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Itinerary help :)

Posted by (Toronto) on

Hi again! In continuation of my first post, I think we have an itinerary worked out, but I wanted to run it by you guys first before I start booking stuff.

So we switched gears a bit... as I mentioned we want a more low-key vacation as opposed to 'running all over the place', and being our first time in Europe, wanted to keep the itinerary relatively uncomplicated. We really like the looks of Capri, or even Anacapri. I think we'd be content to just noodle around the island for 5 days just doing our own thing and relaxing. The only real tour my husband is interested in doing is Pompeii. So, here's what we're thinking;

Travel Dates May 28 - June 6 (YYZ to NAP / NAP - YYZ)

Thursday May 28 - Fly from Toronto to Naples - overnight flight (connection in Frankfurt).
Friday May 29 - Arrive Naples @ 12:35. Shuttle from Naples to Sorrento hotel. Eat and jet lag recovery day.
Saturday May 30 - Pompeii tour from Sorrento. Spend one more night in Sorrento
Sunday May 31 - Eat breakfast, then ferry from Sorrento to Capri. Check into hotel in Capri/Anacapri
Monday June 1 - Capri
Tuesday June 2 - Capri
Wednesday June 3 - Capri
Thursday June 4 - Capri

During these days we may venture out on a ferry to see the Amalfi coast from the water. I think I've concluded I have no desire to do a road tour up the Amalfi Coast highway, lol.

This is where I'm stuck. Our flight will leave on Saturday June 6 @ 13:35. Do we:

1) Stay in Capri on the Friday night of June 5, and take an early morning ferry from Capri to Naples (I will have purchased the ticket in advance) then just head to the airport, planning to be there 2 hours prior to the flight time, or;

2) Ferry back to to Naples on the Friday night, and spend the night in a hotel near the airport so that we're already on the main land that morning.

Option 1 tells me we'd be cutting it too close, and leaves too much room for error. But, I don't know how efficient/reliable the ferry service is. Can it be trusted?

Is there anything else about this itinerary that seems like not a good idea? And would you look for hotels in Capri or Anacapri. From what I am reading it's all pretty close. We like the idea of a little nightlife and live music.. but not so much that it's going to keep us up all night.

Any thoughts/advice is welcome!

Thanks again :)

Posted by
663 posts

The ferry could be a problem if the seas are rough. Better to spend a night or two in Naples.

Frankfurt, UGH! I hate connecting thru that airport.

Posted by
663 posts

Its a BUSY airport. They typically dump you off someplace far from the gates so you have to take a bus to the terminal, and dont be lagging behind because the doors going in will close and they are reluctant to open them again for you. Then you go thru security again before you can make your connecting flight. Because of all this, I hope you have at least 2 hours layover.

Posted by
10 posts

Oh crap, lol. Yeah the flight I'm looking at has a 2.5 hour connection, both ways. I was thinking that was excessive. Why do you have to do security again I wonder...

Posted by
8056 posts

Angela's point about rough seas is valid - you may not encounter ferry delays or cancellations, but if you start working your way back to Naples a day early, you'd have more wiggle room and options if something came up. Also, since it looks like you hadn't already scheduled time in Naples, that gives you one night there for the experience!

We've regularly had to go thru security upon landing in London, even when we were just tranferring to another plane for the next leg of our journey and never left the airport. Stopping off in Seoul, Korea simply to refuel before continuing, they made everyone get off, get screened and have all carry-ons x-rayed, and then we hung out in a small room until we could reboard. Maybe no one trusts anybody else's security and they want to "do it right" themselves. Have a great trip - enjoy all the lemonyness of Capri!

Posted by
11294 posts

Opinions of Frankfurt airport seem to vary. At least one other poster agrees with Angela and says he does whatever possible to avoid it.

For me, I found it well labeled and straightforward to get around, despite its size. Do pay attention to the signs, so you don't make any unnecessary detours (I did this once, and still made my connection).

I don't know about flights to Canada, but flights to the US from Terminal 1 leave from the far end of one of the concourses. To get to these gates, you have to go through a new security check, no matter where you're coming from. So, don't dawdle once you get off your plane from Naples.

Definitely spend your last night in Naples. You don't want to spend it worrying about making the plane the next day. Better yet, spend the whole day in Naples, and see the amazing Archeology Museum, the Cappella Sansevero, and other great Naples sights.

As for the rest of your trip, I'm intrigued. Many only see Capri and Anacapri as a daytrip, but I've read at least one account of how much nicer it is staying a few days to soak up the atmosphere, hike to see various ruins, etc. I'd love to hear how you find it.

Posted by
3648 posts

With a 1:30 departure, I would not stay anywhere but the city I'm leaving from. I think Harold's suggestion is brilliant. After touring Pompeii, it would really be a shame not to see the Archaeological Museum. The Naples airport is close enough to the city that you don't need to stay at an "airport" hotel.

Posted by
10 posts

Thanks for confirming that. I don't think I would have been comfortable with leaving the morning of, and would be fretting about it the whole time. Heading back to Naples on the Friday is definitely do-able, and may even take a Sunday flight home rather than Saturday, so we could spend 2 full days in Naples and see more. The Archaeological Museum would be right up my husband's alley.

Harold - will definitely let you know about Capri/Anacapri, whichever we decide. I've been doing a lot of reading and hotel reviews on TripAdvisor. People really seem to love it, for different reasons. While Capri is the more trendy, younger, party crowd with lots of upscale shopping, Anacapri seems to be the balance. Much quieter, but easily accessible to each other by a tram that runs back and forth between the two. The island itself is three times the size of Central Park, so it's big, but not so big you can't tour around on foot. I think it will be a good fit for us!

Posted by
15799 posts

If you run out of things to do in Naples, it's an easy trip to Herculaneum on the Circumvesuviana train, another city destroyed by Vesuvius - smaller than Pompeii, with not so much glamour, but it gives you a better idea of what a city was like back then.

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