Naples

[Chesie]

We'll be docked in Naples for a day. Debating whether to get off the ship or not. We have already been to Pompei, Amalfi, Sorrento etc so we do not want to repeat it.

 

My question... Is it worth getting off the ship to tour Naples? If so, what is there to see? I haven't heard very much positive feed back. Is there a little cafe close to port where we could get a pizza and glass of wine and watch the world go by?

 

Many thanks for any information!

 

Chesie

[macaroni]

Get off the ship. Naples has the best espresso and the best pizza. Walk around the pedestrian area of the old section. I will get you the name of some great places to eat. Just watch the traffic.

[Keith1010]

We have walked around Naples on our own and there are some places to see.

 

With that said this is a place to be sure that you are street smart. Do not, I repeat do not, wear jewely and watch your possessions carefully. There is a high incidence of theft here and those who commit crimes are quite agressive.

 

When you get off the ship, be sure to know where you are going. There are good parts (you still need to watch your belongings) and not so good parts.

 

Keith

[tomko2]

Definitely get off the ship and walk around a little bit. We followed the crew to a pizzaria last summer -- Casa Nuovo (I think that is the name but to be sure just look at the pictures of Naples in the link below). In the morning we took the ship excursion to Pompeii so had the afternoon to wander around. Did not feel unsafe at all!

Plan next year to go to the Museum and the highest hilltop in Naples for views. There is also a little local cafe right where the Legend was docked (about 10 minutes from the Port Terminal building) and it the food looked pretty good so we may try that place for pizza next summer.

Kathy

[Hlitner]

We have also been to Naples quite a few times (as a port) and also spent several weeks in the region on land. I suppose we would be content to spend a week every year on the Amalfi Coast, but we do understand that not all travelers think alike. However, there are some easy day trips you can do on your own that might be an alternative to sitting on the ship docked in a pretty ugly port. In fact, we face the same situation in early October when we also will be in Naples for a port day. For us, the easy options are to take advantage of the ferries, since this is an easy stroll from the ship. We assume you have already been to Capri (my wife likes to return to Capri nearly every year). But you can also take a hydrofoil/ferry to some of the other islands (less touristy) such as Ischia and Procida. As to ruins, if you have not been to Herculanium this is a very easy on your own excursion (just take the train to the Ercolano station). As to Naples, I guess there is some charm in that city, but we have always found the place a bit disappointing and the traffic makes even simple walks a pain.

 

Hank

[OttoCal]

The archeological museum there is quite nice, it holds most of the spoils from Pompeii.

 

The Opera House is famous in the area, they are quite proud of it.

 

If you are there in the later part of the year the Christmas creches that they have displayed in the shopping areas are fabulous.

 

Walking along the Scappanapoli pedestrian area is fun, lots of shops, bakeries, bars (bars are where you get your espresso:p ), and charming churches.

 

There is a local pastry in Naples called Sfogliatelle that is a crime not to try. It looks like a layered shell, and there are many fine bakeries in the area.

[Chesie]

We have walked around Naples on our own and there are some places to see.

 

With that said this is a place to be sure that you are street smart. Do not, I repeat do not, wear jewely and watch your possessions carefully. There is a high incidence of theft here and those who commit crimes are quite agressive.

 

When you get off the ship, be sure to know where you are going. There are good parts (you still need to watch your belongings) and not so good parts.

 

Keith

 

Thanks Keith. I work in NYC so I know whatyou mean about street smart. One can never be too careful. When I travel aboard, I wear my "travel jewelry" My $10 diamond ring looks pretty good if I say so myself:D and I always wear a "around the head/shoulder small pocketbook, never keeping money in "one spot". Some people call me a bit over the edge, but I've never had an incident.

 

I heard mostly of the not so good parts that's why I am hesitating to even bother to get off. I guess we will play it by ear that day. Maybe hook up with others that are going on their own.

 

Chesie

[Chesie]

The archeological museum there is quite nice, it holds most of the spoils from Pompeii.

 

The Opera House is famous in the area, they are quite proud of it.

 

If you are there in the later part of the year the Christmas creches that they have displayed in the shopping areas are fabulous.

 

Walking along the Scappanapoli pedestrian area is fun, lots of shops, bakeries, bars (bars are where you get your espresso:p ), and charming churches.

