Go Back  Fodor's Travel Talk Forums > Destinations > Europe
Reload this Page >

Amalfi coast transportation: which is the best way to get from A to B?

Search

Amalfi coast transportation: which is the best way to get from A to B?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Mar 15th, 2011, 06:12 PM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 147
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Amalfi coast transportation: which is the best way to get from A to B?

We will be making the following transfers... what is the best way to get from A to B? (I will be 24 weeks pregnant but am used to public transportation as we live in NYC and don't own a car)

Sorrento to Positano?

Positano to Capri?

Capri to Amalfi?

Amalfi to/from Ravello?

Amalfi to/from Paestrum?

I am assuming that the best way to get from Rome to/from Naples is high speed train (1 hour), from Naples to Pompeii/Pompeii to Sorrento is the local train, and from Amalfi to Naples is by bus.

Thoughts? Thanks in advance.
summer08bride is offline  
Old Mar 15th, 2011, 08:42 PM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 36,792
Likes: 0
Received 14 Likes on 11 Posts
Depends on time of year as many ferries are summer only. You can take Sita buses along the coast between Sorrento/Positano/Amalfi. There are also ferries, but some are seasonal (bad weather can affect some ports).

If your first destination coming from Rome is Positano, you might want to consider the Marozzi bus. Departs Rome's Tiburtina station and you avoid all the changes (two runs per day in summer).
kybourbon is offline  
Old Mar 15th, 2011, 10:53 PM
  #3  
mjs
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 3,153
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Best way of getting from Rome to Naples is by Eurostar train. Best way of getting around the coast is to hire a car and driver.
mjs is online now  
Old Mar 16th, 2011, 12:14 AM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 1,254
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Is this any help?
http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/image/132567370

While it's still rather early for there to be reliable schedules for 2011 on their websites, for an idea of the boat/hydrofoil services along the AC and from there to Capri etc, try...
http://www.coopsantandrea.com/eng/se...ervizi_eng.asp

and.... http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/image/130578291

(The Lauro group's server seems to be down at present but it was working yesterday, and may even be back by the time you try it.. if you do!)

You may also like this map of the local public transport network...
http://www.unicocampania.it/files/ma..._provincia.pdf

And there's a comprehensive 'Travel Directory' to the peninsula (although, as it's a little old now, you should doublecheck times and prices quoted) available here...
http://www.costiera.it/weben/index.htm

Note that the website of the 'Metro del Mare' which they mention several time has changed, and is now:
http://www.metrodelmare.net/

No news as yet of a 2011 service for that, but perhaps keep an eye on...
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic...-i421-k4139693

And if you're still unsure where to visit whilst in this area, try...
http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/tele

OK so far?

Peter
A_Brit_In_Ischia is offline  
Old Mar 16th, 2011, 01:07 AM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 102
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
goodo
dondonandjj is offline  
Old Mar 16th, 2011, 05:06 AM
  #6  
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 871
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
summer08bride:
This is what we did in 2009 and we were very happy with those options:

Sorrento to Positano? SITA bus; you can buy 1 or 3 day passes.

Positano to Capri?Ferry; we had our hotel in amalfi,so,we took the ferry in amalfi, the ferry made a stop in Positano,then departed to Capri; the same for Capri-Positano-Amalfi.

Capri to Amalfi?see above; the ferry arriving to aamalfi starts at Salerno; and mades a stop at amalfi,you can buy tickets the day before.

Amalfi to/from Ravello?you can go with SITA bus or with the open top Red bus; in 2009,the SITA 3 days pass was good in the Red bus.

Amalfi to/from Paestrum?May be the better is a tour you can ask for at your hotel,for us Paestum is still pendin(and one more reason to return,I hope in may/june 2012).Have a nice trip!!!!!
jelopez33 is offline  
Old Mar 16th, 2011, 05:34 AM
  #7  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 147
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
thank you for the great advice! will look at those links tonight. I didn't realize it would make a difference but we will be travelling early May.
summer08bride is offline  
Old Mar 16th, 2011, 06:10 AM
  #8  
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 1,254
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Sure does - for the sea routes along the AC particularly!

However Capri/Sorrento, and the ones from both those places to Naples, operate all year... as do Ischia/Procida/Naples!

Peter
A_Brit_In_Ischia is offline  
Old Mar 16th, 2011, 06:20 AM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 2,552
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Oh, I didn't see this separate post, but happened to add some related content to the end of your other thread.

Early May is "shoulder", when things are just beginning to open up but still relatively quiet. (We loved it there at that time of year!) When we were there last year, not all the ferries were running. I think maybe we'd thought of taking a ferry from Amalfi to Capri, but then that one wasn't running... I can't remember for certain now.

