Naples and Mount Vesuvius

[ELR]

Hi
DH, myself and two dc 8 and 11 are going to Naples and Sorrento next week, we have two nights in naples and would like to go to mount Vesuvius anyone know best way to get there and best time to go ect. Also any other tips of things to do, after Naples we are staying just outside of Sorrento for a week.

We combined it with a trip to Pompeii so got the bus from Pompeii Scavi station(UNICO bus). Can't remember what times the buses were but I think the fare was about €10 and about an hour.

Take lots of water and decent shoes as the ground is loose shale when you walk up. You can also borrow a stick to help with the climb from the start of the walk - tip on the way back when you drop stick off.

Thanks x

Do you have a car there?

No we won't have a car, driving around there sounds like it will be a nightmare!!

One of the things we enjoyed was going to some of the local mountain villages/restaurants - although we were on the southern amalf coast. We hadn't planned this but our accommodation recommended and booked a few that would come and get us and bring us back (so no driving ourselves).

Capri very busy, go on a very early ferry maybe before the crowds build up.

We did Pompeii instead of Vesuvius - again got there at opening time 8.30 and were away by 10.30 as it was starting to get busy. There is a bus from Pompeii Porta Marina entrance to Vesuvius but we didn't use it.

Thanks that sounds like a good idea, will ask the hotels we are staying in. Both myself and DH hate driving on the on the continent especially italy, did it a few years ago and thought we were going to die and that was just normal roads not coastal cliff tops!

Lucky you! We went 7 years ago and loved it! You can also get the train to Herculaneum which is similar to Pompeii but slightly better preserved because of the way the volcano erupted, Herculaneum received a shorter, hotter dose IYSWIM. There are loads of lovely restaurants in sorrento and it's better to go down some of the side streets to eat at some of the smaller family run ones we found.

We got a bus to Paestum (sp?) which took a while to get there but was amazing. The best preserved Greek ruins outside of Greece. Take a drive or the boat along the Amalfi coast, stunning.

I want to go back now! It was my favourite holiday we've ever been on

I went last year and it was divine. You are absolutely right not to drive!!

Pompei is unmissable. Herculaneum also very interesting.

I loved Capri - there is a ski lift type thing that takes you right to the top and you can take boat trips around the island.

I would also recommend taking a coach tour up the Amalfi coast to Positano, Ravello, Amalfi - so beautiful.

It is an amazing holiday - pat yourself on the back - good choice

Thanks all. I just hope DH and the kids like it too, I booked it purely for myself! What is the food like I'm a real foodie so this was one of the main reasons I wanted to go too.

I can recommend The Foreigners Club in Sorrento - fabulous views of the Bay of Naples and Vesuvius, and Parruccianos also in Sorrento, which the DC will probably love. The roof is made of lemon trees!!!

It looks small from the front but is enormous inside - lovely staff and wonderful food.

This thread is giving me even though I am off to Rome soon...

Herculaneum might be better for children, as it's smaller and less crowded than Pompeii, and is very interesting.

There is a good train service along the coast from Sorrento to Naples, worth looking into as you will not have a car.

Yes, sturdy shoes or boots essential for Vesuvius!

Thanks if anyone has any more tips would love to gear them. Also what is it like for swimming in the sea are there any beaches or swim spots that don't charge?

The beaches in the Sorrento area are tiny and very crowded. I think you have to pay to use them as well. We didn't bother going to the beach as the hotel had a lovely pool. We were just outside Sorrento in Sant'Agnello. We used the local train to get into Sorrento because the walk to there from our hotel was horrible (see next paragraph)

What took us by surprise was how busy and noisy the streets are. The traffic is horrific and you are wise not to hire a car. Walking around the area was disappointing because of the traffic filled streets and narrow pavements, and you can't walk along the coast because it is built up right to the top of the cliffs.

Once you are in the traffic free part of Sorrento it is much nicer, and there are lots of little shops to mooch around.

We took a boat trip round the peninsula to Amalfi and really enjoyed it. Others in our hotel who had been to Capri told us it wasn't worth it. Extremely expensive once you are there and the crossing can be rough.

For shoes I would get something like Sketchers Go Walk for Pompeii, but you might be better with trainers and socks for Vesuvuis.

Take loads of water, light, long sleeve clothes to cover and a sunhat. The sun is relentless there in summer.

Have a great holiday.

Thanks bunbaker we are also staying in Sant'Agnello at majestic palace hotel. We are staying in naples first so will be travelling down on the train.
I've been to italy a few times and you are right the traffic is unbelievable. Thanks for the trainers and socks tip for vesuvius will def remember to take trainers!

The Circumvesuviana trains are fantastic - the easiest overland system I've ever used and very cheap. They go everywhere you might want to go.

Recommend Poppaea's villa at Oplontis - great big single villa, lovely wall paintings plus you can see the full extent of the pumice fall from the eruption and the pyroclastic layers in the excavation walls.

