Planning a Trip

Getting There

Most visitors arrive at the Southwest Florida International Airport, 35 miles north of Naples in Fort Myers. Naples Municipal Airport, on North Road off Airport-Pulling Road (tel. 239/643-6875; www.flynaples.com), is served by the commuter arms of American (tel. 800/433-7300) and United/US Airways (tel. 800/428-4322), which means you'll have to change planes in Miami, Tampa, or Orlando.

Taxis await all flights outside the small terminal building. Avis (tel. 800/331-1212), Budget (tel. 800/527-0700), Hertz (tel. 800/654-3131), and National (tel. 800/CAR-RENT) have booths at the airport. Enterprise (tel. 800/325-8007) is located in town.

Visitor Information

The most comprehensive source of information is the Naples Area Chamber of Commerce, which maintains a visitor center at 895 Fifth Ave. S. (at U.S. 41), Naples, FL 34102 (tel. 239/262-6141; fax 239/435-9910; www.napleschamber.org). The center has a lot of free information and phones for making hotel reservations; it also sells a detailed street map for $2. By mail, it will send you a free list of accommodations and other basic information, or you can order a complete Naples vacation packet for $6 (but don't waste your money, request the free one, which is the same minus a street map). The center is open Monday through Saturday from 9am to 5pm.

Getting Around

The Naples Trolley (tel. 239/262-7300; www.naplestrolleytours.com) clangs around 25 stops between the Naples Trolley General Store and Welcome Center, 1010 6th Ave. S., at 10th Street South (2 blocks west of Tin City in Olde Naples), and Vanderbilt Beach. It runs Monday through Saturday from 8:30am to 5:15pm, and Sunday from 10:15am to 5:15pm. Daily fares are $20 for adults and $10 for children 4 to 12, with free reboarding. Schedules are available in brochure racks in the lobbies of most hotels and motels. The drivers provide narration, so the entire loop makes a good 2-hour sightseeing tour.

For a taxi, call Yellow Cab (tel. 239/262-1312), Checker Cab (tel. 239/455-5555), Maxi Taxi (tel. 239/262-8977), or Naples Taxi (tel. 239/775-0505).