Campania
How to Get Around Campania
Getting Around
Naples International Airport (Capodichino) is the region's main air gateway, roughly 20 minutes from the historic center by bus or taxi; it does not connect directly to the region's rail or Circumvesuviana network, so onward travel typically means a bus, taxi, or transfer through Napoli Centrale or Garibaldi station.
Naples itself sits on Italy's high-speed rail spine, with frequent Frecciarossa and Italo services to Rome (about an hour), Florence, and Milan -- a level of connectivity that most of southern Italy's regional capitals lack. Within the region, the Circumvesuviana commuter line runs from Naples through Ercolano (for Herculaneum) and Pompei Scavi (for Pompeii) to Sorrento, though the line is often crowded and its trains and stations are noticeably older and less maintained than the national rail network.
Reaching the Amalfi Coast and Capri generally means combining rail with road or sea: SITA buses run the coast road from Sorrento or Salerno, and ferries and hydrofoils connect Naples, Sorrento, and Salerno to Capri, Amalfi, and Positano, often faster and less congested than the coast road in peak season. A car is unnecessary and often a liability in central Naples, on the Amalfi Coast's narrow, traffic-heavy SS163, and on Capri, where private cars are restricted; a car becomes more useful only for exploring the inland Cilento, Irpinia, or Sannio areas at one's own pace.
Regional connections
How easily, and at what cost, can you combine the region’s main destinations?
| Route | Best option | One-way time | Travel Smart take |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capri and Amalfi Coast | BoatSeasonal ferry · Summer only | ~1 hr typical, not a timetable | Possible in a day, but it takes most of one. |
| Naples and Amalfi Coast | Bus, or boat and bus | ~2 hr typical, not a timetable | Possible in a day, but it takes most of one. |
| Naples and Capri | BoatPublic ferry · Reduced in winter | ~50 min typical, not a timetable | Comfortable as a day trip. Naples is a workable base for Capri. |
| Naples and Sorrento | Train | ~1 hr 10 min typical, not a timetable | Comfortable as a day trip. Naples is a workable base for Sorrento. |
| Sorrento and Amalfi Coast | Bus | ~1 hr 15 min typical, not a timetable | Comfortable as a day trip. Sorrento works well as a base for Amalfi Coast. |
| Sorrento and Capri | BoatPublic ferry · Reduced in winter | ~25 min typical, not a timetable | Excellent day-trip connection. Sorrento works well as a base for Capri. |
Cost compares the options for each route rather than quoting a fare: inexpensive means the price is not a factor in planning, moderate cost means a real line in the budget, and the expensive option is one worth weighing against the alternative. Fares change from year to year; the ranking between them does not.