Has anyone taken a train from Naples port to Pompeii and Herculaneum on their own?

[krazikatt]

I'm trying to avoid excursions because we already pretty much spent all of our money on airfare and the actual cruise. So I'd like to take the train from Naples to Pompeii and Herculaneum, but I had some friends tell me it was too crazy and not to try it. Would like to get some other opinions from people here from people who have done it.

[JZenkow]

I did this 10 years ago, and it was no problem if you know what you are doing. The only glitch is that the train station was about a 15 minute walk from the pier. One thing I remember is that you got off at Pompeii Scavi, not Pompeii to see the ruins.

[Catchum]

Likewise I did the Naples to Herculaneum solo several years ago no problem, a nice local made sure I got off at the right place. Realistically you can't do both; Pompeii is a huge sight and you can spend days there (so far I have done three trips and would go back tomorrow). Herculaneum was destroyed in the same eruption but preserved in a different way it is much smaller but just as fascinating.

[trvlgirlmq]

We took the bus last year. It was very easy and cheap. Leave the cruise port and when you get to the main street turn right. Walk along the sidewalk keeping the water on your right until you get to Nuovo Marina (a large building where you will see about 6 buses). the drivers will all be walking around and don't speak much English but if ask for Pompeii they will point you to the guy selling tickets (€2,80 pp each way, you MUST buy your return ticket at this time they do not sell them in Pompeii). There are buses departing at 7am, 7:30am, 8am and it's about 35 minutes. I wouldn't take a later bus because Pompeii gets very busy with all the tour buses arriving. When you get to Pompeii and get off the bus immediately cross the street and walk up the hill (there were signs). You will be there in just a few minutes. To return wait for the bus across the street from where you were dropped off (with traffic going towards Naples). When you see the bus you have to flag them down or they don't stop. Bus times are 12pm, 12:30pm, 1:05pm. It was plenty of time to visit. Present your return ticket and it's 35 minutes back to Nuovo Marina. We had plenty of time to walk a bit in Naples and have pizza for lunch. You must do this!

 

Some links to help.

 

http://www.sitasudtrasporti.it/orari

https://shorebee.com/en/italy/pompei/from-naples-to-pompei/public-bus

[All-ready2cruise]

Very helpful, thank you for this great information.

[lucyintheskywithdiamonds]

I did! it was a short walk,, just be alert to your surroundings. pay attention to make sure you get the proper tickets, they have people who check and will fine you big time if you don't. on the way back I got off the wrong exit,, luckily an English speaking professor walked with me and helped me out! then I ran into another lost couple and we were picked up by a limo driver who took us back to the ship for free!!:') It was a great experience . for my excursion in Rome I used 'Michelangelo' tours . they were great.

[krazikatt]

Thanks, all, for the great info!

 

I also found this while Googling: http://www.italylogue.com/things-to-do/how-to-visit-pompeii-and-herculaneum-in-one-day-without-a-tour.html

[CantSwim63]

It looks like you have the train information for your planning, so will only add another item for Pompeii. The line up to get tickets to get in can get quite long. There will likely be guides forming impromptu groups and they can buy "skip the line" tickets. I understand your budget is limited, but there could be value in saving an hour or 90 minutes in line. (We had a semi-private tour on the 20th and walked by approximately 40 NCL cruisers who had paid for transport and just left to get their own tickets, and talked to one frustrated cruiser who's family had time for an early lunch for about an hour.)

 

Cheers! Roehl

[krazikatt]

It looks like you have the train information for your planning, so will only add another item for Pompeii. The line up to get tickets to get in can get quite long. There will likely be guides forming impromptu groups and they can buy "skip the line" tickets. I understand your budget is limited, but there could be value in saving an hour or 90 minutes in line. (We had a semi-private tour on the 20th and walked by approximately 40 NCL cruisers who had paid for transport and just left to get their own tickets, and talked to one frustrated cruiser who's family had time for an early lunch for about an hour.)

 

Oh that's great to know, thanks! Okay, it looks like you can buy the tickets online. There are a bunch of sites offering "skip the line" tickets and they are all at a premium. Then there's the actual Pompeii site that took me here for tickets:

 

http://www.ticketone.it/biglietti.html?affiliate=ITT&doc=erdetaila&fun=erdetail&action=tickets&erid=988882&index_ytix=0&jumpIn=yTix&scrollToAnchor=ticketTable

 

These tickets are WAY cheaper than the others, but it doesn't say anything about skipping the line. I wonder if all online tickets allow you to skip the line? Also, it looks like in order to skip the line you need to enter at the Porta Marina entrance (not sure thought?)

