Herculaneum and ????

[cleobella]

Wow, planning Naples is a bit of a challenge! I think we've decided that we'd like to see Herculaneum and Carnival has a short tour in the afternoon that looks fine. So, I am wondering if I can possibly pair it up with something in the morning. If we start at 8am and return to the dock in time to join the Herculaneum tour that means that we could have about 5 hours to do something else. Is it possible to see any part of the Amalfi coast in that time, or take a ferry to Capri in the morning? I'd really love to avoid a 10 hour day, would love to see Herculaneum but would hate to just sit around all morning on the ship!

[cleobella]

Thanks Warrior-that's what I was thinking, glad to hear it's feasible. Maybe we can take a taxi or public transportation to Herculaneum and that would by us more time in Capri.

[dritan]

Hi

 

If the hydrofoil timetable doesn't suit ( that's what we experienced last time) I would also suggest either a trip to the Archeological museum in Naples as this will definitely put you in the mood for the visit to Herculaneum or even a hop on hop off bus tour of Naples. These bus tours do a circuit from just outside you cruise terminal (if you are port of call is Naples rather than Salerno)

 

Although we walked it, the museum is a 10 min taxi ride and is housed in a beautiful old building ( beautiful on the inside that is, the outside is a bit miserable looking) and contains artefacts from Pompeii and the surrounding area.

 

However, hope you will be able to time the hydrofoil to Capri.

[dritan]

Oh and wanted to add that it is very easy to get public transport to Herculaneum. The train station is just around the corner from the main central termini on Piazza Garibaldi and the route is called the Circumvesuviana (sp?). We used it to get to Pompeii and back with no problems.

[ariawoman]

Oh and wanted to add that it is very easy to get public transport to Herculaneum. The train station is just around the corner from the main central termini on Piazza Garibaldi and the route is called the Circumvesuviana (sp?). We used it to get to Pompeii and back with no problems.

 

And the train stop for herculanium is called Ercolano Scavi. We took it last year in Oct when we did a DIY in Naples. When we got to the stop, we walked out of the train station and there was a sign that said "want to go to herculanium" and we ended up getting transportation to/from herculanium from them. Very reliable and while it might seem seedy, it worked out very well. I wish I had their name but their office was tiny and located to the left of the exit of the train.

 

The drive over to the site took maybe 5-10 minutes each way. They dropped us off, said they'd be back at precisely 1:30pm, and they were indeed back exactly at 130pm.

[hkto]

Taxi rate (with 2 hr stop) from Naples port to Herculaneum (ERCOLANO SCAVI) is presently fixed @ 70 euro round trip. All rates are here

http://www.comune.napoli.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/D.1f4e1e7329dd5e430b2f/P/BLOB%3AID%3D1193

 

If link fails http://www.comune.napoli.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/1193 then choose "Tariffe"

[Hlitner]

We do not see how its feasible to visit Capri in the morning because of the logistics and time factors. Without looking at the actual jetboar/hydrofoil schedules lets put this in perspective. Assume you are off your ship by 8:15 and walk over to the ferry terminal. Further assume you get a jetboat at 9:00 which gets you to the pier at Marina Grande (Capri) at 9:50. At that point you walk over to the funicular station, buy a ticket and wait in line. With some luck you will be up at the top station by 10:10 (and this would require some luck). Now, assume you need to catch an 11:00 boat back to Naples so that you can be back at the ship by a little after noon. This means that once you arrive up at Capri (remember we are talking after 10) you will have about 15 min to explore the town before you need to start your journey back down to the port to get your 11 am boat. That 15 min (and you will only get this much time if you are lucky) will come at quite a price since the boats are not exactly cheap (its used to be about 35 Euros round trip) plus the funicular cost. And also keep in mind that this scenario assumes that there are boats at the right time....and this is generally not the case.

 

Hank

 

Hank

[CJcruzer]

On our recent Med cruise, I booked a private tour for 6 of us (Naples port) - where we visited the Royal Palace of Caserta (along the lines of a Versailles), mini-tour of central naples with lunch at a local restaurant (specialty: napolitano pizza baked in wood-fired oven - their profiteroles were to die for) - and then onward to Herculaneum for tour with private guide (same guide we used 2 years ago for Pompeii) ---- this was our last port stop on a 20 day cruise, and usually by then, the last day is not as memorable - but we had a FANTASTIC tour......Caserta was a real hidden gem ----

 

Although I would have liked to go to the archaeological museum, I knew by the end of the cruise I would be museum'ed out - Athens Archaeological museum, Olympia museum, etc - so the visit to the Palace was a nice departure from antiquities, ruins and museums.

