Napoli - Capri - Salerno - Paestum - Amalfi coast
Duration : 5 days(4 nights)
Base destination : Salerno
Best Time to Visit: June to Mid September is peak season. Easter to May & October are off peak season. November to Easter is Low season.
Hotel: CarpeDiem B&B guest house (Breakfast is included. Kitchen is available to cook)
Reason for choosing Salerno as base:
1. As many travelers base in Napoli or Sorrento, visiting Capri island from one of these will be too crowded
2. Salerno to Capri in boat is less crowded. A stunning view of Amalfi coast is a bonus :-)
3. Salerno is safe, calm and inexpensive. Also it is well connected via high speed trains, regional trains and long distance buses.
Desi Tips:
1. There is an Indian restaurant in Salerno. Its affordable and cook makes good North Indian food. Our rating 4/5 for veg food. We spent 17€ for 2 Samosas+2 Naans+1 Veg curry+ 1 Lassi .
2. There are 4 Indian restaurants in Napoli. But we preferred native pizzas over Indian food here.
Veggie Tip: The pizza with vegetables in Italy is called "Pizza Ortolana". Do not expect Hawaii type toppings like Pineapple, sweet corn etc.
Day 1: Napoli
Public Transportation info for Napoli:
- Tickets: 1.1€ for single journey, 4.5€ for 24 Hrs ticket. Tickets available in Tobacco shops. Both are NOT valid for airport transfer.
- Airport transfer: Alibus - costs 5€ per ticket. Valid for 90 mins from first use. It takes 20 mins to reach the city center and same ticket can be used to reach your first destination further. Ticket is available with the driver or in Tobacco shops.
- Validating the ticket is mandatory.
- Be extra careful about your valuables during metro ride. Metro frequency is every 9 mins.
We reached Napoli by morning 9AM. The weather was overcast. So we decided to spend time till evening in Napoli city. Luggage storage is available in the Napoli Centrale station. But its expensive.
Pro Tip: Do not miss hot "Sfogliatella" in the morning. It is a local specialty sweetish puff filled with cream. Also in combination "Espresso" coffee is locals favorite.
Castel Sant'Elmo.
Rating: 5/5. Must visit!
Entrance Fees: 5 euros per adult.
Time : 60 to 90 mins
How to reach:
First way is to take Metro M1 from Garibaldi (underground station in Napoli Centrale) to Vanvitelli. Walk for 10 mins.
Second way is to take Metro M2 to Montesanto. Then take funicular F2 to Morghen. Walk for 5 mins.
Fantastic 360 degree view of Napoli city and sea with cool breeze. Capri and other islands are also visible if weather is good. The view of Mount Vesuvius is charming. Climbing castle was a good morning walk and it prepared us for a good pizza in the afternoon :-) The clock in the top is also interesting as it is made of sword and knifes :-D Audio guide is available for interested people.
We took funicular F2 on the way back. After getting down at Montesanto, we were hungry. Right outside of funicular station we found authentic pizza hotel "Fiorenzano pizzaioli dal 1897". Veg pizza was excellent. The downside was there is no place to sit and eat peacefully. Only take away is available.
Galleria Umberto I
Rating: 4/5. Not to miss!
Time : 30 mins
How to reach: Metro M1 "Muncipio" is nearest station. Walk of 3-4 mins.
After recharging ourselves with a nice pizza,we walked till Galeria. Its amazing to see a full fledged shopping mall exactly similar to "Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II" of Milan. But astonishing fact is this Galeria was built in 18th century! There are premium shopping centers for shopping freaks. Many coffee shops are there for relaxing.
Piazza del Plebiscito
Rating: 4/5. Not to miss!
Time : 30 mins
How to reach: Metro M1 "Muncipio" is nearest station. Walk of 3-4 mins.
This is next to Galeria. It is the main square of Napoli. There is a Basilica and Royal palace at this square.
On the way back to metro station, clicked some pictures in front of "Castel Nuovo". Since in the morning already a castle was covered, we decided to skip this one. However it looks stunning from outside.
Cathedral of Naples, Chapel of St. Januarius
Rating: 4/5. Not to miss!
Time : 30 mins
How to reach: Metro M1 "Dante" is nearest station. Walk of 12-15 mins.
The walk from the metro station is quite interesting, as the way passes through a narrow, charmful & buzzing local street. It can be considered as heart of Napoli. The cathedral is very big and attractive. Inside the cathedral marvelous work is done centuries back. But if you have already seen bigger Church in Europe like Budapest, Florence, Milan or Prague, this can be avoided in case of shortage of time.
Then we were tired and decided to got to Salerno and do check-in. On the way to Napoli Centrale, we were down in energy. So decided to recharge with Pizza.
Pro Tip: Do not eat pizza in very famous/common places like railway station premises. Our experience was not so good. Instead try any authentic local shops in interior places.
After having pizza we took Regional train to Salerno. Walked till the guest house and called end for the day. I got sound sleep because of pizza and exhaustive walks. It was a well spent day!
