Naples - Sorrento - Capri

Because of the various reccomendations I have gotten on theses boards, I'd like to go from Naples, take the 7:41 am Circumvensuviana train to Sorrento arriving at 8:47, spend a little bit of time there, and then leave by hydrofoil to Capri at either 10:45 or 11:25 am.

I've been advised to take a 3:25 hydrofoil from Capri back to Naples to ensure I make it back in time to catch the ship.

Here's my question. I've read a lot about Capri being super busy in the summer (I'm going to be there in about 3 weeks time). By the time I get to Capri, just before noon, I'm supposed to immediately by my return trip ticket to go to Naples to ensure my seat.

1. Is there the possibility that by the time I arrive in Capri, seats may all be sold out for 3 people? If so, do I have other alternatives?

2. If I want to go directly from Capri to Anacapri to ride the chairlift, is it best to get the bus from Marina Grande (2 per hour, but generally no long line) direct to Anacapri, or should I take the funicular up to Capri Town, and get on the bus there to Anacapri (4 per hour, but supposedly a long line for the bus).

3. I've also heard that the line for the bus from Anacapri back to Capri Town can be long as well. If the hydrofoil leaves at 3:25 pm, and I'm told to be down at Marina Grande about 45 mins - 1 hour in advance, that puts me at 2:30 pm. Should I worry that the line to get on the funicular down from Capri Town will be long?

My concern is getting a) stuck without a return from Capri to Naples, b) getting suck at Anacapri and not being able to get back to Capri Town in time, and c) being stuck in Capri Town and not making it back down to Marina Grande in time to catch the hydrofoil

Need I worry, or am I driving myself crazy?

Thanks!

Don't know if this really helps you but I did some searching on past threads while researching a tour for Capri, Sorrento, and Pompeii and pretty much everything I read was that if I wanted to go to Capri AND somewhere else that I should go through the cruise line because they have hydrofoil timing worked out to maximize the time to allow you to visit everything on the itinerary. Plus, you won't miss the ship!

 

...if I wanted to go to Capri AND somewhere else that I should go through the cruise line because they have hydrofoil timing worked out to maximize the time to allow you to visit everything on the itinerary. Plus, you won't miss the ship!

jstducky, you're trying to squeeze too much of a good thing into one short day. If it were me, I'd pick either Sorrento or Capri so I could really enjoy my day instead of worrying whether I'll make it to the next destination.

We did a Princess excursion directly from the ship's dock in Naples to Capri in '07. When we docked in Capri, transportation was waiting to bring us up to Anacapri where we had a formal tour for part of the time and then had quite a bit of time on our own.

We then were transported down to Capri Town where they provided a fantastic lunch in one of the beautiful hotels overlooking the Med. We then had time to explore and then took the funicular down to the dock area.

It was a very relaxing day and I'd do it again. There's so much to see on Capri...don't ruin it by rushing through it.

Leave Sorrento for your next visit to Italy. That's what we did...we're spending a week in Sorrento after our cruise disembarks in Civitavecchia in September.

Lew

Thanks!

We'll see. I'm in port for 11 hours, so I don't really want to spend all day in Sorrento or all day in Capri.

The first time I was there, I already did Amalfi and Pompeii.

And unfortunately, I have no interest in doing a ships tour since they are so expensive.

I was planning on leaving Positano and Ravello for my next trip! :)

We'll see what I end up doing.

If anyone else has any other input, I'd appreciate it.

Why go through all that effort, worry and hydrofoil expense for what you describe as less than a three-hour visit to Capri?

3. I've also heard that the line for the bus from Anacapri back to Capri Town can be long as well. If the hydrofoil leaves at 3:25 pm, and I'm told to be down at Marina Grande about 45 mins - 1 hour in advance, that puts me at 2:30 pm. Should I worry that the line to get on the funicular down from Capri Town will be long?