[thinfool]

As you disembark check the info booth at the dock...ask directions to the train to pompeii/herc.

 

Alternately walk across the street from the ship dock and ask how to get to the Pompeii train. There is a city bus...#1, I think, which will eliminate the walk to the train station.

 

Respectfully disagree that you cannot do both in one day(get an early start). We did, and while we did not do an exhaustive visit at Pompeii, we were happy with our visit and then, on the way back we decided to get off at Herc...which we did and had a wonderful tour which was better than Pompeii, in our opinion.

[krazikatt]

As you disembark check the info booth at the dock...ask directions to the train to pompeii/herc.

 

Alternately walk across the street from the ship dock and ask how to get to the Pompeii train. There is a city bus...#1, I think, which will eliminate the walk to the train station.

 

Respectfully disagree that you cannot do both in one day(get an early start). We did, and while we did not do an exhaustive visit at Pompeii, we were happy with our visit and then, on the way back we decided to get off at Herc...which we did and had a wonderful tour which was better than Pompeii, in our opinion.

 

Okay that's good to know! I have already been to Pompeii but my husband hasn't and so we wanted to go there, but I really wanted to see Herculaneum too!

[ellie1145]

We visited Herculaneum using the train in May. We bought entrance tickets when we got there. There was a bit of a queue but nothing too long. They used to give EU seniors free entry, but they no longer do that.

 

Unfortunately I had my iPhone stolen on the way.

 

I would never attempt to use public transport in Naples again. We were offered the same trip by taxi for €20 each return. We would have been much safer, and I wouldn't have lost precious photos of my baby grandson and my £100 excess on my insurance.

 

Yes, it was a little but on the train, but not significantly so, and it was an experience, but if you do decide to do it, keep your wits about you. We thought we were being careful, I had my iPhone in a small zipped bag round my neck with my hand on it during the journey. I thought it was safer there than in my backpack, but it wasn't.

 

These people are professionals. Looking back on it we stuck out like sore thumbs - we were speaking English for goodness sake!

 

I don't know exactly when it happened, but there were three occasions when it was possible they were working as a gang. First, an Italian man started speaking to me, asking where I was from. I moved away from him. I stood facing the door. Then an old man kept moving closer to me, whilst looking anywhere but directly at me. He just moved an inch at a time. Always looking away. I moved away from him too, and stood with my back to the train door and my husband was in front of me. But I guess he might have sussed out I had a phone in my little bag. My phone was definitely there at that point.

 

Then just before we got off the train a woman started taking a video and saying look at this, it was a couple in the next carriage in an amorous clinch. We could see them through the window - the train was packed and we were close to the window overlooking the next carriage.

 

We were unsure if ours was the next station and I turned round to face the door and we started to get off.

 

As I stepped onto the platform I looked down and the zip was open and the phone was gone. I can't describe how I felt.

 

Nobody wanted to help, either in the station or outside. We approached police in several different places, but they didn't want to help. Said we had to go into Naples to the main police station. We didn't have time to do that in case we missed the ship, and we didn't want to ruin the day for our friends.

 

We did continue our trip round Herculaneum. I felt violated and sick and SOO guilty. How could I have let this happen? How could I have been so stupid?

 

But we were with wonderful friends without whom the day would have been wrecked so I had to pick myself up and get on with it. I don't know what we would have done without them. It nearly wrecked their day but they were so kind, and in the end we had a good day in spite of the trauma,

 

Herculaneum was fascinating. I last saw it 50 years ago. It was disappointing that there was no signage. Museums in the UK have greatly improved their information, but unless you hired one of their expensive guides you really didn't know what each building was, It was a pity they couldn't even put small signs up to tell you a little about what each building was.

 

It is easy to walk round, and could be done in a couple of hours or less.

 

So do go and see it, it's in a remarkable state of preservation and you can really 'feel' what life was like in Roman times. But I would negotiate with a cab driver in the dock, there are plenty of them desperate for your business, and do it with no hassle.

 

But if you use public transport, please, please take care.

 

By the way, we were told there was no bus due to the road works and excavations near the dock. That's why we went on the metro and then the train. We bought metro tickets in a restaurant on the dockside and train tickets in the station.

