Circumvesuviana Tickets to Sorrento

Walk up to the Circumvesuviana ticket window at Napoli Centrale and buy your tickets; it's off to one side of the main floor, look for signs. The Circumvesuviana tracks are downstairs. It's not a state rail line, so the regular websites won't have tickets for sale.

If you'd like a more comfortable and less "colourful" trip from Naples to Sorrento, you might also consider the Campania Express which is aimed more at tourists.

If you decide to take the Circumvesuviana be sure to wear money belts and watch your luggage closely, as that train has a bit of a reputation as a haven for pickpockets and scammers.

Thanks for all the cautions about Circumvesuviana! I went to the Campania Express website but it seems to be only in Italian which, sadly, I do not speak. Why is it something I should consider?

This should be in English....but seriously, unless you're not used to public transport, the Circumvesuviana is nothing to fear (it may be hot and crowded though, depending on when you go). I don't know what's meant by "colorful" except that, yes, this is a train that locals use. I'm pretty sure it costs a fraction of the tourist train...pick whatever's more comfortable for you.
http://ots.eavsrl.it/web/public/ots/ticket/index

Disgusting train, crammed like sardines, no security....oh, and we were robbed of iPad, Vatican gifts etc.
Police disinterested in our report.
Worse situation in 6 weeks Italy and 40 years of traveling.
It's 3rd world but that would be insulting the third world. Be cautious.

Disgusting train, crammed like sardines, no security....oh, and we
were robbed of iPad, Vatican gifts etc. Police disinterested in our
report. Worse situation in 6 weeks Italy and 40 years of traveling.
It's 3rd world but that would be insulting the third world. Be
cautious.

Depends on time of year, time of day for the CV.

We rode it back & forth from Sorrento to Naples on a Sunday this last March, albeit with no bags. It was half-full, cheap, not that disgusting, and had some weird characters on it. As many American urbanites have stated, it's similar to a big city subway system in many ways. It served our purposes, that's all.

Did we prefer that over other, cleaner means of transport? Probably not. Maybe the Campania Express would be better for you. But I wouldn't paint the CV with such a wide, crime-ridden brush. Maybe just a little one...

As stated above, just purchase your tickets when you get to Naples. The train technically departs from Garibaldi station but it's connected to Centrale. As Zoe said, the tracks are down the stairs.

The Campania Express might be an option - it's a nicer train that costs a bit more than the ordinary Circumvesuviana commuter - BUT it only operates seasonally and with far fewer daily runs. The schedule is here but it was done for the 2017 season on 10/15. It started running this past spring on April 15th. If and when it runs in 2018 probably won't be announced until around the beginning of April next year.

http://www.eavsrl.it/web/content/campania-express-2017-it

The Circumvesuviana is a battered, unlovely thing, for sure, but it gets the job done, and is what locals use as well as many tourists traveling between Sorrento and Naples, including to/from Pompeii and Herculaneum. If you've taken rail commuters in U.S. cities (the "L" in Chicago, for instance), you'll have a rough idea what I'm talking about? It's the equivalent of a city bus or metro system. Yes, you'll want to keep a tight hand/eye on your valuables but you need to do that anywhere at ALL in Italy which draws a lot of tourists, including any public transit in the cities or around other heavily visited locations. Just don't stow your credit cards, cash, passports, etc. in an exterior pocket, a purse or easily accessed bag.

Editing to add: you'd asked a previous question about travel between Naples and Sorrento for a trip this past May? What did you end up doing?

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/bus-or-train-from-naples-to-sorrento

Oh, good grief. I don't usually post comments to the forum, but felt compelled to do so on this. My husband and I, too, were put off by the comments on this forum about the Circumvesuviana train when we travelled to Sorrento from Naples the day we arrived in Italy in 2016. I wasted an excessive amount of time researching alternative ways to get from Naples to our hotel in Sorrento without breaking the budget. Since I was unable to identify economical alternate means of transportation, we took a deep breath and decided to go with the Circumvesuviana train. Our concerns turned out to be unfounded. We flew to Rome, travelled to Termini by public transportation, bought tickets at Termini to Naples, travelled to Naples by train, bought Circumvesuviana tickets at the Naples train station (follow the directions to do this on a previous post), and rode the Circumvesuviana with all our luggage while totally jet lagged to Sorrento, and walked to our hotel in Sorrento without incident. The Circumvesuviana was crowded and hot. We rode in the first car with the conductor for extra security. We enjoyed the remarkable scenery out the window and watching our fellow travelers, some of whom were real characters and others were people who appeared to be getting off work, tired, and looking forward to going home. During our stay in Sorrento, we rode the Circumvesuviana again round trip to Pompeii and on another day roundtrip to Naples stopping in Herculaneum on the way back. We never felt threatened or unsafe, we kept our valuables in our money belts, hung on to our luggage and backpacks and kept an eye on each other's stuff, packed all of our electronics deep within our suitcases or travel vests to avoid displaying them to anyone while in transit, and stayed alert. We do this on public transportation in any major city, including our own. Sure, the trains were hot, old, jerky, and had various "entertainers" who played music, did gymnastics, and sang then passed through the car with cups or hats out encouraging donations. Following the lead of the locals on the train, we just ignored the "requests" for donations and enjoyed the rides. We felt that our rides on this train made us feel part of being in that area. As a side note, we are both in our 70s and we travel to Europe at least once a year, using public transportation whenever possible during our stay. We always remark upon our return to Atlanta that our rides home on Atlanta's public transit system late on Saturday night are filled with more colorful characters and "in your face" encounters than we ever experience in Europe!

