Naples/Amalfi Coast Trip tips/suggestions

Naples is a hole! There is a lovely little town called Salerno about 20 mins by train from Naples, it is really quiet and very Italian. It has a little beach and cute little side streets. It has a direct train to Pompeii too. When we stayed there, we got a bus to Amalfi and got a boat back, which was an ideal way to see the typical coastal views.

I'd agree with the opinions on Naples. By far my least favourite Italian city. Head further south towards Calabria if you can.

Don’t stroll around Naples after dusk, it can become very threatening, stay close to hotel you are staying in & don’t wear expensive watches or jewellery, talking from experience.

Not true at all about Naples, I've been to the city on 3 occasions and it's wonderful! I've walked all around the central city areas by day and night on my own and never once felt threatened or unsafe..

One piece of advice however is Don't stay near the train station... Last time I was there i stayed in the Pallonetto area and it's stunning.. Naples is a very walkable city and you can get the local bus or taxi's around too..

I have also stayed in Salerno and it's a great base for exploring the Amalfi coast, much less crowded and stressful than a major city like Naples..

The Salerno harbour has loads of regular boats going along the coast, head out to see Atrani and have lunch there... catch the boat back to Salerno..

Do another day out to Positano.. and then a full day cruise out to Capri and back to Sorrento ..

We took a bus direct from airport to Sorrento. It was a long wait between the early arrival of the flight til bus departure (2pm??) and it was full with standing room only by time we left. It took us to train station in Sorrento and from there we could walk to hotel. I slipped on tiled floor and damaged knee so did not get about much. Other half went to Pompei with train, not to be missed.

Just back from Naples, it certainly is a busy place but I have to say I never felt unsafe there. Like any major city you need to be sensible but we (2 adult females and a 12 year old) felt comfortable walking around even at night, including quite late after the Napoli match! In recent times the places I have felt most dodgy in traveling were around the train station in Brussels and in the US (lots of people out if it and thus unpredictable - standard hawkers just require common sense).

PompeiI is amazing, get a tour by an archeologist. As others have said cash is king in Naples but weirdly there aren’t that many atms.

I disagree with a fair amount here I think if your going out that way it depends what holiday you want, I've been over a few times and love the unapologetic nature of the Neapolitans and the city itself. Its not as beautiful as Florence but it has its own beauty in its hustle and bustle and if that's not your cup of tea ( too many it isn't ) you wont see past the graffiti and constant noise of the place. I once had a Canadian describe Naples as being the Rock n Roll of Italy compared to classical music of Florence, and couldnt put it better myself

As said above the area around the train station is the same as all European cities but a quick 3/4 stop metro and your fine, I often stay up around the Piazza Gesu Nuovo, lovely couple of bars and restaurants ( Oak Napoli being a fav craft beer haunt, has a great vibe ) The quartieri Spagnoli has some of liveliest streets and restaurants too, as said above you'll be fine once you have your wits about you. There is a free walking tour that runs from the castle Nuovo daily around m,10/11 and its well worth going on early in your Napoli trip so you can get your bearings about the city etc, The catacombs of San Gennaro whilst being a bit of a trek up is also well worth a visit.

I've stayed out in Vico Equinse and found it lovely in the evening but like Sorrento/ Capri anything more than a day and you'll be bored unless your want a sea/ sun holiday and the Train in and out of Sorrento/ Naples does be very crowded and doesn't run too late.

Id recommend going to a Napoli game more if you get the time, its a wonderful experience cheap as chips ( relative to sports events here) and you will be safe as houses, the club are playing exceptional at the mo and you could get lucky that the win the Serie A while your there, considering going over when they do as it'll be some party.

Another thing I would suggest is if your are only planning a day in Pompeii you should do yourself a favour and visit Herculaneum instead, the Ruins are smaller, less crowded and so much better preserved than Pompeii ( due to it being covered mainly in Mud as it was on the coast ) Pompeii is very good but its a bit bland after a hour or two and each building looks similar to the last, but having been too both sites twice ( last time in October) Id be telling everyone to focus on Herculaneum and visit Pompeii if you have the time after.

Regarding the Vesuvius hike, both Pompeii/Herculaneum stops on the train have buses that run direct up to the coach stop top of Vesuvius ( around 3/4 up) you then have a quick 20 min hike to the crater and can do a loop of it, most of the buses give you around 2 hours on the crater before returning.

My tip for that would be to aim to arrive to either stop around , 09:00 - 10:00 do Vesuvius first then stroll around the sites in the afternoon when they are quieter as most of the day trips are gone by that stage.

Oak is around 5 mins stroll from Dante stop, small enough but great selection and lovely vibe