Naples to Pompeii to Capri

That's why I'm not a big fan of cruises. Only 1 day to explore all of the Amalfi coast??? A usual way to do this is take the Circumvesuviana train from Naples train station right to the Pompeii Scavii ruins. Keep in mind that most of the relics from the actual city of Pompeii are kept in a museum in Naples.

When finished with Pompeii, continue on the Circumvesuviana train to the beautiful cliffside town of Sorrento where you can catch a boat out to the isle of Capri.

There are also hydrofoils that run from the port of Naples to the port of Sorrento. From Sorrento it's just a short jaunt on the Circumvesuviana to Pompeii Scavii.

But doing this in one day could make for a less than enjoyable experience.

Hi

When you say doing this in on day could be less than enjoyable - do you mean it would be too long? My husband and I are planning to leave the island of Capri on a hydrofoil early one moring arrive in Sorrento, take the train to Pompeii - tour for 4 hours, take the train to Naples, rent a car and drive to Tuscany. We don't mind a day being jam packed we have lots of energy (watch I'll be eating my words). We'd get on an early hydrofoil (8:30 a.m. maybe) and I think we'd arrive in Tuscany about 10 at night. Do you think this is unrealistic?

Amanda, I think it is doable. An hour for from Capri to get onto the train. The train ride Sorrento -> Naples is about 1 hour; split it into 2 parts and stop at Pompeii, its still an hour :-) 4 hours touring, an hour to get to the car place and get the car. That's about 7 hours and it's 3pm. Now you're driving from Naples to Tuscany. You can easily be there by 10pm.

Yes, it's doable - are you really going to have fun doing that? I've found after several trips to Europe that yes, we can pack lots of activities, sights, and driving miles into a single day. However, after 2 or 3 days we're just exhausted. We've learned to balance the sights with free time that allows us to just enjoy the atmosphere and surroundings. You just have to find the "right balance" for YOU.

Thanks. I think we'll be fine. We are in Italy for 3 weeks and this is our most jam packed day. So we'll have lots of time to relax after this busy day. I just wanted to make sure it was doable. Thanks again.
A

Hi Mike, on your response, will I have to make train reservations beforehand, or can I buy tickets when I arrive?
Thanks!

p.s. I'm from Los Angeles originally!

Teresa....no, you can't make ticket reservations in advance. The train, the Circumvesuviana line, is a private operation, so you buy your tickets when you get to the Naples Stazione Centrale/Garibaldi, at Plaza Garibaldi. About 2 trains/hour, taking about 35-40 minutes to Pompeii Scavi, then another half hour to Sorrento. Be prepared...these trains are commuter trains, and not plushly appointed. Hydrofoil Sorrent-Capri, about 20 minutes, hydrofoil Capri-Naples, about 40 minutes. See http://www.capri.com/en/orari-traghetti to see if they'll fit with your schedule. "Aliscafi" is Italian for "hydrofoil" and, as you can imagine, is the most expensive way to go...but only by a couple of Euro.

Teresa, Norm already got your answer. One more thing I should add (and I always hesitate to do this) is be alert on the train, esp. in the Naples area. The trains are safe, but just like on any public transport there are people with baser intentions. Since you're getting on away from Naples you'll likely have a seat, but if not keep an eye on each other while standing to avoid pickpockets. Of course you'll have a money belt on so your most valuable items will be safe. And a seat away from the door is a better choice so someone can't grab a bag as the doors are closing.

But I don't want to make it sound like the train something out of the wild west! We rode it daily for 4 days last fall and never saw anything untoward happen. Walked thru Naples to the museum, too, and am still here to tell about it :-) If you're alert you'll be fine, you just don't want to be inattentive to your belongings.

Hey guys, why not take a hydro from Naples port to Capri, Capri-Sorrento by boat connection, and finally return Sorrento-Pompeii-Naples by Cicumvesuviana? I only suggest because you could take in Pompeii later in the day when it's not as crowded. If I remember, the bus from Naples-Pompeii is located nearer the port - otherwise you'll have to make your way to the train station (which can be quite an experience) Teresa, just a comment on Capri - you could spend a whole afternoon there. It takes a fair bit of time to shuttle between the destinations and we found we were doing a lot of walking uphill. We spent about 4 hours there and felt like we didn't have enough time. I guess what I'm saying is perhaps you should drop 1 itinerary item to give yourself more time to relish the other 2.

Hi Joel, what I really want to do is see the Blue Grotto for the experience on Capri, and see some of the ruins of Pompeii. Thanks for the tip on doing the ruins after the Capri trip. This has been an invaluable exchange of information and helped me tremendously!
T

My wife and I are travelling from Rome to Capri. We are thinking of taking the train to Naples and hydrofoil from there to Capri. How hard is it to get from Napoli Centrale to the marina?

I spent a week on Capri, it's one of my favorite places on earth! But to appreciate it's beauty, make sure you take the funicular UP to the main square(the port area isn't where the beauty lies). It's wonderful to walk around this pedestrian only island with it's amazing views of the Mediteranean, the flowers, the cobbled alleys, and to see the Faraglione (formation of rocks jutting from the sea) etc...The Blue Grotto for me was a lesser thrill - perhaps because I got sea sick on the boat going to the grotto! I, personally, would also leave out Pompeii (only because of your time limitation) and spend more time on Capri. I also LOVE the entire Amalfi Coast. The drive is spectacularly beautiful.