Naples: Does Anyone Actually Like It?

[steamboats]

Actually usually I go to Capri, my favorite island. But that´s mainly because I´ve stayed in the area for about 4 weeks on land trips. So been there done that.

 

This August we decided to stay in town (o.k. the main reason was that just about 5 weeks later we did another cruise anchoring in front of Capri). We did the underground tour which we liked very well. Check out my photos here. I had noted a pizza place for years in my cruise files. So we went there and had a great pizza.

 

steamboats

[b_cruise]

i personally really liked Naples as well. You have to try pizza there!! I only spent a couple hours walking around but i found it very nice. You can get some good deals too. I am going back there this summer and staying one night at Hotel Bellini as I really did want to spend more time in this city.

[cc_rider]

Naples is as well know for seafood as it is for pizza.

And pastries. Loved the sfogliatella.

[waterlegs]

Can you do Pompeii as a DIY tour from Naples? Is it easy to get to and back independently? I am not a history buff and really just want to walk around the ruins and soak up the atmosphere and see Vesuvius. How much time would I need to give to it? Could I fit in the city of Naples as well?

[euro cruiser]

Yes, it's very easy to get to Pompei and back DIY from the Naples port. You can go by bus from the port area or take a bus to the Porta Nolana Circumvesuviana train station and get the train from there.

 

After two or three hours at the ruins you can be back in Naples for lunch and time to wander about, it's an easy port as the cruise port is right in the historic downtown area.

[cruisemom42]

Can you do Pompeii as a DIY tour from Naples? Is it easy to get to and back independently? I am not a history buff and really just want to walk around the ruins and soak up the atmosphere and see Vesuvius. How much time would I need to give to it? Could I fit in the city of Naples as well?

 

There are a couple of easy ways to get to Pompeii from Naples on your own. There's a bus that leaves from near the cruise port (if the times work for you), which is probably the least hassle. Or there is the regional train line, the Circumvesuviana, which you can take from Naples -- gets you to Pompeii (stop name: Pompei Scavi) in about 40 minutes.

 

There is detailed info on both of these if you do a search on these boards.

 

You probably should spend a minimum of 2-3 hours in Pompeii to get a sense of the place -- it's quite large. But assuming your ship docks in Naples for the usual 10-11 hours, you should still have time to see a bit of Naples.

[bennybear]

We're just back from a med cruise and I noticed that there were large tour buses that did Pompeii transport for about 15 euro right from the main port. Seemed like good value. We didn't use them ourselves as we went to Capri and then for pizza😊

[George C]

We loved Naples, it was my favorite port on my cruise years ago, great pizza/food. Was disappointed that my cruise last month that had 5 stops in Italy did not stop in Naples

[Grant2000]

One of the best places to see in Naples is the National Archaeology Museum. It houses many of the artefacts that were recovered from the Lost City of Pompeii (which was covered by volcanic ash 2,000 years ago when Vesuvius erupted).

 

To get a good overview of Naples, the hop-on hop-off bus is a good, inexpensive way to see the city. There is a stop near the cruise port.

 

http://naplesitaly.ca/attractions/museoarcheologico.html

[sarleo]

I will be in Naples in May. I have always marveled at the beautiful pastel buildings on the water in photos that say "Naples". I wanted to experience the area. I see that when in port you can go to Capri and other areas. Does anyone know where these beautiful waterfront homes are? I saw them on Pinterest. It just said Naples. Thanks very much.:) This is my first European cruise!!! My 60th birthday!!!:)

[sarleo]

I am sorry that this was the wrong place to ask a question. I should have placed it elsewhere. Sarah

[Rustybuttons123]

I will be in Naples in May. I have always marveled at the beautiful pastel buildings on the water in photos that say "Naples". I wanted to experience the area. I see that when in port you can go to Capri and other areas. Does anyone know where these beautiful waterfront homes are? I saw them on Pinterest. It just said Naples. Thanks very much.:) This is my first European cruise!!! My 60th birthday!!!:)

 

Procida island is known for its picturesque, colorful harbor. This might be what you saw pictures of, Google for "port of Corricella". Ferries leave from Naples Harbor, you should be able to walk from your ship. The high speed ferry takes about 40 minutes. There's excellent seafood restaurants on Procida, go to La Lampara, has a spectacular view.

[euro cruiser]

I will be in Naples in May. I have always marveled at the beautiful pastel buildings on the water in photos that say "Naples". I wanted to experience the area.

Can you post a link to one of the pictures? That will help us narrow it down.

[Hlitner]

If you are thinking about Procida (a charming residential island) you might want to do some research to see if there is enough on that island to keep you happy :). Islands such as Procida and Ischia are not for everyone....although we personally enjoy spending a quiet day in those places. Also keep in mind that the ferrys to Procida do not run very often....so you would want to research the schedules before your trip. The last time we were in Naples (April) we could not decide what to do for our day (we have been to Naples many times) and finally DW said, "lets go to Procida." By the time we left the ship and walked over to the ferry port we just missed (by 10 min) the ferry. There was not another boat for more then 2 hours...so we decided to just spend our day in Naples (always a delight).

 

Hank

[jasmiarowski]

We had a port stop there last year. Did the Pompeii excursion and when we returned we had plenty of time to walk back off the pier and spent the afternoon in the historical district, had lunch and took in sights. We are departing from Naples for our cruise next Nov and plan on staying a couple of nights before in the historical district. It is only a couple of blocks to the pier. Has anyone walked from there with luggage to board the ship?

 

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[cruisemom42]

We had a port stop there last year. Did the Pompeii excursion and when we returned we had plenty of time to walk back off the pier and spent the afternoon in the historical district, had lunch and took in sights. We are departing from Naples for our cruise next Nov and plan on staying a couple of nights before in the historical district. It is only a couple of blocks to the pier. Has anyone walked from there with luggage to board the ship?

 

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I have, well, sort of done that. A friend stayed at the Hotel Mercure Napoli Centro Angioino. It's a well-located modern hotel, value priced, and easy to walk from there to the port if you have reasonable luggage. I arrived from Roma via train around noon, left my bags at the hotel, and we went to Herculaneum. Then we returned, got our bags and walked to the ship. Easy peasy. The ship was overnighting in Naples so we were not pressed for time in boarding.

 

I also stayed at this hotel another time, so can confirm the rooms are nice (not deluxe but what I'd call a good level business hotel) and that the area is well connected with metro and bus options.

 

Enjoy your time in Naples.

[bbappel]

I haven't read the whole discussion here, but just the lead-in question.

Yeah, I like Naples. It is gritty and real. You can buy cool things to add to your Christmas nativity scene if you wish - like Berlusconi or Obama. The street with all the creches is just amazing. The Margherita pizza was invented here. Yeah, you have to watch the traffic but there are churches with mosaics and a sculpture of Christ that isn't to be missed. At least I think that is Naples. We've been a couple of times and I really enjoyed it.