I'm trying to find train/bus service from Naples to Matera. It's not as easy as you would think. Obviously there are no trains into Matera, so a transfer would be required either at Ferrandina Scalo or farther out at Potenza. Trains from Naples Centrale do not go directly into Matera. We are planning for May, so the schedules are not really out yet. We've checked for Marinobus, Flixbus, RailEurope, italotreno, Omio and others with conflicting info. Anyone who has experienced this and has advice would be greatly appreciated.
Posted by
84 posts
Book via Trenitalia. Departure station: Napoli Centrale. Arrival: Matera. The train takes you to Salerno where you take the Freccialink bus to Matera. It's all on one ticket. Easy, straightforward, under four hours. We did this a couple years ago.
Posted by
Western Canada
3769 posts
Last Fall we went to Bari by Trenitalia train from Naples, then onto the Ferrovia Apollo Lucane train to Matera.
Two separate tickets.
Naples to Bari bought a few weeks before.
Bari to Matera bought at the station just before departure.
That smaller station is just next door to Bari Centrale.
Left Naples around 08:00, arrived Matera Centrale around 3:30 pm.
Very easy.
I too had looked for direct options but this was the most efficient centre to centre.
Posted by
102 posts
Two years ago we were going to take the Flix bus from Naples to Matera because it had the best deaprture time and shortest duration, but when I went to book the trip about 2 weeks before we were going to go, it was sold out. We ended up taking the Marinobus which was fine, but the departure and arrival times were not as convenient.
Posted by
OP
Saint Helens, OR, USA
308 posts
I'm finding very little train/bus service from the prior posts. For our date of May 14, Flixbus only has one departure, att 2:15am arriving in Matera at 6am. It must be to early and more trips to be listed later.
Posted by
OP
Saint Helens, OR, USA
308 posts
As to the other much apprecicated suggestions, the trip to Bari and then to Matera is listed and would work. Its an option, but it does take 7.5 hours .
As to the Saleno suggestion, its probably too early to book that too. As we could not find any good service thrre.
We will check MarinoBus.
Thank you for the suggestions.
Posted by
San Diego, California, USA
1415 posts
Picking a random day in March BusMiccolis has two buses a day from Naples to Matera - @6:15 and @14:45
Napoli (Terminal Bus Metropark - Staz.FS) > Arrivo 10:20 Matera (Terminal Bus Via Don Luigi Sturzo)
https://booking.busmiccolis.it/
Flixbus shows a bus but only at 2:15am - assuming that's right I can't imagine you taking it.
Itabus has a similar 02:05 bus for some reason but also a more reasonable 12:50 - 16:39
Naples (Metropark) > Matera
It does look like the Miccolis and Itabus lines run through Salerno so if you wanted to fast train to Salerno and then change to the bus you could but it seems easier to me to just get on the bus once. At under 4 hours it's not bad on a couch bus. Itabus seems cheapest but I doubt that matters at these prices but I don't know if there are other differences between the companies.
If you wanted to go as far as you can by train - without going to Bari - you could go Naples to Ferrandina Scalo on the train (intercity 3 hours at 8:45) and then arrange a bus for the last 30 minutes to Matera of which it looks like there several options. Trenitalia has labeled this stop Ferrandina Scalo/Matera but it is a stop Matera the way Poggibonsi is San Gimignano - which is to say it is within bus distance.
Hope that helps, good luck,
=Tod
Posted by
OP
Saint Helens, OR, USA
308 posts
Hiredman, Thank you for all the info. We really like the times from Itabus, however, starting in the first part of April, it looks like they stop running on Wednesdays (strange). We are traveling on a Wednesday.
Posted by
421 posts
I was in Puglia and Naples in November 2024. Might I suggest the train from Naples to Bari and then the bus to Matera. Or Flex bus at 930 from Naples to Bari and then the bus to Matera. Confirm the bus station from Bari to Matera as there are more than one bus station, I believe. Bus from Bari to Matera is 1 hour.
Posted by
San Diego, California, USA
1415 posts
That is weird @Ray - I can't imagine they are reducing service moving into the spring/summer months over the winter schedule. Hopefully they will add routes and this is a scheduling glitch.
One more possibility MarinoBus running four times a Wednesday in April - 09:15, 14:00, 16:50, 19:00
https://booking.marinobus.it/from/Napoli/250402/to/Matera/?adulti=1&&source=site&referral=https://marinobus.it
It does look like 3 or 4 different companies service this route so at least you have options. Or you could take the train close to Matera where there a bunch of more local bus options. I find bus routes and times, especially local ones, very confusing and under reported online. I guess they just expect the locals to know when and where buses run and not be looking into it up and to know when the school year is so that bus runs a on Saturday or not.
I was going through a similar thing trying to get from Arezzo to Siena on a Sunday. Virtually no bus stop signage, poor schedule information and, of course, limited Sunday service. Standing by a random sign on a deserted street Sunday morning I had started to lose hope that it was going to work and the suddenly the bus turned the corner and it worked out fine.
Good luck - hopefully closer to the date it will become clearer,
=Tod
Posted by
84 posts
When I search on https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html Wednesday May 14 departure station Napoli Centrale, arrival Matera there is a Frecciarossa departing 13:25 arriving 17:21 The Frecciarossa takes you to Salerno where you connect to the Freccialink (this is a bus just for those connecting from the train).
Lowest cost for this currently is 24.80E.
Not sure why you are having trouble seeing this.