We will be in Cetera and I'm wondering if it makes sense to go back via ferry to Sorrento for the last two nights, stay in Salerno, or stay closer to Pompeii and the airport.
We don't have a car and need to find a nice, budget friendly hotel for these last few nights.
Thank you!
Salerno, easy transport
Sorrento has easy - if creaky, narrow gauge rail - access to the main entrance of the ruins while Salerno has easy access to south eastern gate of Pompeii near the arena using the regular train system. Both the creaky, narrow gauge Circumvesuviana and the Salerno regular trains will get you to Naples Central train station although the Circumvesuviana comes into the lower level. The airport is close to the train station and you can bus or taxi transfer to the airport. There are also buses directly from Salerno to the airport.
If "budget friendly" is a real concern then I think Salerno will probably have more options since Sorrento is very resorty and upscale.
Have a great trip,
=Tod
Your previous post.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/salerno-to-pompeii-where-would-you-stay-for-2-days
Sounds like Pompeii is a priority?
What time is your flight out of Naples?
We really enjoyed our time in Salerno- were there specifically to visit Paestum. It's less expensive, more real, less crowded and good transportation- direct trains north.
But if you want to visit Pompeii and need to be near Naples airport for departure- I'd stay in Naples.
Easy to get to Pompeii Scavi, Vesuvius, Ercolano- or stop on the way. See some of Naples, visit Archeological Museum.
There are some posts on this forum about stays in Pompei- that would be my second choice.
NAP is a quick taxi from central Naples. Probably plenty of budget accommodations.
Sorrento is not really budget friendly and a bit of a transportation hassle. After your time in Atrani and Cetara you might be done with AC environs.
Cetara and Salerno are so close, I'd just move on to Naples.
You can visit Pompeii from Cetara--we did and it was not overly difficult.
Positano is upscale. Sorrento is not upscale. It is, in fact, a postwar, purpose-built, all-access resort town. It has heavy UK tourism year-round, the kind that posts on Trip Advisor, "How much is a pint in Sorrento?"
The gritty Circumvesuviana stops 200 feet from Pompeii Scavi. Trenitalia (the line from Naples to Salerno) stops 1/2 mile from a different entrance (Amfiteatro) to Pompeii Scavi. Heat and sun can be very important when visiting Pompeii.
There is a fixed-rate taxi schedule for Naples which you can download.
Thank you, everyone! We are thinking we would prefer to be in a smaller city, so think we might stay in Salerno and take the train.
It sounds like the train line from Salerno is not as close to the main entrance to Pompeii and we would have to walk or take a taxi. Does the Salerno-Naples line go directly to the airport? We will need to do that on our last day from Salerno.
For Pompeii, when you mention heat and sun, are there places to get under shade if it's a bright hot day? Are there any buildings you can go into for refuge? Also, do you recommend paying for a tour guide ahead of time?
It sounds like the train line from Salerno is not as close to the main
entrance to Pompeii and we would have to walk or take a taxi. Does the
Salerno-Naples line go directly to the airport? We will need to do
that on our last day from Salerno.
Salerno to Pompei = Trenitalia, but it’s only like a 15 minute walk, really inconsequential in the scheme of things. There may be a bus or certainly a taxi is an option if you are pressed for time or just spent.
(Circumvesuviana goes Naples to Sorrento via Pompeii)
There is no train to the airport, but there is a bus from Salerno to the airport.For Pompeii, when you mention heat and sun, are there places to get
under shade if it's a bright hot day? Are there any buildings you can
go into for refuge? Also, do you recommend paying for a tour guide
ahead of time?
Not really, take water…and I’d wear a hat!
There are guides at the entrance, so it’s really up to your preference.
Train doesn’t go all the way to airport
Salerno to Napoli Centrale
Then a bus or taxi to airport
There might be a bus from Salerno to NAP but I am not familiar with that
There is no shade at Pompeii
There is a cafe with restrooms
We found a guide to be well worth it
Check Mondo Guides
www.sharedtours.com
Lots of good reviews from forum members
I mean for my reply to be neutral on where to train from. The Circumvesuviana stop is at the Porta Marina entrance, and the closest entrance to the closest Trenitalia stop (there are 3 in modern Pompeii city) is Amfiteatro. That is the key to looking right at the situation in Google Maps, if you care to. You can even enter a walking route and read off the distance.
Speaking of Google, while it is not perfect on mass transit, it can give clues. Cetara looks really attractive, and Google Maps suggests that there is a bus between Cetara and Salerno, the number 5020 or 5120. That is the key to looking at the SITA (transit agency site) for the schedules of those busses. But they might only go to Vietri sul Mare, and another bus to Salerno??? You have to learn which newsstands or tobacconists sell the tickets in Cetara and/or Salerno. Look for a ticket validating machine on the bus, I don't remember that from our five nights in Sorrento.
The search box top left can give you a lot of reports on the Circumvesuviana, which tends to be very, extremely, seriously, staggeringly crowded. And hot. But it's really cheap. I don't know how much trouble it is to buy tickets for the local (not the express from Salerno to Naples, of course) Trenitalia train. Maybe there are ticket machines in the Salerno station. We took the Circumvesuviana from Naples to Sorrento, but the experience helped us decide to pay 90 Euros for a Mercedes back to the Naples train station! That and the 15 Euro taxi ride in Sorrento to the hotel.
I personally would shy away from a daytrip that requires a bus (or two) ride followed by a train ride followed by a cab ride, but it's a matter of taste and budget. You need to also add up the number of people and compare with a (150????? Euro) cab from Cetara to Pompeii. You can't afford to pay the driver 5 hours to wait for you!!!! This is not like a Uber ride home from a bar after work at home.
If you are staying at a real hotel in Cetara, maybe you can get some practical advice (at least about Salerno) from them. Another good reason not to stay in an AirBnB. (Personal prejudice, plus the damage they do to the local housing market.)
Coming from the train station the walk to the southern entrance to Pompeii is about 10 minutes through the city. It's a small fraction of the amount you will walk if you tour even a fraction of Pompeii. Do not under estimate the size of the site itself. From the Pompei city entrance you'll enter near the arena. From there have a plan and do your best to stick to it but which houses are open and which ones are interesting will dictate where you go from there. In addition to the distances the uneven stones and large steps up and down into the street and buildings add to the fatigue.
Personally I think the "don't miss" attraction at Pompeii right now is an elevated walkway over an on-going excavation where you can see the process of a Pompeii dig in action. Labeled Insula dei Casti Amanti on Google maps. Watch the recent PBS documentary about the newest dig for greater appreciation and background on Pompeii. When you exit the dig site it will lead you past the snack bar and bathroom area.
There is an airport bus that runs from Salerno to the airport but the train runs to the main train station in Naples. The airport is nearby and close to the city itself. Bus or taxi will probably be best. https://www.naples-airport.info/bus/
Have a great trip,
=Tod
