May 14, 2017 Italian Classic - Day in Capri
We are arriving in Sorrento on the May 13th for the Classic Tour which begins with the get-together on the 14th. From reading the many posts regarding the appeal of Capri, we are hoping to manage an excursion over to the island on the 14th. In retrospect, we perhaps should have arranged arriving on the 12th., but it-is-what-it-is, and we won't have that extra day. Because we will be arriving so close to the start of a pretty whirl-wind tour, we don't want to push ourselves too soon, particularly after the flight from New York. We are in very good health, but we are 70, something that our bodies keep reminding us. Anyway, since we've never been to Sorrento before, would it be too difficult to purchase tickets to Capri (via the "fast ferry") when we get there? We've read that tickets could be purchased for a boat trip or other island tours once you're on the island. We are reluctant to commit and arrange anything from home since we are not sure how we will feel on the morning of the 14th nor how cooperative the weather will be. Any thoughts from more experienced travelers out there?
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To start at the beginning- what kind of flight, when do you arrive, and how do you handle flying and jet lag? If you are flying Business and are able to sleep on the way over, you may be able to do more, but only you know that. We went two days early, flew business, and arrived at the hotel in Sorrento a bit after noon. We napped/relaxed in the hotel for a while then casually strolled and window shopped around town. We had a light dinner at a local restaurant, then hit the sack early. The next day we were ready to go- we had booked a car, driver and guide to take us and guide us through the ruins of Herculaneum, the National Archeological Museum in Naples, and the Flavian amphitheater in Pozzuoli. We had a longer list but prioritized it and our guide did an excellent job of pacing- we saw what we could see. Doing it that way allowed us to see more, more efficiently and with less stress (car was a nice Mercedes with good AC).
The next day (the day of the welcome dinner) we hired a city guide to show us around Capri. I had been to Capri but many years ago. By doing it with a guide this time, everything was more efficient and easier, and informative- He met us in the hotel lobby and escorted us the whole time. We didn't have to have our noses buried in a guide book and didn't need to figure out which ferry to take or how to get tickets for it or for the around island/blue grotto boat trip, where to eat, the best way to get to Anacapri, what to see there, where to eat, etc. etc. In at least one instance our guide used a "special tour guide door" (?) to bypass the ticket office line to purchase our tickets. We discussed options but the decisions about our itinerary were ours, and it was nice having a guide all to ourselves. In one case, our guide suggested a nice restaurant for lunch, but we opted for a light lunch on the patio at the cafe at the top of Mount Solara which turned out to be a great decision- the weather, chair lift ride, and the views from the top of the island, Naples Bay, Mt. Vesuvius, etc. were simply fabulous. After a truly fantastic day, we arrived back in Sorrento as arranged, around 4:30, which gave us enough time to freshen up and prepare for cocktails in the hotel and the welcome dinner at 6:00. In hindsight, paying for licensed guides, though expensive, was one of the best things we could have done.
We arranged for the car and both guides through Driver in Italy a few months before our trip, though it may be possible to arrange for similar services through the hotel concierge after you arrive.