capri or sorrento for day tour

[maryrnp]

Hi,

We are having trouble deciding between Carpi and Almalfi or Sorrento & Almalfi. We are taking Carnival excursion. We will not take private tours. We feel safer with ship tours, and there is no tour that goes to both Capri and Sorrento, so I am asking for help in deciding which one to choose, Capri or Sorrento? Any help would be appreciated.

[lisiamc]

Hi,

We are having trouble deciding between Carpi and Almalfi or Sorrento & Almalfi. We are taking Carnival excursion. We will not take private tours. We feel safer with ship tours, and there is no tour that goes to both Capri and Sorrento, so I am asking for help in deciding which one to choose, Capri or Sorrento? Any help would be appreciated.

 

I think you will like the Capri and Amalfi combo better. Sorrento is one of my favourite places, but Capri is more scenic - well worth doing if you have never been there before, and especially if this is your first visit to the Amalfi coast.

 

Lisa

[Keith1010]

They really are both very nice. Sorrento is a lovely town and of course Capri is very nice. I would say it's a toss up.

 

Keith

[jmb4534]

They're both lovely, but I would choose Capri since you will be doing Almalfi on either excursion. I think you would get more variety by doing Capri/Almalfi. Either way you will have a great time.

[otogocruisin]

U may want to check how much time you will have in Capri. I have heard people complaining that they travelled that way and did not have much time and that they were were in capri while everything was closed.

[Keith1010]

The more I think about this I think it's too much to do both Capri and the Almalfi coast in one day. I think I would read carefully how long this tour is and how much time you will spend in Capri. Also, is your ship docking in Sorrento. If it is then I would highly recommend that you see the Almalfi coast and then enjoy some time in Sorrento. Sometimes tours try to do too much where you get nothing out of it. Just my opinion.

 

Keith

[maryrnp]

Thanks so much for all the helpful information. Here are descriptions of the 2 tours. Any help? I still don't know which one we should take? Haven't seen anything? Both are 9 1/2 hrs.

 

Capri & Almalfi Coast:

Visit two of the most famous places in Italy in one day – the breathtaking Amalfi Coast and beautiful Capri Island. On this dual excursion you will:

• Board a jetfoil for a 45-minute cruise to the wonderful island of Capri.
  
• Take a funicular up to the center of Capri.
  
• Follow your guide to the Augustus Gardens for a spectacular view over Marina Piccola and the Faraglioni rocks.
  
• Spend some time on your own wandering around the numerous elegant boutiques and cafes.
  
• Enjoy a tasty Italian Lunch served with wine at a local restaurant. Return down to the harbor by funicular. Board a private motorboat for 1¼ hour cruise along the scenic Amalfi Coast.
  
• Pass by the natural protected area of Ieranto Bay and the picturesque village of Positano.
  
• Arrive at Amalfi, situated at the mouth of a deep gorge along the coast.
  
• Follow your guide into Amalfi’s main square. Stop to see the magnificent façade of the 12th century cathedral.
  
• Enjoy some time on your own to explore this famous maritime village and take photographs. Drive above the hills of the Amalfi Coast and the motorway for approximately 1½ hours back to your ship.
  
• Visit the cameo factory if time permits.

Sorrento & Almalfi Coast

Be introduced to this magnificent coastal region on a leisurely expedition through the sun-drenched climate of southern Italy.

On this relaxing excursion you will:

 

• Enjoy a very scenic and relaxing excursion, experiencing Italy’s most famous drive, with minimal walking involved. With its luxuriant vegetation and sun-drenched climate, Sorrento became a favorite resort of wealthy Romans. Take a one hour drive from the pier and learn visitors have been flocking to enjoy its charm for a very long time.
  
• Experience this cliff-top setting, with an imposing Duomo with a distinctive 13th-century cloister, and a charming, flower-filled town are all there for you to explore.
  
• Enjoy a delightful lunch with wine in a local restaurant in Sorrento before starting your drive to Amalfi.
  
• View the unforgettable Dolomitic cliffs, which at many points tower perpendicularly out of the sea and have been sculpted by nature into fantastic shapes. Amalfi is situated at the mouth of a deep gorge along the coast.
  
• Learn that this was a major shipping port during the Middle Ages and it was also an independent maritime state.
  
• You’ll take a narrated walk around the town center of Amalfi with your guide who will explain the history and architecture of the Cathedral of St. Andrea while you marvel at the exterior architecture, a mix of Moorish and early Gothic design. Its main treasures are the 11th-century bronze doors from Constantinople.
  
• Have some free time given in Amalfi for independent exploration or shopping before driving back to Naples

[realproperty]

Unless you are doing that another day, the highlight in that area for us was Pompei. The Amalfi coast is pretty but apart from experiencing the drive, it is very congested in the summer and there isn't that much there to see. Sorrento is more walkable, but does not have the dramatic views. I think you are jamming too much in. We are going back this spring and will take an all day to Capri and enjoy it and not be rushed through it.

[Kindlychap]

Capri & Almalfi Coast:

Visit two of the most famous places in Italy in one day – the breathtaking Amalfi Coast and beautiful Capri Island. On this dual excursion you will:

 

Board a jetfoil for a 45-minute cruise to the wonderful island of Capri.

 

Not much fun. Just transport.

 

Take a funicular up to the center of Capri.

 

Five minutes worth. May be queues.

 

Follow your guide to the Augustus Gardens for a spectacular view over Marina Piccola and the Faraglioni rocks.

