Naples Transportation

Getting There

Air

The Aeroporto Capodichino, Naples International Airport, (NAP) (+39 848 888 777; +39 081 789 6259; http://www.gesac.it/en/) provides service to Naples and is the gateway to Southern Italy. Airline carriers include:

Alitalia (+39 848 865641 / http://www.alitalia.com/) Air France (+39 848 884466 / http://www.airfrance.com/) BMI Baby (+44 870 126 6726 / http://www.bmibaby.com/) British Airways (+39 199 712266 / http://www.ba.com/) Condor ( +1 800 524 6975 / http://www7.condor.com/) Easy Jet ( +33 ( 0 )8 25 08 25 08 / http://www.easyjet.com/) Hapag-Lloyd Express ( +180 509 3 509 / http://www.hlx.com/) Helvetic.com (+39 02 69682684 / http://www.helvetic.com/) Iberworld Airlines ( http://www.iberworld.com/) Lufthansa (+39 199 400044 / http://www.lufthansa.com/) Meridiana (+39 199 111333 / http://www.meridiana.it/) MyAir.com (+39 899 500060 / http://www.gesac.it/it/links/myair.html/) My Travel ( +870 238 7710 / http://www.mytravel.com/) Sky Europe (+421 2 4850 1111 / http://www.skyeurope.com/in.php/)

From the Airport

Shuttle: Alibus Shuttle Bus departs every 10 min. from the Naples International Airport and runs from 6:30a-11:30p.

Taxi: Travel by taxi is problematic at best due to incredibly high fares, reckless driving, and horrible traffic conditions. It is not a recommended form of transportation, but if you are going to take one, confirm that it is an authorized service. They are easily located outside the terminals.

Radio Taxi Napoli Radio Taxi Napoli Taxi Taxi

Car Rentals: Although travel in Naples is synonymous with Vespas, you cannot rent one in the city because they are the main targets of thieves and their principal mode of transportation. It is not recommended to drive a rental car in Naples.

Train

For general rail information call: (+39 892021). Ferrovie dello Stato (+39 081 200931) is the national train transportation in Italy. Other companies include:

Trenitalia (http://www.trenitalia.com/) Cirumvesuviana (+39 081 7722 111; http://www.vesuviana.it/) Alifana (+39 081 455 228; http://www.alifana.it/) Dirigente Biglietteria (+39 081 562 5036; +39 081 606 8011) Napoli Centrale - Ferrovie dello Stato (+39 1478 88088; http://www.fs-on-line.com/) s.e.p.s.a. cumana (+39 081 7354310)

Sea

Autorita' Portvale (+39 081 207505) Linea Lauro (+39 081 761 1004; http://www.Lauro.it/) Siremar (+39 081 251 4721; http://www.caremar.it/siremar.html/) Stazione Marittama (+39 081 251 4711) Tirrenia Navigazione (+39 081 251 4711; http://www.tirrenia.it/) Caremar (+39 081 251 4711; http://www.caremar.it/caremar.html/) Metro del Mare (http://www.metrodelmare.com/) LMP (+39 081 552 7209) SNAV (+39 081 761 2348)

Car

Although it is not recommended to drive within the city of Naples due to horrible traffic conditions, driving there is an easy task. Take the Rome-Naples autostrada (A2) through Caserta 29km (18 miles) north of Naples or take the Naples-Reggio di Calabria autostrada (A3) that passes Salerno, 53km (33 miles) north of Naples.

Getting Around

Public Transport

Naples has a vast system of public transportation and the most extensive of these is the ANM bus (Azienda napolitana mobilità; +39 081 763 2177 / http://www.anm.it/) which covers all of the city as well as a few local suburbs. Tickets can be purchased at tabacchi or newsstands throughout the city. The Funicular (tram) No. 1 and 4 run between the 2 main stations in Italy: the Stazione Central and the Stazione Mergellina. For tram information call Funicular Central (+39 800 5688 66). EUR1.10 gets you a 90-minute bus ride or you can also use it on the local trams and subways. Other bus companies include:

Sepsa (+39 081 735 4111; http://www.albert.net/sepsa/) Sita Spa (+39 0812 395 010; http://www.uniplan.it/sita/) CTP (Compagnia Transporti Pubblici) (+39 081700111; http://www.ctpn.it/) Curreri (+39 0818015420) FBN (+39 0824320764) GTI (+39 0825204250)

By Light Rail (Urban Lines):

A.N.M. Funicolari (+39 081 763 2177; http://www.anm.it/) Ferrovia dello Stato - Metropolitana (+39 147 888 088; http://www.fs-online.it/)

Walking is the best way to explore the historical heart of Naples. Public transportation works well when you need to travel greater distances and if you want to take in some local color, although at rush hours there might be too much of the latter on the major subway and bus lines. Time your movements so that you can avoid rush hours. If you have to travel during those hours, take the diminutive electric buses which service the city center and are rarely crowded, or take a taxi.

