Amalfi Coast and Cruise Ship in Salerno

I would think many of the cruisers would grab a ferry to Amalfi towns or Capri. Salerno gets mixed reviews so they might not be interested. We spent 3 days in Salerno and loved it. There is a long pedestrian shopping area that would draw in the cruisers. i would suggest a quick train to Paestum or walk up to the Giardino della Minerva, interesting and beautiful. Do not miss the crypt of San Matteo in the Cathedral, might look drab on outside but it is not!.

well sometimes if you wanna do it, you gotta just bite the bullet and do it.....

If you know when they will be arriving/departing and can catch a ferry or bus before they arrive or after they leave that might be less crowded....

Or are you saying you will be ON one of the ships? If you are looking for things away from the crowds flocking to the coast, you could go to Paestum the opposite way from Amalfi...

If you wanted to not deal with the crowds on the modes of transportation and you will be ON one of the ships, I would suggest a private driver....the traffic will still be awful, but you won't be fighting for space on buses...

Salerno is nice, they have a few museums, a garden, the castle at the top of the mountain and a nice duomo (definitely typed this before I reread the pp's comments and noticed they went into more detail), but most of the corso and via mercanti shops close between 1-5, so there won't be much to do after you eat lunch at 1pm....

Hi,
We are not on the ships, but will be in the area 3 days, and one day will have 2 ships docked at Salerno.
Not sure when they will be there, but probably in the morning.
I'm thinking of staying in Salerno and doing Capri and ride the road on the coast.
We may stay in Sorrento instead and head to Salerno when the cruisers are headed
the other way and vice versa.
We're still in the planning phases.
Appreciate the feedback.

I would think the people on the cruise ships will be on their hired buses heading on their excursions to Amalfi & Positano. Probably other sets going to Paestum.

I would take the early train over to Paestum. It’s very easy to get there, and it’s a short walk from the train stop. And I would purchase ferry tickets ahead of time on-line, just in case. I bought ours a few days ahead and one during the day. We stayed two nights at Salerno and three at Amalfi. Don’t miss the passeggiata in Salerno.

We didn’t take any buses along the coast - just ferries. We did take an early bus up to Ravello from Amalfi and back down later. The buses get very crowded.

I'm thinking of staying in Salerno and doing Capri

Just be aware that it's a 2-hour ferry ride from Salerno to Capri. It's a lot shorter from Sorrento.

Yes, I agree that I would go to Paestum on the cruise ship day, the coast might feel SLIGHTLY less crowded on the other days....

As shared earlier, Sorrento and Salerno have very different feels and have very different transport options. It all depends on what you are looking for, Sorrento, a town more focused on tourism and easier access to that side of the peninsula and Capri, or Salerno, a larger city not as focused on tourism and easy access to the Amalfi Coast and Paestum.

I have been to Sorrento once and I didn't love it, but there are many that LOVE it and know it meets their touring needs (commuter access to Naples and the scavi along that train line and shorter ferries to Capri). When I take a ferry from Salerno to Capri, I'm not in a hurry, I also don't have anything else planned that day, so it takes however long it takes. I am also more partial to Amalfi/Ravello which I love reaching by ferry from Salerno.

Cruise ships come into Sorrento, also.