Metro del Mare hydrofoil schedule? Need to get to Naples early!
Dec 31st, 2010, 12:30 PM
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Metro del Mare hydrofoil schedule? Need to get to Naples early!
I will be in Positano next September and I want to take a train to Siena. Well, ideally I would like to take the Metro Del Mare fast hyrdofoil to Naples so I can take the train to Siena. However, their summer schedule is not out yet. (will Sept. still count as summer?)
I want to find out how early I can get to Naples on this hydrofoil? The trains leave quite early (8:17 am) from Naples getting into Siena. I wish the website had an English option.
Thanks for your help!
I want to find out how early I can get to Naples on this hydrofoil? The trains leave quite early (8:17 am) from Naples getting into Siena. I wish the website had an English option.
Thanks for your help!
Dec 31st, 2010, 01:00 PM
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A boat will only be able to run from Positano if the weather is suitable, so you shouldn't rely on a boat to connect with a train.
The quickest connection by train from Napoli to Siena is via Firenze, with trains normally every hour.
The quickest connection by train from Napoli to Siena is via Firenze, with trains normally every hour.
Dec 31st, 2010, 01:18 PM
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Based on schedules for 2010, you won't be able to get to Naples (Mergellina Dock) from Positano by Metro del Mare until 10:15 a.m. Schedules for 2011 won't be published until the spring, but I don't imagine that you'll find anything as early as you wish.
The first Circumvesuviana train leaves Sorrento at 5:01 a.m and arrives at Napoli Centrale at 6:06 a.m. There are taxis and, of course, private transfers which can get you into Sorrento in time to connect to the Circumvesuviana.
The first SITA bus does not depart Positano for Sorrento until 7:10 a.m.
The first Circumvesuviana train leaves Sorrento at 5:01 a.m and arrives at Napoli Centrale at 6:06 a.m. There are taxis and, of course, private transfers which can get you into Sorrento in time to connect to the Circumvesuviana.
The first SITA bus does not depart Positano for Sorrento until 7:10 a.m.
Dec 31st, 2010, 02:21 PM
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If you do go by boat (it doesn't sound like the best option here) don't forget to allow time for getting from the dock to the train station.
Since you are planning on having a car for Tuscany (I think) perhaps you can consider renting sooner and driving to Siena. If you don't want to drive the AC road, you could rent in Sorrento.
I kind of sounds like a hard day to use public transport to get from Positano to Siena.
The simplest but not cheapest way would be to get a driver to Napoli, train to Firenze, bus or train to Siena. If you train to Siena, you will need a bus or taxi to get to your hotel, as the train station isn't central.
But really, why?
I say get to Sorrento and rent a car, driving yourselves to Siena.
Since you are planning on having a car for Tuscany (I think) perhaps you can consider renting sooner and driving to Siena. If you don't want to drive the AC road, you could rent in Sorrento.
I kind of sounds like a hard day to use public transport to get from Positano to Siena.
The simplest but not cheapest way would be to get a driver to Napoli, train to Firenze, bus or train to Siena. If you train to Siena, you will need a bus or taxi to get to your hotel, as the train station isn't central.
But really, why?
I say get to Sorrento and rent a car, driving yourselves to Siena.
Dec 31st, 2010, 02:50 PM
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It's a heck of a lot easier to get onto the autostrada from Salerno than from Sorrento. Hertz has a location near the bus stop. But you have to take two buses from Positano to Salerno (or hire a driver).
Hassles, hassles, hassles...
Hassles, hassles, hassles...
Dec 31st, 2010, 04:03 PM
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Positano to Siena by private transfer will cost you over 500 Euros!
This private transfer service can get you (and two fellow passengers) from Positano to Sorrento for 60 Euros, where you can take the Circumvesuviana commuter rail to Napoli Centrale as early as 5:00 a.m. for only 3.40 Euros.
The same service does Positano to Naples for 110 Euros:
http://www.amalfi-drive.com/fares.html
This private transfer service can get you (and two fellow passengers) from Positano to Sorrento for 60 Euros, where you can take the Circumvesuviana commuter rail to Napoli Centrale as early as 5:00 a.m. for only 3.40 Euros.
The same service does Positano to Naples for 110 Euros:
http://www.amalfi-drive.com/fares.html
Jan 1st, 2011, 01:55 AM
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To the best of my knowledge, Campania's regional government have still to issue the tender for operating this year's MdM: don't anticipate seeing even Spring timetables for some time yet, as there's no one to prepare them!
Personally I'd view the ones issued by the grouping who took the 2010 single-year contract as being no guide at all to what may happen, however - from what we've seen in almost 8 years of living in the area - the likelihood of sea conditions preventing any such service from running in September is exceeding low!
No matter what, Positano will be in the middle of any MdM route that's set up, and I can't imagine a service which passes through there in either direction sufficiently early to allow you onto an train that leaves Naples at 08:17... indeed, the earliest I can find in the various previous timetables I've kept left at 09:00, to get to Naples at 10:30 - or, in the other direction, at 10:05... to reach Salerno's Molo Manfredi at 10:50.
