DIY on a Sunday in Naples

Hi, we're in Naples on Sunday June 14th. On past trips we've been to Capri, Sorrento and Positano, and Naples itself. We're not really interested in Pompeii.

I was hoping to go to the east end of the Amalfi coast including Vietri Sul Mare, Amalfi and Ravello.

Unfortunately all the car rental places close to the pier appear closed on Sunday. I'm not interested in paying for a private tour/driver.

Any suggestions on how to do this using train/bus?

You are correct that its nearly impossible to find an open rental car agency in Naples (or most places in Italy and France) on a Sunday. The exception is at the airports and this is not very convenient for a cruiser. Going to the places you want to see is somewhat difficult and very time consuming...although you can certainly spend most of your day getting to Amalfi and Ravello on the SITA buses. We do not generally recommend the SITA buses for a port day.

So you might want to consider other options. DW would quickly recommend returning to Capri (she loves the island). If you have not previously visited the town of Anacapri and taken the single chair-lift up to the top of the mountain this might be an option.

Otherwise you could consider taking the train from the Naples train station up to the town of Caserta. From the station you can walk to the expansive Caserta Castle with its many rooms and huge garden area (you need decent walking shoes). This castle is sometimes called the Versailles of Italy and was an important place in WW2 when it was used by General Mark Clark as his headquarters for the 5th Army. (in the interest of full disclosure we thank Eurocruiser for getting us interested in Caserta).

If you enjoy ruins and have yet to visit Herculaneum, this is another option which can easily be done on your own.

Hank

Since you're really interested in the eastern end of the coast you could take the train to Salerno and a ferry or the bus from there. I'm afraid that if you want to get to Vietri Sul Mare it's the bus, I don't think there is a ferry connection.

You could take the ferry to Amalfi and work your way back to Salerno by bus, or take the bus to Vietri and then on to Amalfi and Ravello, saving the ferry for the ride back.

Ferry schedule here: http://www.travelmar.it/it/orari

Bus schedule here (note that only G's and H's run on Sundays): http://www.sitasudtrasporti.it/archivio/Download/corse/sitasud/Campania/Salerno/e7c9539e-fb75-4370-b38e-184b354e479a_5120.pdf/0

You are correct that its nearly impossible to find an open rental car agency in Naples (or most places in Italy and France) on a Sunday. The exception is at the airports and this is not very convenient for a cruiser. Going to the places you want to see is somewhat difficult and very time consuming...although you can certainly spend most of your day getting to Amalfi and Ravello on the SITA buses. We do not generally recommend the SITA buses for a port day.

 

So you might want to consider other options. DW would quickly recommend returning to Capri (she loves the island). If you have not previously visited the town of Anacapri and taken the single chair-lift up to the top of the mountain this might be an option.

 

Otherwise you could consider taking the train from the Naples train station up to the town of Caserta. From the station you can walk to the expansive Caserta Castle with its many rooms and huge garden area (you need decent walking shoes). This castle is sometimes called the Versailles of Italy and was an important place in WW2 when it was used by General Mark Clark as his headquarters for the 5th Army. (in the interest of full disclosure we thank Eurocruiser for getting us interested in Caserta).

 

If you enjoy ruins and have yet to visit Herculaneum, this is another option which can easily be done on your own.

 

Hank

Thanks for the recommendation on Caserta... It does look impressive! I'll look into that a bit further.

Since you're really interested in the eastern end of the coast you could take the train to Salerno and a ferry or the bus from there. I'm afraid that if you want to get to Vietri Sul Mare it's the bus, I don't think there is a ferry connection.

 

You could take the ferry to Amalfi and work your way back to Salerno by bus, or take the bus to Vietri and then on to Amalfi and Ravello, saving the ferry for the ride back.

 

Ferry schedule here: http://www.travelmar.it/it/orari

 

Bus schedule here (note that only G's and H's run on Sundays): http://www.sitasudtrasporti.it/archivio/Download/corse/sitasud/Campania/Salerno/e7c9539e-fb75-4370-b38e-184b354e479a_5120.pdf/0

Thanks for the information.

Is Salerno worthy of a port day by itself?

What about Vietri? Is it a nice village to explore? Similar to Positano?

And looking at google maps, the train to Salerno passes right through Vietri where there is a train station... is that not correct? If so, it might be more convenient.

What about Vietri? Is it a nice village to explore? Similar to Positano?

 

And looking at google maps, the train to Salerno passes right through Vietri where there is a train station... is that not correct? If so, it might be more convenient.

The train station is up on the hill above the upper town, not a bad walk since it's downhill. You can't get there directly from Naples by train, you need to change somewhere along the way. There is a connection on Sunday mornings that would depart Naples at 8:35 and have you in Vietri at 9:32, probably the best option. (I always forget about that station in Vietri.)

Vietri itself is a nice town but it's no Positano. Vietri's specialty is ceramics; they don't just sell them here, they make them. The town's web site offers a list of manufacturers in town along with the addresses of their showrooms (pdf at the end of the article): http://www.comune.vietri-sul-mare.sa.it/i-ceramisti-cultura-48.html

The train station is up on the hill above the upper town, not a bad walk since it's downhill. You can't get there directly from Naples by train, you need to change somewhere along the way. There is a connection on Sunday mornings that would depart Naples at 8:35 and have you in Vietri at 9:32, probably the best option. (I always forget about that station in Vietri.)

 

Vietri itself is a nice town but it's no Positano. Vietri's specialty is ceramics; they don't just sell them here, they make them. The town's web site offers a list of manufacturers in town along with the addresses of their showrooms (pdf at the end of the article): http://www.comune.vietri-sul-mare.sa.it/i-ceramisti-cultura-48.html

How are you finding a train between Naples and Vietri... I was just on the Trenitalia site and got nothing for June 14. But Salerno had lots of options :(

Regarding the city of Salerno, we are not big fans. And keep in mind that Salerno closes up like a tight box during the afternoon hours. Although afternoon closures are the norm in much of Italy, we found Salerno to be akin to a ghost town that time of day.

Hank

How are you finding a train between Naples and Vietri... I was just on the Trenitalia site and got nothing for June 14. But Salerno had lots of options :(

Regional trains won't show up that far in advance, look at the schedule for this coming Sunday.

Regional trains won't show up that far in advance, look at the schedule for this coming Sunday.

Aha! Thanks.