Amalfi Coast Logistics

Old Feb 14th, 2016, 05:24 PM
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Amalfi Coast Logistics

My wife and I are planning a trip to the Amalfi Coast in early May. We are allocating 5 or 6 nights to that area. We are planning on visiting Capri, Positano, Amalfi, Pompei and/or Herculaneum, and possibly Paestum. Trying to figure out the best logistics of such a trip. Here are our questions: Should we rent a car or use public transportation? Should we stay in one hotel for the duration or would it be better to stay in two places to cut down on travel and also get a different experience (i.e. stay in Capri overnight?) Feel free to recommend your favorite town(s) and hotel(s) where to lodge. Grazie!
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Old Feb 14th, 2016, 05:46 PM
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Hi, we did a similar itinerary a while ago. We had Positano as our base and it was perfect as you have many transport options. We did hire a car with driver for some point to point transfers mostly because we had a toddler with us at that time and it made it very convenient. However, you can easily take boats to these places and boat+train to Paestum. We stayed in a villa in Positano directly across the street from the famous Le Sirenuse hotel.

I highly recommend at least 1 night's stay in Capri. All the day trippers leave by afternoon/early evening and you will be able to experience a relatively quiet Capri like the locals.

There are many steep steps to navigate in all these towns, so travel light so that you don't have to lug around heavy luggage. In Capri you can arrange with the hotel to fetch your bags from the boat and take it to the hotel while you go around enjoying your day.

Amalfi coast is absolutely stunning, you will enjoy your trip.
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Old Feb 14th, 2016, 08:44 PM
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With the amount of sightseeing you have planned, I would recommend staying in Sorrento.
There is easy train access to Pompeii and ferry access to Capri. There is one return ferry to Positano (departs around 10am, returns around 3pm) or there is the Coast to Coast bus which is similar to a HoHo bus.
Getting to Paestum from Sorrento by public transportation is lengthy - you need to take a train to Naples, then switch to one to Salerno and then make further connections from there. A car service would be a more convenient option albeit more expensive.
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Old Feb 15th, 2016, 09:38 AM
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Thanks for your advice. Sounds like renting a car would not be a great idea. Blueeyedcod, do you think that is too much sightseeing for that 5-6 days? What do you think of 4 nights in Positano and 1 in Capri?
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Old Feb 15th, 2016, 10:02 AM
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I agree staying in Sorrento makes the most sense. Day trips by boat to Positano, Amalfi (bus between them). Easy day trip to Pompeii (not so easy if you are based in Positano). For Paestum one option is an organized group tour. Normally I hate those but I saw several advertised that looked like for a reasonable price you could get there and have more time than if you tried to do it by public transportation. We did Paestum one year when we were leaving the region and heading to Puglia so we rented a car as we were leaving Sorrento, that's the easiest but probably not worth the trouble for just one day.

Day trip also to Capri (although agree about the crowds so if you don't mind changing hotels one night there might be worth it). Alternately we found an 'excursion' from our hotel in Sorrento to Capri that took a nice small boat (about 40 people, versus the huge public ferries). We had about 5 hours on Capri and then a two hour boat tour (with option for Blue Grotto) before returning to Sorrento. All for just about the price of the ferry.

If you have time another nice day trip is Ischia, much less crowded than Capri, easy ferry boat trip from Sorrento.

Here are my photos of the area: http://www.pbase.com/annforcier/ital...aples__pompeii
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Old Feb 15th, 2016, 04:45 PM
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Thanks for the advice. Great photos!! Can't wait to see it in person.
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Old Feb 29th, 2016, 10:20 AM
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We have a few more questions. We'll have 5 nights total on the coast.
1.Wondering whether you would recommend 5 nights in Sorrento or maybe spending 1 or 2 nights in Capri.
2. Are there ferries from Capri to Naples? if so, how long of a trip is it?
3. What is the easiest way to get from Naples to Sorrento? How long does it take?
4. Would you recommend Pompei or Herculaneum? How far is it to either from Sorrento by public transportation?
Thanks.
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Old Feb 29th, 2016, 10:40 AM
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www.capri.net for info on ferries.

You can get to Pompeii and Herculaneum by train from Sorrento. You guidebook will have the information.
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Old Feb 29th, 2016, 11:24 AM
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If you decide to stay on Capri, I suggest 2 nights - if you are going to undertake the ferry / hydrofoil ride and luggage transfers, then I would think you would want a full day there - I think there is plenty to do for 1 full day, and 2 partials.

We have stayed at Hotel Mamela several times and just love it!
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Old Feb 29th, 2016, 05:45 PM
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I was very glad that I spent a night on Capri -- I found it much more magical after day-trippers left! And doing so also increased my flexibility for a taking a boat around the island, as the viability of those options depends greatly on conditions. One night suited my interests and travel style quite well, and I would not have wanted to cut into very limited time elsewhere in the region for a second night there (and I had more time in the area than you). Only you can decide what works for you.

Yes, there are ferries between Capri and Naples, with crossing times of (I believe) 40 minutes to 1.5 hours, depending on the type of ferry, etc. You've already been given a great source for info on those ferries, thanks to ekc, but you can also always get a quick sense of transportation options from either rome2rio.com or by consulting the Rough Guide -- and you can use these sites to answer your questions about getting to Pompeii and Herculaneum (or anywhere else), too.

