Getting There
The closest international and intercontinental airport to Salerno is Naples's Capodichino.
Salerno lies on the main north-south rail corridor and is well served by train, with frequent service from a number of Italian and European cities to its train station (stazione) on Piazza Vittorio Veneto. Trains leave Naples every 10 to 30 minutes for the 35-minute ride to Salerno; the fare is about 6€. Contact Trenitalia (tel. 892021 in Italy; www.trenitalia.it) for more fares and information.
Slower but far more scenic, the ferry is our favorite means of transportation on this coast, especially in the summer, when roads tend to be crowded. Salerno is a major sea terminal, and ferries arrive here from other ports in the Mediterranean. Local ferries connect Salerno to nearby harbors: Alicost (tel. 089/234-892; www.alicost.it) and Alilauro (tel. 081-4972238; www.alilauro.it) with Capri, Amalfi, Positano, and Ischia; Travelmar (tel. 081-7041911; www.travelmar.it) with Positano, Amalfi, Minori, and Maiori; and Cooperativa Sant'Andrea (tel. 089-873190; www.coopsantandrea.it) with Amalfi, Capri, Minori, and Sorrento. Operating only in the summer (Apr-Sept), Metro del Mare (tel. 199 600700; www.metrodelmare.net) offers commuter-style connections with all the harbors along this stretch of coast, from Pozzuoli south, including Naples, Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi, and the Cilento; purchase of a Terra&Mare ticket entitles you to the boat transfer plus ground transportation for the 45 minutes before and 45 minutes after the ferry link. In 2011, the schedule was reduced to a single trip each day for July and August; we are told that by 2012 the full service will be resumed.
Salerno is also well connected by SITA (tel. 089-405145; www.sitabus.it), which runs a regular bus service between the city and Naples, as well as to the various towns of the Amalfi Coast and the Sorrento peninsula. CSTP (tel. 089-252228 or 800-016659 toll-free within Italy; www.cstp.it) services Salerno, Pompeii, Paestum, and the Cilento. The bus terminal is in Piazza della Concordia, near the train station.
You can also reach Salerno by car. Off the autostrada A3, take the exit marked SALERNO, and follow signs for the city center. Once there, follow signs for the Jolly Hotel and the public parking, where you'll need to leave your car, as the town center is pedestrian only.
Visitor Information
The AACST tourist office (tel. 089-224744; www.aziendaturismo.sa.it) is at Via Roma 258. The tourist office for the whole province, including the Cilento, is the EPT, Via Velia 15, 84100 Salerno (tel. 089-230401; www.eptsalerno.it). Another office is on Piazza Vittorio Veneto, at the train station (tel. 089-614259; www.turismoinsalerno.it), which is open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 2pm and 3 to 8pm (until 7pm in winter).
You'll find several pharmacies in town, including one at Corso Vittorio Emanuele 223 (tel. 089-231439), not far from the train station, and one at Via Mercanti 62 (tel. 089-225142), in the medieval district. The hospital, San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggiero d'Aragona (tel. 089-671111), is on Via San Leonardo. For an ambulance, dial tel. 118. Dial tel. 113 or 112 for the police, tel. 115 for the fire department, and tel. 116 for Automobile Club of Italy (ACI) road assistance. You will find several banks and ATMs in Salerno along Corso Vittorio Emanuele, not far from the train station; Banca Nazionale del Lavoro is in the train station. The main post office -- in a majestic building -- is at Corso Garibaldi 203 (Mon-Sat 8am-2pm).
Special Events
The Salerno Film Festival Linea d'ombra (Shadow Line) is a major international event, dedicated to new talents in Europe and focusing on the passage from adolescence to adulthood -- the "shadow line" of maturation, a term coined by Joseph Conrad and taken as the festival's motto. The festival (tel. 089-662565; fax 089-662566; www.festivalculturegiovani.it) is an annual, weeklong event that takes place in April. Besides films, it includes a number of interesting musical events. During the Ravello Music Festival, concerts are also held in the monastery of Santa Maria della Mercede in Salerno; contact the festival office for a schedule of events. In advance of your visit, you can check out what's going on in Salerno at www.salernocity.com (Italian only).
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
