Transport in Naples: airport, metro, Circumvesuviana and ferries

Naples works as a base because almost everything leaves from three points: Napoli Centrale station at Piazza Garibaldi (trains, metro, Circumvesuviana, Alibus), the port between Molo Beverello and Porta di Massa (islands and coast) and Capodichino airport, 15 minutes by bus from the station. Anyone who knows these three hubs and the right fares spends a few euros a day and is never left stranded. Here is transport in Naples explained for practical use: what it costs, where to buy tickets, how long it takes. Official prices checked regularly on anm.it, eavsrl.it, unicocampania.it, caremar.it, nlg.it and comune.napoli.it; partner prices are also checked regularly.

From Capodichino airport to the centre: Alibus, taxi or transfer

ANM’s Alibus is the direct link between the airport and the city. According to the official website (anm.it) the ticket costs €5 per journey, the service runs every day at up to 15-minute intervals and makes three stops: Piazza Garibaldi (Napoli Centrale) in 15 minutes, Immacolatella/Porta di Massa (inside the port) and Molo Angioino/Beverello (Stazione Marittima) in about 35 minutes. First departure from the airport at 5:30am, last at midnight; from the port to the airport the first bus is at 5:30am and the last at 11:35pm; from Napoli Centrale to the airport from 5:10am to 11:50pm.

Tickets can be bought on board from the driver, at the automatic machines outside arrivals, at tobacconists near the stops, with the ANM GO, UnicoCampania, MyCicero and Gira Napoli apps, or by paying directly with a contactless card (Tap&Go). Validate on board. The Alibus cannot be used with city passes or with the Campania Artecard; the “Ticket Unico Alibus integrato” version, also €5, is valid for 90 minutes on the metro and city buses after the ride: ask for it if you need to travel on.

Booking the Alibus through a partner suits anyone who wants the ticket already on their phone when they land: the price is the same (€5) and the voucher is valid for one journey.

A taxi is worth it for three or four people or with large suitcases. The City of Naples publishes fixed fares per car, valid 24 hours a day and already inclusive of the airport, night, holiday and luggage surcharges. They must be requested from the driver before setting off: the meter shows “F0.00” and the driver cannot refuse them.

Source: City of Naples taxi fare table in force since 1 September 2024 (comune.napoli.it). Minivan surcharge €5 if there are more than four of you. From Napoli Centrale to the port the fixed fare is €15.50.

If you land and head straight for the Sorrento peninsula or the Amalfi Coast, skip the centre: the shared airport–Sorrento shuttle costs €25 per person and takes about 1 hour 15 minutes, against Alibus + Circumvesuviana (€5 + €4.60, with a change at Garibaldi and about 2 hours door to door). The private transfer into the city (€49 per car, 30 minutes) beats the taxi only if there are 2 of you on a night flight and you want a driver waiting at the terminal.

The metro Line 1 Capodichino station is under construction, with an opening announced but no official date published on anm.it: until then the Alibus remains the only direct public transport between the airport and the centre.

Metro Line 1, Line 2 and the four funiculars

Line 1 (ANM) is the one you’ll actually use: Garibaldi (Napoli Centrale) – Università – Municipio (port, Molo Beverello) – Toledo (Via Toledo, Spanish Quarter, Piazza del Plebiscito 10 minutes away) – Dante – Museo (MANN) – Vomero – Chiaiano through to Piscinola. Line 2 (Trenitalia) runs parallel further north: Garibaldi – Cavour (a 5-minute walk from the MANN and linked to Museo by a corridor) – Montesanto – Amedeo – Mergellina – Pozzuoli. The Centrale, Chiaia and Montesanto funiculars climb to the Vomero for Castel Sant’Elmo and the Certosa di San Martino (the fourth, Mergellina, climbs to Posillipo); the Centrale leaves from Via Toledo, Augusteo stop.