IMO, Pompeii and Herculaneum are both amazing, but despite their similarities, quite different, so only you can decide what works for you, and the advice to consult a good guidebook or two (which you can do at a local library), is IMO excellent advice. Briefly:

- Pompeii was a large city with a substantial proportion of people who were in the working class. The archeological site is also large (and without good shade -- bring lots of water and sun protection). Pompeii was destroyed by pyroclastic flow, which means that almost anything that could burn or disintegrate at those temperatures (wood, etc.) did. I spent 6 or 7 hours at Pompeii, and in that time, saw what I wanted to see, but did not, by any means, see the entire site.

- In contrast, Herculaneum was smaller, and at least the core of the parts that have been excavated were homes of the wealthy and/or resort homes. It is much smaller -- I visited just about all of what was open to the public in 2007 in just 2 hours or so. Herculaneum was destroyed -- as I understand it -- primarily by ash and mud, so wood was not destroyed and 2nd stories of some buildings remain intact.

Again, FWIW, I thought seeing both sites -- and the differences between them -- quite fascinating and am glad I did so. IME, the audio-guides at each site were satisfactory -- IF one had done some "homework" by consulting informative guidebooks in advance. The better guidebooks provide a wealth of information! I saw both in one day, though I'm sure some people would find that a bit much.

Hope that helps!
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Old Feb 29th, 2016, 07:32 PM
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One of the best views we've ever had....and we've been lucky over the years.... was at hotel minerveta in sorrento. It was a bit of a mess then and is now all fixed up and more expensive. Still...unforgettable and perched on the cliffside... a sweet little 5-10 minute walk from town center. Try to get a room on the cliffside so the v. Busy road isn't between you and the sea.
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Old Mar 1st, 2016, 03:04 AM
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Thanks everyone for the great advice.
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Old Mar 3rd, 2016, 05:36 PM
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Thinking about the following itinerary. Please let me know what you think.
Day 1 arrival in Rome, sleep in Rome
Day 2 Rome
Day 3 Morning train to Naples, Ferry to Capri. Sleep in Capri
Day 4 1/2 day Capri, 1/2 day Sorrento. Sleep in Sorrento
Day 5 Amalfi-Ravello. Sleep in Sorrento
Day 6 Pompei. Sleep in Sorrento
Day 7 Positano. Sleep in Sorrento
Day 8 Train or ferry to Naples. Spend day in Naples. Evening train to Rome
Day 9 Fly home.
Thanks.
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Old Mar 3rd, 2016, 11:25 PM
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Day 2 -- really? Just one day in Rome? Really? OK -- assuming you plan to go back, and are planning to skip Rome on THIS trip to make time for places that are harder to reach, well, I could understand that....

Day 4 -- I can't imagine fitting your wish list for Capri into the time you have allotted for it.

Day 8 -- What are your goals for visiting Naples? the magnificent Archeological Museum there could easily take ALL of your time in this fascinating city that offers SOOOOOooo very much more....

Honestly, this trip sounds very rushed to me. I recommend that you get some good guidebooks (or spend some time with a few in your local library), identify the things you most want to see in each location, check their opening/closing times on the internet, and mark them on a calendar. Then pencil in your transportation, add some time on either side (for getting to/from your lodging, checking in/out, packing/unpacking, getting oriented, etc.). Then see how things fit together.

Good luck!
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Old Mar 4th, 2016, 04:09 AM
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kja, thanks for the advice. That was also my thought (feeling rushed) but wanted to bounce it off people familiar with the area. We've been to Rome before and absolutely loved it. Just trying to see it again while spending most of our time exploring areas we haven't been to in the past. Although we would love to see Naples, I think we may have to skip it an focus our time on the Amalfi coast and Capri.
Thanks again.
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Old Mar 4th, 2016, 05:40 AM
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We very much enjoyed Capri last May...I think it is worth a two night stay. Liked it so much we are going back (for four nights this May).
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Old Mar 4th, 2016, 07:39 AM
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While my first impulse is to say this is way too busy, we have don e this kind of itinerary before, and enjoyed it.
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Old Mar 4th, 2016, 03:54 PM
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If you visit Pompeii -- and it is well worth it, IMO -- then it does make sense to spend at least part of a day in Naples to see the Archeological Museum. Sorry I didn't say that more clearly in my earlier post!

I'm sure you'll find a way to make this trip work well for your interests, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it immensely!
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Old Mar 4th, 2016, 06:02 PM
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I think that visiting Amalfi and Ravello as a day trip from Sorrento sounds like a very long day.

An alternative to cover what you've mentioned might be:
First day - Arrive Rome and travel to Sorrento
Nights1-4 Sorrento (visit Naples, Pompeii and Positano)
Night5 Capri
Nights6-7 Amalfi - ferry from Capri (visit Ravello)
Night8 Rome
Last day - Explore Rome and fly home

Still very busy but you don't have to store you luggage in Naples on the last day and avoid a rushed day trip to Amalfi and Ravello.

If you decide to not overnight in Capri you could possibly split your stays between Sorrento and Salerno (from where you could visit Amalfi by ferry and Paestum). Either way, you're packing a lot in. Would you prefer to spend more time south at the expensive of time in Rome, or not?
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Old Mar 7th, 2016, 06:38 AM
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Thanks again to everyone. Looks like we'll go for a slightly more relaxed itinerary.

Day 1-2: Rome
Day 3: morning Train to Naples, Ferry to Capri. Sleep there 2 nights.
Day 4: Capri
Day 5 Ferry to Amalfi. Sleep in Amalfi next 3 nights
Day 6: Positano
Day 7: Ravello
Day 8: Travel back to Rome
Day 9: fly home.
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