Naples Excursions

[pflorio994]

Looking for feedback on any of the Naples, Italy excursions offered on the Mediterranean ocean cruises. It seems that they are actually only offering 5 Demanding and 2 Moderate on our upcoming cruise to the Antiquities in November.

[formernuke]

Pompei is great if you haven't been there before. We were amazed at the size of the site.

[philw1776]

Herculaneum is on my target list for Naples.

[SantaFe1]

We haven’t been to either Pompei or Herculaneum, and I can’t decide which to do. I am kind of hoping maybe we can do both in one long day.  But probably not.  Any advice on which to choose?

[formernuke]

Not time to do both by ship sponsored excursions.

[SantaFe1]

mathematically, it looks possible. We have ten hours in port.  The tours are 4 hours and 3 1/2 hours, or 7 1/2 hours.  Viking usually requires at least an hour between tours, so 8 1/2 hours.   But, I agree, they probably won’t let us do these b2b, and they may be offered simultaneously.

[formernuke]

On my cruise on Jupiter in October, they were indeed offered effectively simultaneously, preventing doing both ( I would have if I could have)

[Mrs Miggins]

You can visit independently. Look on ports of call board for lots of good information. 

[DGHOC]

I'd recommend both, Pompeii is bigger and therefore takes longer, Herculaneum is much more compact and I think probably more detailed. Both are fascinating, truly amazing. Whilst it's possible to do both I'm not sure I'd recommend it. They are exhausting, especially if you're forced to walk at a tour group pace and in the summer heat which is super intense in that area. I understand that your trip is in Nov though so that may not be a problem.

 

The choice is a hard one, flip a coin! You'd love either I'm sure

[longterm]

5 hours ago, SantaFe1 said:

We haven’t been to either Pompei or Herculaneum, and I can’t decide which to do. I am kind of hoping maybe we can do both in one long day.  But probably not.  Any advice on which to choose?

Pompeii is. must-see, in my opinion. Truly amazing. 

Edited July 25, 2022 by longterm

[Peregrina651]

5 hours ago, philw1776 said:

Herculaneum is on my target list for Naples.

 

Been there! Loved it! Would go back in an instant.

 

HOWEVER, it is, in its own way, demanding. There are a few places where the curbs are very high and the cobblestones are very rough and uneven. But, it is actually a small site covering only a few square blocks in the town of Ercolano. If you can get down the steps that lead to the excavation and you can figure out how to avoid the rough bits, it is quite delightful -- so much to see in a very small area.

 

Naples is also the home of the National Museum of Archeology -- and the collection is unbelievable. All sorts of bits and pieces rescued from various excavations all across the country.

 

This is one view of Herculaneum. You can see the fence running around the property is in the backyard of the apartment buildings along the far edge of the excavation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dcl999]

We did the Pompeii excursion. Very interesting. It was difficult walking on the cobblestone paths. You should be very sure footed and have good balance. The cobblestones are about 6-12 inches and rounded.  We had time to take a walk into town, find the pedestrian area and stop at the most crowded pizza stand. 

Does anyone have feedback on Naples Above and Below? 

[philw1776]

Not an excursion to my knowledge, but the Naples Museum is world class. Visited it ourselves on a land tour. One section shows how Pompeii, etc. looked in real life, nothing like today, all vibrant colors on the columns and walls. Mind blowing visuals to my barbarian ancestors entering any such Roman city and unanticipatedly impressive to this 21st century visitor.

Edited July 27, 2022 by philw1776

[Mrs Miggins]

Agree about the Naples Archeological Museum.  Viking took us there.  We were an extra day in Naples due to weather and they arranged everything at the last minute.