My husband and I are planning a one year anniversary trip to Spain and the Amalfi Coast for June 2016. I studied abroad in Barcelona (years ago) and I am super excited to see the main attractions, once again, plus what's new. Our itinerary is the following:

Fly out of the U.S. to Barcelona - stay 5 nights - direct flight
Fly out of Barcelona to Mallorca - stay 3 nights - direct flight (one hour only)
Fly out of Mallorca to Napoli - stay 7 nights

Has anyone been to Mallorca? What do you recommend for must sees/do's and nice hotels to stay at?

I've been to Italy, but first time to Amalfi Coast. I've read a lot about going to different towns (Positano, Ravello, and Capri) which can be day trips. Where should we stay? We want the beach, excellent food, the culture, and adventure. What are must sees/do's in any of those towns? What makes most sense once we leave Napoli and head to the AC? We would obviously fly back home from Napoli.

Thank you!!!

msramirez, I just picked up your posting and your itinerary intrigued me. I see you are flying from the U.S. to Barcelona on a direct flight. The second leg of the trip is a direct one-hour fight from Barcelona to Naples, Italy. Would you mind telling me which airline has that route?

I am planning a trip myself, and the flight into Naples caught my eye. Thank you in advance.

I strongly urge you to consult a good guide book about Naples and the Amalfi Coast, as it is an area that elicits strong, and polarized, opinions. Some of us love Naples; others hate it. Some of us want to spend days on end relaxing along the Amalfi Coast; others of us love seeing the area, but without lingering. In the end, ONLY you can decide what most suits your interests.

Excellent food shouldn't be a problem anywhere along the way.

FWIW, I am glad I stayed overnight on Capri -- it is far more enjoyable, IMO, after day trippers leave.

I would not want to visit the Amalfi Coast by day trips from Napoli, or vice versa -- too much time in transit for my tastes. You might want to choose one area to stay (many people choose Sorrento) or split your time between these locations.

Make sure you are in Naples, or near the airport, before your flight back.

Hope that helps!

To I am Kane:
BCN - NAP: Vueling and easyjet

Hello mrsramirez, we spent 17 days on Mallorca, and then 4 in Barcelona earlier this year. There are plenty of hotels on Mallorca. I would suggest you book sooner than later as it is a very popular destination. Your lifestyle will dictate the type of hotel - lots of people just go to the beach (and drink). It is also a top destination for cyclists, but the season for this activity should be mostly over by June. Are you going to use Palma as your base?

If you are interested, here is a link to our trip pictures.

https://adventuresofjohnjo.shutterfly.com/pictures/1715

JQ

Thank you to everyone!

To kja - Yes you are right about consulting a good guide book. A friend of mine just went to the Amalfi Coast this past summer and highly suggested staying in Positano. I think we will do that and then possibly go to Capri and maybe one more town. Yes we will definitely be by Naples before the flight back home. Thank you!

To JQReports - Thank you for the tip about booking a hotel sooner than later. Yes I think we are going to use Palma as our base. Any other recommendations? All your pictures are from Spain, correct?

Be aware of the transit situation on the AC - no trains, buses that are very slow and often mobbed and limited ferry service - once you get south of Sorrento. You need to plan your daily travel carefully.

Great for sitting in the sun (beaches are not great - mostly pebbles or even rocks) or relaxing by the pool. But if you want to travel around to see Pompeii, Capri, etc I would not pend all your day in an AC town.

Hello mrsramirez, the link is to the album with both Mallorca and Barcelona pictures (there are other albums but I have linked you directly to this album).

I really liked Palma, small and walkable. We rented an apartment. I would suggest for starters that you put your dates and budget into a hotel search engine website and see what comes up.

We successfully navigated by public transport (and on foot, which was the primary purpose of going to Mallorca). If you do rent a car (or are game to get on the train/bus) we also liked Arta. If you do drive out to Cap Formentor (spectacular scenery) go early! The traffic can quickly turn bumper-to-bumper to access being denied.

For the other part of your trip, I second kja's opinion that staying overnight on Capri is a good idea. And we found Ravello magical. I will one to say we did not spend enough time in Naples itself. (Sorry, the inspirational photos are not on my Shutterfly webpage, as I only started with trips post 2007).

JQ

I rent an apartment in Positano for a week each June, so obviously that would be my recommendation. Lots of great restaurants, amazing views and a good selection of beaches. You could divide you time 5 days in Positano and 2 days on Capri, then ferry from Capri to Naples to catch your flight.

JQReports - I'm sad to say that I think we have to rule out the trip to Mallorca. The flights were given to us as a wedding gift and the gifts are ridiculous to change the dates (we wanted to extend the trip), so with that being said, we are doing Barcelona and the Amalfi Coast. I too also heard Ravello is beautiful. I think we would realistically only have time for Positano and Capri.

ekc - Thank you for the suggestion. We have been looking at Air BnB's and they seem affordable with nice views. I was unaware that a ferry goes from Capri to Naples, so I will definitely look into that. Thanks again!

I actually made the iconoclastic choice to spend 2 nights in Ravello and skip Positano entirely! I saw Positano from the water and thought I would get there for a meander, but didn't -- and that was fine with me! One never knows what one missed; I do know that Ravello was one of the most magical and ethereally beautiful places I have ever been fortunate enough to set my foot.