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- Naples: the budget-friendly base for exploring the Sorrento & Amalfi Coasts
Naples: the budget-friendly base for exploring the Sorrento & Amalfi Coasts
Both the Sorrento and Amalfi coasts are synonymous with the rich and famous. And staying there can cost a pretty penny. At HolidayPirates, we are all about living the high life on a budget.
This summer I wanted to explore the Amalfi and Sorrento coasts, but I didn't want to pay the exorbitant prices to stay there. Naturally, Naples – a relatively cheap city for a break –seemed the best solution for me to stay for a week, explore the area and not leave completely broke.
Why visit Naples
If you're looking to save money while exploring the Sorrento and Amalfi coasts, using Naples as a base can be a more budget-friendly option.
However, Naples is worth a trip in its own right. If you're a lover of Italian food, Naples has some of the best in the world.
Naples is also an excellent place to work. With affordable accommodation and cheap food, you can stay for a week without breaking the bank.
Explore Naples
Spend a day or two exploring the historic centre of Naples, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its picturesque streets, ancient churches and historic buildings. Taste the famous Neapolitan pizza at its place of origin and discover the lively local markets full of fresh produce. Don't miss a visit to the National Archaeological Museum, which houses one of the most impressive collections of Roman art and artefacts from Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Top 8 things to eat and drink in Naples with prices:
A meal in Positano or Amalfi, including a starter, main course and drink, would cost around £50 per person. In Naples you can get the same for £17. Of course, if you’re on an even tighter budget you can eat a meal for even cheaper than that in Naples.
Here are our top 8 things to eat and drink while you’re in Naples.
Pizza Fritta from €4.50 - This might be the most famous street food in Naples. Basically, a deep-fried pizza that might be one of the best things I’ve ever eaten). I had my fair share of Pizza Fritta during my week in Naples, but my favourite was from Gino e Toto Sorbillos.
Cuoppo from €5 - Keeping on the fried food trend, Cuoppo is another Neapolitan street food that is a paper cone filled with a variety of fried foods, including fish, octopus, cheese and arancini.
Margherita pizza at L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele from €5 - This might just be the place to eat pizza. It’s one of the oldest pizza places in Napoli and rose to fame thanks to Julia Roberts in Eat, Pray, Love - yes, it’s that place. It’s pretty much busy at any time of the day, but worth the wait. Eat in for less waiting time, or go across the street to the newer, but same restaurant for faster service.
Pizza Portfolio from €2.50 - Another popular street food, the pizza portfolio gets its name because of being folded like a wallet. The folded pizza is about the size of a dinner plate and is made fresh. It comes folded in paper and be careful, it’s so hot when it comes out, it can easily burn your hand while holding it. The best places will make it fresh and have a line. It will be worth the wait though, which can range anywhere from 5 to 40 minutes.
Sfogliatella from €2 - A pastry filled with ricotta and custard. You can find these in most cafes and patisseries along the busy, bustling streets. Some are fresher than others, but they are perfect with an espresso for breakfast or a little pick-me-up in the afternoon.
Pasta al Ragù Napoletano from €9.50 - You're probably already familiar with ragù from your childhood. The rich tomato sauce is cooked low and slow. Normally, the sauce contains meat, but it doesn't have to. You can order a bowl of ragù for dipping or order it as a main with pasta.
Pasta alla Genovese from €10 - Another pasta speciality from Naples is sugo alla genovese, a slow-cooked onion and meat sauce served on top of fresh rigatoni or ziti pasta. The hearty dish packs a lot of flavour and is best enjoyed with a glass of red wine.
Spritz from €1 - In Naples you can find spritzes everywhere, including on the street to take away. You can get a small Aperol Spritz on the street for as little as €1, but it's really not much more if you sit down and have one in a cafe. For €5 you can get your spritz and an aperitivo, which means you get your cocktail and a filling snack to tide you over until dinner.
How to get to Naples
By plane
Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air all have frequent direct flights to Naples International Airport (NAP). You can find flights from several UK departure airports from under £50 return in most months.
Naples airport is only about a 20-minute bus ride from the city centre. There is an airport bus that will take you to/from Garibaldi Station (the main railway station) for 5 euros. Buses usually run every 30 minutes. Taking a taxi is also a cheap option, but make sure you agree to the price before you get in, as some taxi drivers have been known to rip off tourists.
By train
If you're lucky enough to already be in Italy and living your best life, getting to Naples by train is quick, easy and cheap. Naples is connected by train to most major cities, including Milan, Rome, Florence and Pisa.
🏴☠️ Pirate trip: If you're planning to take the Circumvesuviana, the local train line that connects Naples to places like Herculaneum, Pompei and Sorrento, be aware that it can get very crowded (you'll probably be standing for a good part of the journey), which means it's the perfect place for pickpockets. Just be aware of your surroundings and keep your valuables where you can see them and you shouldn't have a problem.
Where to stay in Naples
Compared to the Amalfi Coast, where prices are significantly higher due to its status as a luxury tourist destination, accommodation in Naples tends to be a more affordable option. Expect to pay around £340-£420 per week for a centrally located and well-rated Airbnb in Naples, whereas a week in Amalfi or Positano would easily cost double (or in some cases triple) that.