On Foot

Naples is a beautiful city to discover on foot; its attractions are close together and the sea is always present in the background. Walking is also an excellent way to notice the thousands of details that make this city so special, including small shops and craft laboratori (workshops).

While the free city map given by the tourist office is perfectly sufficient for your general orientation, we recommend you purchase a more detailed map with a stradario (alphabetical list of streets) if you are planning more extensive explorations.

By Public Transportation

When you're tired of walking, the best ways to get around Naples are the bus and subway. The small electric buses serving the historical center are particularly good for reaching points tucked away on narrow streets, while buses, trams, subway, and funiculars provide faster transportation to major hubs. Naples's Transportation Authority (tel. 800-482644 toll-free in Italy; www.ctpn.it) provides information on all the above and keeps an information booth on Piazza Garibaldi where, if you are in luck, you can get an excellent public transportation map. Public transportation tickets are sold at tobacconists and at some bars and newsstands. You can get a regular biglietto (ticket) valid 90 minutes for 1€ ($1.40/70p); or a giornaliero (day pass) valid until midnight for 3€ ($4.20/£2.10). Both cover the whole metropolitan area of Naples, including funicular, tram, bus, Metro, and urban railway service. The Artecard also includes a public transportation pass.

The Metropolitana has two lines, line 1 from Piazza Dante to the Vomero and beyond (daily 6am-11pm); and line 2 from Pozzuoli to Piazza Garibaldi and beyond (daily 5:30am-11pm). The Cumana (urban railroad) runs from Montesanto to Pozzuoli and beyond (daily 5am-11pm). Among the buses, the linee rosse (red lines marked by the letter R) are special fast lines serving tourist destinations with frequent service; they run daily from 5:30am to midnight. Regular buses tend to be slower and many stop running by 8:30pm. A few lines are actually tramways with dedicated tracks, but because of traffic invading their lines, these can be as slow as the regular buses. At nighttime, the few linee notturne (night lines) start around midnight and run every hour.

Dear to the hearts of Neapolitans is the Funicolare, a cable railway tunneled through rock to reach the cliffs surrounding the bay. Three funiculars reach the Vomero: Montesanto (at Metro station Montesanto; daily 7am-10pm), Chiaia (from Piazza Amedeo; daily 7am-10pm), and Centrale (from Via Toledo, off Piazza Trieste e Trento; Mon-Tues 6:30am-10pm and Wed-Sun 6:30am-12:30am). Mergellina also has a funicular, from Via Mergellina by the harbor up to Via Manzoni (daily 7am-10pm).

One more important element of Naples's public transportation, a public ascensore (elevator) is tucked away in Via Acton at the corner of Palazzo Reale, to climb up to Piazza Plebiscito. On the Vomero, several escalators ascend the steepest slopes.

By Taxi

Taxis are an excellent, relatively inexpensive way to get around the city. If you've heard that they're dishonest, these stories originate with people who have not visited Naples in the past decade or two or who have fallen prey to gypsy cabs. Today, taxis are very reliable and strictly regulated. Official taxis are painted white and marked by the Comune di Napoli (Naples municipality). Inside, on the back of the front seat, you'll find a sign listing official flat rates to the seaports, central hotels, and major attractions -- although it might be an old sign; refer to the box above for current established rates. Also, don't fret if your driver doesn't use the meter -- not using the meter is legal for all rides that have established flat rates. As elsewhere in Italy, taxis do not cruise but can be found waiting at the many taxi stands around town, or, for an extra 1€ surcharge, can be called by phone (restaurants and hotels will do this for you): Consorzio Taxi (tel. 081-444444); Consortaxi (tel. 081-5525252); Radio Taxi Napoli (tel. 081-5564444); RadioTaxi Free (tel. 081-5515151); Radio Taxi Co.Ta.Na (tel. 081-5707070); and Radio Taxi Partenope (tel. 081-5560202; www.taxivagando.it).

Naples also has a water taxi that offers private and public service, Taxi del Mare (tel. 081-8773600; www.taxidelmare.it).

Taxi Rates in Naples -- Because the municipality has not raised official taxi rates since 2002, most drivers will ask a certain percentage increase, and it is common practice to grant it, provided it is reasonable. The minimum cost of a ride is 4.50€ ($6.30/£3.15). The meter starts at 3€ ($4.20/£2.10) on Monday to Saturday from 7am to 10pm; otherwise, the meter starts at 5.50€. It adds .05€ every 65 meters or every 10 seconds when waiting or stopped in traffic. Each piece of luggage adds another .50€ (70¢/35p). The most recent flat rates from the airport are as follows:

Piazza Municipio to Museo Capodimonte 9.50€ ($13/£6.65)

to Stazione Centrale 12.50€ ($18/£8.75)

to destinations by Piazza Municipio 16€ ($22/£11)

to and Molo Beverello 16€ ($22/£11)

to destinations in Santa Lucia, Chiaia, and Mergellina 19€ ($27/£13)

to destinations on Corso Vittorio Emanuele 20€ ($28/£14)