I have been researching hotels and locations. I have a 1 night stop in Naples, after 5 in Sorrento & am trying to determine where to stay. I know the area around the train station isn't the best. My original thought was stay near the station versus the center as I don't tend to pack light but then was concerned about returning to my hotel in the evening if the train station was that bad. Any suggestions would be appreciated, thanks!
Vickie
I'm on dangerous ground here since we only arrive in Naples by car. But if you're talking about the area around Garibaldi Square, that's where we always stay since that's the heart of things as we see it.
We leave the car in one of the little lots on the south side of the square (with stuff on the back seat). And stay just a couple of blocks further south.
We wander before and after supper, well into the dark. We've probably covered the area within a mile and a half of the square in every direction (except east and south which are blocked by train tracks). We get separated (out of sight) because one of us invaribly dwadles while the other forges ahead.
I've never been bonked on the head. If my wife has, she's failed to mention it.
Generally the only crime you'd have to worry about is pickpocketing or petty theft. In general, nobody is going to hit you or threaten you-- they'll just distract you while they take your stuff.*
Hi Ed,
Thanks so much for the reply. That was exactly what I was asking about.
Vickie
I stayed in a somewhat run-down hotel near the train station in Naples a few years ago. It was ok; I didn't feel unsafe and it was just a couple of blocks to the station. There is a lot of street-life in Naples. I found it reassuring that so many people were out. Look for a bakery. The pastries in Naples rival those made in Sicily, and are fabulous.
We stayed two nights in May at the Hotel Piazza Bellini near the center of town, three blocks south of the Archeological Museum. It was a perfect location for the ETBD walking tour of old Naples, along the Via Toledo into the Spanish Quarter.
The hotel is exceptional, with good rates and nice breakfast included. The front desk arranged a cab to take us to the airport with a voucher for a set fare.
The cab from the Garibaldi Station was around $20 US but well worth it - a "ground-level" view of a very busy, old city. We told the driver it was our third
visit to Naples, which may have made a difference in his choice of quick, direct route to the Bellini. Hard to tell.
