Vicky

I think I am making my long held dream of exploring Capri and the Amalfi coast the beginning of May. Last summer my friend and I were on the move in Tuscany and it worked but this time I'd like to avoid packing/unpacking and taking luggage on ferries or buses to spend nights in different towns. So i was thinking of Naples as a base- one of the very nice seafront hotels, and taking the hydrofoil or ferry to Capr, to Positano, to Amalfi. Does this sound like a good idea? By booking air and hotel together we will save significantly. I took the hydrofoil from Naples to Capri in 1977 but have no memory of how long. Can we get a hydrofoil or ferry to these places pretty quickly - have enough time to explore the towns and get back to Naples?
We are considering the Royal Continental hotel or possibly Parkers.
Although we will see some sights in Naples itself, we dont' want to be in the middle of the gritty city.

isabel

How about Sorrento as a base. Just as easy (or easier) to get to all those destination from Sorrento and it's nicer than Naples (and you could do a day trip to Naples if you wanted). But check the ferry schedules to see what they are like at the beginning of May, they might not be in full swing yet though I would think there would be some ferries. But from Sorrento you could also take the bus to Positano and Amalfi if ferries were not convenient.

annhig

Isabel - i was going to say the same thing.

difficult to avoid the nitty gritty in Naples.

I spent a week in Sorrento about a month or so ago [after a gap of about 40 years!] and I'd forgotten what a charming place it is. Very good access to the places you mention and Naples as well - don't miss the National Archeological museum.

Naples was great for a day trip, or even for a couple of days while you see the art treasures there, but not very relaxing for a week or so and quite a long way from the places you want to get to.

ekc

There is no ferry from Naples to Positano or Amalfi.

If you want to see Capri and the Amalfi Coast, you should stay on the Amalfi Coast. You can easily reach Capri via ferry from Positano (and Amalfi, I believe).

Even if you stay in Sorrento, you will waste time transiting to the Amalfi Coast. You will also be dependent on the (usually packed) SITA bus or very limited ferries to Positano (only 2 per day).

IMHO, Positano is the most picturesque village on the AC (and is always my choice of where to stay when visiting the AC). There is regular ferry service from there to Capri and (nearly) hourly ferry service to Amalfi (35 minute ride) and Salerno.

kja

I loved Naples, but agree that it doesn't sound well-suited to your purposes.

BTW, do consider spending a night on Capri -- it can be so much nicer after day-trippers have left!

WWK

I agree that a split stay between Positano and Capri would be ideal. You need to decide soon and see what's available. Early May isn't as crowded as the peak summer months, but it's still very busy in the coast towns.

BTW, if you do decide to stay in Naples, I would nix the Parker's idea which removes you from easy access to town, and stay at one of the hotels along the pedestrian-friendly waterfront. We loved Hotel Excelsior, for instance, and have stayed there twice. It's within a 30 minute walk of much what you would want to do and see in Naples.

bvlenci

Beware of the supposed savings you get by reserving flights and hotels together. The savings are usually less than what you could get by reserving separately, using a specialized hotel site to find better and cheaper hotels. In all the years I've been traveling, I've only found one occasion where I really saved money by booking a flight and hotel together, and that was a time when I wanted a specific hotel for my daughter and son-in-law, because we were staying there too. Apart from the hotels, the flight+hotel package deals never show you all the flights; mostly they show the ones they're having trouble filling up.

I use either www.booking.com or www.venere.com to find hotels in Italy. For flights I make a general search using www.expedia.com , but once I see which airlines are the likeliest choices, I always check the airlines' own sites, where there is usually a grid that shows the best days to fly. If I don't find better prices, though, I reserve through Expedia, because I've found their customer service very helpful, and I do sometimes get very good prices with their car rentals. We've also once had occasion to make a claim on their travel insurance, and they paid the claim with no difficulty.

bvlenci

I agree that Naples is not a good base for visiting the Amalfi Coast. Sorrento is perhaps not the best base if you just want to see the Amalfi Coast and Capri, although they do have boats from Sorrento to the Coast as well as to Capri. Sorrento, however, is the best base if you also want to visit Naples and Pompeii, as it's a pain to get to either from the Amalfi Coast towns.

SkipHudgins

Sorrento or Positano as a base worked best on our trips.

kybourbon

>>>There is regular ferry service from there to Capri and (nearly) hourly ferry service to Amalfi (35 minute ride) and Salerno.<<<

ekc - Do you have a link for this? Since they cut Metro del Mare, I see very little ferry service from Positano (none to Capri).

