Naples (new)

With one of the biggest ports of Italy, the Gulf of Naples and its surroundings offer a beautiful panoramic to all visitors. The islands of Capri and Ishi, the ruins of Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius, Sorrento and the Amalfi coast are the main attractions of Naples. The cruise terminal is old, but is next to the passenger terminal, from where you can take a ship to Capri. It is also next to the city center so you can go out and visit the city without taking a shuttle bus.

In my opinion, with few exceptions such as the Castle dell'Ovo which is visible from the ship, Naples is boring and dirty. So this port of call invites the tourists to go outside the city.

OFFICIAL EXCURSIONS: You can choose between the ruins of Pompeii, a trip to Capri or Capri, Sorrento and the Amalfi coast (only offered if you're staying in Naples more than 10 hours). If you want to visit Pompeii it's worth to take the official excursion, because it's difficult toget to the ruins on your own, and the explanation of a guide is important. The long tour to Amalfi is very expensive, but if you have visited the ruins of Pompeii and you have the money, take it. The views are unique.

Pompeii and Vesuvius

ALTERNATIVES: CAPRI. Next to the cruise terminal you can find catamarans going to Capri. The journey takes about 40 minutes and costs approximately 40€ (roundtrip with SNAV). It strongly recommend taking also returning tickets when leaving to Capri to make sure you get to the cruise ship with enough time to withstand any delay that might occur. Although the boats are quite punctual, do not forget the cruise will not wait for us if we are not an official excursion.

You can also take the bus touritic (city sightseeing) which starts at Castel Nuovo. The tiket (22€)  includes three lines, but I recommend to take only the red and dark blue ones. The red one goes to the museum where it stops for 10 minutes, and the dark blue one shows you the north of Naples. I must admit that the views from the bus are beautiful.

SHOPPING: We can find souvenirs on every corner. Near the harbor is the Galleria Umberto I, very nice building and a shopping center.

WEHERE TO EAT: There is a restaurant in Naples called Brandi (Via Chiaia in a small pasage to the right). Brandi is a historical place because the first Pizza Margherita was cooked there. I strongly recommend to order Pizza and pay the suplement of Mozarella di Buffala. It's very cheap (20€ per person aprox)

Afterward you can go to Piazza Plebiscito and sit at the Gambrinus to take dessert. It's expensive but high quality.

* UPDATE: December 2011