jojuice

I would like to take the SITA bus along the Almalfi Coast. I will be staying in Sorrento. Is it possible to take the bus to Almalfi, explore Amalfi, then get on the bus to Positano, explore and then from Positano back to Sorrento? Is it worthwhile going to Ravello also? Has anyone ever been to Altrani? Are all of these sights possible to do in one day?

Thanks for the help
Jo Jo

zeppole

Yes, you can use the bus to do that. What time of year are you going? If it is in the summer "season", the road can experience a lot of traffic jams, and lines to get aboard the buses. You might want to try to take ferries for some of the trip.

I've been to Atrani. You can walk from the town of Amalfi to there. (By the way, there is only one "L" in Amalfi, and none in Atrani.)

Also, it depends on what you mean by explore, and how early you get up in the morning (and how late you are willing to stay out). And how much you want to see. You can get a feel for why each of the towns attracts tourists, and see some of the views, enjoy a lunch and a break for drink over the sea in the course of a very long day. But if you like to poke around, you'll be moving pretty fast if you try to include all of them. You might find yourself having to go back to Positano the next day.

GAC

Buy a 24-hour day ticket for the SITA buses for 6 Euros and you'll save a bunch of money for your proposed itinerary. If you get started early in the morning, you could also take the bus up the hill from Amalfi to Ravello, which is extremely worthwhile, IMO. Sorrento to Amalfi is nearly 3.5 hours round-trip on the bus. Here are the schedules:

www.sitabus.it

jojuice

zeppole
Thanks for correcting my spelling. I will be going in May of 2010. We are early risers. Don't really enjoy poking around. I would like to take some time to explore Amalfi and eat lunch there. Any suggestions? As far as Positano, I do not plan on staying there long. I read that there are a lot of stairs. We are in fair shape but at 55+ don't want to spend a lot of time climbing. We are staying in Sorrento.
Jo Jo

zeppole

Take a look at this trip report about efficient ways to make the loop you are thinking of and not doing stair climbing.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...alfi-coast.cfm

I've never eaten in Amalfi directly -- although when you walk from Amalfi to Atrani, there is a little restaurant that hangs right over the water between the two town that Mario Batali recommended, so I ate there. It was fine. Da Gemma is the Amalfi restaurant that gets consistent high marks from pros.

A poster named ekscrunchy recently stayed in Amalfi and ate there and in Atrani, as I recall. I don't remember where she ate but you might track down her trip report since food and restaurants are the major focuses of her trips.

I'm going to tell you that I am a just a bit older than you and live in Liguria, and I routinely climb more than a thousand steps a day. It's not as bad as you imagine. But do bring comfy shoes and sun protection.

And do try to time your lunch so that you are not getting on a bus right after. The roads are very winding, and you can get nauseous. (At least I can.) You might consider going to Amalfi first thing and immediately catching a bus to Ravello (don't bother if it's misty or foggy, etc.) and then returning down the hill before lunch, perhaps getting off in Atrani and walking to Amalfi for lunch. Do some touristing after lunch in Amalfi, and then make sure you are on a bus to Positano 90 minutes before the sun goes down. Stay on the bus until it goes to the top of the hill in Positano, then walk down, maybe stop for a drink on the way. Catch a bus back to Sorrento in time for dinner.

kybourbon

Are you only there one day or you only want to tour the coast for one day?

If you are going to be there more days, you might consider getting the 3 day Campania Arte Card Tutta la Regione for 27€. It gives you two free admissions (Pompeii/Herculaneum/Paestum/Archaeology museum/etc.) and use of the bus/train system in the area for three days.

_public transport in the entire region
_access to first 2 sites
_50% discount from the 3rd entrance to all the other sites in the itinerary
http://www.campaniartecard.it/EN/Home.cfm

SusanP

I think it would be pushing it to do all that in one day, but then I admit that I move more slowly than most. Another possibility would be to start very early, take the bus to Amalfi, then the bus to Positano, which lets you off at the top of the town, walk down all those steps/hills (instead of climbing up them) and then take the hydrofoil back to Sorrento. You would need to start early to do this and check the hydrofoil schedule to see when the last boat leaves from Positano to Sorrento.

If you have more than one day, I would split this into two days. One leisurely day in Positano, one in Amalfi with a bus up to Ravello. You can also take the hydrofoil back to Sorrento from Amalfi.

ira

How about,

Bus to top of Positano, Walk down to dock area.
Ferry to Amalfi. Visit Amalfi. Bus to Ravello if time.
Bus back to Sorrento.

Texastrips

I think that last plan is a very good one if you want to do it all in one day, and would work with an early start since you said you are early risers. Beacuse otherwise you'll spend more time on a SITA bus in one day than anyone would want and not have any time to see anything. I'd also recommend walking down from Ravello to Amalfi through Atrani - short, well maintained but immensely beautiful walk that likewise will vary your day a bit.