naples to sorrento - train or taxi?
 

Hi all -

what do you think is the best way to get from naples to sorrento for 2 non-english speaking adults (one of whom is 5 months pregnant)?

i got one quote for a taxi service from naples to sorrento - 75 euros. a little more that i'd like to pay, but we could do it if you think its worth it...

is the train from naples to sorrento easy to get on and pretty comfortable to ride? do you know the price? should i try to buy tickets before we leave or once we get to italy?

what about ferry? how much would that be?

in brief: we are staying in rome for 4 days, then planning to take a train to naples, then need to get to sorrento where we are staying for another 4 days.

thanks in advance!!

oops i meant to write non-italian speaking adults (i speak english, as is obvious from the post).

Hi; Very easy by train from Naples. . Perhaps fifty minutes. Not sure where you are staying, but the first two or three hundred yards, from the train station, heading towards the center are all downhill. [not steep] Richard

In the basdement of the Naples train station is the station for the Circumsuvxxxxxxx. The comuter train that runs from Naples to Sorrento.

It's not air conditioned but in an hour and for a couple of Euros you're there.

On the way down by escallator there's a set of ticket booths where you buy the ticket. There's also a board that indicates on which track it will be going. There are only about 4 tracks (about).

You go out on the correct platform and wait until the board over the platform begins to flash "Sorrento". Be careful and wait until you see the flashing "Sorrento" as other trains use the same track.

Sorrento is at the end of the line about an hour away. We did this twice several years ago.

A piece of cake.

ara, I would take into consideration the level of comfort needed due to the pregnancy. We took the local train from Naples train station to Sorrento and because it was the "rush hour" we didn't have seats for the entire trip. It was not a comfortable ride under those conditions.

I would also recommend you pack as light as possible to make using the train that much easier for both of you.

I'm trying to find a transfer service Naples to Sorrento for my two sisters and nieces so I'm glad you posted this question.

Have a great trip, Deborah

You will already be in the train station so just go downstairs and catch the Circumvesuviana. Cost is a little over 3€.
http://www.vesuviana.it/web/en

If you taxi, no that taxi fees in Naples are set rates including to Amalfi, Sorrento, Positano. Taxi rates are listed on the Naples airport website and list Sorrento as 100€, but I think that is for airport to Sorento, not Naples to Sorrento which should be a little less. Page 2 is English.
http://www.portal.gesac.it/portal/pa...E_TAXI-agg.pdf

One of the easiest ways to travel to the coast is by bus from Rome. Two companies run buses which are tour type buses. Curreri operates a bus Monday thru Saturday which departs Rome's Tiburtina station (can be reached by metro/bus/taxi) to Sorrento at 2pm. It arrives Sorrento at 5:30. Cost is 16€. Your luggage is stored under the bus so you don't have to worry about it. The bus only makes a couple of stops (not Naples)close to Sorrento such as Pompeii.
http://www.curreriviaggi.it/

The Marozzi bus (also departs from Rome Tiburtina)operates daily. It leaves Rome at 3pm and arrives Sorrento at 7pm (Monday thru Thursday). On Friday and Saturday there is also a 7am departure which arrives Sorrento at 10:45. On Sundays, there is only the 7am departure. Cost is 17.50€. In summer, they also continue on to Amalfi/Positano.
http://www.marozzivt.it/biglietteria...pobigl=marozzi

Return service is not so great as Marozzi leaves Sorrento at 6am and Curreri at 6:30am. Marozzi does offer a later bus on Friday and Saturday leaving Sorrento at 5pm and arriving Rome at 9pm. On Sunday there is only the Marozzi 5pm bus.

Or you can i believe take a taxi to the Naples docks and take a hydrofoil to Sorrento and then taxi to hotel.

The CircumVesuviana train is really dumpy IME and could be crowded at certain times -beware the trains split so make sure you are on the ones marked Sorrento and do not just hop on any ole train.

Last time i rode the CircumV two drug addicts were shooting up in the rear of my car!

Opps. That should be know, not no. lol

The Circumvesuviana departs every 30 minutes. Some trains are express and make less stops. They can be quite crowded during rush hour. Watch your belonging in the Naples train station and on the train. The people attempting to "help you" with your luggage are not station employees.

As for the ferry/hydrofoil, you would have to get a taxi to the port from the train station or take the Alibus. Ferries do not run late so it would depend on your arrival time in Naples. Prices would be in the 15-20€ range. You didn't state your travel dates, but here is a link for Metro del Mare which operates in season only.
http://www.metrodelmare.com/english

>>Last time i rode the CircumV two drug addicts were shooting up in the rear of my car!<<

I've traveled alone multiple times on this train and never seen anything like that. Just lots of tourists and kids going to and from school/sports or people commuting to work.

