Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through a link on this page, I may get a commission, at no cost to you. Any recommendations that I make are for products or services I have personally used and highly recommend.
Port: Naples
Tootsie’s Bottom Line:
- Tour Provider: See Amalfi Coast
- Travel Type: Private
- Transportation: Sedan
- Cost: approximately $470 includes private tour of Pompeii and excludes gratuity
- Kid Friendly: 15+
- Tips: Ask for “Johnny boy”
- Good to know: We traveled in late May and it was extremely hot and there is little to no shade. Plan accordingly.
Pompeii
The ship arrived early Tuesday morning in Naples, Italy. We disembarked after an early breakfast and located our tour guide, Johnny, from “See Amalfi Coast”. I’d booked a private tour from the Port of Naples so that Leah and I could maximize the day. A Mercedes sedan in impeccable condition was our transportation for the day. Because Johnny was our private driver, we had the luxury of choosing how to spend our day. Johnny is from Naples originally and knows the area well. I’d made arrangements in advance to see Pompeii and “See Amalfi Coast” arranged for a private guide within the ruins. In order to get ahead of the crowds, Johnny took us directly to Pompeii so that we could be one of the first to enter the ruins. We had a little time before the ticket office opened and were treated to an espresso at a local eatery outside the city walls. Neither of us are coffee drinkers but “when in Rome…”. We took Johnny’s advice and sweetened the espresso and shot it back before starting our day. Not bad, I must admit! Perhaps softened by being on vacation in such a beautiful place.
Pompeii was amazing! As a quick history review, Pompeii was a bustling Roman city until the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 left it buried in 14+ feet of volcanic ash and pumice. The city was literally buried alive! I cannot imagine what it was like excavating a city that was frozen in time. Visiting it, however, is pretty cool. Because it’s fairly small, you can easily walk the city. A separate local guide walked us through the ruins and was able to take us to some of the highlights. One of the things that I found most amazing was the vivid colors in paintings found in homes that have long been unoccupied and unprotected. You really get a sense of the layout of the city and the residential areas versus commercial. A great tour and well worth the time and money! It also served as a great introduction to our visit to Rome. At the end of our Pompeii tour, we were reunited with Johnny and quickly hit the road before the big crowds had arrived for the day. We paid our guide directly at the end of the tour.
Amalfi Coast
Amazing! There really are no other words to describe this area. I’d wanted to visit it mainly because I’d heard the Amalfi Coast was really pretty. It is a drastic understatement to call this pretty. The roads are very narrow and I was glad to be in a car with a private guide rather than trying to navigate the area on a large bus. Johnny stopped to allow us to take some pictures and took us to a roadside stand for some lemon ice (like a lemon slushy, but so much better). We continued to Sorrento where we had lunch and walked around the charming town. We elected to forgo the Positano portion of the trip due to time and instead spent more time in Sorrento.
I would love to return and drive the full distance of the Amalfi Coast to Positano, visit the island of Capri and see Cinque Terre. Another time….