Ideas needed: Naples, Pompeii, Mt.Vesuvius?

Three days is enough time in the Naples/Pompeii
area. I think you could even work in a day trip
from Pompeii down the Amafi coast. It is a
beautiful area. Take train to Sorrento, bus to
Amafi and then ferry back.

For a first trip to Italy, staying in Naples might be a little intense. Sorrento is only about an hour south of Naples by local train, and is much more relaxing. The local train line (Circumvesuviana) stops at Pompeii and Herculaneum, where you can also get the bus to Mt. Vesuvius. Rick's 2008 guidebook mentions a EUR 25 three-day Campania ArteCard that might be perfect for your trip. Appears it would cover all of your train travel between Naples and Sorrento and provides big discounts at the sights you want to visit. Consider stopping at Pompeii either on your way from Naples to Sorrento or on your way back to Rome (it has a free, safe baggage check at the entrance) and spending your full day doing Naples and Mt. Vesuvius.

Since it's your first trip to Italy I also recommend not sleeping in Naples. It's just too rough unless you really know what you're in for (although the Archaeological Museum in Naples is fascinating, especially the scale model of Pompeii). Stay in Sorrento. You'll love it. If you're heart isn't set on Pompeii (which is HUGE and kind of overwhelming), consider Herculaneum instead. It's on the same train line between Naples and Sorrento and it can be easily experienced in half a day.

Also from Sorrento you can go south to experience the Amalfi coast.

i just don't understand the "napels is too rough" deal...after ALL the warnings:"naples is dirty, traffic insane, noisy, "dangerous"..i had planned to stay one day, and wound up staying 5! it WAS dirty, polluted, etc.. but by far the MOST italian over rome, and florence..i hung out at night on the streets, and never EVER felt this "naples is dangerous" thing. the only thing i can think is that americans didn't see all the other americans and felt threatened.

oops forgot: do the naples museum, BEFORE you do pompeii..it will really help with perspective..and get there BEFORE 4 pm..they are still open, but for some reason do not provide audio phones afet 4pm.

Watch for pickpockets if traveling from Napoli to Sorrento. Definitely hike to the top of Vesuvius... you never know!? (Living by Mt St. Helens, I blew the chance to hike the mtn. before it took off.) Guide yourself through Pompeii... hired guides with larger groups are hard to hear and if it is warm you'll want to take a rest here and there. If you only have 3 days, save Sorrento for another time when you can really relax there and give it a week in order to see Capri and the Amalfi coast. My suggestion: check our www.terragalleria.com and look at the Italian photos... to die for!

We just got back and stayed in Sorrento but I understand your dilemma. If you really, have only 3 days, try this.
Before you leave U.S. make sure one of your bags is small enough for a 2 night trip to minimize luggage to Naples for both of you. Convince your hotel in Rome to hold your other bags until you get back.

Day 1 - Rome to Naples. Pick up Campania ArteCard and drop off bag at your Naples hotel. Then do Archeological Museum that day as most museums stay open late.

Day 2 - Circumvesuviana train to Pompeii or Herculenum. Then continue to Sorrento and spend afternoon wandering around then have dinner there. Return in evening before Circumvesuviana stops running.

Day 3 - Leave bag at hotel See Naples in the morning. Do the suggested Rick walk or part of it (we walked from Museum to port). Pick up bag from hotel in afternoon and take train back.

I was there last month, using Sorrento as a base. We took an early train to Pompeii station, then caught the bus to Vesuvius from in front of the TI, just down the hill from the entrance to Pompeii. Buy your bus tickets from the small kiosk/newsstand nearby. The first bus was at 0930, but check with the TI. It takes you within a steep 30 minute walk of the crater lip. We loitered (and froze) along the lip for about 90 minutes, then took the bus back to Pompeii by 1300, leaving plenty of time to tour the ruins. We lucked out and joined a tour by Gaetano Manfredi, recommended by RS(and us). All covered by the Campana Pass (except the guide). On a second day we took the hydrofoil from Sorrento to Naples and walked about 30 minutes to the Archeological Museum - its outstanding! Don't forget to take your camera for the spectacular mosaics and bronzes (no flash allowed). We traveled light and exercised some "street smarts" and had no problems in Naples.

On the "too rough" question about Naples: The reaction to Naples varies from person to person (as it does for any city), but it has been my experience that a much higher percentage of Americans will prefer Sorrento over Naples. I thought I was going to be one of those people who would really enjoy what I heard was the "grittiness" of Naples, but once I was actually there, I couldn't wait to get out. The whole city looked to be in a permanent garbage strike and the air pollution was pretty foul. Naples felt more like a third world country to us than the other parts of Italy we had seen.

This doesn't mean that everyone will hate Naples or that Naples is somehow "bad". I'm glad that some people really enjoy it. I wish I were one of those people, but I'm not. And I think most Americans would not be, as well.

And I would definitely not recommend it to women traveling without a man.

Bus from Rome to Sorrento

I was stationed in Spain from 1960 to 1964 and we used to catch hops over to Naples and mess around Italy.

My first encounter in Naples was with a horde of children who surrounded us. The bunch in front distracted you with hands outstretched and shouts of candy and chewing gum. Those closest to you, bumped against you so you wouldn’t notice that those behind you had their hands in your pockets and were stealing anything that they could grab.

The kids were trained by the adults who had other, more lucrative skills.

After getting burned several times, and in several ways, I learned about Naples and enjoyed Italy. Later I lived in Northern Italy (the Dolomites) and learned Italian.

It’s possible to be lucky and miss these charming experiences but my advice is make day trips to Naples, keep to brightly lit and populated areas, don’t let anyone get too close to you and leave before dark.

I want to travel by bus next year from Rome to Sorrento.

This stingy little box would not let me finish so here is the rest:

It’s possible to be lucky and miss these charming experiences but my advice is make day trips to Naples, keep to brightly lit and populated areas, don’t let anyone get too close to you and leave before dark.

That said, I want to travel by bus next year from Rome to Sorrento.

Has anyone done this or have any information about it?

just saw this thread and I can highly recommend the Campania ArteCard. It is everything the earlier poster says. We took the train from Rome to Naples, then the Circumvesuviana to Sorrento. Bought the pass right at the Naples train station; there is a booth on the same level as the regular trains (not downstairs where the Circumvesuviana departs) that sells them.

The Marozzi Bus runs from Rome to Sorrento - you can find the scheduale here: www.marozzivt.it

My friend and I are planing to visit Naples Nov 08 before we join a tour of Sicily. Any recomendations on safe areas to stay in Naples.