BarbaraAllison7911

Hello folks!

These forums are always such a help, I thought I would try and get great responses once more!

We will be flying into Naples from Canada for the last two weeks of September 2018. As we plan to rent an apartment it is never too early to start planning. From all the forums and trip reports it is advised to NOT RENT A CAR for our trip to the Amalfi Coast because of the busy narrow roads and the expense of parking in the coastal towns. Does "not renting a car" apply in the last two weeks of September?

We would like to rent in a less busy town and use the apartment as a base to travel to the many coastal towns and Capri. From the reading I have been doing it seems Furore or Atrani fits that bill. However, it seems from what I have read it would be difficult to get in and out of Furore on a daily basis without a car. Can anyone suggest any other small less busy towns?

We want to see the historical sites including Pompeii. Would it be easier to get to Pompeii from Naples by train or bus after landing or from the Amalfi Coast. Some travellers go to Sorrento and see Pompeii from there and also Capri. Would it be wiser to stay there after our flight?

Lastly at this early point, travelling from either Sorrento or Naples, does anyone have a preferred method of travel to the AC if we do not rent a car?

Thanks

PalenQ

Some travellers go to Sorrento and see Pompeii from there and also Capri. Would it be wiser to stay there after our flight?<

Yeh to me - Sorrento ain't your dreamy old seaside town but a very nice watering hole - can't really see the sea from most of town itself as it is high above it. But convenient for Pompeii by train and Capri (boats also from Amalfi area but many more from Capri - Ischia is also a very neat island that I liked as much or more than Capri (loved em both).

Book your train tickets early to and from Rome for nifty discounts - www.trenitalia.com is the site of Italian Railways - www.thetrainline.eu has similar fares as is said to be easier to get to use. Discounted tickets however are train-specific and non-changeable I believe so after a flight leave a few hours fudge factor and if on time have lunch in or near Rome's Termini station - take the airport train there. For lots on trains check www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

I was in Amalfi one October and the roads were still quite congested- the bus rides are a real thrill if slow -boats still connect many towns.

bvlenci

It's definitely easier to visit Pompeii from Sorrento or Naples than from the Amalfi Coast.

I definitely wouldn't care to drive a car there. However, if you don't rent a car, make sure that the apartment you rent isn't inconveniently far from a bus stop.

kja

I'm another person who was glad to NOT have a car in that area -- public transportation met my needs and gave me greater freedom than trying to deal with a car and parking and the stresses of driving in the area. YMMV.

I loved Naples and was very glad to spend a few nights there. More would have been better. ;-)

Capri can be much more charming after day trippers leave. I was glad to have a night there.

I would think that Amalfi itself might also fit your needs and be easier to manage without a car than Furore or Atrani. I could be wrong.

You can get a sense of your transportation options on rome2rio.com -- just be sure to follow up on any options you learn about there, as it is not sensitive to seasonal variation, and there is a great deal of seasonal variation in the bus and ferry schedules for the Amalfi Coast area.

Hope that helps!

Alec

September is peak period for tourism in Naples and Amalfi Coast, so it will be quite busy. Not as packed as in August, but quiet? No.

LSky

We happened to go to Sorrento on a bus. I love to drive and I was never so happy to be on a bus and not drive that particular road.

Plus, having to worry about parking once you get there. If you have to ask, it's best to rely upon public transportation

BarbaraAllison7911

Thanks folks. I guess a car rental is out.......I found this website for buses from Naples airport to Sorrento: http://curreriviaggi.it/eng/index.php. You can find routes under "Bus Routes".

I also thank you for the suggestions regarding Pompeii from Sorrento and also the island Ischia from there as well! Lots of planning to do with transportation for sure! I will probably have more questions once the flights are booked!

kja

If you are flying in/out of Naples, consider that you might want to be in Naples the night before your flight (in case anything goes wrong with transportation), so put your time in Naples at the END of your trip. Depending on the time of your arrival, you might be able to push on to your first destination that day.

There is luggage storage at Pompeii, so you might be able to see it on your way back to Naples....

PalenQ

Naples to me is one of the most interesting and old-world looking cities I've seen in Italy - the laundry strung between old apartment building over narrow lanes reminds me of what many cities in Italy looked like before modernization.

A day there would be perfect

Could do in conjunction with Capri and Ischia, returning to Naples from them and going to them from Sorrento.

kja

IMO, a perfect introductory stay in Naples would be more like a week. JMO. I certainly wouldn't try for Naples and Capri and Ischia on the same day, but that's just me.

BarbaraAllison7911

You guys are great. We will definitely allow a few days in Naples after your comments (wasn't going to do previously). Maybe we could do Sorrento on our arrival and Naples on our return. I just have to figure the best way to get to the AC from either Sorrento or Naples and then back again with ease! It's a long flight from Canada with two stops along the way and we will be tired upon arrival. I like the idea of the bus directly from the Naples airport to Sorrento and then we will have to find a way to the AC from there.

isabel

There are lots of transportation options in the region and renting a car for the Amalfi Coast would be the least good, at least in high season which September is.

