Hiring a rental car in Naples

Hi

We want to visit my grandfathers grave in Salerno war cemetery whilst on a cruise in early June , I have looked at the trains and it will be a bit tight for time as it is 30 mins to the train station and the cemetery is between Salerno and Battipaglia so would need a taxi the other end too so are thinking of hiring a car , one website I found only has the cars at the train station , does anybody know of a car company that may hire from the port itself please ? Thank you for any information , our ship is in port from 8 - 2 pm so time will be a bit tight

Our short answer would have been Hertz, who used to have a location right in the port (last month we noticed they still have a sign), but a quick check seems to indicate that the location no longer exists. But there is an Italian rental car company called Maggiore who also has (or used to have) an office right inside the port. However, keep in mind that even if this office is still open it might still be a problem. If a ferry or a few cruise ships are in the same day (this would be the norm) you can often wait in a queue at a rental car office for a long time. It once took us nearly an hour to get our car at Hertz (when they had an office). And with your early departure time you need to be back onboard by 1:30 and you need to allow extra time for Naples traffic and buying Petrol. Under ideal traffic conditions you should be able to drive from Naples to Salerno in about an hour...but conditions are not always "normal" and the drive could take more time. You are correct that time will be tight. In fact, if we were planning this drive (and we do a lot of driving in Italy) we would have a "Plan B" which is how we can catch the ship the following day :).

Hank

There are both Hertz and Maggiore offices right outside the Salerno train station, I think that might be your best bet. You won't face the lines there and it's only an easy 40 minute train ride from Naples.

The cemetery is only 12 miles from the Salerno train station, so a cab ride there and back, with a short wait, probably wouldn't cost more than €50-€60.

Thanks for your help

I am wondering whether to leave it until we have a cruise with more time in Naples in the future , it would be less stressful than having such time restrictions on this upcoming cruise

I would be careful and go later when you have more time. I'd hate to miss to miss the ship and he's not going anywhere. Have a good cruise!

With time tight, I think you are mad!!! If you have not driven in Italy before, beware. Naples also is not the place to start to learn, the traffic is heavy and the driving erratic, and unpredictable. Traffic lights in Naples are often not observed, I think you would find very stressful, the only option if you go ahead with a visit to the grave is a pre-booked taxi or car with driver.

We have driven in Italy before but not really through any major towns or cities , , and not Naples , the italian driving is terrible and we have observed the " red light is a suggestion as opposed to obligatory " style of driving there on several occasions !! I am listening to you all , we didn't take into consideration the wait to pick up the car or re fueling which could take up some time as well as actually getting out of Naples

Our new plan now is to walk to the train station as soon as we disembark (I will take a timetable of the trains with me ) and then judge if we can make it in the time we have ashore , looking at the times now it should be ok providing we dont spend too long at the cemetery , I can't imagine needing any more time than that there anyways . Hopefully we will be able to find a taxi at either salerno or battipaglia train station to take us there

I wouldn't walk to the station. You can take the metro from across the street (Municipio station) to Napoli Centrale faster.

There is an IC train daily at 8:45 that gets to Battipaglia at 9:37 and a regional at 8:55 that arrives at 9:51, you should be able to make one of these.

I would go to Battipaglia, not Salerno, if you're going to use a taxi. Although there may not be a taxi at the Battipaglia station you can easily call one once there, or ask someone to call one for you. I would arrange with the driver to either wait for you, or to return at a specific time to pick you up.

The Battipaglia station is only four miles from the cemetery, vs. sixteen miles from Salerno.

Pagine Gialle, the yellow pages in Italy, lists three numbers for taxis at the train station in Battipaglia:

The taxi stand at the station: 0828 304748

FIMIANO EMANUELA

20, Piazza Farina, Battipaglia

tel. 0828 052565, 0828 304685

TAXI FIMIANO

Piazza Farina, Battipaglia

tel. 331 3044449

Thank you so much Euro cruiser , I didn't realise there was a metro system ther , can we buy tickets at the metro or do we need to go to a newsagent ? Thank you for the taxi numbers too , I did a bit of research and realised that Battipaglia was closer than Salerno so should be cheaper for a taxi hopefully , you have been a big help

You can buy your tickets in the metro station.