For those without a car, you’ll mainly have to stay in Sapri – most of the locations in Cilento are difficult to reach by public transport.
Sapri is a good base, but in and of itself would not win a beauty contest. Despite being small, it is the hub of an entire region, offers all services, and a nice seaside walk and beach. Good for a day or two, but if you stay longer, we’d recommend renting a car and exploring the beautiful region.
Note to the (travel) journalists among the guests
Many of the places we mention are not overcrowded by influencers yet. That’s why we love going there! 🙂
How to get to Sapri
Most of you will fly to Naples; we suggest early booking, as it is a holiday weekend in Germany and prices go up sharply.
There is also a night train run by the Austrian railway company that connects Munich and Rome. From Rome, fast trains to Naples take around an hour and a quarter.
From Naples Central Station to Sapri: From the Central Sation there are very frequent connections, either directly or with a change in Salerno (type: Napoli Centrale – Sapri). From our experience, the cheapest option is to book directly via the Trenitalia Website, which offers multilingual versions.
From Naples Airport to Sapri by car: Google Maps will suggest a route via the exit “Lagonegro Nord” from the E45. After that, it leads you through a curvy mountain road – not bad in terms of the landscape, but not the easiest trip for those who tend to get travel sick. Personally, we find the route via Policastro easier as it leads through a better maintained, less curvy superstrada for most part and then a bit along the sea. Here is the link to that route.
Restaurants in and around Sapri
Ristorante U Marranghino in Policastro, a 10 min car ride from Sapri: A solid choice directly by the seaside.
Pizzeria La Pietra Azzurra in Caselle in Pittari, a 30 min car ride from Sapri, the best pizza in the area. Reservations recommended.
Osteria Tancredi, Caselle in Pittari, 30 min by car from Sapri: A secret favorite of ours. Last time we went they offered an inexpensive set menu which is almost impossible to finish completely, but you can also order à la carte. Reservations recommended.
In Sapri there are plenty of options, though as we have never stayed in town, but rather up in the mountains, we unfortunately do not know many restaurants there.
What to do and see in and around Sapri:
There is plenty of nature to explore, but apart from that a few notes:
Southwards to Maratea: A bit touristy, but if you want to record some Insta stories – that’s your place. The 45 minute scenic coastline ride by car from Sapri alone is worth the trip.
Coastline trip northwards: From Sapri, you can also start in the other direction and go north along the coast and visit a few towns along the beautiful coastline. After Policastro begins the nicer part if you ride along San Giovanni a Piro, Marina di Camerota, Palinuro to Pisciotta. None of the places is too touristy, some are more or less sleepy – but that’s the charme.
From Scario (20 min car ride from Sapri) there are boats which bring you to a bay that you cannot reach otherwise, in case you want to take a bath in a very scenic place.
On a final note, Sapri hosts the regional Hospital with an Emergency Room.