My concern is getting a) stuck without a return from Capri to Naples, b) getting suck at Anacapri and not being able to get back to Capri Town in time, and c) being stuck in Capri Town and not making it back down to Marina Grande in time to catch the hydrofoil

Need I worry, or am I driving myself crazy?

Thanks!

Hi, hope you have a fantastic cruise, only one word of warning about the bus back from Anacapri, two years ago we holidayed in Sorrento, and spent the day in capri (went by hydrafoil) it was early august and as you say when we got of we booked our hydrafoil back at a time that would give us loads of time, we had a good look around Capri town then took the bus to Anacapri, no problem, but when we came to go back there was a huge problem, long queue so we joined it, but every bus that came in was filled with people who had been to the blue grotto (same bus) so each bus would only take about six people before it was full again, result it took us three hours queueing to get a bus back to capri town and in the end some of us clubbed together for a taxi, but we still missed our connection back to sorrento, which really was not that important because we were in a hotel but could be a disaster on a cruise ship. so be very carefull. we will be in naples in November(on Equinox) and i am not sure if we will risk capri again, althought I would like to, but I think if we do we will go direct to capri and then come back to sorrento, so if we get really pushed we could at least get a train/or even taxi back to the ship, which you cannt do from capri. anyway have a lovely trip.

Nancy

jstducky - I see you are a Bruin! Go Bruins! What year did you graduate? I graduated in 2001.

 

Hi, hope you have a fantastic cruise, only one word of warning about the bus back from Anacapri, two years ago we holidayed in Sorrento, and spent the day in capri (went by hydrafoil) it was early august and as you say when we got of we booked our hydrafoil back at a time that would give us loads of time, we had a good look around Capri town then took the bus to Anacapri, no problem, but when we came to go back there was a huge problem, long queue so we joined it, but every bus that came in was filled with people who had been to the blue grotto (same bus) so each bus would only take about six people before it was full again, result it took us three hours queueing to get a bus back to capri town and in the end some of us clubbed together for a taxi, but we still missed our connection back to sorrento, which really was not that important because we were in a hotel but could be a disaster on a cruise ship. so be very carefull. we will be in naples in November(on Equinox) and i am not sure if we will risk capri again, althought I would like to, but I think if we do we will go direct to capri and then come back to sorrento, so if we get really pushed we could at least get a train/or even taxi back to the ship, which you cannt do from capri. anyway have a lovely trip.

Nancy

Thanks Nancy. I think I've decided I'm going to do the reverse. Take the early ferry from Naples directly to Capri. Go over to Anacapri first thing in the morning. Then take the bus back to Capri Town (hopefully before the masses decide to come back). Then I'll see what time it is. If there's time, I'll take the hydrofoil over to Sorrento and then the train back to Naples. If there's not enough time, I'll go directly back to Naples and have pizza before getting back on the ship.

jstducky - I see you are a Bruin! Go Bruins! What year did you graduate? I graduated in 2001.

Go Bruins! I am also a Class of 01 graduate - Political Science and Economics

Go Bruins! I am also a Class of 01 graduate - Political Science and Economics

What a small world! I was a Sociology major with a Biz Admin & Programming specializations so I took a lot of Poli Sci and Econ classes! We probably had classes together. :D

If there's not enough time, I'll go directly back to Naples and have pizza before getting back on the ship.

Where were you planning to have pizza? I've heard a lot of good things about Da Michele but I'm not really sure of the best way to get there from the port.

I am extremely interested in your itinerary as I have a similar crazy plan, but mine includes Herculaneum. I want to go straight to Capri, then Sorrento for lunch, and on to Herculaneum before heading back to Naples. since Herculaneum closes at 5 I thought of doing the reverse. We also are in port from 8-8. Please let me know how it goes with your plans medudley@aol.com

thanks

I will make a note to email you when I return and let you know how it all turns out.

