Pompeii/Sorrento DIY Photos

[cruise kitty]

We were docked in Naples on the last full day of our cruise, it was a Sunday, Oct. 30th, from 7am to 6:30pm

 

Our original plan was for Capri, but we made a last minute decision to see Pompeii instead, & decided to throw in Sorrento also, for good measure! Would have loved to add in Amalfi & Positano, but that would have been overdoing it at that point, as we'd spent the previous 2 weeks walking/hiking 10+ hours a day.

 

We were off the ship around 7:30, you walk through a large building that almost seems like a shopping mall, when you exit, you are confronted by large tour buses & taxis, just walk ahead, with your back to the ship, out of the parking lot, toward the huge fort like building, to the the newsstand:

 

 

We bought the U5 tickets here, they are good for 24 hours & include the tram/trolley #1 which will get you to the train station (you also could walk to the station, it's about a mile) I asked for 2 tickets, was quoted 24 E, I politely pointed out that it was Sunday, & instead paid 12.60 E for our two tickets:

 

turn around, (away from the fort) walk to the middle of the street where there's a tram stop for the #1 trolley/tram

You're going to ride it for maybe 6 minutes or so, till you get to the huge concrete train station building: Napoli Porta Nolana, when you see everyone getting off, it's a good hint that you're at the right place. **Side note, the machine on the tram that stamps tickets wouldn't take ours, but they worked fine inside the train station**

 

Find the platforms for the Sorrento trains, keep in mind that they often change platforms, we were on a train loaded with locals, when an announcement was made in Italian, & suddenly everyone gathered up their belongings, & got off, very confusing, luckily an older Italian woman took pity on us, & directed us to the correct train.

 

It's about a half hour trip, it's pretty obvious when you're at Pompeii, for one thing the big sign: Pompeii Scavi, for another, all the other folks with guide books & backpacks will be exiting!

 

You walk to the right, past some tiny snack shops maybe a 1-2 minute walk, & you're there.

 

Pompeii was empty at that hour, just one or two groups & us, but it filled up quickly, by the time we were leaving, around 11:30, it was packed.

 

Back to the same train platform, & caught the next train to Sorrento, took less than 30 minutes & we were there!

 

In Sorrento, we just walked, wandered, bought lemon products & some spices, ate pizza, drank beer & ate gelatto... very relaxing, around 3 we started the walk down to the ferries, there are some steep stairs:

after the stairs you walk down a very narrow street with cliffs on either side, then to right to the hydrofoil tickets:

Your ticket should say: Sorrento-Napoli Beverello

11 E each, we could have taken the train for free, however, the views from the boat were just gorgeous, the sun was setting, the air was fresh ( we sat outside on top) & it was well worth the extra $. Took a little over half an hour. Ours was the 4:25 boat, I wouldn't go any later, you'd chance missing the ship.

[cruisemom42]

Excellent report! A picture truly is worth a thousand words in some cases. Reading directions can make things sound more complicated than they really are.

 

I'm glad you enjoyed your day. :)

[cruise kitty]

Excellent report! A picture truly is worth a thousand words in some cases. Reading directions can make things sound more complicated than they really are.

 

I'm glad you enjoyed your day. :)

 

Thanks Cruise Mom, I have to say, that this was in actuality, one of the easiest diy ports, but it seemed rather daunting ahead of time...

 

As an added note: we used the Rick Steves audio guide for Pompeii, & as for Pompeii itself, I found it rather touching, & of course tragic... you can really imagine the people living their day to day lives there.

[trabeler]

Thanks for the report! I had the same experience with the newsstand at the Naples port wanting to sell us full priced tickets on the weekend.

[cruise kitty]

Thanks for the report! I had the same experience with the newsstand at the Naples port wanting to sell us full priced tickets on the weekend.

 

Hi, You're welcome, & yes, I don't know how common it is, but it's something to be aware of.

[Keith1010]

Excellent photos and report.

 

Keith

[moviegal]

Fantastic information and breathtaking photos. Thank you so much for sharing this!

[cruise kitty]

Fantastic information and breathtaking photos. Thank you so much for sharing this!

 

You're very welcome! It was a great day :)

[deblew]

Thanks for the detailed instructions. We just returned from a Med cruise and followed your instructions to go to Pompeii and Sorrento. Only hitch was at the newsstand where the man insisted the only type of ticket he had for Sorrento was the 12 euro ticket (we were there on a Sunday). We loved Sorrento and might not have gone there if I had not read your post. We ended up taking the train back instead of the hydrofoil. We were glad to have done this port on our own rather than with a tour. Thanks again!!:)

[JsEscape2]

We were docked in Naples on the last full day of our cruise, it was a Sunday, Oct. 30th, from 7am to 6:30pm

 

Our original plan was for Capri, but we made a last minute decision to see Pompeii instead, & decided to throw in Sorrento also, for good measure! Would have loved to add in Amalfi & Positano, but that would have been overdoing it at that point, as we'd spent the previous 2 weeks walking/hiking 10+ hours a day.

