Ferry or train from Naples to Sorrento?

Hi,

Enjoy the ferry ride.

Thanks! That's what I figured, but it seems all the conversation in this forum is about trains betwixt and between...

Well the ferry will certainly be more pleasant. However, if you arrive in Naples at the train station then you have to get to the ferry port for the ferry whereas you will be right there for the continuing train. Also once in Sorrento you will have to get up hill from the port to the main part of town which is up on a cliff. Depending on where your hotel is in Sorrento you might be able to walk from the train station. And the trains are frequent whereas the ferry only runs a few times a day. So some things to consider. And some of the ferries are 'fast' meaning it's like you are in a bus on water, not out on deck. But if you can make it all work, the slow ferry ride is much more enjoyable than the train.

Just take the Circumvesuviana. As a previous poster said, you’d have to get yourself from the train station to the ferry dock. Ferry departures are not super frequent, and the last one likely leaves earlier than you think (3pm?). You’ll be spending way much more time, money and effort to use the ferry over the train. The reverse of this trip makes a little more sense if you’re planning on seeing Naples from Sorrento.

The train ain’t sexy, but it’s cheap and it works. You’ll probably be taking it to see Pompeii and stuff later, so may as well get acquainted with it right away.

Take the ferry pretty much everywhere else for sure though.

If you have luggage, take the train.

Another vote for the train to Sorrento. No, it's not "sexy" (ha!) at all but eliminates the necessary transfers that isabel explained in her post.

Schedules/prices for the Circumvesuviana:
https://www.sorrentoinsider.com/en/naples-to-sorrento-train-schedule

Schedules/prices for the seasonal Campania Express train (only 4 runs per day from Naples Garibaldi):
https://www.sorrentoinsider.com/en/campania-express-train-schedule

We took the ferry because our hotel in Naples was much closer to ferry than train. I was anticipating a ride with the opportunity to enjoy the scenery. But it is a fast ferry and you cannot go on deck. It is more like being on an airplane. And then you arrive below the town of sorrento and we had to take the bus up to it.

The ferry does the job but not worth making more work for yourself. It is transportation not an event.

I'm looking at the Naples-to-Sorrento Circumvesuviana train schedule that Kathy posted and it indicates that, before it stops in Sorrento, the train also stops at Pompeii. Is this the stop in Pompeii where I would get off to tour the site?

Hi Sam -
Yes, Pompei Scavi - Villa dei Misteri is the Circumvesuviana stop for the ruins (scavi). That station is right in front of the main entrance (Porta Marina) to the site. :O)

To add: it will be very easy to buy your tickets onward to Sorrento at that station. They deal with thousands of tourists doing the Pompeii shuffle every year! Oh, and do remember to validate your Circumvesuviana tickets before boarding your trains! Checks are frequent and the fines are painful if caught without a valid ticket :O(

We took the Circumvesuviana, which is really cheap. But it was desperately crowded, which made supervising our full-size suitcases physically and visually difficult. This is a subway-like commuter train that only has overhead luggage racks suitable for a small briefcase. Even a Samsonite 3" briefcase wouldn't fit in those racks. I don't know how the accordion bands with aggressive hat-passing manage to fit on these trains!

We would have returned to Naples that way, but the Sorrento taxi to our hotel was 15 Euros for about 0.6 miles! That made it any easy decision to have the hotel's local partner provide a 90 Euro black car (air-conditioned Mercedes sedan) back to the Naples rail station for the next leg of our trip. It was charged to our hotel bill.

Even in Sorrento, a city with excellent transportation connections, it is important to plan your departure day carefully before you get there. It's a multi-seat ride wherever you're going. And a morning air departure from FCO is not a trivial transfer from Sorrento. If you are in a bargain hotel on the edge of town, it could be three or more "seats", with public transportation "latency" between each of them. From farther away, say, Positano, it's necessary to sleep in Rome before air departure. (The OP didn't say if they're sleeping in Sorrento.)

We didn't take the ferry from Naples. But our ferries to and from Capri were not exactly sea idylls. Our return ferry had, literally, hundreds of airline-style seats in a big air-conditioned cabin with minimal, sealed, portholes. There was no "sightseeing" upper deck. It was a machine for travel.

First, thanks to Kathy for all of her posts on this travel forum. I have relied on your advice for our planning. If anything goes sideways, Kathy, it's your fault! ;}

Second, to me the responses to my question are Rorschach-like... Some of us take the scenic route, and some of us just want to get there... It's fun to see.

Fortunately this is only about traveling from Rome to Sorrento... We won't have to worry abut making a flight when we depart Sorrento. And I don't mind an uphill hike, but generally as long as I'm not towing my bags...

Also fortunately, we believe in the old adage: an ounce at home is a pound on the trail. We pack light enough that we never check our luggage... Still the tip about lack of luggage space on the train gives me pause. As does the tip that the ferry isn't one in which we'd get the salt air in our hair because it's a closed cabin...

Ah, well... Decisions ahead. We're open to continued input - and thank you all in advance for it.