On October 20, Naples is a port of call for our cruise ship. We have the day, but must be back to the ship before its 7:00 pm departure. Our plan is to take the Circumvesuvian train from Naples to Sorrento, with a stop of 2-3 hours to see Pompeii. Also, we would like to take the hydrofoil to Capri, and then back to Naples.
Is this advisable? Possible? Any feedback or suggestions for an alternative itinerary will be greatly appreciated.
Nope. Choose either Capri or Sorrento. You could probably take a hyrdofoil to Sorrento, come back through Pompeii and then take the crazy cab ride of your life from the train station in Naples back to the cruise ship.
...and hopefully arrive back at the dock before your ship departs.
Pick one. I don't think you can do all three. Maybe Pompeii and Sorrento - but not with Capri.
Happy Travels
Capri's not all it's cracked up to be, at least to me it wasn't. You'd spend more time waiting for the boat, on the boat, and then returning, than actually seeing Capri. A day at Pompeii and on 30 minutes to wonderful Sorrento would be great day, I think.
I don't think you would have time for both.Napoli to Sorrento on the Circumvesuviano is about 45 mins,and then to find your way to the port in Sorrento would take some planning-it is big,and I don't know how often the boats run,but the boat from Sorrento to Positano was about 1 1/2 hours,and Capri is a little less than halfway.WATCH your wallet/bag in Napoli and on the Circumvesuviano-Naples is dodgy,I wouldn't spend any time there,and the train is very gritty(also very cheap!)
Philip, as the others have indicated, it's highly unlikely you'd be able to visit all three locations and still make it back to the ship in time.
While it may be theoretically feasible to visit all three locations, the reality is different. I visited Capri in May and spent the whole day there. There is often somewhat of a wait for the Funicular up to the main part of town, and I found that it's worse coming down (I ended up taking a Taxi so I wouldn't miss the last boat of the day). Plan to visit Capri and Annacapri on a future visit (and bring LOTS of money - it's expensive!).
Your best bet would probably be to spend a few hours in Sorrento and Pompeii. Be sure to wear your Money Belt on the Circumvesuviana, and most importantly allow enough time for the trip to Sorrento, to Pompeii and back to Naples (include "waiting time" for the trains). Check Rick's books for details on the location of the Circumvesuviana station in Naples, costs and other details.
Happy travels!
Phillip, I agree with everyone else that it is too much to do in one day. I might suggest that rather than doing Pompeii and Sorrento that you might do Herculaneum and Sorrento. We just returned from there and found Pompeii, being much better know than Herculaneum, was very large and very crowded and you can spend most of a whole day trying to see it all. We enjoyed Herculaneum because it is smaller (less has been excavated at this point) and is much better preserved than Pompeii. We hired a guide for a really wonderful 1 hour tour. You would still have a little time to walk around some yourself and then it is an easy Circumvesuviana trip to Sorrento. Sorrento is wonderful and it is worth spending as much time as you can there.
