Where to stay to visit Pompeii

In short. If you’re travelling without a car and want to see Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast and Naples on the same trip, the most practical base is Scafati: you are a 15-minute walk from Pompeii, Naples and Salerno are a train ride away, and prices are half those of Sorrento. And if you only care about the ruins, you still sleep 15 minutes on foot from Pompeii without paying Pompeii prices. The full comparison, cons included, is below.

It’s the question that comes up in every forum: where’s best to stay to see Pompeii and, while you’re at it, the Coast and Naples? There’s no single answer — it depends on what you’re after. Here are the four most common bases, with their real strengths and weaknesses.

Naples

The city, the museums, the buzz: if you want the Archaeological Museum, the old town and the evenings, Naples is unbeatable. The downside: for the ruins and the Coast you’re always commuting, and Naples is chaotic — beautiful but tiring, and not exactly cheap in the central areas.

Sorrento

Very handy for Capri and the Circumvesuviana, with a postcard view. The downside: it’s expensive and very crowded in season, and you’re still half an hour by train from the ruins. Great if your trip is mainly sea and Coast, less so if Pompeii is the heart of it.

Pompeii (the modern town)

A stone’s throw from the ruins: if your goal is only the archaeological site, staying here is practical. The downside: it’s a small area, with little else to do in the evening, and for Naples or the Coast you set off anyway.

Scafati — where we are

The ruins are one train stop away (about 3 minutes) and the FS station takes you to Naples, Salerno and, from there by ferry, the Coast: it’s an almost perfect logistical base, and prices are lower than Sorrento and central Naples. The downside, honestly said: Scafati is a residential town, not a postcard — the beauty is indoors and in the garden, and in being at the centre of everything, not in the stroll outside the door.

Travel times to the ruins, compared

Indicative times by train/public transport (they vary by timetable):

Base	To the ruins	Indicative time
Scafati	one train stop + short walk	~3 min + ~10 min on foot
Pompeii town	on foot from the station	~10 min walk
Sorrento	Circumvesuviana	~30 min
Naples	train / Circumvesuviana	~30–40 min

In short

If you want the city, Naples; if you want the postcard sea and don’t mind the price, Sorrento; if you care only about the ruins, Pompeii. But if you want a base to reach everything without a car, spending less, Scafati is designed for exactly that — and that’s what we do. Book direct, pay less than the intermediaries. → The houses · Getting here

Our three houses in Scafati

They share the same courtyard, a 15-minute walk from Pompeii and one train stop from the station. A citrus courtyard, a kitchen in each, parking.

• La Ginestra — up to 6 guests, two separate bedrooms. The largest of the three.
• La Margherita Blu — up to 6 guests, two separate bedrooms, a kitchen facing the courtyard.
• La Dalia — up to 4 guests, one bedroom. The most intimate.

Booking here costs less than Airbnb or Booking.com: no booking-platform fees.