Take sandwiches to Capri - it's the most expensive place to eat I've ever been.

If you get the chance to get to Paestum on a bus tour, go. It's an amazingly wild and desolate site with three huge Greek temples and an excellent museum.

The Museo Archaeologico in Naples is excellent.

I haven't been myself but Solfatara is supposed to be a good day out for children - it's a volcanic field with active fumaroles. If you go up Vesuvius, only go on a clear day. If it's cloudy, you won't be able to do the rim walk and it will be hard to see you hand in front of your face, so not safe plus a waste of the trip up there.

That's where we stayed. The street it is on is quiet, but the other streets are not. Make sure you get a room at the back. It is quiet, you don't get the sounds from any evening entertainment and you get the evening sun.

The beach there is tiny, horrible and overcrowded - don't bother.

The rooms are spacious and the food was lovely.

Tip: don't go down to dinner too late or you will miss the desserts which are wonderful. They are set out on a first come first served basis.

Oh, and take plenty of insect repellent. The mosquitoes round the pool are vicious if you are a mosquito magnet. OH ended up having to get some antibiotic cream from the pharmacy, and we saw plenty of hotel guests covered in pink splotches.

The walk into town from the hotel is not a pleasant one so we used the train. You buy a ticket at the station and then have to validate it in the machine on the platform before getting on the train.

For the boat trip it is much cheaper to go down to the harbour and buy tickets there. The organised trips were 37 euros each and tickets from the harbour were 24 euros each.

I would also suggest that you have a guide for going round Pompeii, whether you get there under your own steam or go on an organised trip. You learn so much more from having a guide.

We don't have evening meal included as booked hotel directly not through a tour operator saved about £1800 booking flights and hotel separate.
Thanks for the mosquito tip we are all magnets!!
What would you say are the three things not to miss?

Pompeii. Boat trip round the peninsula, and Herculaneum. We didn't do Herculaneum because it is a long trip on an un-airconditioned train in that heat, but I regret not going. I would have liked to do Vesuvius as well, but DD had had knee surgery and wasn't up to the walk, and quite frankly I wouldn't have fancied the climb in the blistering sun.

The pool was excellent for us, but wouldn't be much good for non swimmers. We found the staff at the hotel helpful and friendly as well.

If you go to Amalfi don't buy ice cream from the ice cream parlours on the main drag. They are horrifically expensive and OH and I got the squats.

There aren't many eating places in the vicinity of the hotel, so it is worth seeing what there is in Sorrento itself.

One thing that was an unpleasant surprise was arriving at Naples airport in the old building. There is a new building and the old one which is like a cattle shed and has no aircon. Our luggage took ages to come through and we were stuck in this awful cattle shed for a couple of hours.

Luckily we departed from the new building.

The staff at the hotel were friendly and helpful as well.

I'm jealous that you are going. Have a great time.

We were there a couple of weeks ago. Did Herculaneum with a really enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide. It's particularly hot there because it's literally in a large hole in the ground where it has been dug out. I agree you need proper walking shoes. Oh and use the toilets before you descend. We had walked half an hour down into the depths of Herculaneum and a small boy of about 4 was crying as his mother berated him. DS2 asked me what was wrong. I said that he was doing what all small children do and that is demanding a wee just as they are as far as it's possible to get from the toilets .

We were told it is better preserved than Pompei but I can't compare as we didn't go to both.

Sorrento is interesting to visit but I wouldn't choose it as a destination for a holiday. It's all built on top of dark cliffs and the beaches are small and not nice. Had a fantastic meal at a restaurant on the back streets called Tasso.

I agree with secret about Sorrento. I was very happy with the hotel, but it is really a base to visit other places, unless you get a hotel perched on the edge of the cliffs. As the buildings go right to the edge of the cliffs you can't enjoy the views from many places.

There is a place at the end of the road from your hotel ELR that offers brilliant views. There is also a bar/cafe there that is nice.

Went 4 years ago. Definitely do Pompeii and Herculaneum. We did both in the same day.

I was a bit disappointed with the Vesuvius but worth a visit... We got a bus tour up from Herculaneum station.

We went to Capri on our wedding anniversary it was lovely. A tip is to go to the blue grotto first and then do the rest. We left it to the end and weren't able to go in

Thanks everyone this has been most helpful. Is Capri worth the cost?

We didn't go to Capri because others in our hotel who went said it wasn't worth it and the crossing was very rough. The boat trip we took went to Capri, but didn't land. People went swimming from the boat.

I didn't find Capri that interesting but did take the bus up to Anacapri where there is a museum house that looks out towards Capri. Breathtaking views.

In Naples you must find Da Michele and have pizza there.

We went to Sorrento 2 years ago for our honeymoon and loved Capri. The crossing wasn't rough at all and I would go back in a heartbeat. We hired a little boat and the guy stopped in about 4 different places to swim off the boat into caves / grottos etc. Was excellent though not cheap but the only chance to go for a dip in sea given lack of beaches.