According to anm.it Line 1 runs its last train at 11pm from Centro Direzionale (10:30pm from Piscinola) Sunday to Thursday and at 1:32am (1:20am from Piscinola) on Fridays and Saturdays; the Centrale funicular closes at 10:30pm on Mondays and Tuesdays, at 12:30am on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and at 2am on Fridays and Saturdays, Chiaia also runs until 2am at weekends, Mergellina closes at 10pm and Montesanto is out of service for its twenty-year overhaul (replacement bus). Times change with the summer service and the early closures announced on anm.it: check the day’s notice before counting on the last train.

ANM tickets and Unico Campania integrated tickets

The fare system distinguishes between the ANM company ticket (valid only on ANM vehicles: metro Line 1, buses, trams, funiculars) and the Unico Campania integrated ticket (also valid on Line 2, the Cumana and the urban stretches of the Circumvesuviana). Urban fares in force according to anm.it:

Rule of thumb: if you make three or more journeys in a day, the €5.40 integrated day pass beats everything and spares you the “is it valid on this line or not” doubt. You can buy it at the station machines, at tobacconists with the Unico Campania sign and with the ANM GO and UnicoCampania apps; at equipped gates Tap&Go with a contactless card also works. The old name “TIC” refers precisely to the integrated ticket: today you’ll find it as “Orario integrato” or “Giornaliero integrato”.

Circumvesuviana and EAV: Pompeii, Herculaneum, Sorrento

The Circumvesuviana (run by EAV) leaves from the Napoli Porta Nolana terminus and stops a minute later at Napoli Garibaldi, on the lower level of Napoli Centrale. Board at Porta Nolana if you want a seat: it’s a 5-minute walk from Piazza Garibaldi and the trains arrive at Garibaldi already full in the morning. The line you need is the Naples–Sorrento: it stops at Ercolano Scavi, Pompei Scavi–Villa dei Misteri, Castellammare, Vico Equense, Sorrento. Fares are by distance, according to the Unico Campania fare table (unicocampania.it, in force since 6 May 2024):

Tickets can be bought at the ticket office, at the machines, at tobacconists or with the Unico Campania and GoEAV apps; on trains with equipped gates Tap&Go works too. The train is crowded and prone to cancellations: check “Infomobilità ferrovia” on eavsrl.it on the day. In Pompeii the Porta Marina entrance is two minutes from the station; in Herculaneum the excavations are a 10-minute walk downhill along Via IV Novembre. For timetables, entry prices and the choice between train and tour go to the pages on Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Campania Express: is it worth the difference? And the suspension notice

The Campania Express is EAV’s tourist train on the same line: guaranteed seat, air conditioning, on-board staff, stops only at Ercolano, Pompei, Castellammare, Vico, Meta, Piano, Sant’Agnello and Sorrento. It costs €15 one way and €25 return to any destination, i.e. 4.5 times the Circumvesuviana for Pompeii and 3 times for Sorrento. On the current timetable it runs 4 trains a day in each direction: from Napoli Garibaldi at 8:26am, 11:26am, 2:26pm and 5:26pm (Pompeii in 33 minutes, Sorrento in 69); returns from Sorrento at 10:20am, 1:20pm, 4:20pm and 7:20pm. It leaves from platform 3 at Porta Nolana/Garibaldi and children up to 6 travel free.

Be aware: EAV has currently suspended the Campania Express until further notice. Anyone who already holds tickets for dates covered by the suspension can request a refund via the complaints form on eavsrl.it (or through the channel where they bought, for example Omio or Distribusion). Check eavsrl.it before booking; regular Circumvesuviana services continue.

Partner one-way tickets cost the same €15 as the official channel: the advantage is the convenience of booking, not the price.

Trenitalia trains and high-speed services from Rome

Napoli Centrale is the natural terminus for anyone arriving from Rome: Frecciarossa and Italo take about 1 hour 10 minutes and fares are dynamic, so it pays to book weeks ahead and travel off-peak. In the station, on the lower level, you’ll find metro Lines 1 and 2 and the Circumvesuviana; on the forecourt the Alibus stops and the fixed-fare taxis. For the port: Garibaldi → Municipio, two stops on Line 1.

