Capri vs Pompeii

[cruise kitty]

We will be in Naples on a Sunday in late Oct 2011 for 11.5 hours, ship also goes to athens, istanbul, ephesus & a few more greek isles, (plus Rome) need to decide between Capri (sounds lovely & leisurely, we loved nice & eze) vs Pompeii, (love history & ruins, afraid we may be overwhelmed with ruins by that point) Opinions please?

[cruisemom42]

I notice you are going to several Greek islands as well on your cruise -- perhaps you'll be "overwhelmed" by beautiful scenic islands by that point. ;) Funny how no one ever says that. It's always "I'll have seen enough ruins by then...." Just sayin'

 

Truth is, no one but you can decide what you want to do. Both Pompeii and Capri are easy to do on your own. Why don't you just take notes with you on how to do both of them and decide which you are up for the day before you get to Naples?

[dfwguy62]

Both Pompeii and Capri are easy to do on your own. Why don't you just take notes with you on how to do both of them and decide which you are up for the day before you get to Naples?

 

I think this is one of the best pieces of advice I've read on here in a long time. I fully agree. Unless you are the type that only wants to do pre-arranged tours of some fashion... prepare for both and then wing it. It's feasible to do both on the same day as well. A little more rushed, but feasible. Most ships offer a Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri 3-stop tour. So you can either take that or arrange your own version.

[cruisinisforme]

Have you been to Naples before? If not the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii was my first choice based on so much information which I read on this board. Now that I am going back I will be visiting Capri but decided the other was more important to see first..and it will not disappoint it is wonderful

[Hlitner]

I notice you are going to several Greek islands as well on your cruise -- perhaps you'll be "overwhelmed" by beautiful scenic islands by that point. ;) Funny how no one ever says that. It's always "I'll have seen enough ruins by then...." Just sayin'

 

Truth is, no one but you can decide what you want to do. Both Pompeii and Capri are easy to do on your own. Why don't you just take notes with you on how to do both of them and decide which you are up for the day before you get to Naples?

 

As long time proponents of independent travel this post captures our philosophy. We always preach that you should do your pre-trip homework, know your options, and then you can make your final decisions at the last minute. You could actually make the Pompeii/Capri decision as you are leaving the ship in Naples. One other possibility is to do both places in one day which is not something we recommend. But, it can be done. You get off the ship very early (by around 8) and get yourself to the Circumvesuviana Train station and jump on the train to the Pompeii Scavi stop. You then rush through the ruins in about 1 1/2 hours (you have to rush to pull this off) and then run back to the Pompeii Scavi train station (across the street from the ruins) and grab the next train to Sorrento (trains run every 30 min). When you get to Sorrento you immediately go to the ferry pier and catch the next boat over to Capri (only a 20 min ride from Sorrento). When you arrive on Capri you immedately buy a jetboat/hydrofoil ticket to get you back to Naples (Molo Beverelo terminal). It takes 50 min for the boat back to Naples plus you need 15 min to walk to the gangplank, so you need to leave Capri by around 4 (depending on your cruise departure time). The trick is to be at Pompeii by 9am and get to Sorrento before noon. With luck, you will get about 2 - 3 hours on Capri. WARNING! It can take 45 min to get from Capri Town back down to the marina if its a busy afternoon since many cruise ship passengers are all trying to get on the funicular at the same time. I want to reiterate that we personally do not recommend these "crazy" excursions since you have to rush through everything (and miss too much) but, for some, it is a viable option.

 

Hank

[tom_uk]

I agree with Hank in not wanting to do too much. Also, the Circumvesuviana train can have problems. When we used it in summer 2007 there were significant holdups between Pompeii and Sorrento - the journey time was doubled, which messed up our visit to Sorrento.

 

As regards the funicular from Capri Town to Marina Grande, we found a pathway (properly surfaced) that led straight down to the harbour. It was a bit steep in places, and it took us (brisk walkers) a good 10 minutes to do it, but it was uncrowded and easy. Out of the sun, too - it faces north.

[TLCOhio]

We will be in Naples on a Sunday in late Oct 2011 for 11.5 hours, ship also goes to athens, istanbul, ephesus & a few more greek isles, (plus Rome) need to decide between Capri (sounds lovely & leisurely, we loved nice & eze) vs Pompeii, (love history & ruins, afraid we may be overwhelmed with ruins by that point) Opinions please?

 

You have tough, challenging choices to make here. Both Capri and Pompeii are excellent options. You could be prepared for BOTH and then make a "day of" decision based on weather, your mood, what you would have seen earlier in your cruise, etc. Great suggestion by Cynthia. My key advice would be to avoid Naples. It can be a challenging city in many ways. To add to the confusion of choices, Positano is also super wonderful. Have lunch on the beach at Chez Black's. Sorrento is very nice. BUT, the big choice is between Pompeii and Capri. You could try to do both, but that is pushing it, maybe, especially from a docking in Naples.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

 

Positano is uniquely built along the slopping mountain side. Here's an artist's view as he paints this scenic site.

 

 

 

On Capri, we are departing on a smaller boat to visit the famed Blue Grotto. It is a very charming island with much to see and do.:

 

 

 

As we approached Capri, here is one of the large rock formations with a boat shown circling the island:

 

 

 

Here are some samples of what we saw in Pompeii with our guide. There are a wide variety of buildings, interiors, art and architectural objects, etc. Very interesting and historic!!!:

 

 

 

[cruise kitty]

It's funny last night at dinner DH & I decided we'd do just what many are recommending, research & plan for both, then see how we feel that day... I don't want to try & do both in one day, our first time in Europe we had a severe case of IMNBHAS (I may never be here again syndrome) We had to force ourselves to sit down occasionally & enjoy a sidewalk cafe or just people watch a bit, it's easy to just go, go ,go & not even really experience the wonderful places that you're visiting. Thanks again for the good advice.