How to Get to Sorrento from the Naples Train Station (or City Center)

If you have a little time, you can even loop through the Amalfi Coast!

A seaside villa in Sorrento.

If you're visiting Sorrento from Naples, either on a day-trip or because you're staying out there, you're in luck because there are a handful of ways to get to Sorrento from the Naples train station (Stazione Centrale or Napoli Centrale).

As for most of our "how to get where" articles, I don't love talking about the taxi. It's available, of course, for about 100 euros. For many of us, it's out of the budget, and it's possibly the least-fun way to see anything, so I will instead focus on the public transportation options.

First, some of these options are better the more time you have. If you have a ton of luggage, or you just got off of a long flight, you probably don't want to try and catch a ferry to Sorrento since it might create a bigger pain than it's worth.

And this is just my opinion, but a ferry from Salerno to Sorrento is far more beautiful than the ferry from Naples to Sorrento, given the fact that the Gulf of Naples is a bit...well, grungy. But from Salerno, you will see the entire length of the Amalfi Coast, which I'll get into later.

The train from Naples train station to Sorrento

There are two options for anyone looking to take a train from the Naples train station to Sorrento: the Circumvesuviana and the Campania Express.

Circumvesuviana:

This is a great option if you have time, you're on a tighter budget, and you want to see the outskirts of Naples which can truly give you a sense of the chaos and history that is southern Italy.

The Circumvesuviana is essentially an extension of the Metro, in the sense that you'll be on a Metro car (rather than a traditional train car), there aren't assigned seats, there are no luggage racks, and the train doesn't just go to tourist destinations but to every stop along the way.

The price per ticket is 3.60 euros as of 2025, and that's only valid for one way. And in the vein of this being an "extension" of the Metro, you cannot buy the ticket online (which means, if you're coming from abroad, you can't buy the ticket ahead of time). You have to buy it at the ticket window or a tabaccheria (a place that sells tobacco products and magazines).

Keep in mind that there are no escalators or elevators to the track where this track departs from (Track 3).

From Naples, it takes about 1 hour and 10 minutes to reach Sorrento, the final stop on the train.

Also along the way you will see the stops for Pompeii and Herculaneum, so if you're planning a day-trip from Naples to Sorrento, you can stop off in Pompeii first for sight-seeing before continuing to Sorrento.

Something to keep in mind is that there is no air conditioning on this train. In the middle of summer, or during heat waves from weather patterns like the scirocco, it can get pretty steamy on board. Keep this in mind if you're coming from the Naples airport or if you just arrived in Naples from somewhere farther north on an air conditioned train.

Lastly, and most importantly, seating is not guaranteed on this train. Just like a Metro, it's first come, first served. Also, as a fun introduction to Naples, you won't see people putting a bag on a seat to save it/to have an extra seat next to them. Someone will come and ask you to move the bag so they can sit there. So if you don't want to stand for most of the trip, I recommend getting to the train early, or taking the Campania Express.

Campania Express:

This is like the Circumvesuviana (in the sense that it still circumnavigates Vesuvius), but fancier, and for tourists.

With the Campania Express, you get air conditioning, more comfortable seats (not the plastic bucket seats on the Circumvesuviana) which are guaranteed since they only sell a set amount of tickets per train, and there is space for luggage. Because this is a train geared more for tourists, it only stops at tourist-centric locations which are:

Napoli Porta Nolana (almost certainly not the train station you'll get the train from)

Napoli Piazza Garibaldi (where you will get on the train)

Ercolano Scavi - Vesuvio (Herculaneum)

Pompei Scavi - Villa dei Misteri (Pompeii)

Castellammare di Stabia - Funivia Faito

Vico Equense

Meta

Piano di Sorrento (not Sorrento)

Sant'Agnello

Sorrento (Sorrento)

The Campania Express costs a whopping 15 euros per person for a one way ticket, or 25 euros for a round trip ticket. This is obviously a little pricier than the Circumvesuviana ticket price of 3.60.

However, on this train, the ticket acts as a hop-off/hop-off ticket, meaning if you do get inspired to visit Pompeii as you pull into the station, you can hop out, spend a few hours in Pompeii, and then continue your journey to Sorrento on the same ticket. This only works if you're going the same direction, it doesn't work if you're going out and back in on the same ticket.

And if you're traveling with children, kids under the age of 6 can ride for free, making it a little cheaper for families with young kids.

The ferry from Naples to Sorrento

If this is your first trip to Naples and you have a lot of luggage, I don't personally recommend taking a ferry from Naples to Sorrento given the fact that it can be a bit of a pain to get to the ferry port from the train station (not hard, just not door-to-door), and bags will often cost extra on the ferry.

