Good places to stay and visit

Cheshire, UK
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Good places to stay and visit
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Hi All,

I'm taking my Mum to Naples in October and wondered if there are any locations within the city where it is a good idea not to get hotel accomodation, due to the surrounding areas.

Also, what are the recommended sights to visit and do I need to book in advance?

Thanks :-)

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1. Re: Good places to stay and visit

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Norwich, United...
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Don't know if you'll have found this, but it gives a good introduction to the various parts of the city - some of which are decidedly more suitable for a first visit than others!

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g187785-s204/Naples:Italy:Neighborhoods.html

..............................

Can't think of many (any?) of the sites etc where booking would be necessary - although perhaps the tours of underground Naples only offer English at certain times.

Just a few things that may come in handy:

The Naples area tourism people publish a very good, bimonthly magazine - 'Qui Napoli' - which offers a huge amount of useful information for visitors... details of the major sights and sites locally, listings for hotels, restaurants etc etc.

I guess it's given away in hotels and at the "Infopoints" but have yet to ever find one and instead we use the PDF version, available here...

http://www.inaples.it/public/quinapoli/quinapoli.pdf

Their June/July edition will hopefully be along soon!

...........................

Open-top buses in Naples?

http://www.napoli.city-sightseeing.it/eng/index.htm

... with their current leaflet usually here:

http://www.napoli.city-sightseeing.it/depliant_na.pdf

.....................

For museums and archaeological sites etc, there's the Campania Artecard. Over the years its range of options has grown and grown, so you'll have to find which one best fits your needs... click on the Union Jack if the site doesn't open in English!

http://www.campaniartecard.it/

And, for an idea of what the various places look, like try these:

- collections of photos from our trips from here on Ischia to Naples:

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/mainlynaples

- and those from the wider Campania region:

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/tele

Peter

PS... More specifically on accommodation... an idea of budget would perhaps help!

I wasn't aware of the place previously, but the friends staying with us later this month have booked themselves a few nights afterwards at this B&B - which is just back from the waterside at Chiaia, a nice area...

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g187785-d929840-Reviews-Luna_Caprese-Naples_Province_of_Naples_Campania.html

http://www.lunacaprese.net/en/

Cheshire, UK
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3. Re: Good places to stay and visit
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Hi Peter,

Thank you so much for your reply.

From looking on line I think around £100-£110/night in October will get us a decent selection of 3-4* hotels (using the trip advisor ratings), but some of the hotels that look very nice seem to then have not so nice comments about the local area. If I was going wtih my husband or friends I wouldn't worry as much, but as I'm going with my Mum, I really want her to feel safe.

A friend commented I should maybe stay in Sorrento instead of Naples, but I know Naples has a lot to offer, so any opinions on this would be much appreciated.

Thansk Sam

Hagerstown, Maryland
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Mainly, you want to avoid staying right around the train station, at tempting as it may be for convenience sake.

I recently enjoyed a stay in one of these apartments, a couple of blocks south of Piazza Dante (in the historic center). The place is truly a bargain, and as you can see people who stay there tend to love it...

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187785-d943988-Reviews-Camera_Con_Vista_Apartments-Naples_Province_of_Naples_Campania.html

But yes, for virtually every hotel in Naples you will find people noting in their reviews that the neighborhood "didn't feel safe." Naples doesn't get anywhere near the number of tourists that Rome, Venice, or even nearby Sorrento does. Instead, it's crowded with Neapolitans. There's a lot of noise, graffiti, and the city sometimes has difficulty picking up the garbage. I'm not knocking it - it happens to be my favorite place in the world. But it's a very "controversial" destination. For every person that loves it, there's another who hates it. And few people fall in-between these two extremes.

The question of Sorrento versus Naples comes up a lot here. You really cannot compare the two, as they might as well be on different planets. Do you want to stay in a big gritty 2,500 years-old city? Or would you be more comfortable in a smaller, quieter town that caters heavily to tourists? Only you and your mum can decide.

Good luck.

Cheshire, UK
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5. Re: Good places to stay and visit
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Thanks so much for the advice. I really appreciate it.

Sam

Norwich, United...
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If I may suggest something.... Over the years we've known this area, the local Time Out guide has consistently been the best - its current edition can be had for about £9....

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Time-Out-Naples-5th-Guides/dp/1846701023/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

... money you won't regret spending!

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If you're 75, your Mum will almost certainly be happier in Sorrento - but hopefully that's part of a DOB ?

In October, give or take a few spectacular thunderstorms, the weather should still be very pleasant - here's how nearby Ischia looks that month...

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/recoct

.... so you might split your visit - for some city time, and a few days by the sea... possibly taking advantage of weekend offers in the city, and weekday ones at the coast?

Try this little Campania-wide guide, produced originally by the regional authorities...

http://www.bb-napoli.com/english/seaguide.pdf

... or one that covers just the province of Naples:

http://www.com-tur.com/documenti/manifestazioni/003/perledelgolfo.pdf

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Naples hotels can be rather hard to fathom, particularly given the way prices move over the year! Even if it's slower, check prices on the websites of those in any area you like - rather than relying on 'averaged' costs, or how many stars they've got!

I've not looked at costs, but a couple of places which friends and family have used after visiting us here...

This one's just off a popular shopping street, handy for many of the sites and sights:

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g187785-d267249-Reviews-Chiaja_Hotel_de_Charme-Naples_Province_of_Naples_Campania.html

http://www.hotelchiaia.it/en/

... or, a bit dearer but insisted on by our friend 3 times...

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g187785-d202910-Reviews-Renaissance_Naples_Hotel_Mediterraneo-Naples_Province_of_Naples_Campania.html

http://www.marriott.co.uk/hotels/travel/napbr-renaissance-naples-hotel-mediterraneo/?pid=corptbta&scid=b661a3c4-9c47-48c8-9e13-75b66089dd79

Although we rarely stay in the city - preferring to come home at the end of the day - I'd suggest looking in the Chiaia and Mergellina area, a favourite of ours and nicely near the sea with some lovely walks and views:

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/mergellina

But best, I'm afraid to say, to avoid Piazza Garibaldi for a while yet - despite some decent hotels often offering great bargains....

As these from last month show, still a way to go before the construction work there is finished:

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/image/143257843

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/image/143257844

Peter

Cheshire, UK
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7. Re: Good places to stay and visit
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Hi Peter,

Thanks again for the info and yes the 75 is part of my DOB and not my age :-)

Thanks for the advice on the visitors guide, as I was looking at which one to buy over the weekend.

I really appreciate everyones help.

Thank you.

Sam

Norwich, United...
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That photo was a bit of a giveaway!

Perhaps - especially if you might return another time - also watch out for this new book, which covers a wider area, though with correspondingly less about individual places...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lonely-Planet-Southern-Regional-Travel/dp/1741792363/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1333432642&sr=1-7

Peter

9. Re: Good places to stay and visit

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