TRAVEL: 4 days in Naples (Pompeii, Sorrento and more...)
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At the start of June, my boyfriend Dan and I went on a summer 'trip' (we use the word trip instead of holiday as this was certainly no holiday!) to Naples. Ever since we first met, we have discussed trips to Italy and this summer would mark my first visit, hopefully of many, to the beautiful country.
With Naples being a city, we opted for a 5 night stay (we are students after all), to allow us enough time to explore the city and the many sights in the area surrounding Naples without crippling our bank balances. We had a jam-packed schedule, and opted to see as much as we could in the short time we were away. So if you're planning a trip to the city, do grab a notepad and pen and take note. We managed to spend around £350 on flights (Jet2) and accommodation (we stayed in the Palazzo Salgar) and spent around the same in spending money.
Friday: Getting to the City
We were fortunate enough to book a combined flights and hotel deal using Jet2Holidays which meant we took a mid afternoon flight from Manchester and arrived into Naples in the early evening. As transfers were not included, we opted to find our own way to the hotel from the airport to save ourselves some money compared to booking a taxi. Fortunately, Naples Capodichino Airport is only 6km from Napoli Garibaldi Station (the central train station for the city) which meant we were only a short bus trip away.
If it's your first time in Naples, one of the first things you may notice is the roads and the attitude to driving in the city. Kudos to anyone brave enough to join the locals driving in the area - it would certainly not be for the faint hearted! With this in mind, we put our faith in the local bus drivers which for the Alibus to Garibaldi (a bus that cost us €5 each and took you straight to Garibaldi) worked perfectly, however the second bus we had intended to catch was less reliable. We had found the correct bus stop and were waiting on the bus to arrive, however, after waiting for the drivers to finish chatting and smoking outside the depot, we decided to chance finding our own way there and walk 20 minutes in search of our hotel instead, breaking the suitcase wheels in the process. After we'd checked in and chucked our luggage on the bed, we headed out for a late tea, which, after walking around mindlessly in the dark in search of pizza, we found a restaurant still serving, where we opted for Gnocchi and our first taste of Naple's renowned pizza at A Casa di Federico.
Saturday: Pompeii
Initially we had intended (optimistically) to see Pompeii and Vesuvius in one day, but instead decided to spend a full day in Pompeii instead. We got the Circumvesuvian train from Porta Nolana train station (which if you can get to there instead of Garibaldi, I would strongly encourage in order to get yourself a seat before the swarms of people board.)
Trains run every half hour and we paid €2,70 each way to get to Pompeii, where the entrance was a short minutes walk out of the station. I'd advise you to carry your driving licence with you to Pompeii (if from the EU and under 25) in order to get discounted tickets (we paid €9 each). You will also require to leave your id as a security deposit, should you want an audio guide (which I believe was less than €10).Guides will try and usher you upstairs as soon as you get to the Pompeii Scavi station, but just head straight for the ruins as you can only get discounted tickets directly from the entrance gate.
We spent a good 6 1/2 hours exploring the Pompeii ruins, and managed to explore the vast majority of it. If you are tight on time, however, I'd strongly encourage you to view the colosseum, the amphitheatre, villa of the mysteries, the stabian baths and the forum (Dan's favourite).
Sunday: Vesuvius/ Gesu Nuvo Church
On our second day we decided to get to Vesuvius via Pompeii Scavi station, where, directly opposite the station entrance you can get the EAV Srl bus for €3,10 each way to the volcano car park. Admission for the volcano is €10 and took us approximately 35/40 minutes to reach the far summit. It was difficult terrain to walk up, and I did stumble a couple of times, however the views were well worth the walk up. Once we'd climbed up, and down, Vesuvius, we took the train back to Porta Nolana before walking into the city centre towards Gesu Nuvo Church.
Monday: Naples
We set aside Monday to see as much of Naples' key sights as we could. We started off walking in the direction of Castel Del'Ovo, passing Castle Nuovo and the Piassa del Plebscito, a beautiful square in Naples next to the royal palace, where we were fortunate enough to witness a wedding. We also took a walk through the Galleria Umberto shopping district and bought some gelato which we ate on our walk to the Naples Museum of Archaeology. My favourite part being the scale model of Pompeii. Our final stop was via the Cathedral of Naples which, much like many of the beautiful sights in Naples, creeps up on you down one of Naples back streets.
It's worth noting here that there is two contrasting areas in Naples; the Garibaldi station region and the district in its surrounding area, then as you walk closer towards the coast headed for Castel D'Ovo/ Castle Nuovo (via the sketchier Spanish Quarter), you find yourself walking past higher end shops and towards Piazza del Plebiscito, which is beautiful. Naples has itself a bit of a bad reputation, but we never felt unsafe in Naples, just be wary of your surroundings and your belongings - we just kept valuables on us to a minimum and carried our bags on our front in the busy areas.
One thing we became very aware very early on during our trip was how beautiful buildings would just creep up on your among the high and narrow streets and Naples Cathedral was certainly one of these. The scale and beauty of this Cathedral is definitely a must see in Naples.
Tuesday: Sorrento
For our last full day we allocated the time to relax in Sorrento. We caught the Circumvesuvian train from Porta Nolana to Sorrento, which cost around €5,70 each way. When we arrived, we found ourselves strolling down the streets in Sorrento amongst the Limoncello stores and gelato stands, situated ourselves in a park overlooking the coast. It's a truly beautiful area that is a stark contrast the the bustle of Naples, but we did find ourselves to be significantly younger than the tourists in the region. I also used Sorrento as my guinea pig for my new holga photography lens.
Naturally, we ate A LOT in Naples, but found ourselves trying somewhere new to eat every night. When it came to drinks, however, we found ourselves a regular haunt with La Fesseria. Down a dark and narrow back street, I wasn't expecting to find such a great Cocktail Bar. The cosy bar didn't have a menu but valued their skills in being able to make you the cocktail you asked for. Their Tom Colins was a particular favourite of ours and their Instagram is definitely worth a follow (@la_fesseria).
So that's my photo diary of my latest trip away. Have you ever been to Italy?
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