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Salerno or Vietri Sul Mare?

Posted by (Olde Europe) on

Has anyone stayed in Vietri Sul Mare or Salerno? I'd love recommendations for a place to stay for our family of four (parents and two teens).

I'd rather stay in one place for all five nights to minimize the time spent changing hotels. We could stow our bags in Naples and do a short city walk on our way down from Rome, and then stop again to see the archeological museum on our way back to Rome.

We have five nights and we want to visit Naples, Pompeii, Paestrum, the Amalfi Coast and maybe Capri. After this we'll be in Rome for a few nights at the end of our trip in early April.

I stayed in Sorrento years ago and that was convenient for seeing Pompeii and Capri, but since we want to see Paestrum and some of the AC I was considering staying in Salerno. Then I read about Vietri Sul Mare and thought about using that as a base, since it's likely more scenic and is only 10 minutes from Salerno by bus or train.

Capri is not a must because some family members don't like boats, so the shorter town to town ferry rides along the Amalfi Coast might be more than enough.

Any recommendations are appreciated!

Posted by
5250 posts

Either would be nice. Salerno is much larger, so that would be the main difference.
Vietri has a train station, but be careful when choosing trains--some bypass this station. Not a biggie, I just ended up in Salerno instead one day.
When going to Pompeii, you will be on the Trenitalia line (as opposed to the Circumvesuviana line from Sorrento), and that station is about a 15 minute walk to the Pompeii site.

Posted by
8022 posts

I haven't stayed in either town, but your plan makes sense. I find the AC a little boring, so I'd take a chance on Salerno-size and transit connections. I wonder if you want to hit some of the other three ancient sites grouped with Pompeii and Herculaneum? (Don't know if the Trenitalia line stops near any of them.) Some ferries aren't running in early April - tough to know if you've downloaded all the schedules for all the companies. What's the water temperature in April?

Posted by
15798 posts

I stayed in Salerno and really liked the town. It's mostly level with a large sandy beach and fast train connections to the north. I don't think there's a ferry pier at Vietro, so you're likely to be going to Salerno by bus to get to the ferry to other places on the AC and the bus or train to Paestum, and the train to Pompeii. The bit of it I saw (mostly driving in and out) was hilly.

Posted by
303 posts

We stayed in Salerno in 2015 at B and B Salerno Centro. It is a small B and B and only has 3 rooms, but the Positano room has a private terrace which is lovely. The Italian hosts provide a hearty Italian breakfast and had visitor info of the area. The location is wonderful, right on the edge of Old Town which is so charming. The ferry dock, the bus and train station are not far. This B and B is highly rated, so book early if you choose to stay here. You will LOVE Salerno!

Posted by
21 posts

Thanks for the advice, everyone!

I've been spending all afternoon looking at places to stay in both locations, and it looks as if many of the place available in Vietri Sul Mare require a bus to get to the station. I'd love to stay in a cute small place, but convenience may win out! We can always go there to eat, see ceramics, shop...

Any specific restaurant or hotel or B & B recommendations?

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