........................................
September's train schedules aren't available yet either, but if you must outline your plans now, one alternative might be to go by SITA bus (changing at Amalfi) or private hire car (or, maybe, on one of the local boat services) in the opposite direction, and then take a train from Salerno to Siena - currently....
07:02 / 12:38 (out of Naples at 07:38)
07:55 / 13:38 (out of N at 08:50)
09:02 / 14:38
09:29 / 16:32
Peter
Personally I'd view the ones issued by the grouping who took the 2010 single-year contract as being no guide at all to what may happen, however - from what we've seen in almost 8 years of living in the area - the likelihood of sea conditions preventing any such service from running in September is exceeding low!
No matter what, Positano will be in the middle of any MdM route that's set up, and I can't imagine a service which passes through there in either direction sufficiently early to allow you onto an train that leaves Naples at 08:17... indeed, the earliest I can find in the various previous timetables I've kept left at 09:00, to get to Naples at 10:30 - or, in the other direction, at 10:05... to reach Salerno's Molo Manfredi at 10:50.
........................................
September's train schedules aren't available yet either, but if you must outline your plans now, one alternative might be to go by SITA bus (changing at Amalfi) or private hire car (or, maybe, on one of the local boat services) in the opposite direction, and then take a train from Salerno to Siena - currently....
07:02 / 12:38 (out of Naples at 07:38)
07:55 / 13:38 (out of N at 08:50)
09:02 / 14:38
09:29 / 16:32
Peter
Jan 1st, 2011, 06:52 AM
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Her goal is Siena. A_Brit_in_Ischia is suggesting going south to Salerno to catch the train there to Siena. Zerlina suggests going to Salerno to pick up a rental car for the drive north. Jill, if you're going to be renting a car in Tuscany (as I reccommend), then I vote for Zerlina's idea.
Jill, is there a particular reason you're trying to catch such an early train?
We did this trip from Sorrento to Siena. At Chiusi we were to change trains to a local. But the mainline train was running late so we caught a bus to Siena instead (at the Chiusi train station using our train ticket). The bus took us up and down and around the Tuscan countryside and was a wonderful introduction to that beautiful part of the country.
Jill, is there a particular reason you're trying to catch such an early train?
We did this trip from Sorrento to Siena. At Chiusi we were to change trains to a local. But the mainline train was running late so we caught a bus to Siena instead (at the Chiusi train station using our train ticket). The bus took us up and down and around the Tuscan countryside and was a wonderful introduction to that beautiful part of the country.
Jan 1st, 2011, 09:19 AM
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Mimar - perhaps you could either come up with a map that shows Salerno as being south of Positano, or withdraw that remark?
In the Campania where I live, though perhaps not in your memory, it's east and a few km north - rather like this....
http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/image/131536118
More to the point, that's the easier route to where it's possible to transfer from local transport onto the Frecciarossa for the trip to Tuscany.
Peter
In the Campania where I live, though perhaps not in your memory, it's east and a few km north - rather like this....
http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/image/131536118
More to the point, that's the easier route to where it's possible to transfer from local transport onto the Frecciarossa for the trip to Tuscany.
Peter
Jan 1st, 2011, 10:31 AM
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By private transfer, Positano/Sorrento or Positano/Amalfi should cost nearly the same (around 60 Euros).
Amalfi/Salerno by SITA bus is 75 minutes.
Sorrento/Naples by Circumvesuviana train is 65 minutes.
In other words, doing this trip via Naples or via Salerno does not result in huge differences.
The first SITA bus from Positano to Salerno (via Amalfi) departs at 6:00 a.m. and arrives at 8:15 a.m. (daily except Sunday).
There is a Frecciarossa AV train from Salerno at 9:02 a.m. going to Roma Termini and Firenze SMN. From Firenze, the SITA express bus to Siena takes only 75 minutes, which is faster than taking either the bus or the train from Rome (and faster than taking the train from Firenze).
There is also an Intercity (IC) train from Salerno at 9:29 a.m. going to Chiusi, with connections to Siena. This solution saves money at the expense of longer travel time.
I suggest that you study the bus and train schedules to determine your best travel options. Remember that the schedules next September may be slightly different, so you'll need to re-check them prior to your trip.
www.sitabus.it
http://www.sitabus.it/sitabus/campan...A/QUADROXV.pdf
www.ferroviedellostato.it
www.vesuviana.it
http://www.sitabus.it/sita-toscana/F...-Siena2010.pdf
Amalfi/Salerno by SITA bus is 75 minutes.
Sorrento/Naples by Circumvesuviana train is 65 minutes.
In other words, doing this trip via Naples or via Salerno does not result in huge differences.
The first SITA bus from Positano to Salerno (via Amalfi) departs at 6:00 a.m. and arrives at 8:15 a.m. (daily except Sunday).
There is a Frecciarossa AV train from Salerno at 9:02 a.m. going to Roma Termini and Firenze SMN. From Firenze, the SITA express bus to Siena takes only 75 minutes, which is faster than taking either the bus or the train from Rome (and faster than taking the train from Firenze).