Day 2 - Capri island
Salerno to Capri by Ferry:
Rating: 5/5. Must visit on a shiny day!
Time : 120 mins
Ferry Cost: 25.5 Euros per adult
100% sunshine, good weather increased our enthusiasm to visit Capri. The ferry ride from Salerno to Capri was along the Amalfi coast with intermittent stoppages in Amalfi & Positano. The total journey took nearly 2 Hrs. The Amalfi coast offers a great view from the sea side. Lot of people entered the ferry in Amalfi & Positano, but from Salerno only few were there which gave us an opportunity to choose the seats. I recommend to buy the return ticket in the morning itself.
Pro Tip: Sit on right side in the ferry to enjoy the Amalfi coast.
After reaching the Capri port unfortunately the most famous "Blue Grotta" was closed due to high tides. I hope you will not miss it. There was a big line and we joined. Frankly we did not kn0w more information about it :-D he he he.. Then we came to know that it is for purchasing the Bus tickets. One way ticket per person costs 2€. We purchased to go and come back. Also adjacently there was another line for buying Funicular ticket. This costed 2 Euros per ticket.
From Capri port one can reach 2 towns by different bus - Capri and Anacapri. Usually many people prefer to go to Anacapri. We joined the bus line. Bus was very small and can accommodate only 25 people at a time. As there was heavy crowd, we had to stand in the line for 45mins to get our chance. Small curvy road journey of 15 mins took us to Anacapri.
Monte Solaro
Rating: 5/5. Must visit on a shiny day!
Time : 60-90 mins + Waiting time in Queue
Chair lift Cost: 12 Euros per adult for return ticket
The most famous activity in Anacapri is to visit "Monte Solaro" by chair lift. It is a single seat chairlift. Nobody can disturb the views of Gulf of Naples :-) As we gain the height the views were becoming more magnificent. On top of the mountain, one can cherish the 360 degree view of the sea. Its an experience to visit this mountain!!!
After coming down from the mountain reached Capri town by bus. The old town is charming & busy with tourists. Soon after taking some selfies & snaps, we had nice pizza. Ceramic articles are very famous here to shop. Somehow we started missing the Sea again. So decided to head back to the port. Funicular journey from Capri to port was a short ride of about 5 mins.
Capri Island round tour by boat
Rating: 4/5. Not to miss on a shiny day!
Time : 75 mins
Boat Cost: 19 Euros per adult
We still had 2 hours for our ferry back to Salerno. It was worth taking the Capri Island round tour by boat. A small boat with around 15 tourists left the port for a round. The driver was also a guide to show some interesting spots on the tour. Going through "Faraglioni di Mezzo" was awesome experience. It was like a movie shooting spot! On the way saw many caves from outside. Overall the round trip was good.
All in all i can remember two things about Capri island forever - Amazing views & standing in lines forever!
Day 3 : Salerno and Paestum
It was raining and sky did not give any hopes for the day. So we decided to spend first half in Salerno. Thought of finalizing about the afternoon plan during lunch. With umbrella we started the day :-( Local one journey bus ticket costs 1.1€ and available in Tobacco shops.
Cattedrale di San Matteo
Rating: 4/5. Not to miss !
Time : 30 mins
From outside and when we entered this looked like a normal cathedral. But surprise was in the underground -St. Matthews crypt. It was just like WOW! The cathedral was worth a visit.
The Garden of Minerva
Rating: 2/5. Just OK !
Entrance fee: 3 Euros per adult.
Time : 60 mins
There is botanical garden in Salerno. This is the oldest botanical garden related to medicinal plants in Europe. It is spread over 5 stories. Since we were not interested in Botanical details of the plants, this was not fascinating for us.
Palazzo Fruscione
Rating: 2/5. Just OK !
Time : 15-20 mins
Its the oldest church of Salerno. It is also known as the heart of Salerno's history. Still old structure is retained. Otherwise nothing much interesting. Already we were hungry and had nice lunch at Indian restaurant in Salerno. While having lunch still it was raining. Finalized to visit Paestum in the afternoon.
Paestum
Rating: 5/5. Must Visit !
Entrance fee(Archaeological site+ Museum): 12 Euros per adult or 20 Euros per family
Pro Tip: First Sunday of the month and on some peculiar days entrance is free in all archaeological sites of Campania. Check here for more details.
Time : 90-120 mins
Its a 30 mins journey from Salerno in regional train. There is no information center available at the station. Just walk 10 mins opposite to station to reach the archaeological site.
There are 3 Greek ancient temple ruin remains here. They are built way back in 600 BC to 300 BC. Amazing to see the ancient temple structures. Especially the "Temple of Neptune" is mind-blowing. The remains of complete colonies, meeting area of delegates, well planned roads made us feel like we were travelling in time. The audio guide helped us to understand the brief history behind each point of interest.
Pro Tip: Install izi.travel app and download the audio guide for free. Other alternative paid apps are also available. At the ticket counter audio guides for a fee is also available.