[cleobella]

Thanks for all the great feedback! I think we will take the Train to Herc or Pompeii in the am and then return to Naples in the afternoon for Pizza lunch, Archeological Museum and the Veiled Christ statue. Now, having just decided on that plan I see that AP tours has gotten back to us with a great price for Pompeii, Sorrento and Positano! I think I'm still leaning toward a DIY Pompeii/Naples day-then we can get a more complete picture of the ruins and avoid a long 10 hour day.

 

I really appreciate all the great advice I get on this marvelous forum-you all rock! :):):)

[DavidA23]

I'd like to add a few thoughts, which you can take for what they are worth. First, no matter what you decide to do, you can't go wrong. Naples has many, many interesting places to see and things to do. The train to Herculaneum and Pompeii is easy to use. We liked Herc better than Pompeii, but both are worth while. Capri is nice, but would rank lower on my list for first-time visitors.

The veiled Christ statue was wonderful and moved both my wife and myself to tears. It was a little hard to find, but well worth the trip. Also, Naples is a down and dirty kind of city. We haven't found it to be dangerous, but you do need to be aware of your surroundings. We use public transpotation and have been treated great by bus drivers, locals, and even the police. Don't forget to validate your bus or train ticket.

Last time we were there on a one-day cruise stop, my back was acting up and we simply took the Hopon hopoff bus tours. They had several different routes - one of which went up into the villages North of the city. It was a wonderful tour and we enjoyed it very much. We don't normally use the HOHO's but in this case it worked out well for us.

My advice would be to pick a few must-sees and leave the rest for your next visit.

[cleobella]

Thanks David. I'm leaning toward Herc because It seems to be more manageable for a visit. I think you are right in advising to not do too much. We really want to enjoy our visit and not get too caught up in an overly busy day!

[sippican]

Thanks David. I'm leaning toward Herc because It seems to be more manageable for a visit. I think you are right in advising to not do too much. We really want to enjoy our visit and not get too caught up in an overly busy day!

 

We too decided to visit Herculaneum. Before you go check out the "Secrets of the Dead" series. There is one on Herculaneum. You can view the entire episode on your computer at pbs.org. Fascinating!

[ariawoman]

Thanks David. I'm leaning toward Herc because It seems to be more manageable for a visit. I think you are right in advising to not do too much. We really want to enjoy our visit and not get too caught up in an overly busy day!

 

You seem to be doing the same thing we did. The pizza is a must. We found a good place (though I dont think it was one of the top-rated) it was called Pizzeria Vincenzo Costa on Via Capuana near piazza capuana. If you stumble upon them, check them out! We shared 1, the pie was rather large and we were just wanting a small lunch and had to have pizza in Naples!

[bamondo]

On our recent Med cruise, I booked a private tour for 6 of us (Naples port) - where we visited the Royal Palace of Caserta (along the lines of a Versailles), mini-tour of central naples with lunch at a local restaurant (specialty: napolitano pizza baked in wood-fired oven - their profiteroles were to die for) - and then onward to Herculaneum for tour with private guide (same guide we used 2 years ago for Pompeii) ---- this was our last port stop on a 20 day cruise, and usually by then, the last day is not as memorable - but we had a FANTASTIC tour......Caserta was a real hidden gem ----

 

Although I would have liked to go to the archaeological museum, I knew by the end of the cruise I would be museum'ed out - Athens Archaeological museum, Olympia museum, etc - so the visit to the Palace was a nice departure from antiquities, ruins and museums.

 

Could you share - what was the tour operator's contact information? Thanks!

[lucyintheskywithdiamonds]

do any of the hoho routes go anywhere near Herculaneum? thanks

[euro cruiser]

do any of the hoho routes go anywhere near Herculaneum? thanks

No, Ercolano is about seven miles outside of town. It is easy to reach by bus or using the Circumvesuviana train.

 

Naples HOHO bus info, including map routes, is here: http://www.napoli.city-sightseeing.it/eng/percorsi.htm

[lucyintheskywithdiamonds]

thank you!:)

[DZJ]

On our recent Med cruise, I booked a private tour for 6 of us (Naples port) - where we visited the Royal Palace of Caserta (along the lines of a Versailles), mini-tour of central naples with lunch at a local restaurant (specialty: napolitano pizza baked in wood-fired oven - their profiteroles were to die for) - and then onward to Herculaneum for tour with private guide (same guide we used 2 years ago for Pompeii) ---- this was our last port stop on a 20 day cruise, and usually by then, the last day is not as memorable - but we had a FANTASTIC tour......Caserta was a real hidden gem ----

 

Although I would have liked to go to the archaeological museum, I knew by the end of the cruise I would be museum'ed out - Athens Archaeological museum, Olympia museum, etc - so the visit to the Palace was a nice departure from antiquities, ruins and museums.

Who did you use for your private tour?

[itsjb1]

We were on NCL last summer and did a shore excursion to Sorrento in the morning and Herculanneum in the afternoon. I think that Carnival may have the same Sorrento in the am excursion.