In early April we are thinking of going from Rome to Naples on a train (1hr?) and wonder if it is enough time to go to Capri for the day, sleep in Naples, and do Pompeii the next morning, and then take a plane to Venice. Our group is from 8-80 6 people. Real question is this too much to jam into the a 30 period?
Posted by
Cocoa, FL, US
34 posts
My advice for what it is worth is to skip Capri & Naples. Instead, I'd go directly to Pompeii, see the ruins, and then stay in Sorrento until I had to leave to catch the flight to Venice. Might want to catch a taxi up to St. Agata from Sorrento and enjoy a real small mountain town. Also take a bus ride south along the coast for good views. Good luck.
Posted by
Dallas, TX
2 posts
I can't help but agree that you should skip Naples. The garbage strike of 2008 left it in pretty bad shape. Pompeii is a fabulous place to see, and you need at least half a day. I would suggest skipping Capri and driving the Amalfi Coast, especially Positano. (Watch "Under the Tuscan Sun" before you go. The gal meets up with her boyfriend there.)
Posted by
Vancouver
68 posts
We stayed in Sorrento and did a day at pompeii and a day at Naples. Both seemed to require full days with transportation. We LOVED Naples. It is like no other city in Italy. We walked the city from one end to the other. FABULOUS. The real italy. I far preferred it to Pompeii which I found dull. And hot and shadeless. If you stay in one of the hilltop hotels in Sorrento you get the basic Amalfi coast view.
Posted by
Tulsa, Oklahoma, US
290 posts
Hi, Mary.
You could do it in the time allotted, but I concur with the rest; Skip Capri (it's a tourist rip off sort of place). Arrive Naples early, take the Circumvesuviana train from Naples, stay in Sorrento (beautiful), see the Amalfi coast (with a group of 6 it might be economical to rent a van and driver), have dinner and go for an evening stroll in Sorrento; the next day see Pompeii and as much of Naples as you have time for. The Archeological Museum in Naples is awesome. Try to squeeze another day into your itinerary if possible, the area is definitely worth it.
Posted by
gaston, oregon, usa
842 posts
Mary
Ash hit the nail on the head! Stay in Sorrento. A wondeful place to overnite and to eat. Note; you must go to the Museum in Naples! there is no artwork etc in Pompeii...all of it (that survived)is in the Museo in Naples)
Also, please note: Pompeii is brutal on the feet! It is absolutely huge and barren, and will be punishing for the 8 year old and the 80 year old.
It is amazing, but I would not go back. We like the little town of Herulanteum next door. The wood and wall paintings were preserved there. It was a mini Pompei that was preserved, not toasted.
Posted by
Columbia, SC, USA
25 posts
I think both Pompeii and Capri are worth the time and effort, I'm just not sure you can do both in the short timeframe you want. Other than arriving in Naples at the train station, I did not spend any additional time there.
We took the train from Rome to Naples, spent three or four hours at Pompeii and had a private driver take us from there to Positano. Several days later, we took the ferry over from Positano to Capri and had a wonderful time. We were also there in early April and the weather was near 80 degrees, which was wonderful.
The private driver was not that expensive (plus, it was nice to be in a private car after schlepping around on public transportation so much), and we had a great time driving through and stopping in some of the other towns like Ravello. Perhaps if you don't have time to do Capri you could take the bus/train/private car to the Amalfi Coast and wander around for the day.