hornbill

A friend and I plan to end our Italian journey with 5 days at the Amalfi Coast.

Should we stay in one town that whole time (any opinions which town that should be?) and just do day trips to all the towns along the coast. How easy is that? Could Naples be part of a day trip too? We will be flying out of Naples on the 6th.

Thanks in advance!

cambe

Hi hornbill.
I stayed 7 days in Sorrento as it was a good base for day tripping. You can get to all areas along the coast from there either by Sita bus or ferry and the transpoet is both frequent and efficient. For Naples and Pompeii the train leaves Sorrento every 30mins but it was the least comfortable, mainly because it was not air conditioned.

If I were doing it again I would spend less time in Sorrento and spend at least 1 night on Capri but if you only want to day trip then Sorrento is hard to beat.

Helen

mimipam

Hi hornbill,
Do you want to sight see or relax? We spent 10 days on the AC seeing the Archeological Museum and veiled Christ in Naples first. Then on to Pompeii. The last part of the trip we hired a driver to drive from Sorrento to Ravello for some downtime. We also spent a couple of nights on Capri. Depending upon what you like you could take a drive down the coast then stay in one town for the remainder of your stay. Also, if you want to see Naples have you considered going there the day before departure and then spending the final night there before heading home? If you choose this be sure to check to see what is open during your time there.
Happy travels!

hornbill

thanks helen and mimipam. i read your post too helen on ravello and the mishap in positano. it was a real helpful thread but it made me hesitant to stay in sorrento ( the touristy tacky bit!).

i have thought of renting a car to do the amalfi coast but a little worried about the left hand drive! and yes, have thought about staying in naples the night before leaving for zurich. thanks for the tip to check out what is open .

i didnt think of staying in capri before but so many people seem to think we should!

i wonder if they have modestly budgeted accomodation in capri?

ira

Hi H,

You might find some useful ideas in my trip report:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34451044

hornbill

thanks ira. will check it out.

cambe

Hornbill,

I think I have given you the wrong impression of Sorrento. It is not tacky although I did not like the Marina Grande. I am not a big fan of big touristy towns and I felt it was not as nice as either Ravello or Positano. However somone else on this forum said that Ravello was much too quiet so it depends on what you like.
If you want to day trip it is a perfect location. For me, I travel light and would prefer to visit other places and stay overnight but that is not to everyones taste.

I did think that a day trip to Capri was very rushed and I did not do it justice. I would have loved to be there as the sun went down and after the daytrippers had left.

Don't be hesitant about Sorrento. All the Fodorites who write about how great it is can't be wrong but it is not for me.

Helen

SeaUrchin

The views from Sorrento are the best in my own humble opinion. You have the bay of Naples, Naples in the distance and Mt. V. Get a hotel with a terrace and a view room. Parts of it cater to British tourists who clammer there in the high season but other parts are well hidden.

You can't really go wrong at any of the towns including the ones on the AC.

hornbill

thanks everyone

have more or less decided to book 2 days in sorrento and then wing the rest of the days there. probably will want to stay in capri for a day

helen, i prefer quieter places too but convenience in also important.

kybourbon

hornbill - check my response on your earlier train/air question re: weight restrictions on the budget airlines. To find your previous posts just click on your own screen name and they will appear in the lefthand column. You may have to click your name more than one time to get the most recent posts.

The Circumvesuviana train from Sorrento to Naples is a commuter train and the cost should be under 4 Euro one way. This is the same train that stops at Pompeii.

For the airport you might want to take the Curreri bus that runs between Sorrento and Naples airport.
http://www.curreriviaggi.it/default.htm

mimipam

Hi horn,
We stayed at Hotel Mamela on Capri. It was not the most expensive but was lovely. There are certainly less expensive places (and more expensive) and you might check capri-island.com for hotels. There is another Capri website I used a lot but cannot find it at the moment. If you want to stay on Capri and desire additional info, let me know and I will try to find that other site if you cannot.
Happy travels.