The archaeological museum is having 2 levels. The only interesting part was the painting "The Tomb of the Diver". It was astonishing to see such an old painting which no body could conclusively analyse till date.
For return journey we did not check the train timings & waited for 60 mins in the train station.
Walking path in the seashore of Salerno
Rating: 5/5. Must Visit !
Time : As much as you wish :-)
This is the best part of Salerno. Since we walked for most part of the day, it was so relaxing in this place. We enjoyed the sunset and evening here. Cool breeze from sea in the evening, colorful sun setting behind the mountains made the end of the day special.
Day 4 - Amalfi Coast
It was predicted to be a relatively better day with no rain in the forecast. Decided to start as early as possible. We were able to catch the bus at 8AM from Vinciprova bus stop. Since this was the starting point, we settled down on a left side seat in the bus to have comfortable views. It was a 70 min journey to Amalfi with loads of curves. Road is narrow and as the time passes traffic will pile up.
Pro Tip: Try to catch bus from Vinciprova, Salerno. Sit on left side for best view of the coast.
Bus ticket: 2.4 Euros for single journey and 10€ for full day ticket.
Amalfi
Amalfi, the first major tourist town on the coast from Salerno side. The old town was still opening up for the tourists at 9AM. Basilica at the center of old town is an attraction. The lemon is ultra famous in Amalfi. I have never seen such big lemons in any other places. Also refreshing lemon and orange candies are available. As soon as we took some photos inside and outside of basilica, decided to go to Ravello.
Ravello
This small town is on top of the Coast like a cherry on the cake. 25 mins bus ride to Ravello from Amalfi. One should be fortunate to get a seat in the bus :-D. People will pack in the bus.
Most famous spot in Ravello is "Villa Rufolo"
Rating: 5/5. Must Visit !
Entrance fee: 7 Euros per adult
Time : 90-120 mins
Amazing views from balcony of the villa. Small garden in the balconies will make the coast look like a dream place. Villa is big and need some time to spend & map. Ask for a map at the ticket counter. A must visit!
Came down to Amalfi and immediately took bus to Positano. Its just 18-20 KMs. But takes more than one hour due to heavy traffic. Road in some places are so narrow that vehicles had to go back to allow the on coming traffic. Bus stop at Positano is on top of the cliff. A walk of 15 mins through old town of Positano will lead to the beautiful beach. Now I can imagine why this place is always crowded.
Most disgusting part of the day was we decided to come back to Amalfi by bus, because we purchased the day ticket. Bus stop is same again at the top of cliff. There was already a long line for the bus. One bus came & could accommodate only 20% of the people in line. Next bus was scheduled at 45 mins later. But did not arrive even after 1 hour. The wait was of no use and patience was running out. Decided to take the ferry back to Amalfi and walked back again to the beach. Fortunately a ferry was scheduled in next 5 mins which costed additional 8 Euros per person to reach Amalfi.
Pro Tip: Between Amalfi ,Positano and Sorrento if the bus lines are too long I strongly recommend to take the ferry lines.
To conclude the Amalfi coast is amazing. I feel pity for the tourists who drive own vehicle in Amalfi coast thinking that they can enjoy the mountain roads :-D
Amalfi to Salerno bus journey was again a treat to watch. It was the twilight journey to see the coastal villages lighting up slowly. Reached Salerno at 7:30PM. Using google search found a pizza outlet near accommodation - "Voglia Di Pizza". Best quality cheese and loads of toppings! Wonderful treat to the hungry stomach.
Day 5 - Napoli & flying back to home
The day was not so encouraging. Overcast, rainy and thunderstorms predicted! So ruled out Pompeii and other places to visit in the morning half before catching our flight. Only remaining place was visiting Napoli again as airport also can be easily reached easily.
Headed towards Galeria again. Group of tourists constantly visit with guide leading them. It was like a group of herd coming and disappearing constantly. After some time, we started roaming in the nearby local small streets. Its charming, busy and so many Pizzerias everywhere. Had nice pizza and time just passed.
When the clock ticked 12:30PM we started back towards Napoli Centrale. Thats where we were amazed to see such a special metro station. This is the most prettiest metro station that I have seen till date. I am sure that no one will escape this station without clicking pics. Unexpectedly this became the highlight of the day.
Airport transfer is by special bus line "AliBus". Frequent buses are there. 20 mins travel to airport was nothing special. Airport is tiny and busy.
The flight to Zurich by Easyjet was delayed by 30 mins. But the Swiss Alps popped up from the window after 50 mins of journey. Lake Luzern, Lake Zug, so many mountains with golden light from height of plane was mesmerizing to watch. Undoubtedly the journey was also a pleasant experience!
A well spent 5 days in Campania was memorable with so many soulful moments & some disgusting long waits. But long waits proved the worth of the places! I wish you to have a wonderful Campania trip ahead :-)
What we are planning to see in our next visit to Campania - Pompeii, Mount Vesuvius, Herculaneum and Caserta.
Note: this is my first ever travel blog. Please comment your views and help me to improve :-)