I won't be back until 8/11. I hope that's early enough for you

After 20 cruises where we have explored 99% of the ports on our own we have just one rule - never do an island tour on your own (by that I mean an island away from where the ship is docked). If you must see an island go on a ship's tour.

Our reason for this is that should anything go wrong, including change in weather conditions, you are pretty well stuck if you are on an island.

If you are away from the cruise port by yourselves on land there are always alternatives (trains, buses, taxis etc).

Thanks Nancy. I think I've decided I'm going to do the reverse. Take the early ferry from Naples directly to Capri. Go over to Anacapri first thing in the morning. Then take the bus back to Capri Town (hopefully before the masses decide to come back). Then I'll see what time it is. If there's time, I'll take the hydrofoil over to Sorrento and then the train back to Naples. If there's not enough time, I'll go directly back to Naples and have pizza before getting back on the ship.

Jusducky,

Hello ! I just want to let you know I plan to do the same thing too (except no pizza). The only concern I have is that sometimes the early hydrofoils may be soid out. On my 3 previous Med. cruises I heard fellow cruisers complain about it. In the past I have joined 2 cruise ship tours & 1 private tour when I did Capri, Sorrento & Pompeii all in 1 day.You only get to stay in each city for a little bit over 2 hours.

By the way thanks for letting me know that I can not buy

Civitavecchia - Rome & Livorno-Florence train tickets in advance in Venice. I have never taken a train in Europe.

I am busy packing right now for I have to do a Celebrity cruise (to Alaska) before I head out to do my own Med. cruise. My niece is getting married on the ship.

Happy travels !

Truffles68

Wow! Congrats to your niece! Out of all the places I've been in the world, I love Alaska the most. It's almost in your backyard! I've been 3 times and I want to go back again!

As for Livorno to Florence, I actually do think you can purchase those in advance. As long as it's a regional train, you can purchase the tickets anywhere Trenitalia has a window. It's specifically the BIRG ticket that you cannot purchase outside of Lazio because that's not considered a train ticket, that's like a transportation card or something weird like that.

I actually don't need a BIRG because my cruise ends in Civi. So I'm buying a one-way Civi-Rome ticket in advance in Naples (my port stop just before Civi).

Hope that clarification helps!

In the past I have joined 2 cruise ship tours & 1 private tour when I did Capri, Sorrento & Pompeii all in 1 day.You only get to stay in each city for a little bit over 2 hours.

Can you tell me which private tour took you to Capri, Sorrento & Pompeii? I haven't been able to find one that includes all three places.

Thanks!

Thanks Nancy. I think I've decided I'm going to do the reverse. Take the early ferry from Naples directly to Capri. Go over to Anacapri first thing in the morning. Then take the bus back to Capri Town (hopefully before the masses decide to come back). Then I'll see what time it is. If there's time, I'll take the hydrofoil over to Sorrento and then the train back to Naples. If there's not enough time, I'll go directly back to Naples and have pizza before getting back on the ship.

This is exactly what our plans are - we are planning on going to Capri on the earliest hydrofoil we can catch off the ship - spend the day in Capri, if we are finished early, we might spend a little time in Naples. We don't want to be rushed in Capri since so many people have told us it is absolutely breathtaking. If there is not enough time for Naples, we will just head back to the ship and spend extra time on the ship since during the entire cruise, we will not have much time on the ship.

I would also be interested in knowing how your day turns out....we are thinking of taking in the same sites.

Hi Jstducky,

I am contemplating the same trip as you. Do you know in which port the cruiseliners dock in Naples? ( there are two ports in Naples, Molo Beverello and Mergellino) Molo Beverello has the most frequent hydrofoil service to Capri, so I'm hoping it's that one.

