Naples City Tours by Coach
These 2.5 hour tours by coach show you the highlights of Naples, including the Castle Nuovo (13th century), which was home to kings and Spanish Viceroys, the Piazza della Borsa, the upscale stores of the Galleria Umberto I, and the Piazza Plebiscito (where you'll see the Royal Palace (17th century), San Carlo Opera House, and the Church of St. Francis. Time for refreshments at a cafe and photo ops are allocated.
Price: Adults expect to pay from $40 to $55.
Booking Advice: The cruise line shore excursions are competitive, but we do suggest third party vendor Hop On/Off Bus Tours if you're desiring more independent (and longer) excursions. Also, it's good to bear in mind the fact that most ships are docked quite near downtown Naples, so it's easy enough to simply walk into town. Typically, the cruise line city tours are rated as easy in terms of physical exercise.
Amalfi Coast & Pompeii Scavi
These full day (9.5 hour) coach tours visit Pompeii Scavi (the ruins) from Salerno before lunch, then go on a scenic drive along the Amalfi coast, where you'll visit the town of Amalfi with its Piazza del Duomo and the 13th century Cathedral of St. Andrew (where this disciple is reportedly entombed). The cost of lunch is typically included in these tours.
Price: Adults expect to pay from $160 to $345 through the cruise lines.
Booking Advice: Because of the walking, including steep inclines, at Pompeii Scavi, this tour is considered to be physically strenuous. If you just want to see the ruins and have a nice lunch at a trattoria, you may want to consider touring with your own small group of friends. Admission to Pompeii Scavi for one adult is (based upon our most recent research) 11 Euros, and commuter trains from Naples take about 30 minutes to get to nearby Pompei. From the train station in Pompei, Pompeii Scavi is within reasonable walking distance for most people, although we would not recommend that walk (or this tour) for anyone using a wheelchair or with ambulatory challenges. You may also want to bear in mind the fact that combination tours give you around two hours to explore the ruins, and it really is possible to spend many more hours at this very famous archaeological wonder. Based on our experience, Pompeii Scavi is certainly within walking distance to some wonderful trattorias in Pompei that are reasonably priced.
Pompeii Scavi
Tours of Pompeii Scavi range from half day (4 hours) to full day (up to 9.5 hours). The half day tours tend just visit Pompeii Scavi, but the longer tours typically include other places and towns along the Amalfi Coast. Pompeii, once a great city, was destroyed by the Mt. Vesuvius Volcano in 79 AD, and was virtually undiscovered for roughly 1700 years. Pompeii Scavi is one of the most famous archaeological discoveries in the world, and you can see how cleverly and beautifully it was designed among the ruins of houses and city buildings.
Price: Adults expect to pay from $69 to $345, depending upon cruise length and agenda.
Booking Advice: These tours tend to be rated as physically arduous, because there are steps to ascend and uneven walking surfaces at Pompeii Scavi. From personal experience and based on reviews of others who have visited these ruins, it would easily take a week to tour Pompeii Scavi. That said, a 4 hour tour or a chunk of a day on a full day tour will likely leave some people feeling as though they just didn't have enough time. If you think you're one of those people, it might help to remember that you can travel round trip from Naples to modern Pompei for under 10 Euros. People do walk from Pompei's train station to Pompeii Scavi, and admission to the ruins costs about 11 Euros per adult. Because the ruins are only a block or two away from trattorias, it's easy enough to find a decent meal at a reasonable price. If guided tours have more appeal to you, you'll find relatively competitive prices offered for cruise line excursions, but third party vendors also have a nice variety of selections and some good deals as well.
Capri
Following your boat ride to Capri, a coach takes you to Anacapri, where you can then explore Villa S. Michele and the Axel Munthe gardens. Then, after a short visit in the town of Anacapri, you'll visit Capri Town, and experience the sights about La Piazzetta. In Capri Town, you'll have lunch at a cafe, have a guided tour of the Gardens of Augustus, have a good view of the Faraglioni rock outcroppings, and also have time to shop.
Price: Adults expect to pay from $150 to $220 through the cruise lines for full day (8 to 9 hour) tours.
Booking Advice: Cruise line prices for these excursions are OK, but you'll likely save money by booking with an online third party vendor. Because of the walking involved, tours of Capri are typically considered to be physically strenuous. During peak tourism seasons, Capri does become quite crowded; anticipate expecting wait time and lines.
Exclusive Tours of Pompeii, Sorrento, and Positano
En route to Positano, you'll see some amazing countryside including Mt. Vesuvius. Positano is a gathering place for artists and writers, and you'll have some time for strolling and shopping both here and in Sorrento. You'll also have lunch in quaint, romantic Sorrento, whose sirens -according to legend- tried to lure Ulysses to the rocks. You'll spend much of the afternoon at Pompeii Scavi. This once great city, destroyed by the Mt. Vesuvius Volcano in 79 AD, is one of the most famous archaeological discoveries in the world, and you can see how cleverly and beautifully it was designed among the ruins of houses and city buildings.
Price: Adults expect to pay around $345.
Booking Advice: Because of the walking involved throughout (but especially at Pompeii Scavi), this tour is rated as moderate in terms of physical exertion. Again, we suggest that you may want to explore your options for “do it yourself” small group tours because admission to Pompeii Scavi is about 11 Euros, and finding a nice lunch in Pompei (just a few blocks' walk) is quite possible.