However, if you're thinking about a relaxing trip to Sorrento for the day, then the ferry is a great option. With some operators offering tickets at 16 euros and others at 18.50, it's not wildly expensive to see the Gulf of Naples by sea.

The ride takes about 50 minutes, port to port, and (of course) instead of being dropped off at the train station in Sorrento, you'll be dropped off at the Marina Piccola (there is an elevator to access the Marina here, if need be).

While the ferries run all year long and (mostly) regardless of weather, there are more running in the peak season than in the off-season, so if you're coming to Naples in the winter or spring, you might have to wait longer or plan around a more infrequent ferry.

And back again...

Now that you know how to get to Sorrento, how do you get back to the Naples train station?

Well, you can simply take any of the three above options in reverse, and you'll be happily deposited at the Naples train station.

However!

If you want to see a little more of the coastal area and you have some time on your hands (as in, you're not in a rush to catch a plane), you can actually go around the peninsula to the Amalfi Coast, into Salerno, and back up.

Getting from Sorrento to Naples going the long way around through Salerno

The Bus to Salerno from Sorrento

From Sorrento, you can take the SITA Sud bus to Amalfi, going through some of the Amalfi Coast towns like Positano and Praiano where you'll arrive at Amalfi (the town) and switch buses for the bus to Salerno. For a single person, the ticket from Sorrento to Salerno via SITA Sud costs 3.40 euros and takes about an hour and a half, depending on traffic.

Something to keep in mind is that even though these are very clearly a few steps above a city bus, they still don't take reservations, so it's first come-first served based on who's in line first. However, the buses are comfortable, air conditioned, and spacious.

In our opinion, the best part of seeing the the Amalfi Coast this way is that you still get to oogle at all the towns and beaches along the way without having to pay attention to the roads. The drivers are phenomenal, incredibly safe, and give you the chance to get a feel for life along the coast. (We mention in this podcast episode that some of the people who live along the Amalfi Coast treat the Amalfi Coast road—essentially a two-laned highway—like a neighborhood road and will just walk up and down the road to shop for groceries or run errands, so you might see the bus weaving to avoid people laden with groceries walking around.)

Along the way, you can hop out at any town that sparks your interest, spend a few hours wandering around or swimming, and then get back on the bus (with a new ticket, unfortunately). Because it's fairly cheap, Darcy and I will often buy tickets to Positano, get on baord with our swimsuits, and hop off when we see a good-looking beach from the road above.

The bus stops at variou stops in the city of Salerno, which is incredibly walkable if you decide to get off earlier than the train station stop and explore. However, if you want to go to the train station, the SITA Sud will bring you there.

Keep in mind that the Salerno train station is not the last stop of the bus, that's at a parking lot a little farther on. So don't stay on the bus until the end of the line if you're just going to the station.

The ferry from Sorrento to Salerno

Just like the ferry from Naples to Sorrento, you can take a ferry from Sorrento to Salerno, and in my opinion, it's the far more beautiful option. In the beginning of the trip you'll see Ischia and Capri off the starboard side, and then the entirety of the Amalfi Coast off the portside. While you can't hop off the same way you can on the bus, it's still a beautiful way to see the Amalfi Coast and costs about 25 euros a person.

Becuase Salerno is fairly small and easily walkable, you can walk from the harbor to the train station within 20 minutes.

The trip itself takes roughly 3 hours, which is about an hour and change longer than the bus ride. Again, this is a great option if you have time and want to see the Amalfi Coast by sea, not if you want to get into the towns themselves or if you're in a rush.

From Salerno to Naples

There are a myriad of ways to get from Salerno to Naples which I won't go into here becuase there's no real reason to take a FlixBus to the Naples train station, for example.

I'd recommend taking either the Frecciarossa (the fast train), the Intercity, or the Regionale from Salerno to Naples. It takes about 30-50 minutes and costs 5-25 euros, depending on if you take the fast train or not. Because most of the journey is through a tunnel, and then along some fairly industrialized land, there isn't much to see, which means there isn't much to miss.

Trains from Salerno to Naples leave incredibly frequently since all trains going north from Salerno pass through Naples, and you can simplly get on the next train leaving (once you buy a ticket at the kiosk).

While I like this path from Sorrento to Naples becuase you get to see the Amalfi Coast, it only works well if you have time, no luggage, and nowhere to be (since it might take the better part of the day).

Likewise, if you only have a day to see everything, this is a great option to see both Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, though you won't be able to spend too much time in either.