March 2025 Naples - Vesuvius - Amalfi Coast - Paestum

You could split it between Salerno and Naples.
Salerno would give you easy access to Paestum and easier access to the AC. Since the latter will be weather dependent, it might be more prudent to stay in a small city versus a village, but you could also watch the weather and decide the week before.
If the weather looks fine, then I'd pick one of the AC villages. Not everything will be open, and ferries will not be running, but enough to satisfy your needs for a few days. In March, I would choose Amalfi or Atrani, but you will want to do Pompeii, Ercolano and Vesuvius, and Paestum all from Naples (or in between).
I'd be more open to a car in March than any other month, but it is a big hassle to deal with parking--not worth it to me.

What you suggest is sound but I think I’d rather be somewhere in the middle rather than schlepping from Naples or Salerno. I am okay with Cetera or Minori. Any or the towns that have bus service would be fine with me. I am tempted by a few places further afield but the require a car. Still debating whether it's worth having a car that sits while we hike.

I figure that unless the entire week is a rained out mess, we will find things to do. If it is forecast to be a rained out mess, I will have to reassess. I have to decide where to book based on refundability. We can always take the train to Rome or go elsewhere. Maybe further south?

I second looking at Naples and Salerno as two places to stay and travel from.

Pompeii is accessible from both locations but the Naples access is slightly better. (You enter at the main park entrance not at farther end.) Herculaneum access is much better from Naples. Naples has the National Museum as well. Paestum is much more accessible from Salerno as is the Amalfi coast.

If you want to rent a car I would definitely do this from Salerno and not drive anywhere near Naples. A car would allow you to visit the Buffalo farms that are close to Paestum but unreachable by public transportation. It would also allow you to visit Paestum on your schedule and ignore the mid-day lull in trains that can otherwise interfere with your plans.

Some things to know:
- Naples train station is crazy, large and chaotic. Getting to the station "underneath" the station that is the metro and the Circumvesuviana train that goes to Pompeii and Herculaneum can be confusing. Naples train station is not a good place to look confused or lost. Hold everything close and look like you know where you're going even if you don't. The Circumvesuviana train is also a place for keeping a tight hold on your things.
https://www.seat61.com/stations/naples-centrale.htm
- The best sfogliatelle in the world is 5 minutes from the train station. Antico Forno delle Sfogliatelle Calde Fratelli Attanasio Vico at Ferrovia 1/2/3/4. Show up, grab a number right away and wait your turn. So worth it.
- In Salerno I would stay in the downtown area in proximity to Corso Vittorio Emanuele which is a long, wide pedestrian only street with shopping, cafes and eventually leads to the older downtown section that is filled with restaurants and bars.
- In Salerno don't miss the Ete Prime supermarket tucked away off Corso Vittorio Emanuele, 178. It's like a Conad but with much better selection. The one in Salerno had 6 different fresh buffalo mozzarella (in addition their regular selection) for whopping 3-6 euro prices.
- In Pompeii on Via dell’Abbondanza there is a two story structure that will allow you to walk over a site under active restoration and watch archeologists at work. This was a highlight of an already great visit. Also watch the PBS documentary on the most recent excavation in Pompeii which adds a bunch of context.

I would allow all day - or as long as you can go - for Pompeii. Herculaneum is 3-4 hours as is the Naples museum.

You could do this trip solely from either Naples or Salerno but it would makes some trips much harder. If you were to choose only one I would choose Salerno from a logistical standpoint.

Have a great trip,
=Tod

Tod (hiredman), I appreciate your tips and hope to utilize them when I visit Naples in January, especially your recommendation of Antico Forno delle Sfogliatelle Calde Fratelli Attanasio Vico. I want to see how it compares to Pasticceria Capriccio di Capparelli on via Carbonara. I went there on a food tour a few years ago. Their "official" specialty is rum baba, but I thought their sfogliatelle frolle were better.

Thank you for the solid tips. I will definitely try and track down info on the latest excavations. Not sure I have access to PBS.

I can only imagine how vulnerable one is arriving at Naples train station with bags. I speak some Italian but definitely will stand out as a tourist (or a migrant).