Regional trains take you to the Royal Palace of Caserta in 40–45 minutes (the palace is opposite the station; NA4 band of the Unico Campania fare table, €4 each way) and to Paestum (Capaccio-Paestum station, a 10-minute walk from the temples) in roughly 80–90 minutes, NA10 band at €7.60. Salerno (NA6 band, €5.50) is also handy for catching the ferries to Amalfi. Details are on the pages about Caserta and Paestum.

Ferries and hydrofoils: Beverello, Porta di Massa, Mergellina

The port of Naples has two passenger piers. Molo Beverello (Municipio metro station, last Alibus stop) is for hydrofoils and fast vessels: Capri in about 50 minutes, Ischia in 50–60, Procida in 35–40, plus Sorrento and, in summer, the Amalfi Coast. Calata Porta di Massa, a 10-minute walk further east inside the port (Immacolatella Alibus stop), is for the slow ferries, including car ferries: Capri in about 80 minutes, Ischia in 80–90, Procida in 60. At Mergellina SNAV currently uses the pier only for the Aeolian Islands in summer (30 May–13 September) and Alilauro leaves from Beverello: any sailings to Ischia from here are seasonal, check with the operators before heading there.

Official adult fares each way, checked regularly (caremar.it, nlg.it, snav.it):

On top of these come the landing fee (Capri €5 from April to October and €2.50 in winter according to NLG; Caremar lists €5 for Capri and €3.50 for Procida), the advance booking fee (Caremar: 12% if you buy up to the day before, minimum €1) and €1 per online purchase. A Naples–Capri return by hydrofoil therefore costs between €50 and €65 per head: it’s the figure that decides whether Capri is better done on your own or on a full tour, and you’ll find it worked out on the page about Capri. Children: free on Caremar ferries up to age 4 and on hydrofoils up to age 2, reduced fares under 12.

From April to early November there are also direct sailings from Beverello to Positano and Amalfi with NLG (€32 for Positano, €32.50 for Amalfi according to nlg.it; SNAV covers Positano in season), about 1 hour 50 minutes. In high season book the hydrofoil the day before: the evening returns from Capri fill up. The partner tickets below cost slightly more than the official fare and include a seat reservation: handy if you want to wrap up the outward and return legs in a single transaction.

Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast without a tour

For Sorrento you have three options: the Circumvesuviana (€4.60, 70 minutes, the cheapest), the Campania Express (€15, 69 minutes, guaranteed seat, when in service) or a shared shuttle from the centre (€40 per person, about 2 hours, drops you at your hotel). For Positano and Amalfi in low season the do-it-yourself route is the train to Sorrento and then the SITA bus along the SS163; in season (April to early November) the ferry from Beverello avoids the road. The shared Naples–Positano shuttle costs €50 per person. The full comparison with the minivan tours, which for the coast remain the most efficient choice in a single day, is on the page about the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento.

Passes and transport: when the Campania Artecard covers public transport

The Napoli Artecard 3 days (€27) and Campania Artecard 3 days (€41) versions include Unico Campania integrated transport: metro, buses, funiculars, Cumana, Circumflegrea and Circumvesuviana, so the train to Pompeii and Herculaneum as well. Excluded are the Alibus, the Campania Express, the SITA buses for the Amalfi Coast and the EAV buses from Pompeii to Vesuvius. The 7-day and 365-day versions include no transport. The sums to see whether it pays off are on the page about the Campania Artecard; the individual sites’ tickets are compared on the tickets page.

In short: how to get around from Naples on the cheap

Arriving by plane? Alibus for €5, a fixed-fare taxi if there are three or more of you. In the city, the €5.40 integrated day pass and metro Line 1. For Pompeii and Herculaneum the Circumvesuviana at €2.60–3.30 beats every alternative; for the islands the hydrofoil from Beverello booked the day before; for the coast in a day, usually the organised tour. The first journey, the Alibus ticket, can be booked in a minute.