By Car in Naples and Pompeii

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By Car

Be careful if you rent a car outside Campania; there's always extra insurance for this region, and most companies refuse to let you take a Mercedes or BMW into Campania and make you sign a retainer accepting all responsibility for the car if you do take it there. Car thieves here are some of the fastest and most organized in the world; the car is usually dismantled and in Eastern Europe the next day (there's a big market with the new Eastern European mafiosi for relatively inexpensive trophy cars). Some excellent deals can sometimes be arranged through local hotels on the spot, especially for the fainthearted who may prefer a driver. Some rental agencies in Naples are listed below; Maggiore has offices at the airport and central train station.

Naples is well connected, however, being located on the major north-south Autostrada del Sole, more commonly known as the A1 to Rome and Milan and the A3 to Salerno. The A30 acts as an express highway through Campania, enabling travelers to avoid the busy A3 between Naples and Salerno where traffic jams are endemic; the A16 winds southeast in the direction of Bari. As they near Naples, the autostradas meet the Tangenziale di Napoli (EUR 0.70 toll), a busy six-lane highway that borders the city's northern sector. The Tangenziale is the main access route from the airport to the city center, and continues on to Pozzuoli and the Phlegrean Fields region to the west of the city center. From Naples, the A3 for Salerno is best reached via the Tangenziale (follow the green signs for the motorways) unless you're close to Santa Lucia and the port area, in which case follow the traffic eastward along the waterfront and the port until you reach the autostrada sliproad at the end of Via Marina.

If you enter Naples and want to reach one of the main hotels close to the seafront, take the Tangenziale and exit at Fuorigrotta, then follow signs to Mergellina and Napoli Centro. For access to the port, stay on the autostrada until you see the signs for Napoli Centro and then follow signs for the Porto.