Hi. We are going on a cruise in Sept and one of the stops is Naples. We are trying to decide whether to do the Can't Be Missed Tours out of Naples that goes to Pompeii, Sorrento and the Amalfi coast or do either Pompeii or Herculaneum on our own. We saw the tour mentioned in the Rick Steve's book and someone at Rick's office recommended Herculaneum. We recently did the Pompeii exhibit in Seattle which was ok but not spectacular. Has anyone done this tour? If so, was it good? We thought we could see more things this way. Any other suggestions? Thank you for your assistance.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Haven't done the tour but you can hire licensed guides for Pompeii and Ercolano onsite.
A word about exhibitions: not surprised that the best stuff doesn't leave home, the Vatican exhibition to the U.S. several years ago is a case in point. Go to the Archeological Museum in Napoli to see the works from Pompeii and Ercolano.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11357 posts
We liked Ercolano a lot, maybe better than Pompeii. You can easily hire a guide at the site and I think this is important as your time is valuable and a guide can provide a lot of insight.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15598 posts
I visited both Herculaneum and Pompeii, on separate days. Pompeii is a much larger site and the old streets are difficult to walk, and if it's a hot day, it could be draining. Herculaneum is smaller, gives a better idea of what a town was like in those days. The best (and the most titillating) art work - frescoes, mosaics, etc. - are in the archaeology museum in Naples. I'd suggest visiting Herculaneum and the museum on your day. Arrange for private transportation. Otherwise you could end up spending an hour or two waiting for the train to get to either Herculaneum or Pompeii. Of course a private guide will give you a more in-depth experience, but I found the audio guides (and Rick's audio guides) adequate.
The tour you describe sounds like it's doing too much for one day, so I'm skeptical.
Another option is to go to cruisecritic.com. Look for the "roll call" section. You'll be able to find your specific cruise there. Veteran cruisers use the site to put together smaller private tours. You may be able to join one that someone's already planned. If not, you will get lots of information about what others are planning and what's available.