Do you prefer to stay in Sorrento or Positano
Mar 21st, 2008, 09:51 PM
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Do you prefer to stay in Sorrento or Positano
My husband and I are taking our first trip without our three children. IN May, we're going to Italy for 2 weeks during which we'll stay on the Amalfi Coast for 4 nights.. Originally we were going to stay in Positano, because it sounds like such a romantic place. But then I remembered that we've never been romantic people. We're go, go, go people (even before the three kids). So after reading all the posts I'm wondering if we'd be better off in Sorrento.
While we're there we want to:
- Take a driving tour of the coast and Paestum(already arranged with a private guide)
- Explore Pompeii
- Go see Herculanium
- Take the hydrofoil to Capri (and be crushed like sardines with all the other people on Capri)
We'd like to sit on our balcony overlooking the water and eat breakfast or have a glass of wine for about 30 minutes, then we're ready to go do something.
Since we're spending most of our time going places, I'm wondering if Sorrento would be a better home base for us (closer to transportation, etc).
We've never been to this area and wondered if anyone can offer some advice.
While we're there we want to:
- Take a driving tour of the coast and Paestum(already arranged with a private guide)
- Explore Pompeii
- Go see Herculanium
- Take the hydrofoil to Capri (and be crushed like sardines with all the other people on Capri)
We'd like to sit on our balcony overlooking the water and eat breakfast or have a glass of wine for about 30 minutes, then we're ready to go do something.
Since we're spending most of our time going places, I'm wondering if Sorrento would be a better home base for us (closer to transportation, etc).
We've never been to this area and wondered if anyone can offer some advice.
Mar 22nd, 2008, 02:22 AM
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Just returned yesterday from a 6 days selfdrive trip to this area.
We were based in Nerano/Marina del Cantone which is down from S. Agata and close to the southwestern edge of the Sorrento Peninsula. Having our own car we enjoyed driving around the Amalfi Coast but preferred to use the public bus to Sorrento for the day trip to Capri and another day trip to Pompei ruins by Circumvesuviana train. So coming to your question, if you are not going to drive by yourself take Sorrento as your base ! It overlooks the Gulf of Naples and you can also see Mt Vesuvio from there if the sky is enough clear !
Capri: there are 2 options: Hydrofoil or Caremar Ferry. Hydrofoil is much more expensive and it takes 15 minutes but the ferry takes 25 minutes which is not that much longer! We also have 2 children so at the end there is a budget difference. Moreover the schedule of the ferry was even better. The last hydrofoil back from Capri to Sorrento was at 5:40pm while the last ferry was at 6:30pm so I would suggest you to take the ferry. To avoid the crowds, which is almost impossible, try to avoid the weekend but choose a midweek day instead !
Pompei: the Circumvesuviana rail station is 5 minutes walk from the main Tasso Square in Sorrento. It runs every 30 minutes to Naples and it takes about 30 minutes to Pompei/Villa dei Misteri station which is right in front of the main entrance to the ruins !! Allow more than half a day inside !!
Hercolaneum: we drove there so I do not have any information on how to reach the ruins from the railway station. Probably a taxi is the best choice. We combined this tour with the drive to the summit of Mt Vesuvio. If it is not couldy the view down from above is fantastic.
From the car parking area it is an easy 20 minutes stroll to the summit and you can see the big cone inside !
I have also noticed a bus stop at the parking area so there must be the way to reach the spot by public transportation if you do not arrange a minibus tour through your hotel or travel agency !
Amalfi Coast: it is really beautiful and we liked Positano much more than Amalfi.
There are regular public SITA buses running from Sorrento to Salerno along the whole Amalfi coast. The road is very well paved but also very winding (better to take some pills for car sickness with you) and it took 2 hours by late evening without any traffic to drive back from Vietri sul Mare (bought ceramics there), very close to Salerno, to our lodge in Nerano. By daylight with more traffic it would take even more than 2 hours one way! You have already arranged a driving tour to Paestum which is quite far away south from Salerno, so I would say that if you intend to have only one full day for the whole coast and Paestum it is definitely too much from Sorrento ! I would spend one day from Sorrento to and along the coast and another day straight to Paestum along the northern side of the peninsula and highway from Castellammare di Stabia to Battipaglia and further south Paestum.
You will enjoy this trip very much ! We loved it !
fabio
We were based in Nerano/Marina del Cantone which is down from S. Agata and close to the southwestern edge of the Sorrento Peninsula. Having our own car we enjoyed driving around the Amalfi Coast but preferred to use the public bus to Sorrento for the day trip to Capri and another day trip to Pompei ruins by Circumvesuviana train. So coming to your question, if you are not going to drive by yourself take Sorrento as your base ! It overlooks the Gulf of Naples and you can also see Mt Vesuvio from there if the sky is enough clear !
Capri: there are 2 options: Hydrofoil or Caremar Ferry. Hydrofoil is much more expensive and it takes 15 minutes but the ferry takes 25 minutes which is not that much longer! We also have 2 children so at the end there is a budget difference. Moreover the schedule of the ferry was even better. The last hydrofoil back from Capri to Sorrento was at 5:40pm while the last ferry was at 6:30pm so I would suggest you to take the ferry. To avoid the crowds, which is almost impossible, try to avoid the weekend but choose a midweek day instead !
Pompei: the Circumvesuviana rail station is 5 minutes walk from the main Tasso Square in Sorrento. It runs every 30 minutes to Naples and it takes about 30 minutes to Pompei/Villa dei Misteri station which is right in front of the main entrance to the ruins !! Allow more than half a day inside !!
Hercolaneum: we drove there so I do not have any information on how to reach the ruins from the railway station. Probably a taxi is the best choice. We combined this tour with the drive to the summit of Mt Vesuvio. If it is not couldy the view down from above is fantastic.
From the car parking area it is an easy 20 minutes stroll to the summit and you can see the big cone inside !
I have also noticed a bus stop at the parking area so there must be the way to reach the spot by public transportation if you do not arrange a minibus tour through your hotel or travel agency !
Amalfi Coast: it is really beautiful and we liked Positano much more than Amalfi.
There are regular public SITA buses running from Sorrento to Salerno along the whole Amalfi coast. The road is very well paved but also very winding (better to take some pills for car sickness with you) and it took 2 hours by late evening without any traffic to drive back from Vietri sul Mare (bought ceramics there), very close to Salerno, to our lodge in Nerano. By daylight with more traffic it would take even more than 2 hours one way! You have already arranged a driving tour to Paestum which is quite far away south from Salerno, so I would say that if you intend to have only one full day for the whole coast and Paestum it is definitely too much from Sorrento ! I would spend one day from Sorrento to and along the coast and another day straight to Paestum along the northern side of the peninsula and highway from Castellammare di Stabia to Battipaglia and further south Paestum.
You will enjoy this trip very much ! We loved it !
fabio
Mar 23rd, 2008, 12:19 AM
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then I realized I have misread "with" your children.
One more thing about the driving tour to the coast and Paestum.
Yes, it is too much for just one day but all depends on the number and lenght of the stops you may want to do. I would recommend stopping in Positano, Amalfi and Ravello. Including the lunch time in one of these places, there is not much time left for Paestum !
One more thing about the driving tour to the coast and Paestum.
Yes, it is too much for just one day but all depends on the number and lenght of the stops you may want to do. I would recommend stopping in Positano, Amalfi and Ravello. Including the lunch time in one of these places, there is not much time left for Paestum !