I spent several days on Capri a few years back and it is a truly stunning little island. With time being limited I am going to suggest another idea for you. How's about a 2hr 30min boat trip right around the island. I didn't do that last time, but since the most spectacular spot on the island for me is the clifftop path view of I Faraglioni I want to see that up close at sea level this time. The chairlift is great, but I wouldn't spend valuable time waiting around for buses etc...........even tho Monte Solaro is only a few miles from Capri Town. If the boat trip doesn't appeal to you, you can see I Faraglioni by takng a 20 minute walk from the main square in Capri Town, Piazza Umberto ( there's a tourist info bureau in one corner of the tiny piazza who can point you in the right direction). But the 2hr 30 min boat trip also stops off at The Blue Grotto, a large cave which you enter by rowing boat. It appears to be in total darkness, then you glance over your shoulder and the water is sparking turquiose blue..........truly fabulous! Here's some info on the legendary Gianni's boat trip, rated no1 of things to do in Capri in Tripadvisor. I have emailed Gianni today, asking about fares and availability. I will let you know the details when he gets back to me.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187783-d1237800-Reviews-Capriwonderful-Capri_Campania.html

Enjoy! :)

Oh, one other thing Jst Ducky. Piazza Umberto ( the main square in Capri Town is right above Marina Grande. You can take a mountain lift both ways, or walk it in 10-15 minutes. No need to worry about getting stuck on that journey:)

Satured -- cruise ships dock at Molo Beverello in Naples. from what I understand from others, once you walk off the cruise ship, you should see the hydrofoils. so there's minimal walking, which is good!

i think my ship docks at 7 am, and the next hydrofoil is at 8 am, so i should be ok to get on that hydrofoil

thanks for the suggestion on what to do. i too have read that taking a boat trip around the island is supposed to be an amazing way to see the island and look at the limestone peaks. i'll take a look at the link.

thanks!

ok..now that i have read the prior posts I am getting nervous. Three of us want to go from the Naples Pier to Capri and then Sorrento too. But it sounds like some of you have heard of issues with catching boats back. We are going Mid Sept so don't know if that will make a difference crowd wise.. now it is sounding like everyone suggests we pick one or the other........help!

Just as an update, since I asked the original question, I was in Naples on August 7th.

I got off the ship as soon as we were cleared, purchased tickets for the 8:10 am hydrofoil to Capri. As soon as I got to Capri, I purchased my funicular tickets, bus tickets, and hydrofoil tickets to Sorrento. One tip I got was that you can always purchase hydrofoil tickets for a trip later than then one you are planning, and if you can catch an earlier hydrofoil, they will let you on. Basically, by purchasing a later ticket, that serves as your backup as long in the event that you can't catch the hydrofoil you were planning on. But note, this only works as long as the hydrofoil is being operated by the same company. So basically, you can purchase hydrofoil tickets and get on an earlier one (operated by the same company), but if you miss the hydrofoil for the time you purchased tickets for, you can't use that ticket to get on a later one.

Anyhow, I took the funicular up to Capri Town right away, and then went straight to the bus station and caught the bus to Anacapri. Went up the chairlift right away. Spent time at the top. Took the chairlift back down. Walked around Anacapri and went to the church of San Michele. Then took the bus back to Capri Town (bus stop was already starting to get crowded - had to wait for 2 buses). Wandered around Capri Town. Then headed back down the funicular. By then Capri Town was getting busy, and the line for the funicular from Marina Grande up to Capri Town was ridiculous.

I took the 12:20 pm hydrofoil to Sorrento, no problems getting on at all. Took a bus from Marina Piccolo up to Piazza Taso and then spent 2+ hours in Sorrento before taking the 2:56 pm train back to Naples. Used the same ticket for the train to get on a bus from Piazza Garibaldi back to the port. Was back on board the ship with 40 minutes to spare before all aboard.

So, it can be done. You just need to make sure to watch your time and plan for backups in case something goes wrong.

Good luck!

Because of the various reccomendations I have gotten on theses boards, I'd like to go from Naples, take the 7:41 am Circumvensuviana train to Sorrento arriving at 8:47, spend a little bit of time there, and then leave by hydrofoil to Capri at either 10:45 or 11:25 am.

