Blurent Rental company category:Economy
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Camper vans between the Amalfi Coast, the Cilento and the Vallo di Diano
Compare campervan and motorhome rental companies in Salerno to find the best price, and book at the price shown, mandatory fees included.
Hiring a campervan in Salerno puts your starting point at the head of the gulf of the same name, where the Amalfi Coast ends and the Sele plain begins, running towards the temples of Paestum and the Cilento National Park. Further inland, the Lattari Mountains, the caves of the Alburni and the hilltop towns of the Vallo di Diano form a hinterland that few travellers take the time to explore. Our partner company Blurent hands over its vehicles here through its local agency, Camper World.
A port city on a human scale, Salerno lets you hit the road without crossing the Naples conurbation, with direct access to the motorway heading south.
This loop approaches the Amalfi Coast from inland. Cava de' Tirreni and its Benedictine Abbey of the Holy Trinity come before the climb to the Chiunzi Pass, where the view stretches to Vesuvius and the Sarno plain. You then drop down through the pergola vineyards and chestnut woods of Tramonti to Maiori and its long beach, before following the sea to Cetara, a fishing village known for its colatura, an anchovy sauce.
The pass road is narrow and winding: a campervan or compact van gets through far more easily than a large low-profile motorhome.
East of the Sele plain, the Castelcivita caves reach deep beneath the limestone Alburni massif, and the cave sanctuary of St Michael at Sant'Angelo a Fasanella hides a relief carved into the rock. The road then reaches Roscigno Vecchia, a village abandoned in the early 20th century because of landslides and frozen in time around its square, then Teggiano, a medieval town perched in the middle of the Vallo di Diano.
The caves are visited with a guide, at set times that are reduced out of season: check them before you leave. The return to Salerno is via the A2 motorway.
This journey south begins at Velia, the ancient Elea of the philosophers Parmenides and Zeno, whose Porta Rosa preserves a rare Greek arch. Pisciotta then overlooks its terraced olive groves, before the road reaches the Gulf of Policastro: from Scario, boats head for Infreschi Bay, reachable only by sea or on foot. After Sapri, the rocky coast of Maratea marks the entrance to Basilicata.
To return, the toll-free A2 motorway takes you back to Salerno in just over two hours.
The best time to set off from Salerno: days lengthen from 11 to 13 hours of sunshine and rain falls off sharply in June, with only 35 mm. The trails of the Lattari Mountains, the excavations of Velia and the Alburni caves can be explored without excessive heat, and coastal campsites stay quiet before the summer holidays.
Real heat and little rain, with only 24 mm in July and 14 hours of sunshine a day. This is the season for swimming in the Cilento, but also the busiest time on the Amalfi Coast and in the coastal campsites: book your nights and look for cooler air in the uplands of the Alburni or the Vallo di Diano.
The late season stays warm, but thunderstorms return: September gets 140 mm of rain, more than May, and October 122 mm. Leave some slack in your plans. The grape harvest in Tramonti and the chestnut harvest inland make these quieter weeks very pleasant for the hill itineraries.
November is by far the wettest month, with 276 mm, and days offer only 7 hours of sunshine. By the sea, the mild weather lets you visit Paestum and Salerno without crowds; in the Alburni and the Vallo di Diano, cold and sometimes snow make the mountain roads trickier.
Most pleasant months: April, June to August.
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Sun | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 °C | 6 °C | 150 mm | 7 h/day | 15 °C |
| Feb | 14 °C | 7 °C | 133 mm | 8 h/day | 15 °C |
| Mar | 16 °C | 8 °C | 134 mm | 9 h/day | 15 °C |
| Apr | 19 °C | 10 °C | 86 mm | 11 h/day | 17 °C |
| May | 22 °C | 14 °C | 107 mm | 12 h/day | 21 °C |
| Jun | 28 °C | 19 °C | 35 mm | 13 h/day | 25 °C |
| Jul | 31 °C | 22 °C | 24 mm | 14 h/day | 29 °C |
| Aug | 31 °C | 22 °C | 36 mm | 13 h/day | 28 °C |
| Sep | 27 °C | 19 °C | 140 mm | 11 h/day | 26 °C |
| Oct | 22 °C | 15 °C | 122 mm | 9 h/day | 23 °C |
| Nov | 18 °C | 11 °C | 276 mm | 7 h/day | 20 °C |
| Dec | 15 °C | 8 °C | 173 mm | 7 h/day | 17 °C |
Averages 2016–2025 computed from Open-Meteo data (ERA5 reanalysis).
Salerno's old centre is a limited traffic zone, and its stepped alleys are no place for a motorhome. Park outside it, then walk: the Lungomare Trieste, a palm-lined promenade along the gulf, leads to the historic heart. For Pompeii or Naples, the train from Salerno station saves you getting back behind the wheel.
