dutchaussie

My wife and I are taking my 4 yr old daughter away with us for 8 days on the Amalfi coast in early August (are we mad???). Flying in and out of Rome we are after any advice on where to stay and also transportation.

We have been to rome previously so not planning on spending time there - maybe 1 night at start or end of trip.

Priorities are good access to beach, good casual dining options and day trip options.suggestions welcome!

Was thinking of hiring a car in Rome and driving south, as a car may be handy for a day trip or 2 or would train and local buses/ferries be more advisable? maybe 1-2 nights in either naples or Sorrento and then 5 on Amalfi coast. Any advice on which of the following (or anywhere else) Positano, Praiano or Amalfi would be best would be greatly appreciated. Fully understand it will be peak summer at this time but "quieter" option is preferred.

Any advice would be appreciated, previously had excellent recommendations given for Emilia Romagna area resulting in an unforgettable trip.

thank you in advance

sandralist

Hiring the car would be mad. If you cannot afford a private car transfer all the way from the airport, I suggest taking the train from Naples, and then taking a private car all the way to the Amalfi or Sorrento. Don't bother switching hotels. Rent an apartment -- but pickings are getting slim this late. Try Summer in Italy. And try to get a place with a pool, and ask a lot of questions about 4-year old safety issues. You don't want to spend a week pulling your child away from a balcony, or dealing with interior stairs easy to fall down.

Personally, I would just roll with it. Don't make fixed plans to see Capri or go hiking. The buses could be nauseating for your small child, and they will be packed with long queues. It might be too hot to be on the beach after 10am. You must have suncreen, hats, coverups, aqua shoes.

Treat this as the relaxing vacation of a lifetime, not a sightseeing + restaurants experience of Italy.

I might look in Atrani or Amalfi (the town) to have fewer stairs to climb.

sandralist

Sorry -- now realize I skipped the part of 1 night in Rome. I would take a later afternoon train down from Rome on your 2d day, and then a private car to the Amalfi coast. Be sensitive to the fact your child may need breaks along the way if he or she is subject to motion sickness.

You could also consider taking a ferry for the last part of the journey -- I guess from Sorrento. I would still take a taxi from the train station to the ferry dock.

Others might have other tips. But I think having your own kitchen with a 4-year old would be best. You can easily buy food that is delicious that doesn't require you to be cooking much.

dreamon

Agree with Sandra that driving would be extremely challenging. I imagine that the buses would be very busy at that time of year and when standing there isn't much to hang on to. We enjoyed the buses when we got seats and the scenery was fabulous. Ferries are good but didn't run early or late when we were there.

Try airbnb for an apartment. We rented one in Positano in May and it was great.

Don't expect much from the beaches. We thought they were very ordinary (at least the ones we saw), although the water was clear.

nytraveler

Be aware that much of the AC is vertical - steps - can be dozens or hundreds - to get around in the town. Don;t think this will work with a 4 year old unless you plan on carrying her around a lot.

If it were me I would stay in Sorrento, which is fairly flat, in a hotel with a nice pool (beaches on the AC are not much - usually small and pebbles or rocks versus sand and often a long climb down from your hotel).

Agree a car is a really bad idea that time of year due to the massive traffic jams - but then the bus on the coast road is usually mobbed (often standing room only). We have traveled there with a car and it was fun - but it was also May, when traffic was much less.

I would stay in Sorrento which has access to the local train and also a lot of ferries and hydrofoils which are really the best way to get around. It is also the first stop on the SITA bus down the coast.

But, you have left it VERY late to find any place to stay. Have you started looking for places in your budget range yet?

Cathinjoetown

The Amalfi coast is one of the last places in Europe I would go in August, with or without a child. You really need a good base with a pool and AC. Sorrento is a good suggestion.

While your daughter is no longer a toddler, there may be some good tips in this blog:

http://ciaobambino.com/traveling-wit...i-coast-italy/

sandralist

I honestly don't see much advantage to staying in Sorrento. The city works for people who are planning to go to Pompei and take lots of ferries to islands or the coast, but with a 4 year old in August, those activities are not great. Pompei is impossible in August for a 4 year old, and day tripping by ferry -- and finding yourself in a tourist crush and facing steep staircases is not ideal.

