Which Naples Train Station Should You Arrive At?
- Nathaniel Mellor
- Mar 29
- 3 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Napoli Centrale or Napoli Afragola?
To avoid milking this too much, without a doubt, you want Napoli Centrale, often called "Napoli Garibaldi" after the Piazza Garibaldi the train station is located at.
What's the difference between the two Naples train stations?
Napoli Centrale is the main train station for Naples. Where Rome has one major station (Termini) and a minor station (Tiburtina) with both having pros and cons, that isn't the case here.
Napoli Centrale is located in the center of the city, but on the edge of the tourist district. It's also where you will the Campania Express or Circumvesuviana (both are trains that can bring you to Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Sorrento, with the Campania Express being nicer and faster). Likewise, slightly behind the station is the bus station, which is where you will find buses to Sorrento, the Amalfi Coast, and Salerno.
(However, for the airport bus, which is also located at Napoli Centrale, you will need to leave the train station and cross to the right of the piazza where the bus picks up and drops off passengers).
Napoli Centrale is also where you will catch the only Metro line that exists in Naples and it brings you to some popular tourists stops (like Dante and Toledo).
On the other hand, Napoli Afragola is one stop before Napoli Centrale if you're coming from the north (Rome, Florence, etc.). I can't tell you the amount of times that Darcy and I overheard English-speaking tourists get out at Napoli Afragola and tried to explain to them that they probably don't want to be there.
Why?
Napoli Afragola is a gorgeous building in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by farmland. It's a space-age building that emphasizes passive cooling techniques, sound-cancellation technology, and actively-cooled benches for the hot summer days. Unfortunately, it's close to nothing, you need a car to reach it, and as a tourist, there's no reason you should be getting off there, except to see the station itself.
On Italo (this is an affiliate link to Italy's other high-speed train service. If you book through this link, we will receive a small commission, but we don't represent Italo.) it can be easy to confuse Napoli Centrale with Napoli Afragola, as seen below. If you're not paying 100% attention, it's easy to see the top one as quicker and for the same price, so a decent deal. However, you'll want to make sure you're going to Centrale.
Keep in mind:
While in Italy, you have to keep your passport on you at all times. By law, Italian police are allowed to ask for anyone's documents at any time, for any reason. If you don't have your passport on you, you can get fined.
The reason I bring this up is because, when walking through the train station (a hotspot for police to stop and ask for passports), it's best to have your passport on you if you're just using the train station as a hub for day trips to the coast or Pompeii.
Which Naples train station is closest to the airport?
While the two train stations are fairly equi-distant from the airport, Naples Centrale has all of the infrastructure in place to get you to the airport.
Alibus, the bus that takes you from Naples Centrale to the airport, doesn't operate at Afragola.
While there are taxis at Afragola, it's more common to call one to pick you up than to find one waiting outside. Plus, there's a flat rate from the Centrale train station to the Airport (usually about €20 depending on the amount of people, the luggage, and time of day), making the entire process quick and painless.
Which Naples train station is closest to the ferry?
Without a doubt, if you're taking a ferry or cruise from Naples, you'll want to go to Naples Centrale. There are taxis, buses, and shuttles to the ferry, as well as the Metro.
So, which Naples train station is best?
Unfortunately, Centrale. While Afragola is the more beautiful building and hopefully a sign of things to come in terms of "Wow, I can't believe even the train stations look like churches in Italy" and less like "Wow, why did I get off the train here?", it's not the best for anything.
Napoli Afragola is currently close to nothing and not in a particularly interesting or beautiful part of the city.
If you're planning on staying near the station, you can check out some of the hotels we recommend below. These are affiliate links and if you use them to book a room, we'll receive a small commission.
