Amalfi Coast, Italy
 

We are both in our mid-sixties...We are planning to be at the Amalfi coast for 4 days starting April 20th. Would like to see Pompeii, Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi, Capri (day trip) and ?. We are arriving by air at 9AM. Trying to decide the best way to do transportation - private driver, train, etc.

Where is the best place to stay - we are thinking either Sorrento or Positano - and what makes sense in terms of order? We were thinking of getting a driver to pick us up at the airport, stop in Pompeii, get taken to ? Sorrento or Positano or for a drive along the coast then to where we are staying?

All suggestions welcome! Thanks!

If you're landing in Naples, Pompeii is only 20 minutes away. Yes, you could hire

a driver to take you there, then on to your hotel in either Sorrento or Positano.

A few things to consider:

Sorrento is a much flatter city than Positano, so if you have any kind of mobility

issues, you will want to base there.

It's also a better transportation hub than Positano, offering many options to: Capri

(hydrofoil takes about 45 min or less), boats to Positano/Amalfi ( Positano: about 30 min, Amalfi a bit more).

There's also a local train to Pompeii. Takes about 20 min.

Sorrento is also a medium-sized city that caters to package tours.

So there are lots of fish n chip shops and traffic.

Positano is much prettier and more romantic, but it's a city of stairs-- back and

forth to town, beach, and many of the restaurants.

If you're in decent shape, it's the kind of town you'll never forget. The views from

the top are magical.

Transportation options are only OK. You can get to Amalfi by boat, car or bus , and

Capri by regular boat when it's running. But sometimes those boats get cancelled

because of rough waters, even on beautiful days. Something that tends not to

happen as much or at all in Sorrento.

BTW, there are also buses up and down the coast from both Sorrento and Positano, the dreaded SITA bus. Something we try to avoid when we can, as it's often crowded, but maybe not so much in April.

I would see Pompeii on your way to Positano, where you could stay during your visit to the Amalfi Coast. There is easy ferry access to Amalfi and Capri from Positano. The issues with staying in Sorrento is (i) it is not on the Amalfi Coast and there are only 2 ferries per day to the AC (one in the morning and one in the afternoon0, and (ii) it is a town, not a picturesque village like you find on the AC.

Where are you coming from? How long is your flight? Very important because it would not be nearly as enjoyable to walk around Pompeii after a long flight. Weather can be warm already or cool, so you might need water and sunscreen for Pompeii. You might not, but better to be prepared. The nice thing is it definitely will not be hot, so if you enjoy archeological sites, you could spend several hours there if you make it a day trip from Sorrento.

Consider also seeing Herculaneum. It is smaller and easier to see than Pompeii with some buildings remarkably intact.

Assume you are arriving in Naples.
Are you going anywhere else after the AC?
If you are, it might be easier to see Pompeii as you leave the AC rather than on arrival day.

I would strongly encourage you to consult a good guidebook or two, as it should provide almost all of your answers, and well as answers to the questions you don't know to ask! The cost will be nugatory in comparison to the cost of your trip. And for that matter, you can consult them in your local library!

Good luck!

If you go straight to Pompeii, what will you do with your luggage. Won't it be very expensive to have the services of a driver with all your belongings in his car for several hours?

Sorrento is probably the more practical site but my heart is in Positano. We had a magical week there in May and managed to travel to Pompeii ( bus and train), Capri, Ravello and all the other places without too much drama. The Sita bus is an experience and the crowds were not there for us in May so April should be great.

@ Helsie: There is luggage storage at Pompeii.

Thanks for that info kja

@ Helsie: It's at the archeological site itself, by the main gate.