TDudette

We based in Sorrento one time in March. Gettting to Naples and Pompeii on the train (Circumvesuviana), and Capri (ferry) were easy. We hoped to bus (Sita) from Sorrento all the way along the coast in one day but only made it to Amalfi with traffic slowing things down even in March.

Has anyone actually been able to take one bus from Sorrento to Vietri without changing? Our Italian wasn 't fluent enough but we thought one had to buy another ticket in Amalfi to continue on. Any help?

Vicky, I'd say it depends on what you prefer. Since you say your dream is Capri and Amalfi Coast, perhaps Sorrento would be more convenient yet give you things to do in the evening. Much more to do in Naples and we were sorry to miss the waterfront area when we visited the wonderful museum there.

Yes, do get ferry schedules clarified. Positano might be a good spot if there is a ferry to Capri--it was closer to Sorrento by bus than Amalfi, so you could get the train without too much bus/traffic hassle.

annhig

Has anyone actually been able to take one bus from Sorrento to Vietri without changing?>>

TD - I think the answer to your question is yes. after a bit of hunting, I found the timetable for the amalfi to Naples sitasud bus [it took me a while to work out that the Sitasud timetables aren't on the official Sitabus website] which stops at Vietri but not Sorrento.

<<Our Italian wasn 't fluent enough but we thought one had to buy another ticket in Amalfi to continue on. Any help?>>

i think that it's unlikely you'd need two tickets, but it's possible. you should ask for a return ticket to Vietri [a Vietri, andato e ritorno] and see what happens - if you need two tickets each way, you'll get them, in which case you need to validate a new ticket when you get on the 2nd bus. if you only get one ticket for each way, then validate it when you get on the first bus.

Transport tickets in the Naples area last for 180 minutes from when you first use them so when we went to Naples on the train from Sorrento, we were able to use our train ticket on the metro when we arrived in Naples.

Vicky

Thank you. I think we will have a driver take us from Naples airport to positano. Stay at Poseidon 3 nights then naples royal continental in waterfront 2 nights.

kybourbon

>>>Our Italian wasn't fluent enough but we thought one had to buy another ticket in Amalfi to continue on. Any help?<<<

You can buy bus tickets valid for:

45 minutes (2.50€)
90 minutes (3.80€)
24 hours (7.20€)
3 days (18€).

Since it takes more than 45 minutes to reach Positano or Amalfi from Sorrento, it's better to buy the day ticket unless you are taking a ferry on return. Here's a ticket timetable for point A to point B.

http://unicocampania.it/files/tabella_sorrento.pdf

That's one reason the 3 day Campania Artecard La Tutte Regione (34€) is a good deal if you are using the buses much and visiting a couple of sites. It includes 2 entrances to sites (Pompeii or Herculaneum are 11€ each), the buses along the coast, the Circumvesuviana and a few other trains (certain Trenitalia ones to Paestum). It also includes the metro in Naples, funiculars, trams, etc.

There are other buses that go inland instead of along the coast to a lot of places from Naples (Sita sud, Cosat, Buontourist, CSTP)although some might be seasonal. There are some that go from Naples airport to either Sorrento ( Curreri Viaggi - 10€) or Salerno (Cosat, Buonotourist) without making many stops or going into Naples.

http://www.portal.gesac.it/portal/pa...OPORTO/Autobus

>>>Transport tickets in the Naples area last for 180 minutes from when you first use them so when we went to Naples on the train from Sorrento, we were able to use our train ticket on the metro when we arrived in Naples.<<<

Ann's talking about the Circumvesuviana train ticket, not Trenitalia. This also wouldn't apply to a bus ticket which have different validity.

annhig - Do you have a link about the validity of the Circumvesuviana ticket? I would think that was for the Sorrento/Naples ticket and maybe not for shorter tickets which are cheaper?

annhig

annhig - Do you have a link about the validity of the Circumvesuviana ticket? I would think that was for the Sorrento/Naples ticket and maybe not for shorter tickets which are cheaper?>>

i only have what was on my ticket plus what I read somewhere - it might even have been in the fodors italy guide that I chopped up and took with me. The impression i got was that one circumvesuviana ticket lasted from 2 hours throughout the Naples area but I have to say that I hadn't considered the shorter journey option - eg if you bought your ticket to Naples at Pompeii.

The day cards and the 3 day card that you mention look like very good value.

kybourbon

>>>We hoped to bus (Sita) from Sorrento all the way along the coast in one day but only made it to Amalfi with traffic slowing things down even in March.<<<

I find the better option for this is an early ferry from Sorrento to either Amalfi or Salerno (depending on how much of the coast you want to see) and work your way back by bus. From Salerno, you have to change at Amalfi (ditto if you were busing from Sorrento to Salerno). In season, the buses run quite late 11 or so).