I can see the merits of going to Salerno to rent a car and explore but would love to understand better why that is preferable to staying in one of the smaller towns such as Cetera, Minori or Altrani.

Here is my rough itinerary:
Day 1: arrive in Naples around 10 am. Store luggage, get acclimated OR head directly to accommodation on AC wander towns to see over 4 to 5 days: Positano, Altrani, Minori, Maiori, Praiano, Ravello, Amalfi
Day 2: wander the town, hike or bus between towns, general recon of two or three towns. Possible cooking class Praiano or above Minori
Day 3: hike one or more of: Walk of the Gods, walk to Ravello, walk to Maiori
Day 4: ?
Day 5: ?
Day 6: moving day, bus to Sorrento, train to Pompeii, store luggage, buses to Vesuvius, wander Herculaneum, train to Naples accommodation 3 nights OR could stay two nights in Pompeii
Day 7: train to Pompeii, explore Pompeii
Day 8: Naples, MANN
Day 9: Naples, late afternoon flight.

Here is my rough itinerary:
Day 1: arrive in Naples around 10 am. Store luggage, get acclimated OR head directly to accommodation on AC wander towns to see over 4 to 5 days: Positano, Altrani, Minori, Maiori, Praiano, Ravello, Amalfi
Day 2: wander the town, hike or bus between towns, general recon of two or three towns. Possible cooking class Praiano or above Minori
Day 3: hike one or more of: Walk of the Gods, walk to Ravello, walk to Maiori
Day 4: ?
Day 5: ?
Day 6: moving day, bus to Sorrento, train to Pompeii, store luggage, buses to Vesuvius, wander Herculaneum, train to Naples accommodation 3 nights OR could stay two nights in Pompeii
Day 7: train to Pompeii, explore Pompeii
Day 8: Naples, MANN
Day 9: Naples, late afternoon flight.

Yes, you could certainly head straight to the AC on arrival if you can find a place that is refundable. If you decide to drive, this b&b is an example of one I would feel safe taking a car: https://www.ilglicinebb.it/
It is up above Cetara, so has dedicated free parking. (About a 20 minute walk up from town, less going down). Being at the mainland end of the AC places you close enough to Salerno to do a Paestum day trip. We visited Pompeii from there, but if you are including Naples too, then you could choose which is easier.

I don't understand day 6. Sorrento works as an alternative for the AC and Naples when you want one base for everything, but you can see Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Vesuvius from Naples or see them in between. I would not stay in Pompei.
I think the Vesuvius walk has to be organized, so check a guide book or their website to see the details.

Pompeii (the town) does not offer much beyond the site itself to the tourist. If you're thinking of staying there 2 days I'd suggest Sorrento instead. Sorrento works well for both Pompeii and Herculaneum and then you can go off to Napoli for the museum and Naples itself. I haven't done Vesuvius but Sorrento - or Sorrento to Pompeii - should give access to that as well.

If you stay further down the coast getting to the sites - including Paestum - is more realistic. Cetera is within easy reach if Salerno for Paestum and Pompeii and I think Cetera also has a bus directly to Pompeii. If you have the time and mix in a couple of day trips with your AC explorations I think it would help remove some of the crush of trying to get them all in at the end.

Also I wanted the museum attached to Pompeii is open again - even if not complete - so allow some time to see the museum as well. The Diver was apparently only on display to tour groups because the path to the exhibit runs through an unopen display area, but when I asked about it the guard got me in to see it.

Also random recommendation for We love Puro in the area south of Pompeii in the city. Amid the crush of questionable restaurants nearish the entrance of the park We love Puro is modern, healthy alternative that I'm so glad we picked out from the crowd.

Have a great trip,
=Tod

It's not for everyone, but staying in central Naples was an amazing experience. We were in the Montecalvario neighborhood, next to the Montesanto station, and it gave us an incomparable view of Neapolitan daily life. As energetic a place as I've ever been in. The Spanish Quarter is just south, and it's also a hive of activity. These neighborhoods both give great proximity to the Decumani.