 

There is a local pastry in Naples called Sfogliatelle that is a crime not to try. It looks like a layered shell, and there are many fine bakeries in the area.

 

Ottocal, thanks for the recommendations. We'll be there the beginning of October so not sure if the Christmas creches will be around. If you haven't been to Assisi around Christmas, that is a must! Every shop has one outside.

 

Ahhh, the pastry. Sfogliatelle is my favorite along with ricotta pie. I'm sure it's delicious. We dock at Naples the first day so I'm going to have to pace myself!!

 

Chesie

[Chesie]

The archeological museum there is quite nice, it holds most of the spoils from Pompeii.

 

The Opera House is famous in the area, they are quite proud of it.

 

If you are there in the later part of the year the Christmas creches that they have displayed in the shopping areas are fabulous.

 

Walking along the Scappanapoli pedestrian area is fun, lots of shops, bakeries, bars (bars are where you get your espresso:p ), and charming churches.

 

There is a local pastry in Naples called Sfogliatelle that is a crime not to try. It looks like a layered shell, and there are many fine bakeries in the area.

 

Sorry! One more thing. LOVE your kitties. I have two brothers. Inky (all black) and Chichi (tan/white) and very FAT!:eek:

[travelite]

There's been a garbage strike in Naples for some time. I'm not sure if it has been settled. The garbage has piled up in the streets all over town. Remember the garbage strike in NYC -- I don't really want to remember, but it took months for them to clean it up. I'll be in Naples in a few weeks, and I'm not venturing into town. If you don't have a destination outside of Naples, I'd be sure to check if the town has been cleaned up before I got off the ship.

[Keith1010]

Thanks Keith. I work in NYC so I know whatyou mean about street smart. One can never be too careful. When I travel aboard, I wear my "travel jewelry" My $10 diamond ring looks pretty good if I say so myself:D and I always wear a "around the head/shoulder small pocketbook, never keeping money in "one spot". Some people call me a bit over the edge, but I've never had an incident.

 

I heard mostly of the not so good parts that's why I am hesitating to even bother to get off. I guess we will play it by ear that day. Maybe hook up with others that are going on their own.

 

Chesie

 

Great. You have the right approach. My wife and I are originally from the New York area as well.

 

We have learned over the years that just about no matter where we travel when we get off the ship we just don't wear much. I wear one inexpensive watch off the ship, and my wife wears one plain set of earings. And, we just take minimal money; usually one credit card, one atm card and some local currency and/or usa currency if that is taken in port. And we just keep a good eye on our surroundings.

 

When you get off the ship, there will be lots of taxi cab drivers in the parking lot. Just ignore these folks and walk by them. They are a bit intense. Within a block or so there are some not good areas but also good areas. Just ask someone from the crew who is familiar with the port and they can stear you in the right direction.

 

Again, while there is crime everywhere in the world includng the USA there are some cities that have more agressive crime than others. Naples is one of them.

 

I know some passengers who ignored the advice on jewelry and know first hand from them what happened. In one case someone on a motor cycle drove right up to them while they were walking and tried to pull the watch right off the persons hand. This is a popular method there. But I know another person who was attacked by a couple of people. Yes, this sort of thing can happen anywhere but Naples is indeed one of the places it happens. Just like we have seen more crime in say Barcelona as well.

 

So, there are nice places to walk around there as well that are not too far from the ship. Just be street smart and have a good map with you.

 

Keith

[OttoCal]

Sorry! One more thing. LOVE your kitties. I have two brothers. Inky (all black) and Chichi (tan/white) and very FAT!:eek:

 

Thanks :) Otto is the grey one and Callaway is the white black one. Cal's a big fatty too!

 

We were there in Nov. (Thanksgiving weekend), so closer to Christmas, but I am sure some of the places will have the creches out, I think some of the shops probably stock them all year long.

 

And don't forget the pizza shops- Da Michele is one of the more famous ones and we loved it there. Great place. They have funny hours though, but I think they do open earlier than the traditional pizzeria times.

 

Crossing some of the major streets in Naples can be a challenge- not only are the drivers crazy, the scooter riders are just plain insane and dangerous. :eek: Do what most of the TV show reccomend to get across, stick close to a local, preferably an old lady who knows what she is doing!

 

That is why we enjoyed the Scappanapoli so much, it is primarialy a pedestrian street.

