Napoli May 2025--ideas, places to stay, transportation

To get this started - Take the Leonardo Express train from the airport at FCO to Roma Termini train station (32 min) and then the next fast train to Naples (1:15). Then just reverse the fast train Naples to Rome to go back.

The train companies are state run Trenitalia or the privately run .Italo/TrenoItalo that both run fast trains on this route.
https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html (Use Roma and Napoli as city names)
https://www.italotreno.com/en

Cabs can only be taken from established taxi stands or have them called to your location. There are a number of Taxi apps - check to see which ones are best in Naples. Never take an offered taxi anywhere but from the established stand.

Naples is quite a city - enjoy!
=Tod

Must I make those fast train reservations in advance from the US or is it just as easy to get the trains on the very same day? Do these companies have apps? Should I use apps for these trips at all?

Both have apps that are handy and easy to use.

You don't want to book the tix from Rome to Naples in advance- unless you are willing to risk losing the money if you miss the train.
Fights can be delayed, you have no idea how long passport control will take, etc...

You can book the Napoli to Roma tix in advance if you'd like to save some money and are firm on your dates.

This topic comes up a lot- do some forum searches and lots of advice will come up.

It's great that you speak Spanish but the people in Italy speak Italian. Learn a few words and phrases and you will be fine.

Must I make those fast train reservations in advance from the US or is
it just as easy to get the trains on the very same day?

There are plenty of daily trains to Naples so no need. Plus you need to consider that your flight may be delayed or you're stuck in Passport Control. We booked out ticket to Naples at the airport at the same time we booked the Leonardo train into Rome. From Naples back to Rome we did book a few days in advance.

Once you get to Naples and depending on where your hotel is you may want to take a taxi. Be warned that you'll probably get ripped off by your driver as it's an Olympic sport there. The subway is beautiful and modern and can be caught from the train station if your hotel is near a route. Naples is a city like no other though and after a sleepless night in a flight, you may be overwhelmed at first by us craziness. The cab ride will keep you awake though.

We were in Naples in May 2024 and stayed in the central city area (just off Centro Storico) about a 15 min walk from the Napoli Centrale train station. There are a number of "center city/Rick Steves" type hotels well within walking distance of the station - check out Booking.com. While we didn't use it (we walked a lot) the metro/subway seemed to service the central city area pretty well. We also took the fast train to/from Rome and agree with the comments above.

We just came back from Italy and did a day trip to Naples. We were able to flag down a taxi (official, licensed taxi with the sign on the roof) in front of the Archaeological Museum to ride back to the train station. But we might have just been lucky!

Discussion at our household last night re: Naples and Amalfi Coast

• Since we have 7 days for staying in that section of Italy, should we not divide that leg of our trip in two: one based out of Napoli, and the other one based out of Sorrento, or any other little town of that area?
• Wouldn't it be simpler to stay in the Amalfi coast itself so we can enjoy that area more fully?
• but then, what would be the most economic for a group of 5 adults?
• Is it worth doing it that way? Would we be seeing the same type of scenery over and over in Amalfi?
• Ferries vs. Cabs/Buses
• Safety concerns of any options?

Thanks

https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&date_range=2y&filter=Travel+Forum&query=sorrento+naples&utf8=%E2%9C%93

While it is true that in Italy we speak Italian, I would add that Italian and Spanish have an high degree of mutual intelligibility and you can somewhat get along speaking Spanish in Italy or Italian in Spain. It helps to know a few words from the other language and be careful of "false friends", words sounding the same but with different meanings, like aceite (oil in Spanish)/aceto (vinegar in Italian) or arriva (it's coming in Italian)/arriba (above in Spanish).

The problem may be different, the Naples dialect is an independent language evolved from Latin but not from standard Italian and, when strictly spoken, not always mutually intelligible with Italian. Thanks to television and cinema all Italians know some Neapolitan words, but speaking the dialect correctly, for example in order to sing classic Neapolitan songs, is no easy task.

