Is 10 min enough time at Salerno train station to walk over to ferry?
 

Hello! I am am trying to get from Rome to Salerno and then I want to take a ferry over to Positano. The ferry schedule for the Coop Sant'Andrea has a ferry leaving at 10:40 am. Our train arrives at 10:30 am. Is 10 minutes enough time to make it to the ferry dock?

I don't know regarding your question Jill, but what will your Plan B be if the train doesn't arrive at 10:30AM? What time does the next ferry arrive after the 10:40AM ferry?

The next ferry arrives at 11:40 am

Plan b should be to take the high speed train that leaves Rome 4 min earlier, change trains in Naples, and gets into Salerno at 9:48

Yes, I saw that train and my husband doesn't want to pay 60 extra euros for the two of us. :)

It's not going to be enough time. Although the place where you take the ferry is only a couple of blocks, once you cross the street, you do have to do a fair amount of walking along the dock to get to the location of the ferry, plus you have to purchase a ticket and then get your bags on board. It is a bit of a shlep, especially with a bit of luggage. And because the signs are not clearly marked, you have to first figure out where you're going and how you're going to get there.

Is there a way to pre-purchase the ferry tickets to reduce my chances of missing the ferry?

Hmmm, I don't recall -- I'm going to say probably not only because I generally pre-purchase everything and I didn't for the ferry. But don't quote me on that -- I'm just saying I know how anal I am and for me not to do that there must have been a good reason!

I will say, though, that the ferry ride from Salerno to Positano is a wonderful boat ride -- on a nice day you can sit on the top deck and chill; and it stops at Amalfi. You get the best view from the water.

Maybe I can run up the boat captain taking the tickets and say "please hold the ferry!" haha.

. . . And they sometimes do!

If you miss the first ferry, you'll only have to wait an hour for the next one. If I remember correctly, there are some coffee shops and restaurants close by, so you can kick back and relax for an hour.

The distance isn't great...
http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/image/132810174

Realistically though, what with the possibility of a few minutes' delay, then getting off the train, down the stairs and through the under-platform walkway, crossing the seafront road etc etc, there's no way to guarantee you could be there soon enough... though you may be lucky, and find that the boat isn't dead on time either... or not!

Better perhaps to start slowing down, and adopt the view that the 10:30 arrival will see you in Salerno with plenty of time in hand for finding the boat, and buying tickets for the 11:30 departure?

The chances are that even with that you'll arrive in Positano before the hotel has your room available!

Peter

PS - Once it sets off, you can follow that train's progress in real time here...

http://www.e656.net/orario/treno/723.html

And, 15 minutes after setting off, today's is running 4 minutes behind time... Not that today's - or tomorrow's - journey will be typical: at the end of the June 2nd ponte weekend both road and rail traffic everywhere is going to be at its heaviest.... so wait for those later in the week to get a better indication!

PPS - In high season last year, the Alicost line had an 11:05 departure (a jet boat, scheduled to take 55 rather than 70 minutes) from the Molo Manfredi quay, in Salerno's main harbour - to reach which in time you'd be best advised to take a taxi from the station piazza....
http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/imag...78291/original

No idea as yet if that will be operating again this summer, but perhaps keep a watch here...
http://www.alicost.it/content/?id=6

When I was in Salerno a few weeks ago, I timed the walk from the train station to the dock off of Piazza della Concordia where the Cooperativa Sant'Andrea ferry boats depart for Amalfi and Positano. The distance is approx. 800 meters (of which nearly half is the distance from the beginning of the very long pier to the end point where the ferries dock). You do need to allow about 10 minutes to connect between the train and the ferry, taking into account (as Peter notes above), the time it takes to alight from the train (with luggage), to walk down 35 steps and through the passageway to the foyer of the station, then some 400 meters to reach the busy seafront road, then walk across to the start of the long pier. The incoming train could of course be running late, which would be a significant factor. The ferry boat might also be running late, but this should not be factored into your plans. If you walk very, very fast, you might reach the dock in about 6-7 minutes, but don't rely on this figure.

BTW, if you arrive at tracks 2 or 3 of the Salerno train station, and have very heavy luggage, there is a modern elevator which will take you down to the street level, without having to negotiate a single step. The elevator is NOT immediately visible. Once off the train, look toward the station and identify the Chef Express bar/cafe and the restrooms. The elevator is in-between and diagonal to these and located in-between tracks 2 and 3, on the eastern side of the station area. If you arrive at track 4, there is no elevator, and you will need to walk down a total of about 35 steps to reach the station foyer and exit doors. There are actually two passageways to reach the street level: one in the central area, and the second further east, diagonal to the Chef Express bar/cafe. Only the central passageway takes you into the station foyer where the newsstand, ticket agency (sells UNICO COSTIERA and UNICO CAMPANIA tickets), Trenitalia automated ticket machines and manned Trenitalia ticket sales windows are located. If you exit using the eastern passageway, turn right as you enter the square to walk back to the station foyer area. (The SITA buses for Amalfi stop directly in front of the main station doors, in the central area described above).

What is the hurry? You're on vacation, right? Get off the train and have a relaxing walk, stop for a snack, look in the shops, enjoy the scenery and wander to the port. I'm assuming you are American.....that's why Europeans say, "Americans, you have to rush and not enjoy."

Agree totally with Ann1.

The photo above (link below) that A Brit used shows the overhead distance from the station.
http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/image/132810174

What it doesn't show is that long path you have to take (described by me and GAC) to get to the ferry point. If you look in the above sat. photo, what we're talking about is that bit in the lower left hand side of the screen where you reach the water -- that piece headng south in the picture juts down outside the frame quite some way.

I agree with Ann1, Betsy, you don't want to stress this. The walk is relatively easy, the area is interesting to look at, and if you're like me, when you rush with luggage, the wheels always seem to catch on something, be it a cobble stone in the street, or the curb. Or in your haste, the bag turns around so you have to stop and re-adjust everything.

As you're walking along that little jutting part, there's a little shop where you can grab a cold drink and an ice cream bar.

If it's OK to interrupt the flow.... that train has finally arrived in Palermo - 2 minutes late overall, or so they say.

Peter

Peter -- that link you gave for train travel in real time is cool!

Wow. There is some really awesome information in this post. I can't thank you enough for all the wonderful explanations (GAC, you really outdid yourself and Peter too!)

Jill, I do have to wonder if yourentire trip is planned down to the minute. Just relax and enjoy things. An hour's wait is no big deal.