Amalfi Coast places to stay
 

Hello Everyone,
Next year, in Early April my husband and I will be celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary and will travel from Rome to the Amalfi Coast and have 8 nights there before heading back to Rome airport and then London and Australia.

After reading loads of trip reports, I think it’s best not to rent a car from Rome, but travel from there by train to Naples, then get a driver to take us to Sorrento. And then get around by private driver.

We love great food and wine, we know the weather won’t be good enough for the beach, but we like to walk and are very fit. I’m not sure where to base ourselves for these 8 nights. I was thinking 2 nights Sorrento, 3 Positano, then perhaps 3 in Amalfi or Ravello. Also considering Salerno or Praiano?

Plan to get a driver to return us to Naples train station for the trip back to Rome airport for a late afternoon flight to London.
Any ideas are most welcome, TIA

Absolutely no need for a private driver all the time.
If you are in Sorrento, take the circumvesuviana train to visit Pompeii.
Take a ferry to visit Capri.
Take a ferry (or bus) up and down the coast to Positano, Amalfi, etc. Views from the water are spectacular!

Consider going to Salerno first. Visit Paestum from there.
Move from there up the Coast to Amalfi or Positano.
Finish in Sorrento with visit to Pompeii.
I suggest also a night or two in Naples to give you at least a bit of museum time and time for a visit to Herculaneum. Use the train for Herculaneum.

It would also be less tiring to go from Naples to Rome, rather than Sorrento to Rome.

Can you not get a flight from Naples to London? That would be so much easier and save a lot of time and money.

Early April can be lovely and sunny during the day, but actually still be cold enough for jackets. Expect rain!

Thank you Sassafrass, some great ideas.
Unfortunately the flights on BA from Naples seem to only fly into Gatwick, and we need Heathrow.
We are not too keen on museums, and as my hubby has already visited Pompeii (although over 20 yrs ago- has it changed?), we hadn’t planned on stopping in Naples or Pompeii.
Yes I like the idea of starting in Salerno.

Stay 2 nights in Ravello; the town is linked by bus to Amalfi so you can do a morning or evening in Amalfi town from Ravello. Then move someplace to the north/west--not Praiano (I did not like staying there).

A town I like a lot is Cetara which must be like the coast was decades ago..fewer tourists than the main towns but great places to eat and a nice beach in case the weather is favorable.

In early April you would be fine with a rental car but you would need to pick up/return in Sorrento or Salerno. I'd love to spend a few nights in Salerno someday. Must be great in early April; make sure to determine the dates of Holy Week and Easter.

You mentioned you like hiking/walks. I did some spectacular ones in Capri (check capri.net for details). You might consider spending a few nights walking distance to the Piazetta in Capri. In April, it should not be mobbed with tourists. We hired a boat (Gianni's boat) to go around the island. Even if you do not swim it is a fun half day to be on the water. Ravello will get you breathtaking views. It is 40 minutes down to the beach, probably more to go up. But since you are very fit, it should be quite pleasant.

You’ve already gotten some great advice. I’ll just add a few comments:

Although I don’t mind changing hotels with some frequency, many people dislike doing so. Even so, 3 or more separate locations on / near the Amalfi Coast don’t make much sense to me unless you have a specific reason for do so. Ravello is spectacular, and if you are willing to move around, making that one place makes a lot of sense to me -- it's a bit harder to reach, and so not a great base for the area, but OMG, those views! And the idea of adding Capri also makes sense to me – I liked it much better after day trippers left. So maybe Postiano, Capri, and Ravello? Just a thought….

I’m not sure I’d go to Salerno first unless staying there, but I do strongly recommend a visit to Paastum and will also so that I think Salerno a vastly underrated destination.

Herculaneum is sufficiently different from Pompeii to warrant a visit IMO.

Hope that helps!

Amalfi or Positano are two popular bases - neat old seaside towns and great bases for ferries and buses along the coast and to Capri - i would acdtually consider staying a few days in Sorrento, pleeasant watering hole but few dreamy sea views from town center but great base for nearby Vesuvius and ascending it by vehicle and foot to crater - Pompeii of course and Capri. Then move to Amalfi or Positano to soak up the Amalfi Coast proper. End at Salerno for a night may and see Pasetum's stunning Greek temples just south of town and next day train to Rome. Book long-distance train ticket far in advance - Acquista il biglietto con le nostre offerte - Trenitalia or www.italotreno.com - two competing rail systems using same stations and tracks Lots on Italian trains check www.seat61.com- especially for tips on booking own train tickets online at discounts; BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com.

