DECEMBER info on Naples, Salerno, Amalfi, Sorrento & Capri.

Trains will be running schedule will not be loaded until November for fast trains and 2nd week of Dec. for regional trains. Pre purchase as early as possible for discounted fares.

http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=ee13721bdd69a110VgnVCM1000003f16f90aRCRD

Use Roma Termini-Salerno 2H53m low as 9 euro

Ferries are dependent on weather, no way to know for sure, other than to call. usually at least 1 or 2/day

http://www.capri.com/en/ferry-schedule?path_id=13

Bus schedule Salerno-Sorrento Note: you must change busses in Amalfi

http://www.theamalficoast.net/orari_sita_bus_timetables.html

Dave...are you kidding me...Naples may be gritty,dirty, but the most you would encounter is a pickpocket!!!!

Don't let what someone has told you dissuade you... GO... see for yourself! It's an AMAZING city.

Train from Salerno to Naples 30-51 minutes 3,60-7,50 euro

Salerno should be all gussied up for the Holiday season.

I don't think the tourist port runs the normal ferries to Amalfi and Positano, but the merchant port (that runs the larger hydrofoil-y boats possibly?) seems to have them year around....it is a few miles north of the train station, approx a 10 min drive....

their schedule is here: http://www.alicost.it/en/?id=6

The buses run all year, quite frequent.......just be sure you won't get bus-sick.....my friend threw up halfway home to Salerno when we went......I took the ferry from then on :)

I know a lot of great restaurants in Salerno! If you were to book one of the hotels close to the station, set your expectations to the basics, I would see about one up the corso I was looking at (is it hotel corso?) its about halfway between the old town and station.....even a B&B might be good.....I lived there, so I never needed a hotel beyond the basics at Hotel Plaza on my first night in the country....

Salerno is great for visiting the surrounding area, ferries to the coast, buses, and then trains to Pompeii and Paestum...

I never went to the coast in the winter, there might be quite a few things closed, but I doubt it will be a majority for your day trips....but hey, the hiking might be better because you won't be sweating!

It can get quite cold in the winter though.....just don't skip the gelato! (Gelateria Gerry's and Bar Nettuno)

best pizza....La Tombola, Trianon, and due fratelli :)

you can ask me any questions you might have :)

oh yes....Salerno is GORGEOUS for the holidays! I went to Naples on immaculate conception day one time and I was so squished beyond belief.......if you know where you are going in Naples, you shouldn't have problems....

Hi Dave- we visited Rome, Sicily, then the Amalfi coast/Sorrento in December 2012 and had a fabulous trip. We took trains to/from Rome, as well as to/from Naples, and had a rental car the rest of the time, so I don't have direct ferry experience (except for a day trip to Capti from Sorrento and the car ferry from Messina, Sicily to the mainland). The Archaeological Museum in Naples is worth the trip! The taxis are efficient and honest. We had to take a number and wait for over an hour to get into L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele but realy savored the experience. While waiting to get in, we strolled around the neighborhood and it was gritty with trash all around and bottles being broken against a wall we'd just walked by, but the 2 of us felt safe, if somewhat dismayed.

Unfortunately, the Polo Nord gelateria recommended in Rick Steves' guidebook was closed for the winter. There were lots of other (less famous) pizzerias right nearby, but lots of tourists and apparent locals all waited for Michele's. We went to Naples for the day and returned by train to our B&B in Sorrento that night, and might not ever make it back again, but we're glad we made the trip. Go, and enjoy!

Capri on Jan 3 or 4 was open for visitors! The weather was great, and boats went there from Sorrento(although the water was too rough to get into the Blue Grotto, but that had been accessible a couple of days earlier).

Every little town and big city in Italy is festooned for the Christmas-Epiphany season -- it is glorious! Tour the presepi wherever you can!

Dec 26 - Yes you can take the train to Salerno. You can buy tickets on the highspeed trains 120 days out (@ donna things have changed with good old Trenitalia). For example, today you can buy Dec 15 but not Dec 16. The bad news is, the first trip is at 10:00AM arriving 11:59AM. The good news is you can get there in less than 2 hours on a frecciarossa. You CAN go earlier and take a combination of trains but it takes an hour longer. Study the options at Trenitalia.com . Enter city names in Italian (Roma not Rome) . Not sure you wll have time to get to Salerno, out to Capri, and tour before dark. And that is IF the ferries are running.

Dec 27 - Yes there is a bus up the hill from Amalfi to Ravello, if that's what you mean. Leaves from the piazza where the bus form Salerno drops you off. Ask at the tabacchio for tickets.

Dec 28 - Sorrento is easy, as described above.

As a suggestion, since you want to see Naples, why not take a train from Rome to Naples and spend a few hours there on the 26th? You can store your bags at Stazione Garibaldi. Then continue to Sorrento - an easy 75 minutes -- and stay there instead of Salerno. From Sorrento the next day you can see about your trip to Capri or take the bus to Amalfi. Personally I prefer Sorrento to Salerno and it is BEAUTIFULLY decorated for Christmas. We spent a week in Sorrento in Dec 2011, visiting Amalfi, Naples, Pompeii, Ercolano, and more. Cool weather but clear skies most of the time. Be aware, the Italians flock to the A.C. after Christmas. We checked out of our hotel on Dec 23 and they told us they were booked solid from 12/24-1/3, Get a hotel reservation NOW or you will be shut out.

Grazie, tutti.

There's No place like Napoli at Christmas time.

AFAIK there are no ferry services from Salerno to Amalfi, Positano and Capri in the winter months. The only year round services to Capri, weather permitting, are from Sorrento or Naples.

Naples is great, especially at Christmas. Train Service on the 26th may be slightly limited due to the holiday, but there will be plenty of options.

The area to be careful about is the Circumvesuviana train, at the station and en route to Sorrento, at least for the first few stops when it may be very crowded and teams of thieves are on board.

Linda, just a q....

I definitely know the tourist port doesn't run ferries, but are you sure that the bigger commercial port doesn't run them? its a different company and they have the larger boats (indoors, too)......that would stink if there was only one way to get to Capri in the winter.....

AFAIK there are no passenger boat crossings from the towns/cities on the Amalfi Coast over to Capri during the winter months. I suppose that there is just no or not enough demand. Not to say that cargo ships do not make the journey but the folks on Capri use the Sorrento or Naples services to get to the mainland.