Salerno?

We stayed in Salerno before we picked up a rental car to head to Basilicata and Puglia. But from what I saw it was a pleasant city with some interesting sites and not too many tourists. I have heard of many people using it as a base for the Amalfi Coast. Lodging there is certainly more reasonable.

We stayed in Salerno last November, only because we were wanting better connections to Paestum, the Greek ruins.Pasteum was well worth the visit. Left Salerno by train to the tip of the boot to board ferry to Sicily. I think I would look for lodging in the Sorrento area for touring the Amalfi coast. Our hotel arranged a car for us with 3 other couples, considering time, road conditions etc. it was well worth what we paid. Hope this helps. Much easier as we were dropped off in the 3 Towns, given ample time to explore, picked up—without us having to find parking etc. we toured the 3 Towns in 1 day, using this way.

You should look at bus and ferry schedules for the month you want to go. Are you going to Pompeii or Herculaneum or Naples or Capri? The AC is "remote" from everywhere.

Y'all know that I'm a big fan of Salerno, based there for 5 nights in March 2015. Also based in Sorrento for 5 nights in March 2017. And because it was March, getting around to the A.C. from either place didn't much matter because there were few tourists, thus it was easy to get from Point A to Point B. Dining options fabulous in both place, by the way.

As has been stated, Salerno is a real-live small Italian city of about 110,000, where locals do the traditional things like the late afternoon passeggiata along the promenade along the sea and the main streets, kind of a pedestrian 'scoop the loop' that you don't much see in the touristy places, where folks wave to each other and shopkeepers along the way. Really nice. I think it's well situated to Amalfi & Positano by bus off-season, and by ferry in high season.

I LOVE Salerno! I lived there for 2 years....

I would say if you are JUST doing the Amalfi Coast, I would stay in Amalfi or Positano (like if all of your day trips were to other Amalfi coast villages and Sorrento). But if you were looking to do other day trips, like Paestum, Herculaneum, Naples, Pompeii, then I would say Salerno is a great base. It also depends on when you are going, as I wouldn't plan on seeing the coast during the times that the only option is a bus (fall, winter, and a bit of spring), as the ferry is what makes Salerno a good option.

I don't love Sorrento, it just feels like tourist central to me, and if you want to see the Amalfi Coast, you would be busing it most of the time (and I have heard about the lines for the buses over there too!).

Salerno is a large town (last I checked, 135,000 residents) but it feels like there are barely any tourists there. They definitely have a large amount of nightlife, and the corso (pedestrian only shopping street) has some great stores and you can wander amongst the locals out for their evening stroll. Also, the Lungomare (the seawalk) is a great place to stroll and people watch and take in the views. The people are wonderful, the historic center is very charming, and I feel like its just a little removed from the tourist scene.

So if you wanted to see the coast AND other places in the region and you are going during ferry season, I say go with Salerno. If you want to ONLY see the coast or are going during NOT ferry season, I would suggest to stay in Amalfi (for its good transportation connections) or Positano.

Jay did make a good point though, if you wanna do it in the off season, the buses would probably be easier than in the tourist season, it just depends on which towns you wanted to visit.

(Hey Kath!)

kmmartin--if you stay in Salerno, don't forget the little towns on the way to Amalfi--Vietri sul Mare, Cetara, Minori, Maiori. All are beautiful in their own way and are worth a stop.

Thanks everyone for the replies. I'm definitely considering this as an option for our trip in June 2019. We want to see the Amalfi Coast but also hoping to see Naples and Capri too. The original plan was to stay in Naples for 4 nights but received a lot of negative feedback on this plan so looking at other options.

Hey Jay!

kmmartin, I am sad you wanted to stay in Naples but got talked out of it, if you really want to, you should! Many people enjoy Naples and have very pleasant stays there. It all depends on what you were basing in Naples to DO.....I wouldn't base in Naples to see the Amalfi Coast, but if you wanted to do Naples, Pompeii/Herculaneum, and Capri, that is very doable.

Salerno, or any place on the Amalfi Coast, is great to see that side of the peninsula. As Jay said, even taking a bus and hopping off in a small town when you feel like it is great too!

If you want to do Naples, you can definitely take a train to Naples.....its just all about what do you want in your base.

Why is Naples not a good base for a day trip to the Amalfi Coast? Couldn’t we take the train or ferry to Sorrento and perhaps pre-arrange to have a driver take us around?