A personal thought. Neaples is gritty, trafficked, noisy, and a lot of people wonders if the city is really worth a trip. You begin to understand Naples when you begin to speak with locals and you understand their way of thinking, that is quite unorthodox and often highly original. But this is impossible if you cannot get the gist of their speech.

Napoli is one of the most individual places I've ever visited. We stayed in the Montecalvo neighborhood, a very gritty yet lively and fascinating place. The Spanish Quarter is exciting and exhausting, at least for a septuagenarian like me. But I wouldn't have missed this city for the world.

I never felt the least bit unsafe except for perhaps motorbike-pedestrian encounters. But I kept my wits about me and my wallet at home. Napoli is truly unlike anywhere else.

Another vote for spending at least a few days in Napoli itself. We have visited once and it is a priority for us to return there. As others have said, it is a bit gritty, lively and unique. We never felt unsafe wandering around and found the locals to be welcoming and gracious. They are very proud of their heritage and rightfully so. On a separate trip we spent 5 days in Positano. We very much enjoyed our time there too but it is decidedly different from Napoli. Spending time in both areas would be a great plan. The hotel in Napoli that we will stay in next time is the Hotel Piazza Bellini and it has received positive reviews here and is quite affordable.

Lodging will probably be a lot less expensive in Naples, so I'd be inclined to do all the practical side trips while staying there. That would include Pompeii, Vesuvius, Herculaneum and Ischia for sure. Check ferry schedules for Capri, which is accessible either from Naples or from Sorrento; it's closer to Sorrento, but the lodging-cost advantage makes visiting from Naples worth serious consideration.

Thanks for the great discussion.

What I have been discussing with my family is dividing the Napoli/Amalfi leg of our trip in two, still. Mainly, because the exploration of the Amalfi area can lead to very long and unpredictable bus rides.
Looking at the maps and on the Rome2Rio website, there are trains which take you from Napoli to Salerno in 35 min to 90 min...so we could stay further east, then move our way west to Napoli...Of course, that'd mean a very long first day (US to Rome to Napoli to Salerno..yikes!)
Is Salerno worth it? And it seems fairly close to several important points to Amalfi Coast.
Grazie!

Looking at the maps and on the Rome2Rio website, there are trains
which take you from Napoli to Salerno in 35 min to 90 min...so we
could stay further east, then move our way west to Napoli...Of course,
that'd mean a very long first day (US to Rome to Napoli to
Salerno..yikes!)

You can go from Rome direct to Salerno. Use Trenitalia and Italotren websites for checking schedules and booking.
https://www.travelmar.it/en/index for Amalfi Coast ferries

Sorrento is a great base to see Capri and Pompeii. The views from the cliffside hotels in Sorrento are gorgeous looking across the Bay of Naples to Vesuvius, and the sunset is beautiful. There are great restaurants in the Centro Storico area of Sorrento. Amalfi town would be a good base if you wish to stay right on the Amalfi Coast. You can take the bus up to Ravello from Amalfi and take a ferry to Positano to see it from the water. You could stay in Naples for one night to see the Archaeological Museum and then go to Rome.

What dates in May

Crowding is a serious issue on the AC and in Sorrento. It is getting late to reserve in Sorrento for May, 2025. And for the nicer hotels in Naples. We were there in the last week of May, some years ago, and it was already swelteringly hot, and every public (SITA) bus leaving Sorrento for Positano had more people in line than would fit on the next, half-hourly bus. Air conditioning is really important.

It is perfectly true that it is risky to pay for a specific train on an air arrival day. Has the group been to Europe before? Have you bought European train tickets before? In any case, the "fast" train Rome-Naples (Frecciarossa, 1.1 hours instead of 3 hours) does sell out. But an advance-discount ticket is, in most cases, not changeable or refundable.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/request-for-naples-advice

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/amalfi-coast-for-7-nights-itinerary-help

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

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/amalfi-coast-for-5-days-where-to-set-base-from

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/one-week-on-the-amalfi-coast

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/getting-around-amalfi-coast