Great information everyone, thanks so much.
Luckily we will be traveling prior to Holy Week, so no clash there.
Looks like a stay in Ravello is warranted.
I did consider staying in 1 location for the entire 8 nights, but as I really want to stay in Positano, and can’t afford to stay there all that time, I have decided on moving around. Plus I like the idea of staying in some quieter places.
I’m just not sure if upon arrival in Salerno we should stay 1 night and then off to Ravello for 2 nights, or stay 3 nights in Ravello.
Do I really need to book the train tickets a long time in advance? I had planned to buy them 4 days prior, when in Rome.

Staying in Salerno that first night would make sense, from what you've said. On the other hand, it is easily reached by bus or ferry from the coast (Positano, Amalfi, etc.)

IMO, 2 nights could be perfect for Ravello which, BTW, is not inexpensive.

Glad to hear that no matter what you intend to spend some time in Positano. It's one of our all time favorite destinations. We did a trip once that split our time in the area between Positano and Capri with day trips to other destinations and found it very satisfying. Try to rent a private boat in Capri to explore the coastline if you can. Not as expensive as you might think and a wonderful experience.

Just taking a quick look at hotels in Salerno, they are generally quite mediocre in standard. Perhaps 3 nights in Ravello....I’ll keep researching

Actually, perhaps it’s too soon for booking in April 2019? Many of the hotels are unavailable. Or are they not open that time of year?

I could be wrong, but I think it's a bit early to book for next April. You should, however, be able to get a sense of price.,

If you decide to stay in Ravello, I adored the Parsifal, but I was there before a remodeling and at a rate for a tiny single room (which is no longer available) that was jaw-droppingly affordable. The hotel, in an ancient convent, still gets great reviews, so you might consider it
Hotel Parsifal - Ravello Costiera Amalfitana

And if any of us convince you to consider a night or two on Capri, and if I am correct in understanding that costs are not irrelevant, then you might take a look at La Tosca, which is not and never has been a 4*, but still gets great reviews:
https://www.latoscahotel.com

Kja, I hope you are right. It seems some hotels have prices listed and many do not.
I’m hoping to stay below 300 euro per night.
I was just thinking of a day trip to Capri.

Many people find a day trip to Capri satisfactory. As mentioned above, I found it much more enjoyable after daytrippers had left, and since you have the time and are willing to relocate, you might want to give it a thought. There's certainly more than enough to see and do to justify more than a day trip!

Hope that helps....

Will do, kja ....

We spent our Ruby wedding anniversary in Amalfi this year arriving on the 27th March and leaving on the 30th. We stayed at Hotel Miramalfi which had the huge added bonus of probably the best views in Amalfi from its dining room where we had breakfast each morning. We flew Manchester to Naples via Germany on Lufthansa and hired a car from the airport. The driving was nothing like its made out to be although I can see it may be a lot more difficult in Summer. We have driven in Italy before. Our hotel had private parking. We didn't use the car once we arrived ,travelling to Ravello by bus and Positano by boat. However we became significantly lost returning to the airport despite following GPS on the phone. I would print out a detailed map for the moment the signs point you one way when you know full well that the airport is in the opposite direction!
It was a glorious day when we went to Ravello and we were able to eat outside but I didn't feel that I regretted not staying there. Positano was appreciably lovely from the sea ( it was a gray day- raining) but I think that was the best bit of it.
I would recommend the hotel ( in fact I have already done so for someone else).

Thank you atgyf, I’ll take a look.

We are a bit fussy with beds and really need a King size comfy bed - I may end up staying in just 1 place due to this reason.

I've stayed in Salerno and taken ferries to Amalfi proper - bus too but they can be very slow but if going one-way say to Positano they are a great way to experience the coast and its tortuous at points cliff-hanging road. Salerno has some really nice hotels.

I know you mentioned you like to walk. Not sure if that means "hike". One day my husband and I hope to make it back for this hike. Thought I'd include a link in case you're interested . . . https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti..._Campania.html