Getting Around Salerno
Salerno is a compact, coastal city in Campania, and most of what a visitor wants to see sits within a fairly tight area. The city has three kinds of public transportation: buses, trains, and a light metro. For most trips around the centre, walking is the simplest option, with buses and the metro filling in the longer stretches and the train station acting as the hub for everything.
Walking the City
Salerno's modern layout is divided into three distinct zones: the medieval centro storico, a 19th-century quarter, and the more extensive post-war residential districts. The historic centre and the 19th-century quarter sit close together near the waterfront, so much of the sightseeing can be done on foot. The post-war districts stretch further out and are dominated by apartment blocks, so those are the areas where you are more likely to want a bus or the metro.
Distances within the centre are short enough that walking often beats waiting for transport, and the seafront makes for a pleasant route between the station area and the older streets. If you are heading to the ferry terminal or the Piazza della Concordia, both are within a few blocks of the train station and easily reached on foot.
Trains and the Rail Hub
Salerno railway station is one of the main stations in Campania and a stop for high-speed trains operated by both Trenitalia and Italo, giving a convenient connection to most major Italian cities. It is also a hub for regional and inter-city services. For a visitor, this makes the station the natural anchor of any trip: it is where you arrive from further afield, and it is where the local bus network converges.
From Naples, you can reach Salerno on Regional trains from Napoli Centrale, or on some Metropolitan trains that make several stops in Naples. For both of these, you can use a Unico Campania U-5 ticket, which can be bought from various stores and kiosks around the station. The 3T three-day tourist transit pass also includes these trains.
The Light Metro
Salerno's metro is a light rail line running through the city centre, parallel to the coast. It is more limited than the bus network, with a small number of stops, but it can be useful for moving along the seafront and through the centre without dealing with traffic. Think of it as a supplement to walking rather than a way to reach the whole city.
Buses and Other Public Transport
The main bus stop is at the Salerno train station, which makes connections between long-distance rail and local buses straightforward. Several operators serve the city and the surrounding province:
- Busitalia buses serve Salerno and other towns in the province. Buses leave from the station to the surrounding areas frequently. It is absolutely necessary to buy your ticket before getting on the bus.
- CSTP lines 4 and 9 connect the Salerno Maritime Terminal with the train station or the ferry terminal, which is handy if you are arriving or leaving by boat.
- SITA buses leave from the train station and serve the wider region.
- CSTP bus 34 leaves from Piazza della Concordia, two blocks west (toward the sea) of the train station, and runs to Paestum.
For travel along the Amalfi coast, a COSTIERASITA ticket is valid for 24 hours from the first validation and allows an unlimited number of journeys on SITASUD public transport along the coast. As with the city buses, buy before you board.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
The source material does not describe a taxi or ride-hailing scene in Salerno, so it is best to treat these as a fallback rather than a primary way of getting around. For practical purposes, plan on walking, the metro, buses, and trains, and arrange any taxi through your accommodation or a rank if you need one.
Arriving from the Airport
The nearest major airport is Naples International Airport (NAP), also known as Capodichino Airport, which lies some distance from Salerno. Once you have landed, you have a few options for the final leg of the journey.
- Alibus to Naples, then train: Take the Alibus bus to Naples central railway station, where you can connect to Salerno by train. The Alibus also stops on Piazza Municipio near the cruise port, from which you can take a short walk to catch the SITA bus. You can buy your ticket on the Alibus, and the bus stop is a very short walk from the airport terminal exit.
- Direct SITA bus: A SITA bus runs directly from Naples Airport to Salerno. It runs only a few times a day and not on Sunday, and you have to walk a few hundred metres to reach the bus stop.
- Rental car: You can rent a car to cover the last stretch. Be aware that driving habits in this area differ markedly from those in Northern Europe or the US: cars drift between lanes, drivers may be distracted, and tailgating is common if you do not keep up with the flow.
Whichever option you choose, the train connection via Naples is the most flexible, since Salerno railway station is served by high-speed, inter-city, and regional trains and sits at the centre of the local transport network.
Arriving from the Amalfi Coast
If you are coming from the Amalfi Coast rather than the airport, you have two main choices. SITA buses run from the coast to Salerno along the winding coastal roads; in the height of summer, expect long delays as tourist cars and buses overwhelm the road. A more relaxing alternative is the seasonal ferry service, which runs from around Easter to mid or late October and may be cancelled in strong winds. Coop Sant'Andrea, based in Amalfi, operates ferries connecting Salerno, Positano, and Amalfi, with summer routes extending to Maiori and Minori. The Metro del Mare ferry network, based in Naples, also operates along the length of the Amalfi Coast.
Practical Tips
- Buy bus tickets before boarding — this is required, not optional.
- Use the train station as your reference point: it is the main bus stop, the rail hub, and within a few blocks of both the ferry terminal and Piazza della Concordia.
- Consider the Unico Campania U-5 ticket for Naples–Salerno regional and metropolitan trains, and the 3T three-day tourist transit pass if you plan to use trains and local transport over several days.
- For Amalfi coast travel, the COSTIERASITA ticket gives 24 hours of unlimited SITASUD journeys from first validation.
- In summer, ferries are often the more pleasant way to travel the coast, but they are seasonal and weather-dependent.