Naples - Civitavecchia - Livorno Ports

[Neone]

Hi all,

 

First cruise, first post, and sorry as it will be a little long... :)

 

We will do the Epic Mediterranean cruise this August, we are very excited and we started to plan our shore excursions.

 

Basically, we want a relaxed vacation and to enjoy as much as we can of what the ship can offer, so we thought that out of 5 ports, we will do 2 full day trips and the other 3 will be half day/easy trips.

 

We decided that Naples and Cannes will be our full day trips (as never been there) and all other 3 will be half day/easy.

 

So, I started to look and read a lot of posts here, and you all are great and helped a lot.

 

Regarding Naples, we think to do the Pompeii, Sorrento, Positano tour.

I looked at what the ship has to offer and it is expensive way too much.

All other recommendations from here was better, and than I found http://www.toursamalficoast.com on other site (don't really remember). I contacted them and I got a very fair price, lower than any other price i saw, that is tempting but than again made me a little suspicious .

They got very good reviews on tripadvisor but could not find them here - does someone know them and has any experience with them? are they reliable?

 

Then, Civitavecchia - we've been to Rome several times and don't want to "waste" a full day on traveling there.

Does anyone have any recommendation what can we do that it is close or not to far from the port?

 

Livorno - we've been to Florence, pisa and all the area, and anyway don't want a full hard day.

any recommendations near Livorno? maybe the city itself?

 

Thank you very much for your help, you are really great!!

[JVilleGal]

Epic?

 

 

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[euro cruiser]

For Civitavecchia, if you don't want to spend money on a car service or renting a car yourself, you're limited to a few places easily reached by bus or train.

 

You can get to Tarquinia, a hill town with a lot of Etruscan history, by bus or train and bus, fairly easily and inexpensively.

 

Viterbo, another town full of Etruscan history and art, is also easily reached by bus from Civitavecchia.

 

As an aside, I'm sure I missed plenty but I didn't find much of interest in Cannes to fill an entire day.

[euro cruiser]

From Livorno, have you been to Lucca? It's easy to reach by train and you can rent bikes to ride atop the city walls, for something different to do.

[cruisemom42]

Livorno doesn't offer too much of interest. But for a half day it is fairly easy to take a train from Livorno to Pisa or (if you've already been there) to Lucca, a charming town.

 

I agree with euro cruiser regarding Tarquinia -- excellent easy day. The painted Etruscan tombs in the necropolis just outside town are outstanding.

[Seashoregal]

Last June in Naples, went to train station and took local train to Pompeii. Toured Pompeii on our own. Then took the local train " "Circumvesuviana train" from Pompeii to Sorrento. Walked around in Sorrento, had lunch. Walked down to port of Sorrento and took hydrofoil back to Naples and out ship. Just beware of pickpocketers on local train.

 

 

 

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[euro cruiser]

You can follow Seashoregal's plan and avoid most (you can never avoid it all) of the petty crime issues by taking the bus from the port area (much closer to the cruise port than the Circumvesuviana train is) to Pompei and then the Campania Express from Pompei to Sorrento.

 

Campania express: http://www.eavsrl.it/web/content/campania-express-2017-it

[Hlitner]

Since petty crime has become part of this thread.....folks should not think in those terms when it comes to one particular port or method of touring. Simply accept that pickpockets/purse snatching is pretty common throughout tourist areas of Europe. One should learn how to take a few simple precautions...and do it all the time...everywhere. Make yourself a more difficult target...and the professional thieves will generally move on to the easier "mark." Our own precautions are so darn simple...and have served us well for over forty years of international travel. So here are my basic rules: 1. Do not carry anything you really do not need. Most valuables (including Passports) are generally best left on the ship (or in a hotel) locked securely in a safe. 2. I carry money and some credit cards in a front pocket....and secure that pocket with a large safety pin. Try it at home and you will quickly see that it makes picking a pocket quite difficult (but not impossible). DW secures her purse zippers with safety pins and wears her purse cross-shoulder. and 3. Ladies.....do not put your purse down when in a restaurant. We have seen this too many time...and twice watched ladies have their purse snatched from under their seat.

 

And finally, the most important rule of all...which sounds simple and logical...but is actually not easy. Always be aware of your surroundings and watch for suspicious behavior. This means you should never walk down the street with your eyes glues to a cell phone....or stop in the middle of the sidewalk to read a tour book or map. If taking money out of an ATM...shield your hand as you enter a PIN....and have a travel companion guard your back.

 

Hank

[Neone]

Epic?

 

 

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NCL epic, it's the ship.

Sorry...

[Neone]

Thank you all for you answers.

 

I didn't mention it but we are 5 people with 2 seniors and 1 child, so we rather prefer to pay a little more for a car service than start trust the local public transportation, for not getting too tired just by searching and going with it and as this is our first cruise, we want to try and be on the safe side to come back to the ship on time.

 

We are not afraid of doing our trips by our own, as this is what we are doing all the time, including renting cars. but in this case, i think it will be with less pressure to have someone guide and drive for you.

 

Tarquinia (and maybe Viterbo) sounds really interesting and I'll check them.

 

(Regarding Cannes - we though a trip to Monaco and maybe some other places as we never been to the French riviera.)

 

Livorno - Yes, we've been to Lucca :) we spent few days in Tuscany few years ago, but it is a nice idea.

Pisa, been there didn't find it worth to come back.

 

Naples - basically Seashoregal's had a great plan, but we do prefer to find a local, trusted company to take us, and bring us back.

[euro cruiser]

I completely understand the car service for what you want to do in Naples and the makeup of your group. If the company you've found has good reviews on TA I'd be comfortable with that, assuming that there are more than just a handful of reviews.