Your proposed schedule is not a problem, but our discount air from London to Naples arrived too late for transfer and check-in to Sorrento hotel. So we had pre-booked a night in Naples, pizza lunch, walk to station with luggage for Circumvesuviana to Sorrento. There are only a few (search box top left) posts here that include the keyword "March." While the Amalfi Coast (and Sorrento, Gulf of Naples coast) are busy all year round, there are likely to be seasonal closures in the off season, and relatively few ferries, with the ones that are running more subject to weather/wave cancellation. Be sure you check a climate website for air temperatures and sunrise/sunset.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/pompeii-and-vesuvius-69e8366c-1e75-4a14-a0bc-0677269492d1

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

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-2-weeks-of-day-trips-from-sorrento

There is a very nice, 99% paved, all downhill walk from Sant Agata Sui Dui Golfi to Sorrento. It can be tricky to find the starting point in Sant Agata (SITA bus ride [twice an hour??] from Sorrento Circumvesuviana station.) Do not wear sandals or flip-flops for this walk.

I'll just remind you how much damage AirBnb type lodgings have done to Lisbon and Venice, among other places. It's not a "victimless crime" ... ...

Thank you for all the tips. I am leaning towards 2 nights in/around Sorrento, 2 1/2 days there going to Pompeii, Vesuvius, Herculaneum, renting a car and going to an agriturismo or other small place for 3-4 nights for some hiking and out of the way stops, the final 2 nights in Naples.

I would love to squeeze in a day trip to Rome or we could fly out from there. We were there when my daughter was a baby and I have fond memories. My laptop wallpaper is her asleep in her stroller in front of the Colosseum. Let's see what Ryanair has.

The car rental is only ~$300/week. I regret not renting a car for a couple of days in the North of England in the summer. Too many hours spent getting to the next place.

Hi Sandra,

How lovely that you are doing a mother/daughter trip. I have done that with each of my three daughters and am so grateful for having had that precious time with them.

I am doing a similar trip with my husband this spring and am wondering if you could say more about the cooking class and hikes to Maiori and Ravello. We will likely do Path of the Gods but shorter, less intense hikes would be good too,

Thanks!

The new-ish Naples rail station makes New York's notoriously bad Penn Station look like a third-world train! To get to the Circumvesuviana from Trenitalia, you take the escalator downstairs, turn right, and walk a shiny marble-tile corridor about 150 yards. If you turn left off the escalator, you come to the pay toilets. At the right-turn end, you find the human-staffed ticket booths and the gates to the Circumvesuviana trains, which do NOT all have the same destination, i.e. Sorrento. (Some people don't like the Circumvesuviana, but it March it should be manageable, and not as sweltering as it is in the summer.) Many European train stations are much more confusing than Naples'.

Remember that it is normally IMPOSSIBLE to fly out of Rome the same day you wake up on the actual Amalfi Coast.

Remember, too, that although the Circumvesuviana gets you closer to the archeological park of Pompeii, the regular Trenitalia train station in Pompei is only about a 15 minute walk away. And the trains are much nicer. The Circumvesuviana is ... rustic.

Although I find the idea of a single hotel night unattractive, (Rome first night), one reason to put the "Rome visit" at the end is that it is impossible to fly HOME from ROME on the same day you wake up on the Amalfi Coast. It is almost impossible to do so on the day you wake up in Sorrento, which is of course, not on the Amalfi Coast. Your discussions are helpful, but it does seem like you are understating the difficulties, expenses, and schedules, of travel between Salerno and Sorrento. I wish you had said what month you visited in 2008.

Do you understand the Pompeii is a modern workaday city with few tourism targets? There are a few hotels near the Porta Marina (Circumvesuviana "Pompeii Scavi/Villa Misteri") entrance, but there is little else to do there. The point is that the Circumvesuviana provides a dirt-cheap, (roughly) one hour ride to Sorrento, or a shorter ride to and from Naples, about twice an hour. There is no rational reason to stay in Pompeii. (Yes, you can find posts of people who did so, if you use the search box top left. But it remains a matter of opinion whether that was a good decision.)

Counting Herculaneum, there are in fact four other frequently mentioned "ancient sites" that the Circumvesuviana gets near to. There is even a Five Site Admission Ticket, but it might be good only for three days ? and does NOT permit two admissions to the same place.