I loved the Poseidon Gardens (Giardini Poseidon Terme) on Ischia and it is important to note that the water is not deep so suitable for non-swimmers who just want to enjoy the waters.
I spent the day in the park travelling there from my holiday base in Sorrento. I caught the ferry from Sorrento at 9.30am (32 Euros return trip), a trip which took about 60 minutes.
In the port at Ischia I walked the few hundred metres to the main road and then to the right to the open air bus station where I bought a return ticket to the gardens (1.30 Euro each way). There are taxis but I don’t know how much they would cost.
The bus to the gardens is number 2 and was very, very packed with people and it took about 40 minutes as it stopped so often. We jumped off the bus at the top of the hill (there are signs to the gardens along the route), overlooking the gardens and beach and walked the short distance to the park.
The gardens are 30 Euros entrance fee, with a 5 Euro deposit for an ID wrist band which is refunded when you leave the park. You swipe the wrist band to gain access through the turnstile.
Once inside the gardens stop just past the turnstile/ticket office and take the maps and free information in various languages.
The map shows you 25 locations in the gardens, from the various pools to toilets and restaurants. There are also a large number of spa/health treatments available.
First stop at the ‘boutique’ and buy a cap (2 Euros) from the small shop(these must be worn).
We then used the free changing rooms and then placed our valuables in a locker (1 Euro non-refundable) which gives you a key on a wristband.
We carried around a couple of sarongs (instead of hiring towels) each and entered the pools of different temperatures from 28 degrees to 40 degrees.
The pools are great fun. Most of the people are aged 30 and above and there were no children. Some pools you can swim in, others are smaller and people use the bubbling jets and sit on ledges enjoying the water. We wore sunglasses in some of the pools while leaving our stuff on a sun bed or deck chair near one of the pools.
The gardens are immaculate and the whole day was very relaxed. There is also an area of private beach attached to the gardens although we didn’t get time to use the beach.
We ate in a self-service restaurant where two Panini’s with a plate of mozzarella, tomatoes and basil and a bottle of water came to 16 Euros. It was plenty of food to share between the two of us.
We left at about 3.30pm as we were advised by a Tripadvisor forum expert to leave plenty of time for the return trip, handing back the wristbands for the return of the deposit and walking 150 metres out of the gardens to the bus stop on the right for the trip back. There are also taxis touting for business but I don’t know how much they cost. The ferry back to Sorrento left at 5.20pm and was the last ferry of the day to Sorrento so if you miss it you will have to head into Naples or stay on Ischia.
















