Naples, Italy WARNING

Crooked fellows with unlicensed taxis are in all of the major cities in Italy. They're looking for people who seem exhausted, confused or inexperienced. I speak from experience; I feel for one of these scams when I first stepped off the train in Termini. I was a wide-eyed twenty-year-old away from home for the first time, and it showed. I had too much luggage, I was exhausted from the long flight to Rome, and I had a look of total bewilderment on my face. All I needed was a big red target on my back. I didn't know where my hostel was, because I hadn't done my research, so I foolishly got a taxi. I made the mistake of bypassing the taxistand and just going with some "helpful" fellow who said he had a taxi. (Oh my god, I'm so lucky he was just a crook and not an ax murderer, lol.) I ended up paying something like 50 Euro for a drive around the block. I was so exhausted and overwhelmed that I just payed the fellow instead of making a big stink. It was an exorbitant price, but a lesson well paid for. When you get off a train or place and and are unsure of where to go next, how to get there, or if everything is running as planned, find a visitor information booth. They're easy to come by in transportation hubs, because many of the people who come through are overwhelmed and confused. Officials have the most up to date information, whereas cabbiescrooked or notare out to make a buck. They want you to choose their service and if you're hemming and hawwing about which mode of transportation to go with, they will try to sway you to their side. However, if they approach you away from their taxi, something is definitely fishy. It's far more expedient for a cabbie to get in line at the taxistand to pick up his next fare; all he has to do is wait in line for a few minutes, and then voila, he has a paying customer. If he's out fishing for passengers, he's not a real cabbie.

I hate to ask the question because it feels insensitivity but why were you flying into Naples to go to Rome? Unfortunately if you had spent sometime on this site earlier you would have read about train strikes in Italy and it is common for a driver to claim that a strike is on whether it is Naples or somewhere else. It is dishonest but common. Too bad you were not prepared for it. And it is possible that the trains were on strike, had been on strike, or had announced a strike that did not happen. But even when the trains are on strike some of the trains will be running. It is Italy !!!

I'm sorry this happened to you, but it's not fair to blame an entire city for the actions of one taxi driver. Your story can be a valuable lesson to others on the importance of being informed in advance. You have probably helped others avoid a similar scam. I hope this didn't ruin your entire trip.

This post should be called "Taxi Driver Warning - Naples Airport" - otherwise unknowing folks will assume the worst about Naples, the city (and too many of them already paint Naples with one broad stroke). Dishonest taxi drivers worldwide are a dime a dozen; this is a good warning for people to say "no thanks" when something doesn't seem right. Sorry it left you a bitter taste of Naples, and even more sorry you didn't have the chance to set foot in the city and experience more than this unfortunate taxi ride. Also, buses are a cheaper but slower alternative to trains, and cost a fraction of the fare.

I have been to Napoli dozens of times and have never been thieved there. The only things you could have done differently were: check to see if there was indeed a train strike (TI at the airport could tell you); make sure your taxi driver displayed a license; and perhaps pay in advance and get a receipt before you took off. Of course none of these things would occur to someone about to begin a vacation, so it is too bad that this happened to you. Napoli is by no means Disneyworld, I know. But it's too good to pass up.

I'm pretty sure the guy was a so called "Taxi Abusivo", which means somebody who has no taxi license from the city, but actually operates his car as a taxi. There are plenty in Naples (and not only in Naples) and they are dishonest, especially with out of towners and foreign tourists. So I'm not surprised if one them pulled that one on you. Unfortunately you have to be careful with taxi drivers (or impostors in this case) I've encountered dishonest taxi drivers everywhere. In NYC a taxi driver once took me from Times Square to Little Italy. Thinking I was an Italian tourist without knowledge of NYC he took me down Broadway all the way to Battery park, then up again on the FDR. I didn't say anything, but I knew what he was doing. When I got out I gave him a negative tip (i.e. I paid less than the fare) and told him to shut up and get out of my face. Another smart pants taxi driver took me from Arlington to BWI airport for a mere $140. He took a slightly longer way (south to Springfield first then up the beltway again). I complained with his company that time and they reimbursed me the difference. When you take a taxi it's always better to check the itinerary and ask around about the average fare first. Without that knowledge you've got nothing to fight on.

Jack, It's unfortunate that you were victimized by a crooked Naples Taxi driver, but I've encountered those in Rome also. On one occasion, I tried to get a Taxi near the Vatican for a ride to the Piazza Navona area. The driver quoted a huge price (can't remember the exact number), and I told him to "take a hike". As I was walking away, another driver ran after me and offered to provide the same trip for half of what his colleague asked for. At the time, that seemed fair (and besides, my feet were really hurting!). As I recall, there's a section on the Guidebook about Naples Taxi drivers, so a bit of research prior to your trip may have spared you from the experience you had. One point to note for future reference is that even when the trains are "on strike" in Italy, some service is still provided. Hopefully this won't prevent you from visiting Naples on a future occasion. It's an interesting city! Cheers!