sponte4

Heading to Italy for first time. Want to fully explore Florence area for 1 week and then Amalfi (is that the best order?) We are school teachers (who have been studying italian!) so must travel in the heat of July. We plan on staying in apt. with airbnb in each location as we want to have a base camp that is large enough to relax and rest in and cook as needed but feel unsure about the travel from Florence to Sorrento area. Train? Car? And should we just fly into and out of Rome? Thank you in advance for insights...we are good at doing homework just need a starting point.

nytraveler

Where to fly to and fro is hard to tell since we don;t know where you are coming from.

You might fly into Rome and head to Florence (or you could fly into Pisa) and from the AC I would fly back from Naples. However, if you already have one or more flights to get to your US portals you might not want to add multiple flights on at the other end. Do check all of your options, I beleive there are some flight to/fro Naples and the US at least during the summer.

Flying in and out of different cities (open jaw or multi-destination flights) are usually no more than RT to a single city unless there is some super sale involved.

As for getting from Florence to the AC, it's best to take a high speed train to Naples and local transit from there.

Blueeyedcod

nytraveler - the OP is asking how to get to Sorrento - not the Amalfi Coast.

'best' is subjective. You could drive to Sorrento and return your rental car there. You could take the high speed rail to Naples and then the local train (around 4 euro). You could take the high speed rail to Naples and then a private transfer (around 80 euro).

Just decide on what is your 'best'.

clarkgriswold

Bus or train to Garibaldi, then train to Sorrento.

Yes where are you flying in from ? Nice to maybe fly into one city and return home from another with no backtracking, but Rome/Rome may be significantly less expensive.

bvlenci

Even though Sponte was asking about Sorrento, the destination seems to be Amalfi. If you're going to the town of Amalfi, the best way to get there is to take the train to Salerno and local bus or boat from there.

It would help to know where you're coming from. If somewhere in Europe, it would probably be best to fly into Florence and home from Naples. There are budget airlines serving those cities. If coming from another continent, flying into or out of those cities will almost certainly add a layover to the trip. I hate layovers, and Rome is connected to Florence, Salerno, and Naples by fast train, so I would prefer flying into and out of Rome.

Blueeyedcod

Yes Bvlenci you are right - which is why the OP needs to be specific - do they want Sorrento or Amnalfi? I totally agree with you that getting to Amalfi or Positano by ferry from Salerno (in season) is always the 'best' way.

vincenzo32951

Train is probably best, but you could drive and make stops in places like Arezzo and Orvieto, if that's your travel style.

Once you get south of Rome, the drive is fairly easy, highway-type. As you approach Sorrento, it's more local roads, but not the winding type you run into farther south as you head into the Amalfi Coast. I'm assuming you're going to use Sorrento as a base to explore the AC by public transportation. I wouldn't advise using a rental car to explore the AC, especially not in summer.

There is a Hertz outlet that I know of in Sorrento for returning the vehicle. There may be others.

ekc

A rental car in Sorrento or on the Amalfi Coast is a terrible idea in July. Train/ferry is your best bet.

cadd

While I haven't done it myself, I believe you can fly into Pisa which is only 1 hour from Florence via Train. Then you can explore Florence, take a train to Naples and then Sorrento (there is no direct train to Sorrento) and then take a train to Rome and fly out of Rome.

I would take a look though at how long the flights are to Pisa vs. flights to Rome since it only takes 2 hours or so from Rome to Florence on a high speed train and some flights fly direct to Rome which reduces your overall travel time.

I wouldn't get a car since you can see everything by foot/train/boat and it's less maintenance. I just got back from Italy and I was very happy with the fact that we didn't rent a car since Florence and Sorrento are very walkable cities and it's just simpler too.

Almafi Coast is easy to get to, I would 100% take a boat to the Almafi Coast (Positano/Almafi) since the bus is very windy and you may get motion sickness. My wife and I took a bus from Sorrento to Almafi and regretted it, we took a boat back and it was awesome!

sponte4

THANKs to all....I will do more research and ask better questions!

MaryAlex

What did you end up doing?

I'm in the process of researching my options. I've heard Naples train station is a bit unsafe, so it makes me a little nervous about changing trains there, especially while carrying luggage and bags with us.

kybourbon

Any train station might have a few pickpockets, but I wouldn't say the Naples train station is unsafe. It's simply a busy station like the other major stations in Italy. You might encounter some people wanting to help you with your luggage for money, but simply ignore them. If you play the piano, there is one in the station if you want to sit down and play a tune.

AnnJK

Train and car transfer with a driver may be best. We took the train from Naples to Rome and as long as you are alert and keep your luggage with you at all times, it is fine.
We also used train from Florence to Venice and Venice to Milan
Take a look at my trip details at https://www.diyfamilytravels.com/enchanting-italy/
Also more detailed information at

PalenQ

Yes most reported scams in stations seemingly are perpetrated by scam artists like kybourbon says - many stories on Fodor's about fake porters (there are real authentic ones too) and folks volunteering to 'help' with luggage. Few if any reports of stongarm crimes - be leery of anyone coming up to you in stations and one streets - especially the old a duo comes up and asks questions say aout directions holidng a map, etc and theier accomplice is sntaching a bag. Put angst to rest - knowing about the potential problems largely negates them as problems. Just be vigilant but not afraid.

Naples has a dicey reputation that is probably largely undeserved any more than say Rome or Florence, etc. I tripped once just outside the station in a pothole and fell falt on my nose - was dazed and confused to where I was for a few minutes - my bags on the ground- when I came back to reality my bags were still there and several locals were offering to help me to the train station first aid station. I found people of Naples to be very nice!