zebraE

Where to stay to see the sights,Pompei, Paestum etc. We want to be in a city, close to public transportation. Which of the three is best. Want
three star hotel. Has anyone taken a private tour of these sights? Hotel recommedations?

Jean

For the (only) two sights you mention, Salerno would make the most sense. You can take the train to Pompeii and a bus to Paestum. Most people travelling to this part of Italy, however, would not choose to stay in Salerno when the beautiful towns of the Amalfi Coast are nearby.

You could stay anywhere on the Amalfi Coast, Sorrento or Naples and use public trans. There are ferries connecting Sorrento, the coastal towns, Salerno and Naples, and there is bus service between Sorrento and Salerno and between Salerno and Paestum.

If you do a searches here of Sorrento and the coastal towns, Pompeii and Paestum, you'll find a larger number of threads with hotel recommendations and discussions about where to stay.

BTW, you say you want a 3-star hotel, but it would be more meaningful for us to know your budget and the types of amenities you want or need. (The number of stars given to a hotel is determined by the number and type of amenities offered and not necessarily the quality or luxury level of the hotel.)

tdyls

With the way you want to be in a city and be close to public transportation, geographically and logistically the best place then would be Salerno. It provides direct access to the Amalfi Coast, is on the train line between Paestum, Pompeii, Herculaneum (Ercolano), and Naples, and is the second biggest city (~200,000 people) in Campania after Naples (~1,000,000 people).

Jean

I see your thread title mentioned Naples, Sorrento, Positano, although Pompeii and Paestum were the only sights mentioned in your question. My answer is the same.

ira

Hi Z,

For what you have mentioned, I suggest Sorrento.

You could take the ferry to Salerno and the train or bus to Paestum.

You can take the Circumvesuviana train to Pompei Scavi and Naples.

You can take the SITA bus or the ferries to Capri, Positano and Amalfi.

Enjoy your visit.

Giovanna

Agree with Ira. Ercolano (Herculaneum) is also a stop on the Circumvesuviana route from Sorrento to Naples. It's a smaller site than Pompeii but well worth a visit. I may be a bit prejudiced, as we love Sorrento.