Naples or not?????

A few years ago, we decided to stay in Naples for three nights instead of Sorrento to save money. I had read about how it was rough around the edges, but I thought that sounded kind of wonderful. Boy, was I wrong. It was filthy, with dog droppings everywhere and what appeared to be a permanent garbage strike. (This was before the actual recent garbage problems.)

With the exception of the day we spent doing the Archaeological Musum (which truly is amazing, albeit un-airconditioned) and the RS walk down to the harbor, we left every morning and hightailed it to Sorrento for the day. I'm glad we got to see Naples, but I'm really sorry that we stayed there.

RS's standard comment is that if you get as far south as Rome and enjoy it, keep going south - it only gets better. WRONG! We absolutely LOVE Rome, but Naples? Not so much.

Do some people enjoy it? Yes, some do. Most don't.

I have to add my voice to the chorus saying don't sleep in Naples. We were there 5 years ago, so before the garbage crisis. However, a lot of the streets were pretty dirty. That was the least of it. There is very good public transport, but no maps or schedules; and no one really seems to have a good grasp of it. We, therefore, spent enormous amounts of time trying to find our way around. People had the habit of giving directions by naming a place that was only in the vicinity of where we were headed, or giving the name for a piazza that the locals use but was different from that on the street sign, or telling us to get a bus at a place far away when there was one much closer. We wound up eating only at restaurants we could walk to from our hotel (which I admit were very good). We wanted to buy Campania cards (gets you into many sites without additional payment), but no one had them. Not even the TI office. Oh, and did I mention the hordes of gypsies and other beggars? As we stood in front of a huge Ferragamo boutique, on a filthy, broken sidewalk, being importuned by some sad-looking wretches, my husband remarked, "I think we've strayed into a Third World country."

Hi Susan-I would take Sorrento over Naples anyday! It is easy to explore anything you want to do from there. I was only in Naples one night and I didn't have anything terrible happen to me (thank goodness) but the Sorrento area is so amazing, I'd stay there again in a heartbeat if it were me. Everything people have said about the garbage etc. is true, I was just there in June. Have a wonderful time in Italy!

We stayed outside of Naples, but traveled to Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Naples for the Archeology museum. In 2 weeks all over Italy, the only place I didn't feel comfortable was, you guessed it, Naples. We took the train in and walked to the Archeology museum. I live near Baltimore, Inner cities don't usually scare me. The museum is awesome!The walk (about a mile?) was a little scary. We took a taxi back to the train station. It was the best 10E we even spent. After 3 days in the area, I can understand why the guidebooks recommend staying the Sorrento. If you go to Pompeii or Herculaneum, you should definietly go to the Archeology Museum. Take the train in, and take a taxi to the museum.

Thanks for all your responses. I guess I wasn't clear - we are NOT spending the night in Naples. We are staying in Sorrento. I'm just wondering whether we should stop in Naples for half a day on the way from Rome to Sorrento or bypass it altogether. I appreciate your feedback as always.

Rather than stopping on the way, if you want to go, I would recommend taking the hydrofoil or regular ferry from Sorrento to Naples.

We spent the afternoon there earlier this summer. It was interesting, but probably not a "must see". We had been to Pompeii 2 days prior, and the National Archaeological Museum was interesting, but, honestly, I had heard so much hype, and I was a little bit disappointed.

At no point, did I ever feel unsafe, and, despite the garbage strike, there was no evidence of it in the city (at least, the section between the port and the museum). And, it was quite clean.

Since I had heard so much about the intensity and insanity of Naples, I really wanted to go check it for myself. And, while I wouldn't rate it as a "must see", I don't regret spending a few hours there.

Leslie, Thanks. I'm very interested in the hydrofoil/ferry option. We'll be in Sorrento October 19 & 20th. I've looked at the metro del mare website and other places...I'm confused as to whether or not these services will be available while we're there. Any help would be appreciated.

I am honestly not sure, but I do know that the locals use the water service to commute as well. So, I would imagine that it runs most of the year.

Sorry I can't be more helpful.

The 3 main reasons to go to Naples is to; see the good stuff taken from Pompeii now housed at The National Archeological Museum, one of the great museums of the world. Eat Pizzia at the very first (and still the best) pizza joint in the world, (see my blog for details), and to catch a flight home or train to somewhere else. If you have time you can walk around the fish market. You can see pictures and details at my personal blog; http://gadtravel.blogspot.com/

Since you're right there, you should definitely go and see for yourself. Some people love Naples. The boat from Sorrento into Naples is by far the prettiest way to go. The Circumvesuviana train would take you to the train station in a very iffy neighborhood. It's nowhere near the boat harbor which is in one of the nicer parts of Naples. And the taxi idea is a good one to avoid getting lost and wasting time.

Naples is DEFINITELY worth one full day of sightseeing. A visit to Pompeii is not complete unless you go to the museum too. The pizza is an added bonus, the risk is you'll be picky about all future napolese pizza you may have (including others you may eat in Italy)

I appreciate all the advice. We'll think about it some more, stay flexible.

Susan,

Judging by the previous responses, I'm probably going to be in the minority here but I quite enjoyed Naples. I was there in May with a RS Tour and found the city to be quite interesting and quite a contrast from locations in the north that I've visited.

In the area our Hotel was located, I didn't see any piles of trash (however, that's not to say that other areas of the city are as clean). I did see many large trash piles in some of the surrounding communities (Torre del Greco comes to mind).

The Archeological Museum is definitely worth a visit! Our Guide took us to another Church that had a marble statue of a shrouded Christ, but I can't recall the name of the Church (it was an incredible statue!).

Rick's book has all the details on the Sorrento-Napoli boat connections. If you travel to Naples just for a day trip on your way to Rome, you'll have to find somewhere to store your luggage (again, probably in the book but I haven't checked).

Hope you have a great time in Sorrento (one of my favourite stops, especially with the incredible meal I enjoyed there at one of the restaurants listed in the Guidebook).

Happy travels!

Ken,
I'm too lazy to get the guide book out right now, but I know exactly the statue. It's included in Rick's Slice of Naples walk and is part of what drew me to Naples in the first place.

Susan,
If you can find the time, I would definitely make a trip out to Paestum. It was the highlight of our trip this past April (I actually enjoyed it more than Pompeii). We had a rental car and woke up early and drove about 1 hr to Paestum, after spending an hr there and then anothe 45 in the museum, we headed to Pompeii where we spent the rest of the afternoon. I would look at the train schedules to see if it is do-able. I know that you can take the train from Sorrento to Pompeii and then catch another train straight to Paestum. Or the bus to Salerno then a train to Paestum. Either way, try and see if it is do-able within the confines of your schedule.

The statue is in Capella Sansevero and it's called the Veiled Christ. More here:

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/italy/sansevero.htm