There are no beaches in Sorrento (although you could try Meta di Sorrento), but if you are going to mainly be by a swimming pool, why not one where the views are spectacular. Plus, in the evenings, the small towns of the Amalfi will lose their intense crush of tourits, but Sorrento will not.

Amalfi (the town) and Atrani have enough flat space to mean that a 4 year old can run around without constantly climbing stairs, and they have beach space as well. If you feel like taking a ferry, it's easy from the town of Amalfi.

A four year old doesn't need a place with no staircases at all like Sorrento.

denisea

It will be challenging to find hotels this late. I know some do not recommend their properties for those under 6 or 8 years old because of the stairs, etc...I would not even dream of trying to drive on the AC in August.

Francewithfive

I totally disagree with it being a mistake to drive from Rome. We just did it last week with our three kids ages 5,10,12. Th car rental pick up from Avis was easy, leaving the airport was easy, and the traffic was fine all the way to Naples, then the driving gets a bit crazy. Super narrow streets through Sorrento, really tight driving along steep cliffs as you make your way along the Amalfi Coast to Positano. My husband was totally fine with the drive. Once in Positano we didn't use our car once in the five days we were there. However, factoring in the cost of a train or bus to Naples and transfers from there to Positano it was much more affordable to have the car sit. we paid $550CDN for two weeks for our car.
Positano is ALL stairs so be sure your four year old is a good walker. Our five year old managed but we only went down and back once a day, we often took the bus or splurged on a taxi home.

ekc

France, you drove in early July - TOTALLY different than driving in August. Plus you parked your car the entire time you were in Pos.

OP, where you stay will depend on where you can get lodging at this late date. I adore Positano but some people love Amalfi. Both have good ferry connections, which is the best way to get around in August.

If you want to see the AC, then stay somewhere on the AC. Sorrento is about 45 minutes (with no traffic) from Positano (the start of the AC), so it doesn't make sense to stay there unless you want to concentrate on seeing Pompeii, Herculaneum, Vesuvius, Naples.

nytraveler

Sorry - but Sorrento has much better ferry and hydrofoil service to all areas - Naples, Capri and down the coast than any of the smaller towns down the coast.

It really depends on what you want to do and see.

Agree that this is not a place I would ever go in August although it's wonderful in May. (In August we tend to travel locally - beaches i the Hamptons are fantastic - but if going to europe do Switz or Scand or someplace usually much cooler.)

sandralist

Day tripping to Naples from Sorrento with a 4 year old in August is just not very appealing. Nor is daytripping from Sorrento to the steep hillside towns of the Amalfi during the hottest part of an August day and the worst of the tourist crush.

If you want to see experience the Amalfi coast, it is better to stay there, and enjoy some morning or early evening swims, and experience the towns when they are not overloaded with tourists, and relax over long lunches and nap in the middle of the day. If you were traveling with pre-teens, Sorrento might be a kick for them with its sociability, and of course you would want to go to Pompei, Naples, islands, day trip. But with a small child, you might want to just live the high life on the Amalfi, with great views and great sense of having everything you could possibly want in terms of beauty and fun without going anywhere.

dutchaussie

Thought I'd just post a quick reply with big "Thanks" to all who have replied. Loving the feedback

cfc

Sorrento is easiest to get to without a car (and I wouldn't take a car), but if you don't want to stay there, you'd take a ferry a little further along the coast and stay put there (Amalfi, Positano, wherever you can find a place). I'd be very hesitant to put myself in the position of needing to take the bus or a car anywhere beyond Sorrento. I loved Sorrento, but I didn't beach and I wasn't 4, so it was mostly a matter of wandering and admiring stuff.

Those with more experience re: Sorrento: Does the little harbor - Marina Grande - have any beachy- area or is it all boats and (great) restaurant?

cfc

dutchaussie - Most of Sorrento is set up over the water, essentially cliffside, although there are stairs down from strategic places (and certain hotels) -- perhaps the easiest descent is right in the middle of things, but I don't remember too much beaching. There are cabana clusters in either direction, but I think people are right about having pebbly beach. Take a close look at whatever photos on line you can find for towns in the area to see who has sandier-looking beaches.