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Salerno

Posted by (Phoenix, Arizona) on

I know Salerno has not been as popular a destination for Rick and his readers, but I wanted to share the information I was looking for when we decided to stay here.

First and foremost, it is a beautiful, friendly city. It feels very family oriented and safe. We are staying just one block north of the coast and one block south of the beautiful, pedestrian-only, shopping street that begins directly from the train station.

Getting here was easy. We took the Alibus from the airport to the Napoli train station. Just follow the signs for Alibus immediately upon exiting the airport. From there we took a direct train to Salerno. There were plenty of kiosks and train staff to help us. Note: if using the automated machine to purchase tickets, you MUST have a chip card and a PIN. I used my ATM card with no problem.

Things we learned:
To get to the beautiful Castello de Arechi high above Salerno, take the local bus 19 towards Croce. You can meet the bus at the Piazza XXIV di Maggio. We found tickets and the bus schedule at the bus office by the train station. Not much time is required to see the site, but it was beautiful and had amazing views.

Getting to Paestum is easy. Follow Rick's advice on how to arrive by train.

Getting to Pompei is actually very easy even though you are coming into the downtown station. Exit the station, walk forward looking slightly to the left. You will see the large tower of a church. Walk directly towards it. When you get to that square, follow the signs to Scavi. You will turn left onto the street on the far side of the square. In about 5 minutes of walking you will arrive at the Anfiteatro entrance of Pompeii. For us the lines were short. There are restrooms just inside the entrance. We chose to exit at the Circumvesuvania entrance as we took that train on to Herculaneum. (Yes, crazy!). We were able to catch a train from the Ercolano- Portici Station. The station was about a 20 minute walk from the ruins, but did offer direct trains into Salerno.

More later, but I just had to share how amazing Salerno is. I am so glad we chose to stay here!

I hope the information helps the next person planning their trip.

Edited for a correction and added detail.

Posted by
1188 posts

Thank you for posting this--I'm spending some nights in Salerno this October and I appreciate reading your impressions.

Posted by
219 posts

Eric, glad to help!

An additional note: We toured the Castello and Paestum the same day. We took the 9:45 bus to the castle and the 12:20 bus back to Salerno. Be aware the return bus arrived a full 5 minutes early! We then went straight to the train station and caught a train to Paestum. We stopped and enjoyed a delicious lunch at Ristorante Nettuno. As you arrive towards Paestum turn and walk left along the ruins to the end and then turn right to walk along the south side to the restaurant. Entrance tickets can be purchased there.

For terrific gelato, including great service for those who need gluten-free, try Angelo Napoli. Check Trip Advisor or their website for the address. Filled with locals! Great staff who all speak just enough English to facilitate ordering.

Posted by
2181 posts

@Eric - A small thing, but I'll recommend Caffe Oro Nero on Corso Garibaldi Giuseppe 93. Great sandwiches and salads, and the owner seems to have aperitivi snacks set up all day.

Posted by
1188 posts

Thank you both for your recommendations! I like to map out places to eat before heading over, so I appreciate your insights.

Posted by
219 posts

Another note: We chose to take one day to visit Positano. We took the ferry (Travelmar) from the port in Salerno to Positano. We enjoyed a very picturesque hike through the town up the hill. The crowds thinned out as we climbed. One note, the SITA bus is about a 10 minute climb from the little plaza Rick discusses where there is a tobacco shop that sells bus tickets. Do not make the mistake we did and climb to the top to only find out none of the places listed up there actually sold tickets. We had to retrace our steps to buy tickets. We used it as an excuse to by another delicious granito at the little stand Rick recommends. There are public (pay) toilets just on the other side of the plaza (go down the steps by the tree). The cost was .50 €, but the machine does not make change.

We only took the bus to Amalfi Town and finished the trip back to Salerno by ferry. Frankly, the bus was so crowded, we would not do it again. All of our attention was focused on maintaining our balance as it was standing room only. We could not admire the views.

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