PlasticTraveler

We will be in Italy in 4 days! Mrs Plastic and I can hardly wait. We have roughed out our trip forever and are now filling in details. I know variety makes the world go round and no two people have the same tastes....but I thought I would ask:

1. We would like to see Pompeii and climb Mt Vesuvius in one day. Is that doable? What order would you do it in? Any recommended guides?

2. A good friend, who is himself Italian, recommended seeing the Amalfi Coast via boat. It is hugely expensive...so we are back to car tours...any recommended guides?

3. We are spending one day on Capri (actually staying over night) what should we do/not miss and any dinner recommendations. This is a surprise to Mrs Plastic so shhhhh!

Any help would be appreciated and welcomed!

kybourbon

>>>recommended seeing the Amalfi Coast via boat. It is hugely expensive.<<<

Private boat could be expensive, but you can take the regular ferries along the coast for under 20€.

kja

If you look at the upper right corner of the screen, you'll see a "Search the Forums" box. There is a lot of information that would be relevant to your questions that you can access that way.

Jean

If you believe weather.com, there's a good chance of rain (and somewhat warm temps) in the Naples area for the next 10 days. I would definitely not climb Vesuvius with even the hint of rain in the forecast. Pompeii would still be doable if you don't mind the possibility of walking on wet, unpaved paths, in puddles, etc.

FWIW, we spent the better part of an entire day at Pompeii on our first visit, and we didn't see everything. I would rather see the Pompeii artifacts at the Naples archeology museum than go to Vesuvius.

PlasticTraveler

Generally I am not keen on doing the volcanos when we visit a spot, but thought if ever...it should be Vesuvius. Hope the rain misses us

PalenQ

I climbed in once and yes it is a sight to behold - go for it if at all nice weather - I think some kind of minibus may go up to near the crater from Pompeii - I read about one once anyway.

PalenQ

I remember the climb up to Vesuvius on cinder paths where you take two steps forward and slide one step back - and the abrasive volcanic material can quickly eat up shoes - but I do not think you have to walk all the way up from an intermediate bus srop off as I did - i think now some kind of vehicles take you up near the still very active crater.

I would put Vesuvius at the very top of things to do in the whole Naples area though very few seem to do it - where else can you climb to the crater of a still active volcano - except in Catania and Mt Etna and on some Italian colcanic islands nowhere else in western Europe I think.

WWK

We used Guemar Travel, based in Sorrento, for transfers during our latest trip to the coast in July, and really liked them. Or, you could try Franceso Marrapese, also based in Sorrento. Either one would be a great choice for tours of the coast.

Depending on weather- rain and temperature- it might be tough to do Pompeii and Vesuvius in one day. Are you staying in Naples? If you could get up early two mornings in a row, that might be the best way to do it. Both places are very close to the city.

For a great round the island tour of Capri, I can't recommend enough a company called WHALES DI WENDY. We had a blast with them on a return trip to the island this summer. You can book ahead, or try to simply book while in Capri, if you don't know your plans ahead of time. They will take you wherever most tourists want to go- the famous rocks of Capri, Blue Grotto- but they also know less discovered grottos and coves that are more enjoyable. Well worth it!

Lastly, while water taxis are pricey, the boat service from Sorrento to many of the towns/cities along the coast is inexpensive, and a great way to see the coast and avoid the nauseating SITA buses.

PalenQ

http://wikitravel.org/en/Vesuvius

Explains how to do it via public transit and the Vesuvius Express, a minibus that scoots up to near the crater - all described in this link.

From Pompeii go to the Ercolo train stop on the CircumVesuvius train from Sorrento (or Pompeii Scavi station) and then outside the Ercolo train station is the office of the Vesuvius Express - 10 euros to take you up and back down in mini-bus and for another 10 euros tickets to enter the crater zone, etc.

Personally I'd rather see the volcano up close than any other thing in the area if I had to chose!

TDudette

Pompeii held me enrapt for the entire day so I could not have visited the volcano the same day. It sounds like a personal choice.

We took a city bus from Sorrento but its last stop was in the town Amalfi. A change of busses was required at that time for the other towns. kybourbon's advice is great. Perhaps you could take a bus in one direction and ferry back. DO check the schedules and stops.

Others' experience could be different but it took us a long time to get to Amalfi from Sorrento on the city bus and that was in March. Perhaps October will be easier. Two cars can pass, one car and one bus can pass but 2 busses are beyond the width of the Amalfi Coast road and one had to back up to let the other pass. That, in turn backed up traffic. One did have time to look at the water though!

No help here about Capri--sounds like a lovely surprise for Mrs. P.

WWK

There's a local train (Circumvensia) from Sorrento that leaves you right at the gates for Pompeii. Trip time is 30 minutes. I didn't post about it before, because it's unclear where you're staying- Sorrento or Naples.

ekc

Seeing the AC via ferry is very easy and inexpensive. You don't mention where you are staying, but you can catch the first ferry leaving Positano at 10 am, then ride down to Salerno, turn around and come back, getting off at Amalfi for a stroll and lunch.