Pompeii Travel Forum

Hello my global friends! Can someone tell me if this trip can be taken from the marina at Castellammare and the cost if it does? Also, are their any good restaurants in Castellamare or closeby (don't want to drive into Naples and the hotel restaurant where I'm staying is pricey). Only in town for 2 days before heading back to Rome. I want to see Pompeii, Vesuvio (day 1) and Capri (day 2). Should I make time for anything else?

Can't help you re the hyrdofoil. However, just back from Sorrento and Vesuvius is "closed". Don't know specifically why but the betting money is on the fact that with the ongoing garbage problem in Naples, the garbage has to be put somewhere (guess where) and there is now a serious rat and other rodent problem. Also, we were in the Sorrento region for over a week and the only time we saw Vesuvius was on our trip from Naples airport when the bus driver made an unscheduled stop so that we could see it in the evening light. Other than that, the volcano was always shrouded, so even if we could have made the trip, it would have been a waste of time as far as view was concerned.
From our experience, you should absolutely make time for Herculaneum. Forget about Capri and go to Herculaneum and Villa Oplontis. We spent over six hours in Pompeii and still didn't do it all. However, if I were recommending a site to people who only had one day, then it would be Herculeaneum. If you get up early, you can do both herculeaneum and Villa Oplontis in the one day.

I agree, Herculaneum is the best archaeological site in that neck of the woods and is definately a must see. The mountain is beautiful but it's a hard trek up from where the cars and buses leave you and often the cloud cover makes visibility limited. Capri is lovely to walk round but there is very little to do there apart from shop and eat :o)

Thanks for the info! I will have a rental car while I am there. Do you think a drive along the Amalfi coast would be more worthwhile than day spent walking on Capri?

You know, one of the best bargain trips in the world is to take the local bus from Sorrento to Amalfi. For a total of Euros 3.60 return you are driven safely and reasonably comfortably by drivers who know the route well, and you will be able to fully appreciate the stunning scenery and look up and down and back without having to worry about driving. You can even go on to Ravenna if you wish. Even when we went in February, the road was quite busy and we were full of admiration for the bus drivers who are the embodiment of patience and show great skill in squeezing between vehicles with only inches to spare. I'd let your rental car sit in the hotel parking lot, and take the train for local travel to Pompeii and Herculaneum, etc. and if you decide to do the Amalfi coast, then go by train to Sorrento and then on by one of the very frequent buses.

The trains from Naples (Stazione Centrale) will take you to Pompeii, Herculaneum and other coastal towns. We also did Amalfi, Sorrento and Positano by bus - wicked views and some haircurling driving :o)