 

Fabulous views. Very well worth doing.

 

Spend some time on your own wandering around the numerous elegant boutiques and cafes.

 

Shopping. Big deal. Not the real Capri, and certainly not the best of it.

 

Enjoy a tasty Italian Lunch served with wine at a local restaurant.

 

What they really mean is endure some poor food that no self respecting Italian would feed to his dog. Consume some cheap local plonk.

 

Return down to the harbor by funicular. Board a private motorboat for 1¼ hour cruise along the scenic Amalfi Coast. Pass by the natural protected area of Ieranto Bay and the picturesque village of Positano.

 

This journey has the potential to be lovely. Positano from the sea is beautiful. We did it when we chartered the hotel boat, and had a wonderful time. As long as you're outside you'll be fine. Weather permitting, of course!

 

I can't comment on the rest of the trip, as they are areas I haven't been to. My concern with the Capri tour is that you'll see precious little of the island - you miss Anacapri totally, and other than that walk to the viewpoint there is little to recommend it. But I feel Capri is a place that improves after 5.00 pm...... before that it is just far too busy.

 

The sea between Napoli and Capri can be rough.

 

Give serious thought to Pompei and Ercolano. Ercolano is particularly nice as it is smaller, and less busy. I hear that Pompei is worth a full day. Two hours at Ercolano is only just enough.

 

And Napoli itself is a lovely city. It gets a very bad press, but there are open top bus tours which are well worth doing. We did (and enjoyed) both the blue and green routes.

 

Matthew

[charleysmom]

For what it's worth -- probably not much :)..... We did a day trip to Capri on our own a couple of years ago. I can't speak to the night time experience, but Anacapri is much prettier during the day than Capri. We had the worst pizza we have ever had in Capri -- by contrast my mom and sister had lunch in Anacapri and had a pizza that they still moan over several years later. Wonderful gelato in Capri - limoncello flavor -- beat anything we tasted in Rome. Beach in Capri was only so so. Views from the hills were amazing as were the views on the bus ride to Anacapri. My niece and sister both got pretty queasy on the ride over from Naples.

 

We'll be back in the area this summer and will probably do the Amalfi coast. Possibly Pompeii, but we're also visiting Athens and Alexandria so we may be full up on ruins :)

[texancruzer]

We just got back. We docked in Naples. We had a private driver (APTours) with 3 other couples from our Royal Caribbean Meet & Mingle group. We first headed to Pompeii where we had a private guide waiting for us. We spent 2 hours there and saw alot !!! Not all of it but alot !! Then to Ravello, Amalfi, Positano and then to Sorrento. Then we boarded a ferry back to Naples where it docked right next to our ship.

 

THIS WAS THE MOST AMAZING DAY EVER. The Amalfi coast is stunning. The villages we visited were charming and felt almost magical. I can't wait to get back to this area....we are going back !!!! Next time will not be a cruise so I will get to Capri but will have a full day to dedicate to it.

 

We never felt rushed..... our driver kept us on schedule and we had free time in each place to wander and explore on our own.

 

With ships tours things take longer since you have a larger crowd to wait on at each stop....get off the bus, get on the bus etc etc. Also if you are going in high season (summer months) the traffic is horrendous. I can't imagine trying to go one direction to Capri and then the opposite for Amalfi. I would choose one or the other and I guess I told you how we chose. Have a super time whichever way you go ! :D

 

PS: Our driver had told us that the large tour buses were being banned on these narrow, winding, sometimes steep roads next year. Haven't checked that out for validity but hope it is true. Those big buses are dangerous on those road in my opinion. Smaller buses might cause the cost of the tours to go up but much safer.

[LisaV6]

We just got back. We docked in Naples. We had a private driver (APTours) with 3 other couples from our Royal Caribbean Meet & Mingle group. We first headed to Pompeii where we had a private guide waiting for us. We spent 2 hours there and saw alot !!! Not all of it but alot !! Then to Ravello, Amalfi, Positano and then to Sorrento. Then we boarded a ferry back to Naples where it docked right next to our ship.

 

THIS WAS THE MOST AMAZING DAY EVER. The Amalfi coast is stunning. The villages we visited were charming and felt almost magical. I can't wait to get back to this area....we are going back !!!! Next time will not be a cruise so I will get to Capri but will have a full day to dedicate to it.

 

We never felt rushed..... our driver kept us on schedule and we had free time in each place to wander and explore on our own.

 

With ships tours things take longer since you have a larger crowd to wait on at each stop....get off the bus, get on the bus etc etc. Also if you are going in high season (summer months) the traffic is horrendous. I can't imagine trying to go one direction to Capri and then the opposite for Amalfi. I would choose one or the other and I guess I told you how we chose. Have a super time whichever way you go ! :D

 

PS: Our driver had told us that the large tour buses were being banned on these narrow, winding, sometimes steep roads next year. Haven't checked that out for validity but hope it is true. Those big buses are dangerous on those road in my opinion. Smaller buses might cause the cost of the tours to go up but much safer.

 

My friends and I did this same itinerary, but with Marcello Maresca, a local private tour guide. Absolutely safe, reliable and full of local information. This trip was the absolute highlight of our time in Italy and included a stop at a local restaurant. I strongly encourage you to break away from ship tours when possible, as most people who used them were disappointed. Here is the email address for M. Maresca:

marcellomaresca@tiscali.it

 

Happy Travels!