Overview Naples is a historic city in southern Italy. This city is well known for its art, music, history and cuisine (in fact, pizza is said to have originated from this city). Naples is the capital of Italy's Campania region.
Naples typically has mild, wet winters with warm to hot and dry summers. The hottest months of the year are usually July and August, while the coldest are usually January and February.
The city of Naples is notorious for its crime. Be weary of pickpockets! Do not wander away from the major tourist areas. It's advisable that if you decide to stay in Naples, that you leave expensive items onboard the ship, in your room's safe (if there is one). Because of these problems, many cruisers opt to travel to one of the nearby tourist-friendly cities along the famous (and beautiful) Amalfi coast. Among these is the island of Capri (which can be reached by ferry), as well as the mainland cities of Positano, Amalfi and Ravello. Another popular destination is Pompeii, an ancient city (whose ruins are being excavated today) located only 15 miles south of Naples. Sorrento, another nearby city, is a popular tourist destination (reachable by ferry or car).
Naples is more commonly used as a port of call during a cruise, rather than as a cruise departure port. However, Italian cruise lines Costa Cruises and MSC Cruises both currently use Naples as a departure port for a few of their Mediterranean cruises.
Destinations The following destinations can be visited on a cruise leaving from Naples, Italy:
Mediterranean
Currency The official currency is the Euro. ATM machines are available, but make sure you use one that works with the card you're using. ATM machines will usually give you a better exchange rate than a bank or hotel. Using a credit card is a great way to avoid having to exchange currency.
Language The official language of Italy is Italian. In this particular area of Italy you won't find many English speakers, aside from a few of the tourist-heavy areas.
Tourist Attractions There are many ways to get around Naples. It's a big city, so walking around won't give you the opportunity to see as much as you could by taking a taxi. If you decide to take a taxi be sure to agree on a price with the driver prior to going anywhere. Also, make sure that the taxi you get into is an official, registered taxi.
Shopping is probably the most popular thing to do in Naples. There are a lot of street vendors - be careful that they don't rip you off! There are also many high end stores, such as Prada.
Since Naples is famous for being the home of pizza, a "must do" for food lovers is to try a slice of authentic Neopolitan pizza. Another popular thing to try in Naples is the limoncello, a tasty lemon liqueur.
The main (and largest) city square in Naples is the Piazza del Plebiscito, right by the Royal Palace. The Royal Palace is used today (along with the nearby grounds) as a museum, theater and library, in addition to various other functions.
There are many historical museums in Naples, some of the most important in Italy. One of the most prominent of them is the Naples National Archeological Museum, with many artifacts from the Roman Empire. The Museo di Capodimmonte is usually considered to be the most important museum and art gallery in Naples.
Mount Vesuvius is a volcano located just east of Naples. It's not currently erupting, but it's the only volcano on Europe's mainland that has erupted in the last hundred years. It is considered by many to be one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world. The area around the volcano is a national park, and the summit of the volcano is open to visitors.
Castel Nuovo is considered by many to be the symbol of the architecture of Naples. It is also known as Maschio Angioino. It is the former home of many monarchs.
Since Pompeii is pretty close to Naples, it's a very popular attraction for those visiting this area. In fact, it's usually considered to be the most popular tourist attraction in Italy (with about 2.5 million visitors a year). It's an ancient city that was forgotten for almost 1700 years, after being destroyed and buried by a volcanic eruption. Today you can view the results of the ongoing excavation of this extraordinary city. The ruins of Pompeii are located right by the modern day city of Pompei.
As explained above, when ported in Naples many cruisers choose to travel to one of the beautiful cities along the Amalfi coast. Capri, Positano, Ravello and Amalfi are among the most popular of the Amalfi coast cities to visit. Many of the hotels in these cities are considered to be among the best in the world. The best, safest, option to do such a trip would be to arrange it through the cruise line, on one of their excursions. This is recommended because there is a lot of traffic in Naples and along the Amalfi coast. You avoid missing the ship by doing it through the cruise line. If you choose to go to Capri you'll have to take a boat of some kind, as Capri is an island off the Italian mainland.
Port Location The town is close to the cruise terminal (within walking distance). The name of the terminal is Stazione Maritima.
If you want to go anywhere outside of Naples it's recommended to either take a transfer and/or tour from the cruise line, or to get a taxi. Be warned, there's usually a ton of traffic in and out of the city. If you take a private transfer you run the risk of missing the ship - it happens!
Pompeii is about 15 miles south of Naples.
As far as the Amalfi coast cities go, it's about a 45 to 60 minute drive (about 20 miles) from Naples to Positano. You can get to the island of Capri via ferry. Naples is about 24 miles from Ravello, and is about 23 miles from Amalfi.
Sorrento is also reachable from Naples via car or ferry, of which the ferry is usually faster.