 

We were off the ship around 7:30, you walk through a large building that almost seems like a shopping mall, when you exit, you are confronted by large tour buses & taxis, just walk ahead, with your back to the ship, out of the parking lot, toward the huge fort like building, to the the newsstand:

 

 

We bought the U5 tickets here, they are good for 24 hours & include the tram/trolley #1 which will get you to the train station (you also could walk to the station, it's about a mile) I asked for 2 tickets, was quoted 24 E, I politely pointed out that it was Sunday, & instead paid 12.60 E for our two tickets:

 

turn around, (away from the fort) walk to the middle of the street where there's a tram stop for the #1 trolley/tram

You're going to ride it for maybe 6 minutes or so, till you get to the huge concrete train station building: Napoli Porta Nolana, when you see everyone getting off, it's a good hint that you're at the right place. **Side note, the machine on the tram that stamps tickets wouldn't take ours, but they worked fine inside the train station**

 

Find the platforms for the Sorrento trains, keep in mind that they often change platforms, we were on a train loaded with locals, when an announcement was made in Italian, & suddenly everyone gathered up their belongings, & got off, very confusing, luckily an older Italian woman took pity on us, & directed us to the correct train.

 

It's about a half hour trip, it's pretty obvious when you're at Pompeii, for one thing the big sign: Pompeii Scavi, for another, all the other folks with guide books & backpacks will be exiting!

 

You walk to the right, past some tiny snack shops maybe a 1-2 minute walk, & you're there.

 

Pompeii was empty at that hour, just one or two groups & us, but it filled up quickly, by the time we were leaving, around 11:30, it was packed.

 

Back to the same train platform, & caught the next train to Sorrento, took less than 30 minutes & we were there!

 

In Sorrento, we just walked, wandered, bought lemon products & some spices, ate pizza, drank beer & ate gelatto... very relaxing, around 3 we started the walk down to the ferries, there are some steep stairs:

after the stairs you walk down a very narrow street with cliffs on either side, then to right to the hydrofoil tickets:

Your ticket should say: Sorrento-Napoli Beverello

11 E each, we could have taken the train for free, however, the views from the boat were just gorgeous, the sun was setting, the air was fresh ( we sat outside on top) & it was well worth the extra $. Took a little over half an hour. Ours was the 4:25 boat, I wouldn't go any later, you'd chance missing the ship.

 

Thanks you so much for this post.

 

This is exactly what we hope to do the first week in October 2012.

 

Are the U5 tickets for the trolly to the train, the train to Pompeii and then the train to Sorrento? Did the guy at the newsstand speak English or do I need to brush up on a few phrases in italian?

 

No problem with the hydrofoil running? I read that sometimes it stops running do to bad weather or sometime in October it stops for the winter season?

[trabeler]

Are the U5 tickets for the trolly to the train, the train to Pompeii and then the train to Sorrento? Did the guy at the newsstand speak English or do I need to brush up on a few phrases in italian?

The U5 ticket will cover your trolley to the Circumvesuviana station and all the trains to/from Pompeii and Sorrento.

 

The newstand guys speak enough english for buying tickets. Just be sure you get the U5 and if it's the weekend, ask for the weekend rate since they're likely to offer you the weekday ticket.

 

And don't forget to validate your ticket!

[happy_travellers]

You're very welcome! It was a great day :)

 

Thank you so much, looks like the perfect day for us. What time was your boat leaving Naples? We are in port 7am to 7pm.

 

Thanks again , Karen

[gailjen]

Thank you for this step by step guide,,we are going to do this,,apart from the ferry back.

Are kids are 13/17 year old is the U5 cheaper for them?

 

Can you tell me apart from carrying our passports how can we prove we are citizens of the EU for reduced cost of entry to Pompeii?

 

How often do the trains run back from Sorento on a week day in Aug. is it just one train or do we need to change.

 

I have the train website but not sure of the train station names to put in for the timetable....

[euro cruiser]

Thank you for this step by step guide,,we are going to do this,,apart from the ferry back.

Are kids are 13/17 year old is the U5 cheaper for them?

 

Can you tell me apart from carrying our passports how can we prove we are citizens of the EU for reduced cost of entry to Pompeii?

 

How often do the trains run back from Sorento on a week day in Aug. is it just one train or do we need to change.

 

I have the train website but not sure of the train station names to put in for the timetable....

The U5 is the same price for the kids as the adults.

 

Any state issued ID with your address will suffice to get the reduced cost entry for Pompei.

 

There are a couple of trains each hour from Sorrento to Naples; you can see (and print out) the entire schedule here: http://www.vesuviana.it/web/files/Napoli%20Sorrento%20A4.pdf

[gailjen]

The U5 is the same price for the kids as the adults.

 

Any state issued ID with your address will suffice to get the reduced cost entry for Pompei.