Edited July 6, 2017 by ellie1145

[robins11]

Hi We were in Naples last month on Spirit. Its our second visit and both times we have taken the train from the main Naples station, firstly to Pompei and last month to Herculaneum. We walked from the cruise terminal and it took about 30 minutes. This in itself is an interesting walk along main streets and getting a good view of Naples life. Alternatively take a taxi to the station. The ticket office at the station was easy to find as was asking for two return tickets, both less than 10 euros for two persons. The rail service is called Cicumversuviana and its a private company that runs trains to Sorrento They can be crowded but they are cheap and run regularly.. The walk from each of the stations to the sites is about 10 minutes. For Herculaneum the station is Ercolano Scavi and for Pompei its Pompei Scavi. Tickets and official guides available at the entrance as are plenty of cafes and bars. You can also pick up tours to the summit of Vesuvius. There were lots of tourists around. We did our research both on here and via Trip Advisor .

If you like doing things independently then this is totally doable.!!

 

John

[galfromkazoo]

We did it last year on our first trip to Italy. We went from Rome to Naples, changed trains to Pompeii and took the train to Herculaneum on the way back. It was easier to do than I thought but I don't know how much time you have. We followed directions that were given to you in the link provided earlier.

 

If you are short on time, we enjoyed Herculaneum more than Pompeii. More compact area and ruins are more preserved.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[KeithJenner]

Nobody seems to have mentioned it yet, but there is an underground station very close to the cruise port (in the large square just over the road), where you can catch a train to the rail station where you change to get to Pompeii and Herculaneum.

 

It is fairly new and when we went a it was clean and efficient. That was a couple of years ago though, and this is Naples, so I suspect it's covered in graffiti and everyone has hung their washing up in the station by now. :)

[ellie1145]

Nobody seems to have mentioned it yet, but there is an underground station very close to the cruise port (in the large square just over the road), where you can catch a train to the rail station where you change to get to Pompeii and Herculaneum.

 

It is fairly new and when we went a it was clean and efficient. That was a couple of years ago though, and this is Naples, so I suspect it's covered in graffiti and everyone has hung their washing up in the station by now. :)

 

That was the metro station I mentioned in my post. It's a short walk from the port. Tickets were available at the open air restaurant to the left of the port, just near he exit.

[CantSwim63]

Oh that's great to know, thanks! Okay, it looks like you can buy the tickets online. There are a bunch of sites offering "skip the line" tickets and they are all at a premium. Then there's the actual Pompeii site that took me here for tickets:

 

http://www.ticketone.it/biglietti.html?affiliate=ITT&doc=erdetaila&fun=erdetail&action=tickets&erid=988882&index_ytix=0&jumpIn=yTix&scrollToAnchor=ticketTable

 

These tickets are WAY cheaper than the others, but it doesn't say anything about skipping the line. I wonder if all online tickets allow you to skip the line? Also, it looks like in order to skip the line you need to enter at the Porta Marina entrance (not sure thought?)

 

Sorry, but cannot give any advice on the site tickets online. Maybe some of the posters who have shared their train or transport advice can shed some light on their ticket experiences?

[steimey]

In 2008, we took the train to Pompeii and then to Sorento. I could have spent the whole day at Pompeii- fascinating.

[purepixie67]

I sympathise with the poster who lost her iphone - several years ago I caught a pickpocket on the train about to pick a man's pocket, and my husband had his pocket slashed while we were in the city.

Be very careful on the trains, and in the square around the Naples train station.

 

Also - make sure you take water into Pompeii. There is little shelter from the sun. You can refill bottles when you are walking around (well there were about 5 years ago), but I didn't see any shops inside after you have bought your tickets.

[trvlgirlmq]

I sympathise with the poster who lost her iphone - several years ago I caught a pickpocket on the train about to pick a man's pocket, and my husband had his pocket slashed while we were in the city.

Be very careful on the trains, and in the square around the Naples train station.

 

Also - make sure you take water into Pompeii. There is little shelter from the sun. You can refill bottles when you are walking around (well there were about 5 years ago), but I didn't see any shops inside after you have bought your tickets.

 

There is now a large building inside with restrooms, food & beverage and most importantly AC! There are also fountains throughout the site where you can get water. Wear a hat and sturdy shoes. This is not the place for flip flops or sandals.

[CatsinShow]

I took the metro from Sorrento to Herculaneum. I've been to Pompei too but years before that. From what I understand now, they don't let you get really up close in Pompei anymore. Herculaneum to me just feels more intimate.