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Touring the Amalfi coast & Pompei from a hub in Positano

Touring the Amalfi coast & Pompei from a hub in Positano

Old Feb 8th, 2013, 09:01 AM
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Touring the Amalfi coast & Pompei from a hub in Positano

We will be arriving in Rome on May 4th and after spending a few days in Rome we will be traveling to Positano by train or bus arriving there on May 8th. We would like to tour the Amalfi coast and also visit Pompei before leaving the area on May 12th to travel to Umbria & Tuscany probably by rental car. What in your opinions is the most expedient way. To visit Pompei from Positano? Since time is precious and limited, are we better off hiring a car and driver for a 1/2 day or can we accomplish it as well another way. Thanks in advance for all your valuable imput.
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Old Feb 8th, 2013, 09:26 AM
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There is no train to Positano - you can get there only by bus, car or ferry.

If you leave Rome early in the am you may want to take the trains (regular train to Naples, then local to Pompeii) store you luggage and see Pompeii before continuing on the Positanto by train and bus. But do allow at lest 4 or 5 hours for Pompeii (seeing the whole places takes way longer but that will give youa start) and check the times of the buses going from Sorrento (end of line for the train to Positano.

Also be aware that the bus can be very crowded - standing room only.

If it were us we would rent a car on leaving Rome and use it on the Amalfi peninsula and then on to Tuscany. But you need to make sure your hotel has parking (rare) or can arrange it for you. This will make it much easier to tour the hwole area without being stuck with bus schedules or mobbed buses.
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Old Feb 8th, 2013, 10:30 AM
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You can take a boat in season ( not sure about early May) from Positano to Sorrento, (about 45 min) then a local train from Sorrento to Pompeii ( about 30 min).
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Old Feb 8th, 2013, 04:27 PM
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hank you very much NYTraveler. I really like your idea of leaving Rome early and taking the train to Naples, storing luggage and taking train to Pompei and then continuing on to Positano by train or bus but my wife and I are over 65 and since we want to see Pompeii and Herculean do you think it would be quite a bit by the time we got into the hotel at Positano? Also I had tentatively decided not to rent a car and drive to Positano as I did not want to have the driving distract me from the scenery. I did think about renting a car and driving when we leave to go to Umbria as I would have already appreciated the scenery. Your input on these thoughts are very valuable to me.
Thanks also to Weadles-I will check to see if the boats are running.
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Old Feb 8th, 2013, 06:38 PM
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Just reread your post. If it's within your budget, yes, hire a driver for a day. I can highly recommend one we have used many times: Giovanni Gargiulo of Toursofitaly.com. He's based in Sorrento, and he and his son, Giancarlo, are both good choices.

One of them could pick you up in Naples at the train station, drive you to Pompeii, wait while you tour, then drive you on to Positano.

I'm sure other posters here can offer driver recommendations, too, if you'd like to compare pricing. Good luck!
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Old Feb 9th, 2013, 11:00 AM
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Thanks very much Weadles. I like the idea is wonderful and while the budget is important, we have a limited amount of time and at age 75 I don't know if I will get back. 1 post said to do what you recommended but have the driver pick us up at the Rome hotel rather than taking the train to Naples with pick up there. What do you think?
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Old Feb 9th, 2013, 11:14 AM
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Oops-another question for Weadles or someone else. After leaving Positano we are going to spend 4 days in Umbria and Tuscany. I don't know if it's possible but would like to rent a car in Positano and drive to Umbris lunching and visiting towns like Orvieto, Todi and Spoleto and then continuing north to lodging for the 4 nights to use as a hub to visit Umbrian & Tuscany towns: Perugia, Assisi, Cotona, Gubbio, Siena, San Ggimignano, Arezzo and Greve in Chianti. maybe I'm trying todo too much??????????
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Old Feb 9th, 2013, 12:18 PM
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Sorry, but I don't know anything about driving from Positano to Umbria. It does sound like a lot to do in four days!

Regarding your other question, of course it will cost more to get picked up in Rome than Naples. I think you could be looking at about E400+ for the day- Rome- Pompeii- Positano.

