Naples advice please!

[oldernotwiserffs]

My partner and I are looking to go to Naples for a couple of nights in June. We’d like to go to Pompeii and Herculaneum and spend time at the beach.

Questions:

1. how do you get to Pompeii/Herculaneum? Is there a train/bus?
2. how do you get tickets? Should we buy them before we go online or are there places that sell them there or can we just turn up on the day?
3. is there anything else we should see/do?

thanks!

Naples is not big on beach. For Pompeii/ Herculaneum you can get the circumvesuviana train from the station next to Napoli Centrale,. https://www.coopculture.it/en/products/regular-entrance-ticket-for-the-archaeological-park-of-herculaneum/
https://pompeiisites.org/en/

Or you can look at GetYourGuide for guided tours - I think worth the extra at both sites as they put everything into context.
The archeological museum in Naples has the best of the finds. it's not cheap though. There are a couple of underground tours which are fascinating. Get the funicular to the top of the hill and walk down through the Spanish Quarter. We did a fab "free" walking tour through the historical part when we were last there. Some of the metro stations are mind-blowing.

I have booked a holiday staying in a b&b in Ercolano. There are some fab wee places to stay there.

Circumvesuviana is the rail line to both.

Thank you for your replies :) I think we would definitely want a guided tour of Herculaneum and Pompeii. Re the beach not being a thing - what about the Bay of Naples? Is that not a beach to go to?

Get the ferry to Capri and do a boat trip round the Island. Plenty of time to jump in the water and just sunbathe on the boat. https://www.giannisboat.com/

Naples is fabulous, I loved it! It's dirty and gritty and chaotic but so much fun. If you need a break from the grit, Vomero is a smarter area, nice to walk around and explore. Naples is huge, you will definitely need to use the metro or funicular at some point. There's a street in the centre of the town that sells wall to wall Christmas stuff - hand crafted cribs and that sort of thing, fascinating stuff

We went to Herculaneum and spent about 3 hours there - tbh, it was plenty and we gave Pompeii a miss. Herculaneum is fascinating and well worth a visit. It's a fraction of the size of Pompeii so much more manageable

Enjoy Naples, it's a magical place ☺️

We've got a few days booked there in a couple of weeks.

We've got an air bnb just outside Naples as its a crazy busy city. Going to go in by train one day and perhaps visit Pompeii another day. Maybe trek up Vesuvius one day.

I stayed just outside Sorrento in October for a week and we visited Herculaneum and Pompeii. Actually Pompeii is amazing and I would rate it over Herculaneum personally.

We also got the ferry to Capri which is beautiful 😍 and did a boat tour of the Amalfi coast which is stunning.

If you go to Pompeii before you go in walk to the local town. The Church is very pretty. But is also has a tower with a lift - you pay to use it, only a couple of Euros. And you have a birdseye view over Pompei. We did Herculaneum and Pompei. Thought P was much better. Take plenty of water - it’s very hot and not much shade and you need decent walking shoes/sandals

We went in February though stayed in Sorrento. Took the circumvesuviana train to Pompeii one day, Ercalano and up Vesuvius the next day. Another day we went on the bus to Positano. Spent a few hours in Naples before the flight home, I preferred Pompeii to Ercalano. I think my highlight was the trip to Vesuvius. We just bought train tickets daily at the train station

We were there two weeks ago and did
Pompeii - train takes just under an hour. We bought tickets there and had a fab guide just by chance
Got the furnicula up to the castle and then walked down to the Spanish quarter. Saw all the maradona murals and paraphernalia. The Spanish quarter is amazing and vibrant
Did the underground tour which was fascinating.
Just strolled around the city and the bay.
Went to a Napoli football match (for DS after dragging him found Pompeii)
Ate a ton of pizza and pasta!
We absolutely loved the city. So easy to get around and a bit bonkers in a nice way.

Note the train makes fewer stops at Herculaneum station than Pompeii. We booked guided tours on Viator - they have all the local options listed out with reviews etc. We pre booked in October half term, but it wasn’t that busy. Maybe worth stalking the site to keep an eye on availability if you are def after a guide.

I would have a day doing something different between Herculaneum and Pompeii - lots of walking!

I don’t know about beaches, we were staying nearer Sorrento and it’s very cliff-edge rather than beach, though there are a few spots.

Vesuvio was the one that sold out actually - they limit the number of people who can go up there because it’s basically walking along the same path along the edge of the volcano, and it could easily get too crowded. Ended up having to book a tour for that as well, just so we could get tickets, as the normal ticket site had sold out. The tour was excellent though so I don’t regret the cost.

Yes vesuvius has to be booked in advance you cant pay on the gate. Best to go on a clear day.

If you’re only going for a couple of nights you’ll struggle to see Pompeii, Herculaneum and spend time on the beach. Pompeii is huge and will be busy and hot in June. Naples is a big, bustling, chaotic city with lots to see and do. It’s also a major port so beaches aren’t very nice. I’d either make the trip longer so you can go and visit a beach elsewhere, or just accept that Naples isn’t a beach town.

The Bay of Naples is the actual bay - it's mostly made up of ports.

There are good beaches in Posillipo. Get the metro to Napoli Mergellina, then it is a 20 min walk to either Bagno Elena or Bagno Sirena.
Whilst part of Bagno Sirena is free entry to the public, it is worth paying the entrance fee for the private side of Bagno Sirena, due to no litter.

Maybe consider a day trip to Procida, a little island. We missed out on it as we didn't have enough time.
The Talented Mr Ripley was filmed there.
It looks like a gorgeous island and is meant to have great beaches

Procida is gorgeous but the beaches are a bit out of town - there are buses. It's nice as a day trip. You can also do Ischia on the hydrofoil - about 45 mins. The beach at Ischia Porto is OK but there are nicer ones the other side of the island, plus thermal spas.