wrenwood

We are planning a trip to Italy next year. I think we will drive from Ravello to Pompeii as we did a few years ago, we would like to see Pompeii again. This time however, I think we would also like to visit Herculaneum, which we did not visit the last trip.

I had thought that after visiting Pompeii we would drive north and stay somewhere around Herculaneum for 2 nights, one after Pompeii, and the second night after a full day at Herculaneum.

Any suggestions as to a nice place to stay?

yorkshire

Are you looking for a hotel specifically or a town, or what about Naples? Can you tell us where else you have been before?

AJPeabody

Both Pompeii and Herculaneum are on the Circumvesuviana comuter rail between Sorrento and Naples. As you are planning to spend 2 nights in the area, pick any place along the route and leave the car there. Both Sorrento and Naples are worth staying in.

ekc

We had lunch at http://lacaveja.com/home.html on our way to Herculaneum and they have rooms. It was a fantastic meal, and an amazing wine list. We commented that we would love to stay there, so we could eat and try the wine list and not have to drive anywhere else.

It won't take you a full day to tour Herculaneum - much smaller, but better preserved, than Pompeii.

teachandtravel

Hotel piazza Bellini in Naples is really charming.

kybourbon

>>what about Naples? <<

I wouldn't stay in Naples with a rental car.

el13207

We have stayed twice in Sorrento at the Hotel Antiche Mura which is right in town and an easy walk to the train station, from which it is very easy to take the Circumvesuviana train both to Herculaneum (Ercolano) and to Pompeii. Both sites are easily accessible on foot from the train stations. We did Pompeii for nearly a full day on our first visit in 2011 and went to Ercolano this past spring, which really only needs a half day or so, but is well worth a visit. We have enjoyed the restaurants and night atmosphere in Sorrento, and the hotel is terrific. We also stayed in Naples for a night, and I would not recommend it- Sorrento is more beautiful and more pleasant (although the pizza in Naples is hard to beat...).

wrenwood

I'm looking for suggestions for a town, or a particular hotel or B&B that someone has stayed at.

We will be driving from Ravello to Pompeii and Herculaneum, and then on to Tuscany, so I'm not sure it makes sense to backtrack to Sorrento.

I'd like to stay somewhat close, but I've heard that Naples is not so nice, and Herculaneum is "run down" so I'm not sure where to start looking!

yorkshire

Oh, see--itinerary details are vital! Maybe mention where in Tuscany you are headed as well as how far that you would like to drive in one day so the experts can really get going with suggestions.
I think the problem is that Pompeii and Herculaneum are going to be a long day, and so I don't know how far you want to continue on.
I can't imagine not seeing the archaeology museum in Naples after seeing Pompeii--that's where all the stuff is! It is really not that bad if you get a nice hotel, but I would not want to drive into Naples either.
Close by, I'd say near Caserta would be an obvious choice if you are interested in seeing it, and if you want to go about half way top Florence, for example, then Viterbo might make a nice stop. There are tons of options so we need your preferences.

wrenwood

Maybe we should stay the first night after touring Pompeii near Herculaneum (I found some B&Bs near Vesuvius) and then the next night near Caserta (or slightly north) after touring Herculaneum.

We will be driving to a small town near Montepulciano, so it looks like it is 3 hrs or so from Caserta area

Fra_Diavolo

"I've heard that Naples is not so nice"

You were misinformed.

On the other hand, I wouldn't want to drive there unless suicide was calling.

I remembered someone writing a favorable report about a hotel in Pompeii and searched it out. http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...s-sorrento.cfm Scroll down to "nancythenice"'s review of the Forum Hotel in Pompeii.

So maybe stay there and leave your car. Take the Circumvesuviana to Herculaneum (not far or long), and on to Naples for the museum and pizza, if nothing else!

teachandtravel

I agree with post above. Don't be afraid of Naples. It is very unique. Do not drve there for sure. They have few lanes and disregard most traffic lights. Taking the train is easy and cheap from Pompeii, but watch purses, wallets, and kids closlely. When you arrive in Naples take taxi to museum as it would be a confusing walk if you are unfamiliar with Naples' streets and alleys. Ask for estimate of taxi drver first. It should be between 10 and 15 euros. ...absolutely no more than 20.

Then after the museum walk through unique historic center back towards port (30 min walk) if time to see other landmarks such as castle, Galleria umbreto, royal palace....You can take taxi back to train from there.

