2 best spots to land around Amalfi Coast
 

If you had 10 days in the fall to spend in this area, what two towns would you make home base during that time and do day trips from there? Consider we won't have a car but will rely on public transportation such as buses and ferries.

Sorrento proved to be the perfect city for us during our 5-day stay in the AC last September. Although we like driving during our travels, it was fun, easy and stress-free to do daytrips to Pompeii, Naples, Positano, Amalfi and Capri using buses and ferries.

Sorrento is also sufficiently large and bustling for us to find things to do, i.e. shopping, eating and nocturnal activities.

We have not spent nights anywhere else in the AC, but if I were to consider another town, it would have to be Capri or specifically the quaint and lovely town of Anacapri.

We rented an apartment in Praiano and found it ideal for touring the Amalfi Coast without a car. A local bus runs right along the coast road and there is a bus that also makes longer runs. The good thing about this town is that it is centrally located making the trips to most of the towns about the same distance. Sorrento is beautiful, but a trip from there to Ravello takes over an hours. From Praiano, you can be to Amalfi, Ravello and Positano in less than 30 minutes. You can get a ferry to Capri from Amalfi and Positano as well as from Sorrento. I have also stayed in hotels in Amalfi and Sorrento. If you are interested in night life, you might be happier in one of those towns. Wherever you stay on the Amalfi coast, you don't need a car as the public transportation is excellent and all the towns very walkable once you get there.

Hi L,

Another vote for Praiano.

Why two towns? The whole coast from Sorrento to Salerno is only about 35 mi.

Are you thinking of a couple of days on Capri?

((I))

All the towns that were mentioned have their own qualities for being good bases.

However, do you plan on doing daytrips to, say, Pompeii and/or Naples?

Positano is another good idea, as ferries go from there to Capri, Naples, Amalfi, etc. You can get to Positano from Sorrento by bus in less than an hour.

Hi loc,

What time of year are you going? If you are going to be there from June to September, I would recommend staying in one of the towns where you can get around by boat.

I visited in Sept and the SITA buses were a nightmare.

I also would recommend Praiano. Quiet, easily accessible, all other areas easily accessible by boat or bus. Look at Hotel Onda Verde www.ondaverde.it/hoteli.htm

Hotel Margherita www.italyby.com/hotelmargherita/index.html

or Hotel Bellavista www.italyby.com/villabellavista/index.html

I'd pick Sorrento and Positano. Sorrento because it has a wonderful old town meant for exploring, and easy access to Pompeii ( 30 min by local train) and Capri ( about 25 min. by hydrfoil).

Positano because it's much more picturesque and dramatically beautiful than Sorrento, and is within easy driving distance of Montepertuso, a mountain village that is home to some of my favorite restaurants in the area ( IL RITROVO, and DONNA ROSA).

I also like the idea of staying in two towns. It gives you a more expanded travel experience, I think. A friend and I stayed in Ravello and Sorrento. We loved Ravello best, but it wasn't very convenient for taking day trips. On the other hand, Sorrento wasn't as nice to stay in, but was fantastic for getting around. It also had more lively night live and more choices for restaurants. So perhaps you could combine Sorrento and one of the other, farther away lovelier towns. I'm not a big fan of Positano, because it feels so crowded, but perhaps there or Praiano, as several have suggested. Have a wonderful time -- the Amalfi Coast may be the most beautiful place in Italy to spend time!

I am not a big fan of Positano, either. It is undoubtedly beautiful but there are too many tourist shops for me.

We rented an apartment in Praiano and loved it. We also had a car, so no keeping track of bus schedules. But we almost always have a car in Europe. So this is more our personal preference.

If I had to do it again and wanted a change from Praiano, I would pick Sorrento and Ravello(for two or three days only).

For a first time, I would pick Sorrento and Praiano.

Have a wonderful vacation.