You will have to weigh the advantages (no getting luggage on and off the train, easier transfer) vs. the cost to see if it's worth the expense. Good luck!
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Old Feb 9th, 2013, 12:37 PM
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I would not recommend renting a car in Positano because the driving in that area is scary. When we left the Amalfi coast for Puglia, which was a driving trip, we picked up the car in Salerno. Sorrento is another option. You would just need to take the bus to one of those places, but there is room underneath for luggage so it is doable.
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Old Feb 9th, 2013, 05:02 PM
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Scary is in the eye of the beholder. We have stayed in the are twice and think driving the coast road is fun (in May - wouldn't do in the middle of summer).

But you do need to be confident, assertive drivers - and used to maneuvering in small space and parking in very small parallel park places. (This may be a challenge to people from the US who are used to bigger cars, much wider roads and huge parking spaces.) Living in NYC our driving and parking conditions are much closer to what you find in europe - than in the wide open spaces.
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Old Feb 9th, 2013, 06:09 PM
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Is it even possible to rent a car IN Positano??
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Old Feb 9th, 2013, 07:07 PM
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I like the idea of hiring a taxi/tour guide for the day.

Our tour guide walked with us in Pompeii for about 3-4 hours, then took us down the Amalfi Coast to Sorrento and Positano.
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Old Feb 9th, 2013, 08:00 PM
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Thanks everybody for your valuable contributions which are very helpful but leave some unanswered questions.
1. Can we rent a car in Positano. Iam a very confident, aggressive Chicago driver an d would have no qualms about driving from Positano to Umbria if it is possible, saves time and is more direct than having to travel to Sorrento or Naples before renting a car. If it is not more direct and would not save hours than I wouldn't bother-I would sit back and relax and leave the driving to somebody else. My whole idea is to be able to get to southern Umbria for lunch and touring before going higher into Umbria to lodging for onte or more nights before touring Tuscany.
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Old Feb 9th, 2013, 08:26 PM
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Weadles, thanks again-just retread your post about being picked up by Giovanni or son at Naples train station and going to see Pompeii, leaving luggage in car, and on to Positano. If you did this about how much was the cost of the car and driver?
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Old Feb 10th, 2013, 06:46 AM
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Hi again,

We never did it this way, so I'd hate to quote you the wrong price. I think you're better off contacting the Gargiulos directly and/or some of the other area drivers often mentioned on this forum for pricing.

I may have contact info for one other driver who a friend of mine is using in March for a similar trip. If I find it, I will post again.
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Old Feb 11th, 2013, 03:10 AM
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A friend of mine is visiting Italy in March. She is using Tiberlimo.com ( owner is Andrea Santucci) for transfers from Rome-Pompeii-Sorrento. She says he has very reasonable prices.
Good luck!
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Old Feb 11th, 2013, 03:22 AM
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I am not sure you can rent a car in Positano - you will have to see if there are any rental car outlets there. We had a driver pick us up and drop us at a car rental place in Sorrento and then we drove to Umbria. It took the better part of the day, only stopping for lunch.
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Old Feb 11th, 2013, 04:34 AM
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You can rent a car in Salerno or Sorrento -- but not in Positano. You would need to get a driver to take you from Positano to the rental office.

It's six of one. half a dozen of the other when it comes to where you rent the car. It is a longer drive from Positano to Salerno than it is from Positano to Sorrento, however, it is a shorter drive from Salerno to Umbria than it is from Sorrento to Umbria.

No matter where you pick up the car, you can't pick it up any earlier than about 9am, because that's when the rental offices open. Since it is just under a 4 hour drive to Orvieto, even if you don't get lost, you should probably count on eating lunch somewhere en route.

As for your overall wish list of Tuscan and Umbrian towns, Perugia generally requires a full day (partly because of the time it takes to get into the city and park). Assisi, Arezzo and Siena are also time-consuming places to visit. Both Gubbio and San Gimignano are a bit far flung, requiring extra hours on the road. Greve in Chianti is a pin speck and centrally located, Cortona is pleasant but without a lot of sights, so it's not hard to fold it into any trip.

It's not clear what you want most from your Tuscan and Umbrian touring. If you would like to visit the artistic and historic highpoints -- Perugia, Assisi, Orvieto and Siena -- they all take time If you were attracted to the area so you could enjoy some scenery and hilltowns, that is easily done.
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