Do it Yourself Salerno

[Specs]

September 29, 2011 we arrived at the port of Salerno. (Holland America changed our itinerary; we were supposed to be at Naples)

 

I had been to the Amalfi Coast twice before. And so, this time, I planned to see something new... And I was not disappointed. The following is the itinerary my daughter and I followed – it is a must-do!

 

At 8:00AM we took the complimentary shuttle provided by the Port of Salerno from the ship to Piazza dela Concordia. It was very convenient since this piazza is the meeting point to take the ferry to Amalfi. We took the 8:40AM TRAVELMAR’s ferry 7€ one way per person. http://www.travelmar.it.

 

It was different to see the coast from the sea instead of driving along the Amalfi Coast. It was splendid and funny because sometimes we were splashed by the waves! It was also very pleasant since it was a sunny and warm day. While the cruise ship does cruise along the Amalfi coast to arrive to or from Salerno, the ferry takes you much closer to the coast, understandably so, and therefore, the scenery is even more breathtaking.

 

35 minutes later we disembarked at Amalfi. We went to a convenience store with the sign “Ticket for bus” near the Port to buy our ticket for the Sita Blue Bus to reach Ravello: 2.40€ each way/person, about 25 minutes.

 

It was a scenic ride. We ascended to the summit by driving a serpentine and very narrow road, passing by precipices. It was a thrill!

 

Around 10:00AM, we arrived in Ravello. Mostly it is a pedestrian village. We visited Villa Rufolo and its giardino (the garden) http://www.villarufolo.it and Villa Cimbrone, the Belvedere and its garden http://www.villacimbrone.com . MAGNIFICO!!! You have to see Villa Cimbrone’s Terrace of Infinity, which is like a natural balcony, adorned with 18th century marble busts. There, you can admire the sparkling sea and the Coast of Amalfi with the little houses clinging to the hills. It is paradise! We visited the Duomo with his Piazza and did a little bit of shopping. Ravello is very quiet compared to Amalfi. It is a MUST see place to discover.

At 12:35PM we took the Sita blue bus back to Amalfi and arrived at 1:00PM. We had lunch on a terrace of an Italian restaurant. We also ate delicious pastries from Pasticceria Pansa http://www.pasticceriapansa.it and walked along the beach (note that if you want to swim, you must pay a small fee).

 

At 2:10PM we returned by ferry to Salerno. At 2:45PM, we took the shuttle back to the ship because Salerno itself does not have many attractions to see. As you can see from this itinerary, however, Salerno is a good place to start your journey to Amalfi. Most people going to Amalfi come from Naples. By coming from Salerno, there are fewer people on the ferry – which makes it less worrisome about whether or not there will be enough seats on the ferry to come back to Salerno before the ship leaves.

 

We had a memorable time in Ravello. I thought that it would be interesting to give you an idea of a DIY (do it yourself) excursion to do at the Port of Salerno!

[Dunmore2]

It sounds like you had a great day. Thanks for the tips. I loved the gardens at Villa Cimbrone too. The views are spectacular.

I am hoping we dock in Salerno rather than Naples next April. It seems like a more reasonable place to journey from than Naples.

[Specs]

I am glad the tips were helpful!!

 

We were at first disappointed that our port was changed from Naples to Salerno. We had originally planned to go to Capri. However, now that we have been to Ravello and Amalfi, I would not change our trip for anything! Like you said, Salerno is indeed more reasonable place to dock - fewer ships, therefore a greater ability to move around, without the worry that all the buses, ferries, taxis, etc. will be taken. A great way to visit Amalfi, Ravello, even Positano without worrying whether your cruise ship will still be there when you come back :)

 

Have a nice cruise in April!!

[cinnamon]

This sounds wonderful. We are cruising on Serenade of the Seas on 5th May and this is our final port of call. The trip you describe would probably fulfill our desire of a lovely day. We have 12 hours in port, 7.00 am till 7.00 pm.

 

Had you been able to check out the ferry before you sailed? The website seems to be only in Italian and I could not find the timetable.

 

Cinnamon

[austinlw]

Last month we spent 4 nights in Salerno in a B&B, using it as a base for seeing the Amalfi Coast, Capri, Sorrento, and Pompeii before taking the train back to Civitavecchia to board the Celebrity Equinox (a 6:30 AM train that got to Civitavecchia around 11AM with no train changes). We found that we really enjoyed the city of Salerno itself. It's an authentic Italian city, very few tourists, and it has an attractive seaside promenade, a nice pedestrian shopping mall, and a neat old town section with narrow walkways and a beautiful duomo. In the evenings the streets were full of locals strolling around the pedestrian areas with friends and family socializing. We found it to be a mostly attractive (despite a lot of graffiti, which is present all over Italy), safe, and very livable city.

[tcasey1012]

I was so glad to find this! Was it easy to navigate to Villa Cimbrone?

[Dunmore2]

There were numerous signs pointing the way. You will love the views!

[OttawaCountess]

This sounds like a wonderful day. Have you been to Capri before? If so which would you choose to do? I wanted to go to Capri this time, but since we are porting in Salerno I don know how easy it will be. Any advice is appreciated.