 

I felt like Naples was a very religious city, much more so than Rome, where I really just saw a religious vibe at the Vatican.

[seapearl_08]

uhmmmmmm.....the sfogliatelle ......they are great i could go on a diet of sfogliatelle:) ......have you tasted the new ricotta and pear cake they make? ......beautiful......i think i have gained 2 or 3 kg in one day in naples.......yes i agree you have to watch all the jewllery the bags the taxi drivers the traffic.... but naples is a beautiful city you should go around it!!!! i was there no long ago and you could not see any rubbish maybe they cleaned evrything from the city center because of the tourists........ciao and buon viaggio!!!!!!

[WonderMan3]

I would advise to tread very cautiously here. I had read the boards here on CC prior to visiting and knew about the high crime rate. Even before getting to Naples, crew members on the ship were warning us not to bother going in to the city and told stories of previous passengers being robbed and attacked. They did recommend trying some pizza though and said there was a place you could get some right inside the port area so we wouldn't have to set foot in the city.

 

It wasn't really an issue for us in the end as we had already booked a tour for Pompeii and Sorrento so we didn't see any of Naples. We were glad we didn't though as we heard that some passengers on our cruise were mugged while visting one of the tourist areas of the city. Apparently some thugs drove up to them while they were walking along, jumped out of their vehicle and attacked and robbed them.

 

Now I have heard about gypsies and such plaguing tourists in other cities like Rome before but I have never heard such violent robberies as I've heard about Naples.

 

I also watched one of those Samantha Brown Passport To Europe programs on Naples recently to see if I was missing anything and the city looked very dirty and unappealing. With so many other wonderful places to see in the area (Pompeii, Herculaneum, Capri, Sorrento, Amalfi Coast) I don't see any reason why people would want to waste time and risk safety with this place.

[NorthernLite]

You can follow the crew out to where the regulated taxis are and the Archealogical Museum is worth the visit! It is also accessible to the physically disabled. Do not let the taxi driver talk you into his waiting for you because there might not be any when you leave. Go to the bookstore/souvenier shop last and ask them if a reputable taxi is available or can they please call one for you. They'll either walk you out and tell the one of many taxis outside to take you to ........ or call one that should be there in moments. They also have great history books in several languages for toddlers to graduate school level. I'd return to the Galleria for an ice cream or espessos and a sweet or to shop....which should be very safe and then take a shuttle, if available, or walk back if other passengers are heading back too. If you feel the need take a regulated taxi. They're easy to spot.

 

If using a private tour guide and you want to see something new just on the outskirts of Naples I loved the Cumae Cybel sancturary and Sulfa Terra.

[tomko2]

We are now thinking of taking a taxi to a nearby town - Pozzuoli. Has anyone been there? It has the third largest amphitheatre in Italy and other notably sights but I have never seen it mentioned here.

Thank you.

Kathy

[plane2port]

Naples is one of my favorite ports. Last year my husband and I went to Pompeii and Herculeneum (too much to do in one day, in my opinion), and this year my mom and I went to Pompeii and the Archeological museum. Both these itineraries are easy to do on your own.

 

I think the Archeological museum is a must-see (don't forget to visit the "secret room"!) You can also walk around the old part of town, all the while stopping occasionally for beer, cappucinos, or gelato.

 

Last week my mom (85 years old) went to Pompeii by train for about 2 hours, then took the metro to the museum, then walked around the historic part of town looking for the San Severino church so that we could see the "veiled Christ" statue. We found the church but it was closed. But I was so glad that we went looking for it because we enjoyed just walking the city. We then walked back to the ship.

 

Naples is a bit dirtier than some of the other ports that you may visit, but we saw no huge piles of garbage, not were we bothered by odors.

 

The traffic is bad on the main streets, but this is the case for all the ports.

 

Leigh

[tomko2]

The more we read about Naples, the more we do want to walk around the town. Does anyone know how long a walk it would be from the Pier to Piazza GesuNuovo (start of Spaccanapoli)? We are thinking of walking (if possible) from the Pier to Spaccanapoli and following that along to Plazza Bellini then onwards to the Museo Archeologico and back to the ship?

I have been searching the internet for street maps but can't find anything to indicate the distances. We are in our late 50ths and physically fit so walking is not a problem.

Can anyone help?

Thanks

Kathy