NAPLES, advice please

Naples is interesting and (in my opinion) not nearly as bad as some say. That said, I think Sorrento is a much better choice for a scenic and relaxing base. It's popular with British and American tourists, so english is widely spoken. The Circumvesuviana train travels regularly between Sorrento and Naples in about 70 minutes. Pompeii and Herculaneum are both stops along the way. Paestum would be a little easier to reach from Naples, but there are options from Sorrento. You could take a bus along the Amalfi Coast to Salerno and then a bus or train from there to Paestum. Whether you stay in Naples or Sorrento, look into the Campania ArteCard (www.campaniartecard.it). It will save you money on your site visits and transportation.

Thank you for the suggestion of Sorrento. Have you been in Sorrento recently? Do you know if the rubbish build up affecting Naples is impacting Sorrento, too?

I agree with the above post, I would recommend staying in Sorrento. We love it. There is no garbage problem in Sorrento.

Most Helpline participants say they have used Sorrento rather than Naples as a home base for doing day trips to Pompeii/Herc/Paestum.

"naples is polluted, loud, disorganized, prone to crime: visit one day only.." ; that was the advice i had. after vistiting Rome, Florence, i went to Naples;i was planning 1 day.. it was polluted, loud, disorganized..[ but no sight of "prone to crime"]..i stayed 5 days..i absolutely loved Naples...the MOST italian city, KILLER food, GREAT people.. red lights are "discretionary", the streets are crazy....NO tourists like R&F...i found a REALLY nice hostel; i just can't say more enough about Naples..i missed the garbage strike [was there in may], and i just read it is supposed to get cleaned up soon...

You're looking for "a reasonably scenic base in which to unwind, relax, and enjoy the good food." Naples definitely has good food, but I would wager that 80% of the foreign tourists who've been to both cities would say you would have better odds of unwinding and relaxing in Sorrento over Naples. (And Sorrento also has wonderful food.)

Some tourists absolutely love Naples (see above) and have had wonderful experiences there, but most American tourists prefer Sorrento. I would assume the same would be true of Brits. But do definitely go to Naples as a day trip. The archaeological museum is amazing.

Yes, Sorrento is more expensive to stay in, which should tell you something (see "Law of Supply and Demand"), but there are definitely reasonably priced places to stay in Sorrento. We lodged in Naples and did save some money by doing so, but we ended up wasting time by training to Sorrento, Herculaneum and Meta during the day and back in the evening.

Also, Pompeii is so easily accessible from Sorrento that there's no need to find someplace closer to Pompeii unless you just really enjoy packing and unpacking.

Dear Kate:

Naples is an amazingly vibrant and beautiful city it has 3000 years of history behind it and much of that can still be seen because it is "stratified" . Each civilization built on the last one and its has been excavated! By the way Underground Naples- Greek and Roman streets and ruins beneath the modern Naples is fascinating.

SORRENTO has become too much of a "city" to my tastes .It is convenient for the transportation facilities but why not choose beauty as well as convenience .

Therefore I suggest The Amalfi Coast- Positano in particular. Hotel Concd'Oro or a Pensione such as Casa Guadagno or Gildas Guest House. The bus takes 20 minutes to the train and another 20 by train to Pompeii. Naples is 45minutes on the express train and Herculaneum is on the way to Naples on the samr train.

Paestum is a bus ride to Salerno and a train.

If I can be helpful let me know.

Francesco at www.walkingwiththegods.com I also do individual tours without accommodation.

The reason I would not choose Positano as a base is because there is no train service...only bus. Sorrento is easily accessible by train or bus and a VERY short jaunt (15 minutes) to Pompeii Scavi. Sorrento's dramatic seaside cliffs and the views of Vesuvius in the distance definitely bonuses of Sorrento.

If Sorrento is so popular with Brits and Americans, is it more expensive?

We would like to visit Pompeii too and was wondering about staying somewhere closer for a night or two.