"Why is Naples not a good base for a day trip to the Amalfi Coast? Couldn’t we take the train or ferry to Sorrento and perhaps pre-arrange to have a driver take us around? "

Your second sentence is the answer to your question.

From Naples, you first have to get to Sorrento, then have to get to the Amalfi Coast proper. It's a lot of schlepping for not much seeing, and very little experiencing.

I saw Sorrento and Positano as a day trip from Naples. I still consider it one of my worst travel "mistakes" - a waste of a day. These are places to settle in to and experience, not to whizz through on a day trip. To be fair, many do seem to enjoy being zipped through several Amalfi Coast towns in one day, and they do it with a driver (I did it via Circumvesuviana from Naples to Sorrento, then bus from Sorrento to Positano).

Harold is right, you want to explore the Amalfi Coast, not sit on transportation to get there and back all day. From Salerno, or even Sorrento, getting to Amalfi is a one leg trip. Much more pleasant of a day. You do want to "experience" things instead of checking them off of a list.

If you have a driver, that is great, but then you are watching the clock as well as your wallet.

On my most recent visit to Italy (Feb 2017), I stayed for the first time in Naples and in Salerno. I'd been to Pompeii and Herculaneum on a previous trip while based in Sorrento, also in February. I spent time in Naples to explore Naples and return to the wonderful National Archaeology Museum. I spent time in Salerno to visit the Amalfi Coast and Paestum.

Transportation to the AC: From Naples you'd take a train to Sorrento or Salerno, then bus or ferry to the AC towns. There are frequent fast trains (35-45 min.) between Naples and Salerno (and there are fast trains from Rome and Florence so you may not have to change trains in Naples). There are slow suburban (Circumvesuviana) trains to Sorrento that run on a loose schedule about twice an hour; there is also a better quality Campania Express train (45 min) but according to this schedule there are only 4 a day. Salerno is on the AC, so the trip to the other towns is shorter and scenic. From Sorrento, the bus has a long inland trip before getting to the AC a little before Positano. If you want to spend your time on the AC, Salerno is probably the better choice. On the other hand, if Capri is a high priority, it isn't very convenient from Salerno. You will have to travel the length of the AC and then round the "corner" to get to Capri, while there is a "straight-line" route between Sorrento and the isle.

Sorrento vs. Salerno. I thought Sorrento was very charming . . . . in February when there are few tourists. I happened to be there over the town's local saint's day and I suspect that may have attracted a lot of local visitors from neighboring towns and villages. Anyway, there were few foreign tourists and lots of locals out and about. The center is high on the cliffs and near the train/bus station. The beach and ferries are down a l.o.n.g flight of stairs (or a small elevator, if it's working). Salerno is older and has an interesting historic center. It's pretty level, so the short walk from the train/bus station to the ferries is level and paved. Salerno also has a large sandy beach and excellent bars and restaurants. In addition, both room and meal prices are lower than Sorrento's which are lower than those of the AC towns. Both towns were very good places and I thoroughly enjoyed both stays. I would choose based on convenience for where I wanted to go during the days.

Lastly, do stop for pastries at Sal de Riso in Minori.

Thanks so much everyone! You’ve given me lots to consider. :)

We were sorry to miss Paestum (too far) from sleeping in Sorrento. But note that Sorrento has better connections to most local excursions than Salerno. Note also that SITA bus from Salerno to Sorrento requires a change in Amalfi. And the Trenitalia stop (Salerno-Naples) for Pompeii is (unlike the Circumvesuviana train) NOT just steps from the ancient city.

We were sorry to miss Paestum (too far) from sleeping in Sorrento. But
note that Sorrento has better connections to most local excursions
than Salerno. Note also that SITA bus from Salerno to Sorrento
requires a change in Amalfi. And the Trenitalia stop (Salerno-Naples)
for Pompeii is (unlike the Circumvesuviana train) NOT just steps from
the ancient city.

It is steps, Tim. A lot of steps... We walked it on a nice day in March 2015, about 60 degrees, and from the Trenitalia station to the southern entrance of the ruins it was about a 35-40 minute stroll, not that bad, really. Walked through Pompei city proper, quite nice, actually. Interestingly, the town hall had a monument with two of the girders from the Twin Towers in NYC. But--hah--we taxied it back to the station after exiting the ruins at the main Scavi entrance. The dogs were tired!

Yes, Sorrento has better connections than Salerno to almost every place in the region except to Paestum, and it's a toss-up time-wise to Amalfi-town. Maybe Sorrento has a slight edge on quality of food, although both are way above average.