The Sita bus is totally easy. (As New Yorkers, we're used to waiting for public transit, adjusting for stops along the route, etc.!) When we boarded for the first time, I insisted on sitting in the middle on the inner side (away from cliff's edge), convinced I'd be scared of what I might see. Well I quickly got over that! The bus drivers handle those curves - and oncoming traffic around them - beautifully. Quite an experience! Gorgeous views and I wanted to sit in the front next to the driver. It's about an hour and 45 minutes from Sorrento to Amalfi.

The Circumvesuviana is also very straightforward. The cars are more like subway seating than, say, LIRR. (And the exteriors are covered with brilliant graffiti!) On some of the cars, there's a luggage rack at the end - but I was very wary of putting our suitcases there, stood nearby and kept my eye on it the whole time. (They were fine.) From Naples to Sorrento is about an hour; Pompeii Scavi is roughly halfway between.

Oh, and the Arte Card Campania ended up being a good deal for us; we got one that included regional transit. It includes admission and reduced admission to almost all the regional sights: www.artecard.it

Or as jelopez33 says, you can get day or multi-day passes for Sita. We bought our first ones from the newsstand shop in the ground floor of the Sorrento train station and another in a similar shop right near where the buses depart in Amalfi... In Sorrento, the Sita buses depart from right in front of the train station; just look/ask for the one to Positano. Also FWIW, in Sorrento the train platforms are actually above street level, which wasn't immediately obvious to us the first time we arrived there!
ggreen is offline  
Old Mar 16th, 2011, 08:08 AM
  #10  
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
ggreeen..I tried to look at the website for the artcard and it is not really clear, to me, what you will get with the different types of cards. We will be in Positano for 1 week May 14-21. Are a lot of museums and places of interest a good deal with the card you bought?
Also, any insight to the outdoor concerts in Ravello?
Lakelife is offline  
Old Mar 16th, 2011, 06:30 PM
  #11  
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 36,792
Likes: 0
Received 14 Likes on 11 Posts
Lakelife - The 3 Day Tutta La Regione (27€) gives you transport throughout the region buses/trams/metro/local trains(Naples to Paestum and along the coast). It also gives you free admission to your first two sites and discounts after that. Admission to either Pompeii or Herculaneum is 11€ each, so a pass can be a good deal. Just a one day pass for the Sita bus along the coast is 7.20€ so if you plan to use much transport, the card is a good deal. The other cards don't include transport.
kybourbon is offline  
Old Mar 17th, 2011, 06:15 AM
  #12  
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 2,552
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
What kybourbon said!

The sites included are basically all the major state-run ones in the region. We used it for Herculaneum and the archeological museum, for example.

You can purchase it in a number of locations, including the Naples train station and at entry to the included sites.

Sorry, I didn't go to Ravello - but maybe someone else can help. You might get more info if you create a new thread asking specifically about that!
ggreen is offline  
Old Mar 17th, 2011, 10:15 AM
  #13  
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 1,254
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Lakelife, if you didn't find it, this is their attempt to explain the 'tutta la regione 3 days' card...
http://www.campaniartecard.it/itinerary.cfm?id=13

At the foot of the page you'll see the list of museums and sites it covers!

I guess it should be pointed out that the three days have to be successive - rather than picked "gappily" during your week - and also that it ceases to be valid at midnight of day three.
............................................

For the rest of your visit, if you just want transport, this - the 3T card - which covers all of Campania...
http://www.unicocampania.it/index.ph...isti&action=3T

... may be a better buy than the more limited 3 day 'UnicoCostiera' pass, which is only €2 less...

http://www.unicocampania.it/index.ph...anner=costiera

As well as its many fine museums and collections (over 200 of them, or so I've seen claimed), and the archaeological sites, you'll find that Campania has a lot more to offer....

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/tele

Peter
A_Brit_In_Ischia is offline  
Old Mar 17th, 2011, 10:48 AM
  #14  
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 57,890
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Early May is a big advantage = since buses will be less mobbed and you won;t be left waiting for the next one. Generally ferries are a good way to travel - if they go from A to B for you - and in May the weather should be mild enough that cancellations is not a problem.

We always use a car - since we think driving the coast road is fun - and we are in the middle of a longer road trip. But this requires a hotel with parking (which few have).

However i would also have the names of some reliable drivers - since depending on how your pregnancy goes - standing for long periods on a bus may be too much - esp if your hotels are a long climb up the cliff.
nytraveler is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
gfrance
Europe
4
Jun 4th, 2013 10:02 AM
peapod
Europe
14
Sep 18th, 2012 07:58 AM
KathyCapri
Europe
5
Aug 31st, 2011 09:32 AM
DrBlueCrab
Europe
17
Apr 23rd, 2008 02:22 PM
cl4udie
Europe
8
Nov 10th, 2007 12:58 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On



Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -