We ended up with a brief view of Positano, 3 hours in Sorrento - where we were docked and a mad dash round Pompeii which was just ridiculous. Then a will we won’t we make the ship return journey. In future we will choose a point of interest and cover it thoroughly rather than chasing our tail and not really seeing what we had hoped

[euro cruiser]

1 minute ago, Pip and Alan said:

In future we will choose a point of interest and cover it thoroughly rather than chasing our tail and not really seeing what we had hoped

 

I think this is something most of us have to learn for ourselves.  It has echoes of my mother warning me that "your eyes are bigger than your stomach"; I needed to have the stomach ache to learn the lesson.

[mapleleaves]

15 minutes ago, euro cruiser said:

 

I think this is something most of us have to learn for ourselves.  It has echoes of my mother warning me that "your eyes are bigger than your stomach"; I needed to have the stomach ache to learn the lesson.

great analogy!

[Hlitner]

5 hours ago, Pip and Alan said:

I can only echo this having just returned. We ended up with a brief view of Positano, 3 hours in Sorrento - where we were docked and a mad dash round Pompeii which was just ridiculous. Then a will we won’t we make the ship return journey. In future we will choose a point of interest and cover it thoroughly rather than chasing our tail and not really seeing what we had hoped

Experience is often the greatest teacher :).  Today, I had lunch with an old friend who recently returned from their first trip to Italy (it was a land tour).  When I asked him about his trip he said, "we went to 11 cities in 10 days and I remember nothing!"  Too funny and another of those "If Its Tuesday it Must be Belgium" tales.  By the way, if you have never seen that 1969 movie, it is worth finding/watching.

 

Hank

 

 

 

 

[Host Bonjour]

A community member used to have in their signature, might have been on our Independent Traveler message boards not CC, "if you've seen everything, you've seen nothing" which at first I thought, that's kind of negative, but I hadn't done as much traveling to far away places the first time I saw it and I wasn't yet a host.

 

Years and miles and oceans later, I understand what the point of the quote was, having sometimes worried too much if I was seeing enough or moving fast enough or planning my day in the right way. 

 

Some places I've been back to and have been able to soak up the experience, dally in the atmosphere and just do whatever. As a result, I've had experiences I'd never have imagined might happen, things you CAN'T plan because their spontaneous or a result of having time to meet local people. 

 

Shorex are typically brief but in that time there is still an opportunity to maximize enjoyment of the experience, which will bring incredible memories to mind in an instant as opposed to the rush/hustle trying to see everything. 

 

I would consider thinking about what or if visiting a particular place would have the most significance/meaning to you: which is most comparable to what you like to do? Are you really into history/museums? Or do you really enjoy the outdoors, scenic views, markets/shops? (Keep in mind you can buy Italian ceramics and wares in other places)

 

I've sat in traffic for a good part of my life so avoiding it at all costs (there's the unavoidable whatever happens that can't be avoided) on holiday is always my choice. But that's just me. Maybe the traffic wouldn't be so bad for others? If you want a lovely seaside day (after you find out which town) go for it. It's an Italian seaside. 🇮🇹 🍋 🍝  Can you do a seaside excursion in another port?

 

Anyway, it's Italy. It's heaven. 🙂

 

Have fun with the rest of the plans. The Italians take a long lunch every day...I always think it's something everyone could benefit from.

 

 

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

We did not heed everybody's advice and decided to give this tour a go.

 

It was an 8 hour tour, which broke down as follows: 

 

- 30 minutes in Positano, which was enough time to walk down to the beach, grab some pictures, stop at a single shop, and then walk back up

 

- 30 minutes exploring the town square in Sorrento + an amazing 90 minute lunch at an olive farm overlooking the countryside

 

- 2 hours at Pompeii with an excellent guide

 

- 4 hours drive time, mostly winding around the crowded streets of the Amalfi Coast with many stops for great photos along the way.

 

---

 

Was this enough time to see any of these places in-depth? 

 

Absolutely not. 

 

Was it enough time to get a taste of things, have some great photo ops, and see some incredible sights and history? 

 

Absolutely. 

 

It was a long day and definitely would not be for everybody, but we enjoyed it and it helped us see where we'd like to spend more time when we return some day.

 

 

For what it's worth - we changed our tour from something on Viator to Rome in Limos and they did a great job. 

 

 

Lots of great perspectives in this thread, hopefully it's helpful to somebody in the future!

[Hlitner]

On 6/11/2024 at 6:44 PM, Host Bonjour said:

 

 

Have fun with the rest of the plans. The Italians take a long lunch every day...I always think it's something everyone could benefit from.

 

 

Now you are speaking our language!  For us, one of the best parts of Italy, France and even Spain, is the food/wine.  If we miss a site, so what....we will just see it on another visit.  But miss decent food/wine....no no no.

 

Hank