I don't think anyone answered your question about buying Circumvesuviana tickets ahead. No, you cannot do this. You buy them at the train station in Naples.

Regarding comfort - this train's seat are not as comfortable as regular long distance trains since it's a commuter train. But it's comfortable enough for an hour from Naples to Sorrento. At least as comfortable as a bus.

Are you stopping in Naples at all or just going there to get the train to Sorrento? If you're not sightseeing in Naples you might consider the bus. It takes 4 hours from Rome to Sorrento with a 10 minute rest stop at the 2 hour mark. When you buy the ticket you get a reserved seat.

I've both bus and train and prefer the train but you might not want to have to change trains in Naples.

Not speaking Italian has very little to do with getting from Rome to Sorrento.

75EU is a low end of the price.

There are two types of Circumvesviana trains on this route. The newer ones have less seats but cushioned. The predominant ones use fibre glass seats and very uncomfortable for this ~60min ride. There are very few newer trains and you cannot count on getting one at the time you are traveling.

The level difference between the Trenitalia train level (Napoli Centrale) to the Circumvesviana train level (Piazza Garibaldi) is about least two stories. I think there was only one escalator to the platform level. Recognize that the 1) escalator may not be running at all and 2) even if it does, if you are traveling against the commuter traffic, the escalator is going the wrong way. So unless you are ready to go down/up at least two flights of stairs, don't take the Circumvesuviana. There is no escalator to bring you down from the platform level to the ground level at Sorrento end. There might have been an elevator, but I was not looking.

The ferry boat from Napoli to Sorrento has its own warnings. First, the weather has to be ok enough to run the boat. Then, you have to get from Napoli Centrale to the Beverello port in Napoli using a taxi, which requires you know how not to be scammed by the taxi driver. The bus from the Napoli to the Beverello should not be attempted unless you are protected from pickpockets and you can stand being sardine canned in a bus. The ferry boat only runs about 6 times a day and stops running around sunset. Also, once you get to the Sorrento side, you have to make you way up to the city level. You will need a taxi in your circumstances.

Take a taxi or take a bus from Rome to Sorrento and bypass Napoli.

thanks so much for all the info!!

to kybourbon: do you know where the two bus companies drop you off in Sorrento? Would you buy tickets ahead of time or purchase on board?

also, what is "rush hour" in Italy? same as US - ie. 7-9 am, and 5-7 pm??

thanks!

The Marozzi bus drops you off at the Sorrento train station. I would definitely buy the tickets ahead of time. When I took it last July, I saw 4-5 people trying to buy a ticket for the bus, but was all sold out. Note that the seats are not roomy, but you can't beat the price, and I liked not having to handle my luggage twice.

Both buses drop at the Sorrento train station. Marozzi has a pdf that will walk you through purchase in English if you are interested.

>>>There is no escalator to bring you down from the platform level to the ground level at Sorrento end. There might have been an elevator, but I was not looking.<<<

Yes, there is an elevator. Most people don't notice it. As you exit the train in Sorrento there are ramps which most people don't notice/use. As you exit the train if your back is to the station, you would go right. If you are facing the station, go left (I don't remember which side of the train you exit, but I do know where the ramps are located). You have to zig zag the ramps a bit (you will pass the tobacco/snack shop - if you need a phone card to call your hotel for pickup, get it here, not downstairs). After you exit the turnstyles, ignore the stairs everyone is using and go to your left. There is the elevator to street level.

Rome's Tiburtina is 4 stops from Termini on the metro B line. You would need to allow time to locate the bus area as this is a major train/metro/bus hub for Rome. The bus area right outside the terminal is for Rome city buses. You will probably have to cross the street to find the bus. Not sure where it is currently located as I've heard it's moved since the last time I rode it. Perhaps SusanP can tell you.
http://www.atac.roma.it/index.asp?p=14

I'm used to the trains/metro/buses in Rome so I don't have a problem catching them and keeping an eye out for pickpockets while managing luggage even when traveling alone. The metro can be quite crowded around Termini at certain times of day. Once you get a few stops away, it starts clearing out. You might prefer to taxi to Tiburtina. I would say evening rush hour is later as many businesses don't close until 7, more 6-8ish. Tiburtina is not as nice as Termini so you want find as many services.

I actually took the bus in the opposite direction, Sorrento to Rome, but I imagine it stops and picks up at the same location. However, I just realized I said last summer and it was actually July of 2008 that I took it, so if the location has changed since then, I wouldn't know. I'm pretty sure that I was dropped off on the same side of the street as the station. I took a taxi to my apartment in Rome so can't comment on the metro connection.