Basing in Sorrento gives you the largest number of day trip options - by train or boat to Naples, by train to Pompeii, by boat to Ischia or Capri, and by boat or bus to the Amalfi towns (Amafli, Positano, Ravello, Atrani, etc.). I actually like to go to the Amalfi towns from Sorrento by BOTH boat and bus as they each have advantages. Can't beat the boat for a fun experience and great views, but the number of runs per day is limited (usually one leaves Sorrento around 9 and returns from Amalfi around 4, which makes for a good day trip, but it's not like you can just hop a boat every hour). Buses are more frequent and actually some of the views are even better than from the boat - but some people get motion sick from them, and they can be crowded at certain times of day.

With two weeks you could certainly do more than one base. In that case, even though I really love Sorrento and not just for the ease of transportation connections, I would probably do a few days in Naples, a couple on Capri, some in Amalfi. With two whole weeks you could also get to Paestum. Most people are trying to cram all of that into less than a week so with two full weeks I'd spread it out.

My photos of Sorrento, Amalfi, etc. are here: http://andiamo.zenfolio.com/p266655284

Naples: http://andiamo.zenfolio.com/p622577421
Pompeii: http://andiamo.zenfolio.com/p941704494

massimop

Did you give up on staying in Atrani? If you are now planning to spend time in Napoli, you could easily visit Pompei from there. Then there would be no advantage to staying in Sorrento since what you really want to experience is the Amalfi coast.

You don't need a car if you stay in Atrani. You can walk to the town of Amalfi from there, and from Amalfi you can get ferries everywhere, or buses. Including Capri.

Flying into Naples airport, I would just take a taxi to Atrani, even though that would probably be about 100e. Or I would take the bus to Sorrento, then a ferry to Amalfi, and then (with luggage), I'd take a taxi ride to Atrani.

Another possibility would be to take the Naples airport bus to the Naples train station and then a train to Salerno. From there you can take a ferry to Amalfi or a bus to Atrani.

If you are thinking about spending nights in Capri, another possibility would be to go from the Naples airport to the Naples docks and get on a ferry to Capri. When you leave Capri, take a ferry to the town of Amalfi.

kja

If you arrive in Naples early enough, consider going straight to Capri (massimop just gave you the directions -- airport to docks, ferry to Capri) and spend a night or two (or as long as you want) there. Then ferry to Amalfi; stay in Amalfi or Atrani for as long as suits you. Then bus or ferry to Salerno, train to Naples. As already noted, you can visit Pompeii en route or wait to visit it as a day trip from Naples.

Definitely consider a visit to Paestum, and while there, be sure to visit its small museum and taste the fresh buffalo mozzarella. You might even consider spending a night or two in vastly underrated Salerno -- so bus or ferry from Amalfi to Salerno, visiting Paestum from there, and then train to Naples.

If staying in Naples and Amalfi / Atrani, I personally wouldn't ALSO stay in Sorrento.

You will probably benefit enormously from a good guidebook to the area....

BarbaraAllison7911

These replies are so enlightening! Firstly, I thought a trip to Capri was a must, then have been reading further and also from a suggestion from PalenQ that Ischia is very nice. Can anyone say why one is nicer than the other, especially if it may only be a day trip?

PalenQ

Paestum plays second fiddle to Pompeii but is in its own right an amazing site to behold. Try to do both.

frencharmoire

Ischia has very little of the scenic drama that Capri does, which is why it is less famous and less crowded with tourists. Ischia has thermal hot springs, and certainly has the charm of a Mediterranean island, but not the photogenic wows of Capri. Over the years Ischia has become a favorite destination of German tourists (Angela Merkel annually visits). There are more all-inclusive spa-garden-resort set-up in Ischia, but you can find them also on Capri, or avoid them in both places.

Neither is a "must". Many people visit the area and decide for their own reaons that adding Capri to their itinerary will detract rather than enhance their vacation. Many people who do add Capri say that spending at least one night there is the only way to experience the "magic" of the island, since during the day, in tourist season, the crowds of tourists have quite an impact.

People who travel year after year after year have loads of nice things to say about quasi-off-the-track places because if you travel a lot, you get to appreciate plenty of unfamous sites. For people laying down the money for the occasional trip to Europe, they may have a different measure for what kind of reward they want for traveling so far. Maybe they don't want crowds of tourists and would appreciate a more intimate island idyll in always romantic Italy Maybe they figure they can go to Key West if they want to laze on a pretty island, and if they are going all the way to Europe, they'd like the unique.

BarbaraAllison7911

Thank you "Frencharmoire" for the lengthily response! I think perhaps we will travel to Capri for a couple of nights from Sorrento from which we will do Pompeii. I was then thinking we could travel from Capri to Amalfi by boat ⛵️ and then stay in the less touristy Atrani for a week or so. Do some hiking on the scenic trails and visit the coastal towns as well as Paestum. All in all we woild be in Italy for 15 days or so ending in Naples for a few days. Once I have finalized my dates, I will post our itinerary and ask for a critique!

yorkshire

You can also use one of the towns at the mainland end of the Amalfi coast as a base. We visited Pompeii while staying in Cetara. There is a train station in neighboring Vietri sul Mare. You can get ferries from Salerno (I think the Cetara ferries end before September, but verify). Paestum would also be an easy trip from there or one of the neighboring towns. You could stay in Capri between Naples and the Amalfi Coast.

BarbaraAllison7911

Thanks "Yorkshire". Were you thinking we stay in Cetara instead of Sorrento?