 

I've been advised to take a 3:25 hydrofoil from Capri back to Naples to ensure I make it back in time to catch the ship.

 

Here's my question. I've read a lot about Capri being super busy in the summer (I'm going to be there in about 3 weeks time). By the time I get to Capri, just before noon, I'm supposed to immediately by my return trip ticket to go to Naples to ensure my seat.

 

1. Is there the possibility that by the time I arrive in Capri, seats may all be sold out for 3 people? If so, do I have other alternatives?

 

2. If I want to go directly from Capri to Anacapri to ride the chairlift, is it best to get the bus from Marina Grande (2 per hour, but generally no long line) direct to Anacapri, or should I take the funicular up to Capri Town, and get on the bus there to Anacapri (4 per hour, but supposedly a long line for the bus).

 

3. I've also heard that the line for the bus from Anacapri back to Capri Town can be long as well. If the hydrofoil leaves at 3:25 pm, and I'm told to be down at Marina Grande about 45 mins - 1 hour in advance, that puts me at 2:30 pm. Should I worry that the line to get on the funicular down from Capri Town will be long?

 

My concern is getting a) stuck without a return from Capri to Naples, b) getting suck at Anacapri and not being able to get back to Capri Town in time, and c) being stuck in Capri Town and not making it back down to Marina Grande in time to catch the hydrofoil

 

Need I worry, or am I driving myself crazy?

 

Thanks!

I noticed you took the train back to Naples from Sorrento... now I think I have found a ferry schedule from sorrento to naples..would that be any faster?

ok..now that i have read the prior posts I am getting nervous. Three of us want to go from the Naples Pier to Capri and then Sorrento too. But it sounds like some of you have heard of issues with catching boats back. We are going Mid Sept so don't know if that will make a difference crowd wise.. now it is sounding like everyone suggests we pick one or the other........help!

We decided to do the ship's excursion to Capri, Sorrento, and Pompeii, instead of risking doing this ourselves. It is the only ship excursion we are taking.

Just as an update, since I asked the original question, I was in Naples on August 7th.

 

I got off the ship as soon as we were cleared, purchased tickets for the 8:10 am hydrofoil to Capri. As soon as I got to Capri, I purchased my funicular tickets, bus tickets, and hydrofoil tickets to Sorrento. One tip I got was that you can always purchase hydrofoil tickets for a trip later than then one you are planning, and if you can catch an earlier hydrofoil, they will let you on. Basically, by purchasing a later ticket, that serves as your backup as long in the event that you can't catch the hydrofoil you were planning on. But note, this only works as long as the hydrofoil is being operated by the same company. So basically, you can purchase hydrofoil tickets and get on an earlier one (operated by the same company), but if you miss the hydrofoil for the time you purchased tickets for, you can't use that ticket to get on a later one.

 

Anyhow, I took the funicular up to Capri Town right away, and then went straight to the bus station and caught the bus to Anacapri. Went up the chairlift right away. Spent time at the top. Took the chairlift back down. Walked around Anacapri and went to the church of San Michele. Then took the bus back to Capri Town (bus stop was already starting to get crowded - had to wait for 2 buses). Wandered around Capri Town. Then headed back down the funicular. By then Capri Town was getting busy, and the line for the funicular from Marina Grande up to Capri Town was ridiculous.

 

I took the 12:20 pm hydrofoil to Sorrento, no problems getting on at all. Took a bus from Marina Piccolo up to Piazza Taso and then spent 2+ hours in Sorrento before taking the 2:56 pm train back to Naples. Used the same ticket for the train to get on a bus from Piazza Garibaldi back to the port. Was back on board the ship with 40 minutes to spare before all aboard.

 

So, it can be done. You just need to make sure to watch your time and plan for backups in case something goes wrong.

 

Good luck!

I'm glad everything worked out!! Did you have good pizza in Naples? If so, do you remember where? :D