 

There are a couple of trains each hour from Sorrento to Naples; you can see (and print out) the entire schedule here: http://www.vesuviana.it/web/files/Napoli%20Sorrento%20A4.pdf

 

Thanks for the prompt reply, do you think if hubby & I take our UK driving licence that would be ok, dont really want to carry our passports, I believe under 18's go free at Pompei??

[srpilo]

Useful post, thanks for sharing

 

 

 

 

Srpilo

[euro cruiser]

Thanks for the prompt reply, do you think if hubby & I take our UK driving licence that would be ok, dont really want to carry our passports, I believe under 18's go free at Pompei??

Yes, the license should suffice. I'm not sure about the age, the web site doesn't mention anything about ages and I never took any of our kids there until they were older. It says that the reduced fee is good for those between the ages of 18 - 25, so it stands to reason that there is no fee for those under 18.

 

http://www.pompeiisites.org/Sezione.jsp?idSezione=55

[bigeck]

Hi,

Thanks for report on tickets etc. We have had our port changed from Salerno to Naples. We want to do Sorrento, which is easy by train, thanks to your review. Does the train go on to Positano or will that be by bus. I know we will have to get the bus fro Positano to Salerno and get the train back to Naples

 

Alex

[JsEscape2]

:confused:thank you for all the postings.

 

I have printed out the schedule for the trains, but I don't really understand the schedule for the hydrofoil. I looked at the Alilauro web site, but the dates for the schedule look like they end 9/15/12.

 

Kitty Cruiser, you were there at the end of October, so I assume the boats were running.

 

Just a little nervous. We would really like to take the boat, but I guess we could take the rain back.

 

J

[gailjen]

Yes, the license should suffice. I'm not sure about the age, the web site doesn't mention anything about ages and I never took any of our kids there until they were older. It says that the reduced fee is good for those between the ages of 18 - 25, so it stands to reason that there is no fee for those under 18.

 

http://www.pompeiisites.org/Sezione.jsp?idSezione=55

 

Thank you

[euro cruiser]

I have printed out the schedule for the trains, but I don't really understand the schedule for the hydrofoil. I looked at the Alilauro web site, but the dates for the schedule look like they end 9/15/12.

The summer schedule ends in September when they switch over to the winter schedule. There will be fewer boats, but they will still run between Naples, Capri and Sorrento.

[bigeck]

Euro Cruiser,

I have been looking and on you tube etc. Ravello also looks nice.

If I get off the bus at Amalfi, can I go to Ravello and then on to Naples or do I have to go to Salerno.

Sorry for the questions

 

Alex

[wristband]

You can easily catch a bus to Ravello from Amalfi. Takes about twenty minutes. If you are fit, consider the nice walk downhill from Ravello back to Amalfi on a well-known path. Otherwise, the bus runs back to Amalfi every hour.

 

Ravello is very nice and unique. However, if there in late fall, some hotels and restaurants will be closed (same for Amalfi and Positano). So, if you have a particular place for lunch in Ravello, best to confirm they will be open and reserve by email.

 

Ravello is a wonderful place to have lunch if the weather permits and you can sit out on a terrace. The views of the Bay are spectacular. Also, there is an interesting history about the little town - search the internet for more info.

[bigeck]

You can easily catch a bus to Ravello from Amalfi. Takes about twenty minutes. If you are fit, consider the nice walk downhill from Ravello back to Amalfi on a well-known path. Otherwise, the bus runs back to Amalfi every hour.

 

Ravello is very nice and unique. However, if there in late fall, some hotels and restaurants will be closed (same for Amalfi and Positano). So, if you have a particular place for lunch in Ravello, best to confirm they will be open and reserve by email.

 

Ravello is a wonderful place to have lunch if the weather permits and you can sit out on a terrace. The views of the Bay are spectacular. Also, there is an interesting history about the little town - search the internet for more info.

 

Thanks for the info. We are their on 26th October. We arrive at Naples and will get the ferry to Sorrento. Then ferry or bus to Positano and bus on to Amalfi. Can we get a bus from Ravello to Naples without going to Salerno.

 

Alex

[euro cruiser]

Can we get a bus from Ravello to Naples without going to Salerno.

Yes, but it will take a long, long time by bus.

 

From Ravello you can get a bus south and west to Amalfi, where you'd change to another bus (to Sorrento, where you could get either a ferry or the train) or south and east to Salerno where you can catch the train back to Naples. The direct bus from Amalfi to Naples only runs early in the morning on workdays, for workers.

 

For ease and time I think you're better off going to Salerno and taking the train.

 

Bus schedules can be seen here:

 

Ravello to Amalfi: http://www.sitasudtrasporti.it/public/tpl/campania/5110.pdf

 

Amalfi to Sorrento (page 2): http://www.sitasudtrasporti.it/public/tpl/campania/5070.pdf

 

Amalfi to Salerno (page 2): http://www.sitasudtrasporti.it/public/tpl/campania/5120.pdf