In the warmer months, scheduled boats link the port of Salerno with Amalfi and Positano, with intermediate stops depending on the period. It is the simplest way to discover the Amalfi Coast from the sea without hunting for a motorhome parking space in villages where spaces are scarce. Timetables and boarding piers change with the season: check them the day before.
At the end of the year, Salerno hosts the Luci d'Artista, light installations designed as works of art that draw large numbers of visitors, especially at weekends. Car parks in the centre are then full and traffic slow: come on a weekday instead, or leave the vehicle on the outskirts and finish the journey on foot or by public transport.
One partner company is present: Blurent, which hands over its vehicles in Salerno through the Camper World agency. The exact meeting point and time are given in your booking confirmation. For a wider choice, other departures are available in Mercogliano, 23 km as the crow flies, as well as in Acerra and Naples, about 45 km away.
The rate depends on the season, the rental length and the vehicle chosen, from a compact campervan to a family motorhome. Run a search with your dates: you get the real prices, mandatory fees included, bookable straight away, and can compare them with the nearby departures from Mercogliano or Naples.
Yes: Matera, 155 km as the crow flies, and Bari, 184 km away, are also departure cities of our partners, so you can cross Basilicata to Apulia after the Vallo di Diano. Further north, L'Aquila, 218 km away, opens the road to Abruzzo. Any one-way fees are included in the price as soon as you enter the return city.
Salerno Costa d'Amalfi Airport, in Pontecagnano, south-east of the city, reopened to commercial flights in 2024, with mostly seasonal routes. Naples-Capodichino Airport offers many more flights, with buses to Salerno or the train from Naples central station. Salerno is also served by high-speed trains from Rome.
In the old centre, the cathedral founded by the Normans holds the relics of St Matthew in its crypt, and the Minerva Garden recalls the Salerno Medical School, which grew its medicinal plants there in the Middle Ages. Above the city, Arechi Castle offers the finest view over the gulf, as far as the cliffs of the Amalfi Coast.
Good and quick communication, easy to book and easy to follow all the instructions.
Cooldrive was very attentive and very responsive in all situations. We received valuable assistance in the steps to be taken. I highly recommend it.
The person answered my questions before I confirmed the booking. The van matched my order well with extras. During my trip, I had a little issue that had nothing to do with Cooldrive. I appreciated that the person took the time to call me back. No bad surprises, only good ones. Highly recommended.
Up to 3.5 tonnes, a weight that covers most rental campervans and motorhomes, a category B licence is enough in Italy. If your licence was issued outside the European Union, bring an International Driving Permit or an official translation. Minimum age and years of driving experience are set by the rental company and stated in the offer's conditions.
Campsites are concentrated south of the city, along the pine-fringed coastline running down to Paestum and Agropoli. On the Amalfi Coast they are rare and small: it is better to sleep in Salerno or on the Sele plain and reach the coast by boat. In the Cilento park, check the local rules before parking overnight outside designated areas.
Paestum lies about 45 km south of Salerno across the Sele plain. Campsites and car parks surround the archaeological area, whose three temples and museum, with the paintings of the Tomb of the Diver, can be visited in half a day. On the way, buffalo farms around Battipaglia and Capaccio sell their mozzarella made that day.
The sea reaches at least 20 °C from May to November: 21 °C in May, 25 °C in June, 29 °C in July, then still 26 °C in September and 23 °C in October. Sandy beaches stretch south of the city towards Paestum, while the Cilento offers rocky coves with clear water. In April, at 17 °C, the water is still cool.
The SS18 expressway crosses the Sele plain, then bypasses Agropoli towards Vallo della Lucania: it is the most direct route into the heart of the park. The slower coast road serves Castellabate and Acciaroli. For the Vallo di Diano and the Gulf of Policastro, the toll-free A2 motorway remains the fastest option.
With a single rental company on site, the number of vehicles is necessarily limited: for July, August and spring bank holidays, book several months ahead. The rest of the year, a few weeks is usually enough. If your dates are taken, widen your search to Mercogliano or Naples, an hour's drive at most.
Salerno stands at the hinge between two Campanias: to the north-west, the Amalfi Coast and the Lattari Mountains; to the south and east, the quieter lands of the Cilento, the Alburni and the Vallo di Diano, listed as a World Heritage Site together with Paestum and Velia. Starting here means avoiding the crossing of Naples and beginning the trip where the road gets beautiful, after a morning strolling around a city best explored on foot.
Our partner company Blurent hands over its vehicles here, and Mercogliano, Acerra and Naples, other nearby departure cities, widen the choice. Matera, Bari and L'Aquila open the way to one-way trips to Basilicata, Apulia or Abruzzo. April and the summer months offer the most pleasant climate for this journey between sea and mountains.