We have half of Thursday, and all of Friday to 'do' Naples
Of course, we're not going to Naples to see Naples; we're going for Pompei and Herculaneum and Vesuvius. I expect that will be a full-day trip. And the National Archaeological Museum in Naples, where all the good stuff from Pompei etc is. (That might be Thu arvo)
And apparently eat pizza (being as this is the birthplace and all that). And sfogliatelle. And wander about in the storico antico, the old centre of town, given that's about all we'll have time left for I think.
Is there anything I'm missing that should be on our must-see list?
Excerpts from "The Rough Guide to Europe on a budget" (March 2014 edition)
[Naples is] the kind of city people visit with preconceptions, and it rarely disappoints: it is dirty and overbearing; it is crime-ridden; and it most definitely like nowhere else in Italy.
The area between the vast and busy Piazza Garibaldi, the city's transport hub, and Via Toledo, the main street a kilometre or so west, makes up the old part of the city - the centro storico, whose buildings rise high on either side of the narrow, crowded streets.
Museo Archeologico Nazionale (Wed-Mon 9am-7pm) is home to the best of the finds from the nearby Roman sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The ground floor concentrates on sculpture, the mezzanine houses the museum's collection of mosaics, while upstairs, wall paintings from the villas of Pompeii and Herculaneum are the museum's other major draw. Don't miss the "secret" room of erotic Roman pictures and sculptures, once thought to be a threat to public morality.
Vesuvius is still an active volcano - the only one on mainland Europe. Considered to be one of the world's most dangerous volcanoes...
Circumvesuviana train to Pompeii, then Busvia del Vesuvio bus to 1000m up the volcano (hourly, b/n 9am-5pm); EUR22 incl entrance ticket; OR
Circumvesuviana train to Ercolano Stavi (station), then Vesuvio Express minibus roughly every half-hour (9am-4pm; EUR10 return) to the carpark.
From bus stop/?carpark, it's a half-hour walk to the top, admission there EUR10, and you can walk about halfway around (700m) the caldera, and the breathtaking sea views.
Link to ENG pdf
Pompeii (8:30am-7:30pm, ticket office closes at 6pm; EUR11): seeing the site will take you half a day at least.
Herculaneum (same hours/prices), ticket office is at the seaward end of Ercolano's main street. Smaller, more manageable site - less architecturally impressive but with better preserved buildings.
Catch the Circumvesuviana line, 15mins from Naples
Circumvesuviana train details here
Naples - Herculaneum: U2 ticket. EUR 2.20, 6.30, 3.50 (single, daily, weekend daily) (stop is Ercolano Scavi, 4th stop)
Naples - Pompei: U3 ticket, EUR 2.0, 8.40, 4.60 (ditto) (stop is Pompeii Scavi Villa Misteri, 9th stop)
Also available: Artecard - public transport plus entry to art and culture sites in the region. 3 days adult EUR32, n/a for kids (their admission fees generally very low); can buy from the Naples Central Station, and possibly the airport too. Apparently you get two free entries, and 50% discounts for subsequent ones, and may include the (private) Circumvesuviana. If it does, it may well be worthwhile
Of course, we're not going to Naples to see Naples; we're going for Pompei and Herculaneum and Vesuvius. I expect that will be a full-day trip. And the National Archaeological Museum in Naples, where all the good stuff from Pompei etc is. (That might be Thu arvo)
And apparently eat pizza (being as this is the birthplace and all that). And sfogliatelle. And wander about in the storico antico, the old centre of town, given that's about all we'll have time left for I think.
Is there anything I'm missing that should be on our must-see list?
Excerpts from "The Rough Guide to Europe on a budget" (March 2014 edition)
[Naples is] the kind of city people visit with preconceptions, and it rarely disappoints: it is dirty and overbearing; it is crime-ridden; and it most definitely like nowhere else in Italy.
The area between the vast and busy Piazza Garibaldi, the city's transport hub, and Via Toledo, the main street a kilometre or so west, makes up the old part of the city - the centro storico, whose buildings rise high on either side of the narrow, crowded streets.
Museo Archeologico Nazionale (Wed-Mon 9am-7pm) is home to the best of the finds from the nearby Roman sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The ground floor concentrates on sculpture, the mezzanine houses the museum's collection of mosaics, while upstairs, wall paintings from the villas of Pompeii and Herculaneum are the museum's other major draw. Don't miss the "secret" room of erotic Roman pictures and sculptures, once thought to be a threat to public morality.
Vesuvius is still an active volcano - the only one on mainland Europe. Considered to be one of the world's most dangerous volcanoes...
Circumvesuviana train to Pompeii, then Busvia del Vesuvio bus to 1000m up the volcano (hourly, b/n 9am-5pm); EUR22 incl entrance ticket; OR
Circumvesuviana train to Ercolano Stavi (station), then Vesuvio Express minibus roughly every half-hour (9am-4pm; EUR10 return) to the carpark.
From bus stop/?carpark, it's a half-hour walk to the top, admission there EUR10, and you can walk about halfway around (700m) the caldera, and the breathtaking sea views.
Link to ENG pdf
Pompeii (8:30am-7:30pm, ticket office closes at 6pm; EUR11): seeing the site will take you half a day at least.
Herculaneum (same hours/prices), ticket office is at the seaward end of Ercolano's main street. Smaller, more manageable site - less architecturally impressive but with better preserved buildings.
Catch the Circumvesuviana line, 15mins from Naples
Circumvesuviana train details here
Naples - Herculaneum: U2 ticket. EUR 2.20, 6.30, 3.50 (single, daily, weekend daily) (stop is Ercolano Scavi, 4th stop)
Naples - Pompei: U3 ticket, EUR 2.0, 8.40, 4.60 (ditto) (stop is Pompeii Scavi Villa Misteri, 9th stop)
Also available: Artecard - public transport plus entry to art and culture sites in the region. 3 days adult EUR32, n/a for kids (their admission fees generally very low); can buy from the Naples Central Station, and possibly the airport too. Apparently you get two free entries, and 50% discounts for subsequent ones, and may include the (private) Circumvesuviana. If it does, it may well be worthwhile
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