You'll be able to find a range of accommodation in Naples. I stayed in an Airbnb that had a kitchen, but if you book a hotel or apartment without a kitchen, you'll be fine. In fact, it might be cheaper to eat out every day than to cook. A budget hotel in Naples averages around £42 per night, while a hotel in Amalfi or Positano averages around £190 per night. There are cheaper options on the coast for smaller towns, but it is recommended that you hire a car or scooter, which will add to your overall costs.
While you'll certainly save time by staying in one of the towns on the Amalfi Coast, I think the 2 hours it takes to get there is a valid trade-off when I look at how much money I saved by using Naples as my home base. It's also great if you want to visit other places in the area, such as Pompeii, Capri, Ischia or Herculaneum. Plus, there's so much to do, see and eat in Naples that it's well worth spending a few days just exploring the city.
Where to explore, beyond Naples
Pompeii and Herculaneum
One of the highlights of a trip to Italy is the Roman city of Pompeii, which was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD and offers a vivid picture of life in an ancient city. However, Pompeii can be very crowded, especially in the summer months. Be sure to book your ticket in advance with the skip the line option. This allows you to save some time. We recommend booking in the audio guide, which will really bring the place to life.
A good alternative is Herculaneum, which is closer to the foot of Vesuvius and was also completely buried. Although the small port town was buried at a greater depth, it has been impressively excavated, allowing visitors to enter multi-storey buildings where the famous Pompeian mural paintings have been preserved in their original state.
🏴☠️ Pirate tip: If you're planning to visit Pompeii during the summer months, bring an umbrella. Not because it might suddenly rain, but because there is little to no shade and a lightweight umbrella will give you shade at all times.
Vesuvius National Park
Vesuvius National Park is a popular hiking destination with beautiful trails. Vesuvius is the only active volcano on the European mainland. After a nice climb, you can explore the crater with a guide.
A visit to Vesuvius should be planned for a day with good visibility, as the view from the crater is worth the hike. The road to the crater passes through beautiful vineyards, lava fields and valleys.
The Island of Ischia
Ischia is a great place to visit. Ferries and hydrofoils leave daily from Naples or Pozzuoli. Visitors arrive in Ischia Porto, the capital, and can explore the island by bus. The Aragonese Castle and Archaeological Museum of Lacco Ameno are particularly noteworthy, but the island is famous for its thermal springs.
Capri
The island of Capri is located in the Bay of Naples. Once upon a time it was connected to the Sorrento Peninsula. Today, the island is a bit of a playground for the rich and famous, as well as the hordes of tourists that flock there. The island is home to the Blue Grotto, a natural cave with stunningly electric blue water.
🏴☠️ Pirate tip: You don't need to worry about booking your train tickets in advance, but you should try to book your ferry tickets as far in advance as possible to get a better deal. The closer you get to the time, the more expensive it will be and the more likely it is to be sold out. This is especially true in the morning and during high season.
The Sorrento Coast
Opposite Naples, on the other side of the Gulf of Naples, you'll find the Sorrento Coast. Known for its terraced farms of giant lemons, oranges and olives, sheer cliffs and beautiful views. The town of Sorrento sits high on a cliff and the old town is a bustling centre of narrow, interconnected streets full of souvenir shops and restaurants.
The area has its fair share of beaches and beach clubs, although the towns outside Sorrento are a little less glamorous than its neighbour, the Amalfi Coast.
The Amalfi Coast
The Amalfi Coast stretches from Positano to Vietri sul Mare and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. There are 13 towns and villages along the Amalfi Coast: Amalfi, Atrani, Cetara, Conca de' Marini, Furore, Maiori, Minori, Positano, Praiano, Ravello, Scala, Tramonti and Vietri sul Mare.
The most famous of the 13 are probably Positano, Amalfi and Ravello. They are therefore the most expensive and the most touristy. Each town has its own character and charm. Driving along the coast is particularly beautiful, but if you have the opportunity to see the towns from the water, we highly recommend taking a boat tour or ferry for an even better view.
🏴☠️ Pirate tip: Be sure to visit the town of Ravello on the Amalfi Coast. A little harder to get to, it sits above Amalfi and offers spectacular views of the coastline. The fact that it's a little harder to get to means that it's not overrun with tourists. Hop on one of the local buses, which will take you to the top in about 30 minutes. You will be greeted by a cute old town with cute cafes. There are two famous villas here that cost about 10 euros to enter. If you're short on cash or time, head to public garden X instead. It's open to the public and offers similar unobstructed views. Plus, the walk up is nice.
If you make Naples your home base, you’ll also be pleasantly surprised that there are a lot of day tours offered from there.
Short on time? Book an Amalfi Coast tour and see it all in one day!
Is that enough time to see all the towns? Well, no. Not really. However, Positano, Amalfi and Ravello are very small towns and very touristy. There aren't many hidden places to explore while you're there. To be honest, an hour or two in each place was enough time for me to walk around, take some photos, eat some gelato, get some good food and feel like I've seen the town.
Feeling inspired? Here are some 🔥 deals to Naples. Get booking!