Is The Crime In Naples Really That Bad?

[agouracm]

Rather than take a Celebrity excursion while in Naples in August, we plan to take the train to Pompeii in the morning, then walk around Naples in the afternoon. I keep reading that you need to be careful in Naples due to the crime. I seem hear this more about Naples than other cities. Is the city really that unsafe? Has anyone run into trouble there while visiting? I understand the need to be alert as tourist but that applies to any city.

Thanks to everyone who has posted detailed directions to Pompeii by train!

[Andym]

We have been a couple of times and each time have seen thieves at work. We saw a lady have her bag snached off her shoulder by two chaps on a scooter. We also saw a chap have his pocket picked and saw the thief run away. We also noticed the large number of young (very young) children begging. Try to avoid the counterfeit goods that people are selling around the ports. that is unless you want a Rolex for $20. , ps the backing on the strap rubbed off on mine !!

[kekoa3uk]

While Naples may be very safe, here's our experience. We took an independently organized tour to Pompeii/Sorento which had to go through part of Naples to return to the ship. Our driver told us to make sure our doors were locked and purses were put on the floor of the car out of sight.

[trustee55]

Hi!
We stayed in Naples for four days last October after a Meditteranean cruise and hated it. I would never go back there. Not only is it dirty, but the traffic is the worst I have ever seen in my life. Chaos!! Drivers never stop for red lights or stop signs and you take your life in your hands to cross the street.
Luckily, I have a big and tall husband because I wouldn't dare go alone on the streets. Very scary.
And, of course, you never know when folks will go on strike,
We went there purposely to have easy access to Pompeii and Herculaneum and the train employees went on strike during that time and we never got there.
It was wonderful to finally leave Naples and go to Sorrento. Now that's a beautiful place and well worth a trip to see it and all the other beautiful spots on the Amalfi Coast.

[Chick's pal]

We took a cab from the ship to the train station (told the driver we were meeting locals at the station, so he wouldn't try to sell his services for the day.) It was well worth the 10 Euros each way for the two of us. We took the train to Pompeii (you want the Pompeii SCAVI station, not Pompeii station). It was extremely simple. Once off the train, just turn right and go about a half block to the excavation site entrance. We wandered Pompeii for 6 hours, loved everything.

We returned to Naples station via train, visited a pharmacy, McDonald's and newsstand in the station, plus mailed postcards. Checked e-mail at a nearby cybercafe. Took a cab back to the pier. We encountered no crime at all this day, neither as victims nor as eyewitnesses. Not to say there wasn't any. We kept our backpacks in front of us and wallets out of back pockets just in case.

One word of warning: Traffic is horrendous. The city streets are very crowded and stoplights, dotted yellow lines and crosswalks are mere suggestions to the extremely aggressive drivers. I would advise to minimize your walking time and take cabs to and from the ship. (It's really too long a walk anyway to/from the station.) We have had some memorable cab rides in Hawaii and in Chicago, but the ride back to the ship wins the all-time scary driving award for sure. (In fact, they could have sold it as a thrill ride!)

Have a FAB trip! Naples (Pompeii) was one of our most anticipated ports and it did not disappoint.

[TropicalFlyer]

The day we were docked in Naples was raining so we decided to skip going to Sorrento and just hang out in Naples. The taxi drivers were [b]very aggressively[/b] trying to get us to hire them as we walked from the cruise ship terminal to the city streets. Then we passed the guys trying to hawk fake watches, cameras and camcorders. It's best just to develop a hard stare and plow ahead.

We spent the next six hours shopping and having a wonderful lunch. We picked up some fabulous deals like an entire linen outfit for 20 Euros and the beaded purses for 12 Euros!!

Being in Naples is much like being in New York or any big city where you stay alert of your surroundings. It's definitely not scarier than walking down a big city street in the U.S. although it may seem scarier since people are speaking in Italian and the signs are in Italian.

Two major cautions:
1) The drivers in Naples are crazy so you have to be very careful crossing the streets. We tended to glue ourselves to a local and cross streets with them.

2) The majority of shops close for lunch between noon and 2-3 pm so plan your excursion accordingly if you are going to shop.

Have a good time. TropicalFlyer :cool:

[Tatka]

We were in Naples in May. In the morning we took a ferry to Capri (beautifull island, did Blue Grottos and small boat cruise around it)

In the afternoon we went to the city and took a double decker tour (only 16 Euro pp). We liked it. It wasn't pleasant to walk through the streets, many street sellers, gypsies etc....but if we wanted to go to Pompeii we would definitely find our way to the train station without risking our lives. Unfortunatelly we were so tired after 4 ports before we decided to have relaxing day there. ;)

[bcf]

Hi
You mentioned you took an independent tour while in Naples. Who did you do this with? Any info is appreciated. We will be there in Sept. Thanks.

[packerpatriot]

We took the train to Pompeii from Naples and never had a problem. It was a cinch.
Cristin