Just another thought, value might depend on whether you are traveling with baggage, how many people in your party, and where you are staying in Sorrento, but my best splurge in Italy was taking a taxi from Naples to Sorrento, door-to-door from my B & B in Naples to my hotel just outside Sorrento. Cost was about €100, but the ride was quick, pretty, very direct, and saved so much hassle along the way. I experienced the Circumsuviana at other times without any problem.

I, too, have found nothing unusual about the Circumvesia, and used it between Naples and Sorrento and for transport to and from Pompeii. It seemed like a typical subway-type vehicle with the usual array of people. In fact, it is less colorful than my subway line here in Boston. I suppose, if one is not used to public transportation and if one lives in a white, upper middle class suburb, then it is a different ride. I find life in the mixed world more interesting, so to me it is a normal, not a dangerous ride as people who look poorer or not like us are not leading 'dangerous' lives. People are just living life and are, in fact, not that different from ourselves in the end, but often quite interesting...which is what travel is all about, the differences (and similarities). It is easy to buy tickets and hop on this train from the train station. Don't worry about it, but watch your belongings as you should whenever you leave your house.

IF the Campania Express is running at the time you want to go to Sorrento (April - October) and IF the timing works for you (i.e. not a 3-hour wait) then go ahead and spend the €4 (?) extra for more room and air conditioning. Otherwise, we have taken Circumvesuviana several times both with bags and without; just think city bus at commute hour.

I would also like to chime in on the comments about riding the Circumvesuviana train. We did so recently from Naples to Sorrento, stopping for a few hours at Pompeii, then back on the train to Sorrento. I also was very worried and very cautious after reading negative comments about the train. But I agree with those that say it is not much more dangerous than similar modes of transportation in any other area. We found most of the passengers were locals just coming or going from work or shopping, etc., just pretty normal people. One slightly rowdy group of teenage boys but they didn't try to bother anyone. The train later in the day was VERY crowded with commuters and we did have to stand for a bit until a seat opened up. But that happened on the tube in London also. We kept our valuables zipped up and close on our bodies just in case. You sure can't beat the price of the ride though. BTW, going back from Sorrento to the airport in Naples, we used the Curreri Bus which was fantastic. Clean, comfortable, only 10 Euro per person, and only took an hour.

You sure can't beat the price of the ride though. BTW, going back from
Sorrento to the airport in Naples, we used the Curreri Bus which was
fantastic. Clean, comfortable, only 10 Euro per person, and only took
an hour.

I agree! Cirumvesuviana tickets are dirt cheap. If timing works, the Curreri bus is also a very good, very economical solution if coming from/going to the Naples airport. Private drivers are great if budget can accommodate price - and can make a lot of sense if the fare is split amongst a larger group - but they can be a stretch for travelers having to watch the pennies.

I could also eat a lot of gelato for €100! 🍨🍦🍨🍦

Be advised that if there is traffic, the Curreri bus Sorrento to Napoli Capodichino airport could take 90 minutes or maybe a little more. For a noon flight, we took the 8:30 AM bus from the Sorrento bus/train station and things were moving fine until we got stuck in a massive jam in Castellammare di Stabia for maybe 20-25 minutes. Arrived at the airport a little after 10, and we made the flight no problem.

Bottom line is always build some extra time in. You can always read a book at the airport. Oh, at the Lufthansa departure area, they've built a really nice cafe for snacks to full meals.

Follow signs to downstair located Circumvesuviana train from Central. Ticket office is located in front of entrance. There is a pole that blocks one window, no line there! The ticket agent was trying to request for the man in front to purchase his return ticket too! So, we purchased to and return. It is a local train. It is not luxury travel. No thieves on our travels unless they were the tourists. It will take about 90 minutes to Sorrento. 45 minutes to Pompeii.