jenlovestravel

Hello! My husband and I are traveling at the end of October to Rome and then to sorrento for 9 nights total. We would like your advice on the best way to get to sorrento w a fair amount of luggage...we were thinking of stopping on the way in Naples to go to the museum of archeology and perhaps then stop at herculeaum - then off to our hotel in Sorrento -in one day However, I made one inquiry and the cost was about 700 dollars . Does anyone have any recommendations? Also- about how much does a taxi cost from Rome airport to rome hotel and sorrento hotel to Naples airport?

My husband does not want to rent a car-so Is it easy to get taxis or guides to take us along the amalfi coast, to various towns like positano and then back to our hotel in sorrento? I hope transportation is not going to be as challenging as it appears....and doesn't break the bank! Thanks so much for your help!

bon_voyage

Hello, jenlovestravel! I got quotes from several car services for my trip last May to the Amalfi Coast area. The most reasonable was from Ugo at www.sorrentocars.com: €300 from Fiumicino to Sorrento, €70 from Sorrento to Amalfi, and €100 from Amalfi to Paestum. His drivers were always early and were courteous and careful. I used Rome Shuttle Limousine for the transfer from my Rome hotel to the airport. It was €45, cheaper by a few euros than a taxi would have been.
What are you planning to do during your 9 days in Sorrento? It would be easy to take the train from Sorrento to Herculaneum. I stayed in Naples but, had I not, I might have taken the ferry or train from Sorrento for the day. Buses (crowded in season) and ferries (check seasonal schedules) also service the coast.

packed

As for travelling up and down the Amalfi coast, the public boats are a real pleasure. The problem is that the routes are limited. There are boats going regularly from Positano to Amalfi and back, and I would recommend taking a taxi to Positano and then a boat to Amalfi. The public buses are OK if you are going within a town, but between the towns our experience was that they didn't always show up, were hot, crowded and to be honest, and could turn your stomach going around the bends.
Except for the buses, this is my favorite area and you will get to enjoy some of the most gorgeous scenery.
If you are hikers, don't miss the "Walk of the Gods"

sandralist

At the end of October, double check to see what ferries are running. Otherwise, your only choices are buses or taxis (the latter generally run about 35e per hour.

You are paying a driver by the hour, so if coming from Rome you want make a stop to see the archeological museum and Herculaneum while he/she sits in the car, the costs are going to sky rocket. Better to make a day trip to see those sites from Sorrento, without your luggage.

Some people need to carry a lot of luggage for medical or other reasons. But if you don't, if you can possibly pare down your luggage to something manageable, you can easily take the train from Rome to Naples, stow your luggage in the Naples train station, see the museum, and then return to the station to pick up your luggage before going on to Sorrento by commuter train.

For a more than week's stay in Sorrento, it would be good to rent an apartment with a washing machine, which could cut your luggage load in half. Also, if your main interest in the area is visiting the Amalfi coast for more than 1 day, you might reconsider staying there at least some of the time or even most of the time instead of in Sorrento.

LouisaH

I just returned from Rome and Amalfi Coast. I got several quotes for transfer services and selected Transferelax. Our driver was Giuseppe and he was excellent. Originally we considered car service from our hotel in Rome to our hotel in Positano for three people and he quoted €350. We decided to take fast train from Rome to Naples, a much better plan for us, and he met us at the station in Naples and drove us to Positano for €90.

Sandralist, I agree with your advice about the luggage.

jenlovestravel

Thanks so much everyone for you kind replies and helpful feedback. I understand what you recommend about luggage, however, I am never happy unless I bring a fair amount of clothes on my trip. We will have at least three large pieces of luggage and carry on bags. So I have two concerns for taking the train from Rome to Sorrento... The first is safety of our bags - I have heard a lot about pick pockets etc. and the second is the number of bags we have. I did get a quote to do everything by private taxi rome to archaeology museum in naples, to herculeum and then to sorrento for 600. It is a lot of money on top of everything else. But at least our luggage will stay safely in the taxi the entire day. Another option is to just go to naples and the museum there...stay the night and then go on to herculeum and then sorrento... but probably 6 of one half dozen of the other. Lousia H, if you still remember the name of the car service or email address that would have charged you 350 - that seems like a very reasonable amount. Thanks very much! If you have any more suggestions or comments about safety of trains, please let me know.

jenlovestravel

Louisa!

jenlovestravel

Louisa H. I just reread your reply and saw that you included the name of the car service you used. Thank you!

denisea

We used Tiberlimo back to Rome from the Amalfi coast and Francesco Marrapese from Rome to Positano. Both services were excellent and we had Mercedes vans that were largess than we needed.

http://www.francescomarrapese.com/mycar.htm

http://www.tiberlimo.com

denisea

We paid around 400 euros each way, I think.