There is also an Intercity (IC) train from Salerno at 9:29 a.m. going to Chiusi, with connections to Siena. This solution saves money at the expense of longer travel time.
I suggest that you study the bus and train schedules to determine your best travel options. Remember that the schedules next September may be slightly different, so you'll need to re-check them prior to your trip.
www.sitabus.it
http://www.sitabus.it/sitabus/campan...A/QUADROXV.pdf
www.ferroviedellostato.it
www.vesuviana.it
http://www.sitabus.it/sita-toscana/F...-Siena2010.pdf
Jan 1st, 2011, 11:56 AM
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Thank you everyone for your imput. I really appreciate it.
I have spent the last 3 hours making an excel spreadsheet and comparing costs with time traveled, etc. Without knowing the ferry schedules and train schedules yet, here are the three options I have narrowed it down to that seem to involve the least amount of transfers. Let me know what you think:
Option 1 - hydrofoil to Sorrento and then rental car to Siena. PROS: nice scenary on ferry and cheapest option. CONS-latest arrival in Siena and a 3/4 mile walk from ferry dock to rental office. (unless I can catch a quick taxi that will just happen to be waiting there) APPROX COST - $186 TRAVEL TIME: 5 hours 17 minutes.
Option 2 - Amalfi Cost Limo to Naples and then train to Siena. PROS: NO DRIVING, NO HASSELS (which is a big deal to us - we have had a fatal family car accident in the past so driving is not one of our favorite things) CONS: Most expensive and longest travel time. APPROX COST - $250? TRAVEL TIME: 6 hours 40 minutes
Option 3 - Amalfi Coast Limo to Sorrento and then rental car to Siena. PROS: Earliest arrival in Siena, shortest time of travel. CONS: Driving APPROX COST: $248 TRAVEL TIME: 4 hours 52 minutes.
By the way - we estimated the drive from Sorrento to Siena to be about 4 hours 27 minutes. Does that sound right?
I have spent the last 3 hours making an excel spreadsheet and comparing costs with time traveled, etc. Without knowing the ferry schedules and train schedules yet, here are the three options I have narrowed it down to that seem to involve the least amount of transfers. Let me know what you think:
Option 1 - hydrofoil to Sorrento and then rental car to Siena. PROS: nice scenary on ferry and cheapest option. CONS-latest arrival in Siena and a 3/4 mile walk from ferry dock to rental office. (unless I can catch a quick taxi that will just happen to be waiting there) APPROX COST - $186 TRAVEL TIME: 5 hours 17 minutes.
Option 2 - Amalfi Cost Limo to Naples and then train to Siena. PROS: NO DRIVING, NO HASSELS (which is a big deal to us - we have had a fatal family car accident in the past so driving is not one of our favorite things) CONS: Most expensive and longest travel time. APPROX COST - $250? TRAVEL TIME: 6 hours 40 minutes
Option 3 - Amalfi Coast Limo to Sorrento and then rental car to Siena. PROS: Earliest arrival in Siena, shortest time of travel. CONS: Driving APPROX COST: $248 TRAVEL TIME: 4 hours 52 minutes.
By the way - we estimated the drive from Sorrento to Siena to be about 4 hours 27 minutes. Does that sound right?
Jan 1st, 2011, 12:24 PM
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Are you factoring in the cost of gas and road tolls if you drive?
I don't know what will be the story next September, but presently, you can fly from Naples airport to Bologna's airport in less than an hour at a cost of less than 100 euro. The flights leave 4 times a day. There is a bus that goes twice a day from Bologna airport to Siena that costs less than 20 euros and takes less than 2 hours.
If the timing of the landing in Bologna and catching the Siena bus doesn't work for you, you can take a 20 minute bus ride from the airport to the central Bologna train station, then take a 45-minute fast train to Florence, and then a one hour or so bus from there to Siena. Instead of 20 euro bus ride, you are looking at about 70 euros per person to purchase all those tickets.
Needless to say, you could reduce your costs in multiple ways by (a) not staying in Positano period but relocating closer to Salerno or (b) reconsidering your itinerary overall so you don't have this difficult leg of needing to get to two places that are both notoriously inconvenient without private transportation.
I don't know what will be the story next September, but presently, you can fly from Naples airport to Bologna's airport in less than an hour at a cost of less than 100 euro. The flights leave 4 times a day. There is a bus that goes twice a day from Bologna airport to Siena that costs less than 20 euros and takes less than 2 hours.
If the timing of the landing in Bologna and catching the Siena bus doesn't work for you, you can take a 20 minute bus ride from the airport to the central Bologna train station, then take a 45-minute fast train to Florence, and then a one hour or so bus from there to Siena. Instead of 20 euro bus ride, you are looking at about 70 euros per person to purchase all those tickets.
Needless to say, you could reduce your costs in multiple ways by (a) not staying in Positano period but relocating closer to Salerno or (b) reconsidering your itinerary overall so you don't have this difficult leg of needing to get to two places that are both notoriously inconvenient without private transportation.
