I promise that getting around Naples and its region will prove an exciting part of your trip! In the city, exercise common sense. It’s a good idea to find a centrally located hotel and whenever possible, walk. If you take a taxi, establish your exact fare with the driver before stepping into the car. On public transportation, be extra vigilant of your belongings and make sure you have your route memorized before you start.
Naples sits at the epicenter of a beautiful bay, with Mount Vesuvius in the background. Off the coast and within view of the city lie the islands of Capri and Ischia. Further south, the Amalfi Coast stretches out along the Sorrentine peninsula, punctuated by the captivating towns of Positano, Sorrento, Amalfi, and smaller villages.
The Amalfi Coast is one of the most stunningly beautiful drives in the world, though many people miss the view thanks to wild ride. Whether you’re on a bus, behind the wheel, or—good luck to you—in the passenger’s seat of a car, get ready for a white-knuckle journey along narrow roads with hairpin turns and sheer cliff drops to the sea below. If you can tear your eyes away from that giant bus careening around the corner and heading straight for you, you’ll enjoy a view one of the most gorgeous coastlines in the world. The author John Steinbeck summed up the experience of a car trip along the Amalfi Coast in an article for Harper’s Bazaar in 1953:
Flaming like a meteor we hit the coast, a road, high, high above the blue sea, that hooked and corkscrewed on the edge of nothing… We didn’t see much of the road. In the back seat my wife and I lay clutched in each other’s arms, weeping hysterically.
A more relaxing journey along the coast can be had on the Circumvesuviana train or one of the high-speed and traditional ferries that leave from the port of Naples for the islands and points along the Amalfi Coast.
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