WWK

We just got back from Naples two weeks ago. It was our second trip to the city, and we had a great time. Yes, there are some neighborhoods to avoid, but we felt perfectly safe during daylight hours, and took cabs when we went out at night.

As mentioned already, there's plenty to do, see, and eat (!!) in Naples. We prefer it to Sorrento, and would return in a heartbeat. The area down at the port near the castle reminds me very much of Nice, France, with a long pedestrianized boulevard and some wonderful small trattorias. We hope to visit again soon.

wrenwood

So WWK, where did you stay?

Which areas to avoid in Naples, which are nicer?

Everyone keeps saying don't drive there, however, we will be driving, at least the first day, from Ravello, to Pompeii, and then to a hotel or B&B for 1 night. So I guess I need to keep ease of driving accessibility in mind?

aNg3L

Hi everyone, I'm too planning to visit Pompeii in mid-March. I need your advice if I'm too ambitious to visit too many places in 3 days.

We won't be driving and the whole trip will rely on public transport. We will be taking train from Rome to Naples early in the morning. I want to see the National Museum in Naples and taste the best pizza in Naples. Do I need to stay there? Here is what I'm thinking.

PLAN A
Day 1 Rome to Naples. Hire a luggage locker at Naples train station. Visit the museum and then lunch. Heading to Herculaneum then stay in Sorrento. Question, is there a locker we can hire and will that be safe? And is Herculaneum allow us to visit with our wheel luggage.

Day 2 Arrive Pompeii at 9:00am and spend for 4 hours. Mt Vesuvius for 3 hours including travel time, then go back to Sorrento for dinner.

Day 3 Hire a private driver or join a tour to Almalfi Coast. After that, will take an express train heading to Florence.

OR

PLAN B
Day 1 Leave early in the morning from Rome to Naples. Then a transit train to Sorrento. Back up to Hearculaneum for a half day trip. Spend the night at Sorrento.

Day 2 Pompeii and Mt Vesuvius.

Day 3 Take a bus back to Naples meantime enjoy the view along Almalfi Coast. Arrive Naples at noon time for the pizza, visit the museum (don't know how long it will need) then express train to Florence. Reach Florence by 6pm.

What are your thoughts?

kja

@ aNg3L -- you might want to start your own thread for your questions, but FWIW, here are my thoughts:

Unless you have a very specific interest in Mt. Vesuvius and/or in hiking while in the area, you might consider skipping Vesuvius because you apparently have VERY little time in the area.

For my interests, 4 hours would NOT have been enough for Pompeii -- I spent closer to 6 or 7 hours there, and could easily have enjoyed more. In contrast, you might find 2 or (better) 3 hours sufficient for Herculaneum. As I recall, I spent about 3 hours in the archeology museum in Naples. BUT it all depends on YOUR interests!

Re: your Plan B, day 3 -- I could easily be wrong, but I don't think that bus would really give you a view of the Amalfi Coast. Naples is NORTH of Sorrento; the Amalfi Coast is EAST of Sorrento.

IMO, Naples is one of the most fascinating cities in the world and is well worth seeing. The Amalfi Coast is also spectacular and well worth seeing. I don't think you have time for it all. I also don't think you have a bad choice here -- you will see some wonderful things no matter what you choose!

Hope that helps.

Rubicund

Where to start aNg3L. At the very beginning?

Plan A Day 1 Your time line is very difficult. You will have to leave Rome very early to get all this in. The museum should take at least 3/4 hours minimum and I can't see you getting to Herculaneum before mid afternoon at the earliest. There is certainly no left luggage facility at the site and I don't think they'll let you pull luggage through it. Same comment for Plan B Day 1.

Plan B Day 1 As above but you will waste a not inconsiderable amount of time going back to Herculaneum from Sorrento after passing through it on the Circumvesuviana train. Maybe someone who has had to leave luggage whilst touring the site will help.

Plan B Day 3 kja is absolutely correct. You will not see any of the Amalfi Coast travelling back to Naples from Sorrento.

kybourbon

>>>I can't see you getting to Herculaneum before mid afternoon at the earliest. There is certainly no left luggage facility at the site and I don't think they'll let you pull luggage through it<<<

I think Herculaneum add a place for checked bags (free like Pompeii) when they remodeled the visitor center a few years ago.

Rubicund

My apologies, there is indeed now a "Left Luggage" office on the site. Not having luggage to pull, I missed it last year.