LouisaH

jenlovestravel, regarding safety on the trains, I had similar concerns regarding the luggage but we booked first class or premium (I forget exact term) on the fast train. There were no stops between Rome and Naples so it wasn't an issue. Biggest issue was hauling our stuff onto the train despite the fact that we tried to pack light. However, we managed and it was a good option for us. Of course, we spent our "savings" in other ways once we got there.

sandralist

I don't believe there is any place to store your luggage at Herculaneum, so if you spend the night in Naples, you'd need to put your luggage in the Naples train station to go see Herculaneum, then go back to the station and get your luggage to take it on the commuter train or a taxi to Sorrento.

The cheapest option for you might be to get a taxi from your Rome hotel to the Rome bus station that has a bus that goes directly to Sorrento. I don't know the details about the Sorrento bus or where to find its schedule, but other people here do, or you can ask on Trip Advisor. You would need to make your trip to the archeological museum and Herculaneum later, but that would be quite simple to do. What might be a nice way to do it take the commuter train from Sorrento to Herculaneum, then after that go to the archeological museum. Then take a taxi to the ferry docks and have a boat ride back to Sorrento.

sandralist

Here's the bus info

http://www.browsingitaly.com/campani...timeline/3294/

I noticed you are traveling in October, so you might not be able to take a ferry from Naples to Sorrento.

janisj

>>at least three large pieces of luggage and carry on bags.<<

For <i>nine</i> days?

HappyTrvlr

I agree, for nine days total? I am in the fifth week of a trip around Europe with a 21 inch carry on plus a tote bag.

jenlovestravel

Thanks so much everyone.
Regarding the replies with the snarky comments about my luggage.... do I need to explain that we are all individuals who can (hopefully) make our own choices and should not judge, be bullied or be discriminated against if it is not hurting anyone one else? I am not questioning your judgement on taking a 21 inch bag for more than five weeks...but to each his own.

jenlovestravel

The first class train is something I definitely will look into. Glad it is safe! That helps. Thanks again.

flpab

Jen, I am a public transportation traveler when possible and love the trains. If you have not booked yet first class might be booked already.
We saw a lot of people struggling with oversized bags on the train. We literally could not get off because people had blocked the door. They could not fit large bags in the racks. We do rent apartments and do laundry so is easier for me to pack light. I can't manage all the metro steps with anything big. It just kills my knees. If you are young and strong then take as many cases as you want. When we rent a car it is usually a small one and trunk space is very small. I don't like to make my luggage visible in fear of car being broke into. That happened to a friend and warning was heard. I take a lot of quick dry clothing and have never stunk. If no washer I use the sink and it is dry by morning. It is just easier for many of us and after all these years have the packing down to an art. Not being snarky. It is just easier for us.

alexandrak

Hi Jen, we took this trip in July. We took the train from Rome to Naples and it was easy to navigate - the only issue we had was a man who helped us with our luggage (without being asked) and then expected payment when we were settled on the train. There was a lot of room on the train for our two massive bags as well as a backpack. If you COULD fit what you need into two bags I will say one per person is a lot more manageable, but as you said, to each their own (I am a massive overpacker).

Now from Naples we rented a car and did some other sighteeing before heading to Amalfi coast but we did not use our car once in Amalfi and in fact I refused to as the roads were so terrifying. We stayed in Praiano and took a water taxi into Amalfi - our hotel arranged it and it was super easy, fun, but not cheap ($40 euros one way - if you could find people to share with you, it is per ride, not per person). I remember saying I would "always" travel by water taxi from then on!

If you can get a train straight from Rome to Postiano I would recommend that, and then just water taxi anywhere on the coast you would like to see.

FYI I believe that there are day trips from Sorrento to see Pompeii, Mount Vesuvius etc. We did ours from Naples and it was wonderful. Another option would be to stop in Naples for a night or two on your way down to Amalfi, but I do have to say Naples was the least enjoyed of all of our many stops on our trip. Look on Viator to see your day trip options before making a final decision. It sounds like you really do want to see that, and it is a full day trip, so keep that in mind. I would definitely recommend a Viator tour and it is much less expensive than a private. I think ours was around $120 per person, including hotel pickup/dropoff, admission fees and lunch.

I believe the Rome airport to a hotel will cost you around $50 euros, and I would imagine Sorrento to Naples would be the same if not more.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

HappyTrvlr

Naples has fixed taxi rates to varoius locations in the city. You can find them online. Our drivers complied with those rates.