Travel from Napoli to Sorrento - Please help

It is not dangerous. Lots of people complain about petty theft and stolen luggage but I imagine if we did a poll on here the vast majority would say they have never had a problem. It is certainly less dangerous then riding any american subway in any major city here in the states. This is not to say petty theft is not an issue, it is. However, if you are mindful of your luggage and wear your money belt I promise you will not have any problems.

Thank you for your response. This alleviates a lot of my anxiety.

I agree with Scott, behave as you would in any crowded place and you should be ok. One tip, not about the train to Sorrento but about arriving from Rome. When you get off the train you are highly likely to be pestered by men offering to help you with your luggage. They will claim they are official porters but there are no such thing. Just ignore them and they will go away. The link is about Naples station and its recent renovation. It has pictures showing signage etc.

http://www.grandistazioni.it/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=bad272ceeae7b110VgnVCM1000003f16f90aRCRD

Hi Steve,

We rode the Circumvesuviana with no problems what-so-ever. As everyone else has mentioned, you just need to be mindful of your surroundings and your personal items. I will say though that the views going to Sorrento by boat cannot be matched in any way, shape or form with anything the train has to offer. We chose to ride the boat going to Sorrento, and then take the train back to Napoli. So I don't know if that's any option for you or not.
I can't remember exactly which bus will take you from the station to the harbour. In theory, it CAN be walked (if you have no luggage, extremely long legs, and lots of energy and time), but it's not really practical and catching a bus is much easier. Anyone remember which bus it is? The #1?
Happy travels.

I agree with Scott and Linda. We were very scared our first time because of what Rick writes in his guide - but since then we've ridden the Circumvesuviana more times than I can count after many trips to Sorrento and we have never had one single problem.

Adding on to Linda's good advice, don't ever take your hands off your bags when in the Naples train station - we've met other travelers who've had their bags stolen in seconds that way.

We actually enjoy the Circumvesuviana...people watching and the views out the windows, it's great and nothing to worry about as long as you take the normal precautions.

We took the boat from Naples our first time there and did not enjoy it. The taxi ride from the train station to the harbor cost money (whereas the Circumvesuviana is just downstairs from where you arrive by train from Rome) and the ride was beyond scary. Then we had to wait over an hour for the boat while a drunken beggar kept asking us for money, when getting on the boat with luggage and tons of pushing people were told we needed to go back to ticket window and pay for our luggage, got the last 2 seats on the boat, people (all commuters that day) had closed the curtains on every window so we couldn't see out. It was miserable and it took much longer. When we got to the Sorrento harbor, we then had to get and pay for a taxi to get up to town. You will have lots of opportunities to ride the boats while you're there without luggage, I don't recommend it when you arrive.

Thank you all for your advice and words of assurance.

Steve,

I think Susan's info is something you would want to take into consideration. In our experience, we thoroughly enjoyed our boat ride. We did have to wait but there was a little cafe on the harbor so we had a great meal and a great view. It was almost empty on the boat so we had plenty of room, we didn't have to pay for any baggaage, and no curtains blocked our view. I guess a lot depends on which carrier you take and what day/time of day you arrive. In most travel situations, you will have two totally opposite experiences so it will just end up being what you prefer.

We went by boat and it was wonderful. The view of the Bay of Naples and Mt. Vesuvius from the sea are views you cannot get by train!

I agree that the boat ride (especially the hydrofoil) is a beautiful option. It means you have to get from the train station to the harbor, though, so that means grabbing a taxi in front of the train station which is kind of disgusting.