>busy like penn station busy?<

Yup. There are 2 levels of Trenitalia, one level of Circumvesuviana and a Metro stop.

I didn't find the train station particularly dirty.

I didn't find Naples particularly dirty (except compared to the Amalfi Coast - well, compared to Florence....well it's about as dirty as being in NYC).

Naples is exciting, chaotic, friendly, very interesting and extremely Italian (think old Sophia Loren movies).

My Lady Wife thinks the waterfront is quite nice.

Naples' train station infamy is more bark than bite. It's big, it's busy, it's not user friendly. The modernist architecture doesn't help. It can be overwhelming and intimidating, but I never felt scared. I will say that I was apprehensive about going through the station the first time, but that was more because of Naples' general reputation, especially when I was a college sophomore at the time who had never been to Europe before. One year later I went back to Italy and went through Napoli Centrale again and felt rather unfazed about it -- I knew what I was doing, where I was going, and what to expect. I even ventured across Piazza Garibaldi to a store or bar and bought a few things, and didn't feel afraid at all to do so.

Naples is Italy's third-largest city (1 million-plus people in Naples proper, about 5 million in the metro area), so it is naturally going to be a very major train station. It's big, impersonal, and intimidating like Newark or JFK airports.

i love the city. put me in the country side and i feel out of place...it's good for a day or two. but if naples is on par w/ nyc in general terms, then that's cool.

SORRENTO!!!!!!!!!!!! naples is too dirty and not save but apretty town and great pizza

You'll find no bigger fan of Naples than I, but I'd say stay in Sorrento as a base if you're only there for 3 days- good center of transporation and more relaxing.