Bing4eu

Hello, we are a family of 4 with two adult children traveling to Italy for the first time and would like suggestions on travel in between our destinations please.

In May 2017, we fly into Venice from the U.S. We will be staying in Venice 3 nights, (2 full days)
Day 1 - travel from the U.S. to Venice.
Day 2 - Explore Venice
Day 3 - Explore Venice
Day 4 - Travel to Positano via fast train from Venice to Salerno then ferry to Positano. Question # 1&2 - Is it easy to get from the train to the ferry with luggage? Is there a concern that a ferry might not be available?
Day 5 - Explore Positano, beach
Day 6 - Ferry from Positano to Amalfi then bus to Ravello. Sita bus back to Positano Question #3 how long is this bus route?
Day 7 - Boat to Capri
Day 8 - Hang out in Positano
Day 9 - Travel to Pompeii on the way to Rome for 5 nights. Question #4 Should we hire a driver to take us from Positano to Pompeii, store our luggage, tour Pompeii then train to Rome?
Day 10, 11, 12 & 13 Rome
5 nights in Rome then travel back to the U.S.

Thanks, I really like ready these forums but find the logistics of traveling from one place to another overwhelming when you have not been somewhere before! If anyone has a better travel idea, please let me know.

RonZ

Before deciding on Salerno, I would look into a train to Naples and a private transfer. There are direct train taking about 5 hours.

Schedules here, start at 7AM:

http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en

nytraveler

There are not many ferries from Salerno to Positano so you need to be sure your train gets you there in time to make a ferry. Don't know f the schedules for May are out yet - but I have the impression there are only 2 or 3 ferries a day

Bing4eu

Thank you. RonZ what would the Naples station be? there seems to be a few different ones on the link you sent me. Nytraveler, I did want to take a ferry but maybe it isn't a good idea if there are only 2 or 3 a day.

Helsie

Q1&2. We took the ferry from Salerno to Positano after arriving by train in May about three years ago. Very easy and only short walk down from the station in Salerno to the ferry. A nice way to arrive in Positano. There should be a ferry timetable to help you but as I remember there were only about three ferries per day- one around 1:30 pm I think. You will need to get hold of a timetable to decide if this is do-able. PS. Turn right as you go to walk up past the church into Positano and hire a porter if you see one !!
Q3. for us this involved two buses - one down from Ravello to Amalfi and another back to Positano. How long it takes depends on the traffic which can be unbelieveable on this road BUT it is a true experience of Italy !!
Q4: We did Pompeii as a day trip from Positano then hired a driver to take us back to the train at Salerno so can't really help there.

RonZ

Venezia S Lucia to Napoli Centrale.

ira

Hi Bing,

If you haven;t already bought the airline tickets I suggest that you fly into Venice, visit Rome and then take the train to Salerno.

from Salerno it is an easy walk to the ferry, which will take you to Positano.

Much easier than the train/bus trip from Naples.

You can fly home from Naples.

Enjoy your visit.

Bing4eu

ira We already purchased the tickets and on a suggestion in TripAdvisor will be flying into Venice and out of Rome. There were no Naples flights available using miles to return to the U.S.

RonZ thank you for your response.

If we take the train from Venice to travel to Positano and hire a driver so we don't have to worry about the ferry, would Naples or Salerno be a better stop to be picked up by a driver to carry on to Positano?

john183

Bing4eu - We had to decide between Naples and Salerno on our 2014 trip and I posted this same question (see link below).

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...d-198723-2.cfm

We decided on a driver from Naples and were very happy with our decision. The driver was great and the ride was very scenic. In the link below, scroll down to my September 21, 2014 post of our first day in Positano (day 10 of our trip) for a description of our experience and links to some pictures. The limo service is Due Golfi Car Service (www.duegolficarservice.it/). We booked initially through Positano Taxi (www.positanotaxi.net) which is part of the Due Golfi Group.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-june-2014.cfm

No matter which option you choose I'm sure you will have a great trip.

Bing4eu

john183, thank you for the information. I will read your post when I sit down to relax tonight. I am just getting confused with the best/easiest way to travel from Venice to Positano and why some people post they went to Salerno, Sorrento or Naples and then hire a driver to Positano. It is too early to book the train travel but I am wondering if part of the decision where to end up is that you don't have to switch trains along the way?

italy2012

We drove from Ascoli Piceno to Naples Airport in late September. We then hired a private driver to take us to Positano which we feel afforded us the best options with NO stress. We used Sergio Rianna ([email protected]). We had a Mercedes van for 4 people for 120 euro. Since you are planning to go to Capri you will get to see Positano from the water then which is an incredible sight. I recommend taking one of the "small boats" from Positano to Capri (on the beach there are 3 kiosks selling these trips). Find one that will dock in Piccola Marina which avoids the craziness of the Marina Grande. The boats stop at a number of the grottos surrounding Capri, give you a chance to swim in the beautiful water if you are interested and then give you about 4 hours to explore Capri/Anacapri. It is definitely more expensive than the ferry but the experience is so much better! Buon Viaggio!

Amanda_Lumley

My family and I (2 adults and 3 children) have done a similar itinerary. Our children were aged from 7 to 17 years. We did the fast train from Venice to Rome. Then changed train and caught the train to Naples. Organised a private transfer from Naples to Positano. From Positano we did Pompeii as a day trip (very easy using public transport). You can also do Capri and Ravello as day trips too.

Bing4eu

Thank you everyone for the information!

ekc

www.travelmar.it for the ferry schedules. The last ferry from Salerno to Positano this year was at 3:30. So plenty of time to catch the train if you don't want to hire a driver to drive you from Naples to Positano. No problem with luggage on the ferry and it is a short walk from the train station to the ferry dock. Note - if you are arriving on a weekend and opt to hire a driver to take you from Naples to Positano, allow for extra time for weekend traffic. When we were there in June, it took us an extra 45 minutes on a Saturday.

I always use Sergio Rianna (mentioned above) to take us to/from the Naples airport.

As noted above, the length of the bus ride from Amalfi to Positano varies depending on traffic. It can be quick or slow and torturous. No matter the length of the ride, there is a very good chance you will be standing the entire time - even in May the buses are packed. One of the many reasons I take the ferry.

PalenQ

In any case Naples or Salerno be sure to nab discounted tickets if you book (in stone) weeks/months in advance to get those limited in number ducats and check first class too as sometimes the cheapest available first-class ticket may not be much more than that in 2nd class and first class IME is more relaxed- fewer people -easier to stow luggage, etc.

www.trenitalia.com is the official Italian Railways site- for lots on Italian trains also check www.seat61.com - great insights on discounted tickets; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.