Best way to get from Sorrento Coast to Ravello?
May 23rd, 2006, 12:36 PM
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Best way to get from Sorrento Coast to Ravello?
Hi:
We will be staying on the Sorrento Coast (small town on tip called Massa Lubrense) and would love to take a day trip to Ravello. We will have a rental car for our family of 5. Does anyone know the driving distance via car? I know the roads are winding so have to factor in a "slower go".. any suggestions while we are there with the kids (ages 14, 12 10). Grazie!
Lisamarc
We will be staying on the Sorrento Coast (small town on tip called Massa Lubrense) and would love to take a day trip to Ravello. We will have a rental car for our family of 5. Does anyone know the driving distance via car? I know the roads are winding so have to factor in a "slower go".. any suggestions while we are there with the kids (ages 14, 12 10). Grazie!
Lisamarc
May 23rd, 2006, 01:12 PM
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You are much braver than I am to try and drive the Amalfi coast highway. I would suggest that, rather than risking your lives (or just your nerves for the day) you take the ferry from Sorrento to Amalfi and then the bus up to Ravello. When I was there, the bus ride was so harrowing that I took only ferries along the coast. But maybe I'm a chicken. Others can say what they think about it.
When in Ravello, make sure you see the gardens of the Hotel Cimbrone. Unbelievable in their beauty. If you want a nice little town for swimming, go to Atrani which is a short walk south from Amalfi. It has a charming cove of a beach and a very nice square as well.
When in Ravello, make sure you see the gardens of the Hotel Cimbrone. Unbelievable in their beauty. If you want a nice little town for swimming, go to Atrani which is a short walk south from Amalfi. It has a charming cove of a beach and a very nice square as well.
Jun 6th, 2006, 06:59 AM
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Thanks everyone... we will take your advice and take the ferry and then bus... will my kids survive the bus ride?... someone mentioned it was "harrowing".. My 10 year old is afraid of heights.. please advise. Thanks, Lisamarc
Jun 6th, 2006, 07:11 AM
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I am afraid of heights too and have taken the bus. The only thing with the bus is it can get crowded and you may be squeezed in or have to wait for a long time for a bus with room in it.
The buses can go pretty fast around the corners if there is no traffic, the drivers are all professional and good drivers but they are so used to the road that they seem to us to be distracted, talking on the phone, to other passengers, etc. and they let the bus swing around the curves.
It didn't bother me very much, I left it up to fate but for a child it might be a different story. Maybe sit on the inside lane side of the bus.
Is the kid comfortable with your driving? If so you could drive more slowly around the curves and stop if he got nervous or car sick.
What time of year? There are times of the year when you could be the only car at certain points along the road, other times bumper to bumper traffic.
The buses can go pretty fast around the corners if there is no traffic, the drivers are all professional and good drivers but they are so used to the road that they seem to us to be distracted, talking on the phone, to other passengers, etc. and they let the bus swing around the curves.
It didn't bother me very much, I left it up to fate but for a child it might be a different story. Maybe sit on the inside lane side of the bus.
Is the kid comfortable with your driving? If so you could drive more slowly around the curves and stop if he got nervous or car sick.
What time of year? There are times of the year when you could be the only car at certain points along the road, other times bumper to bumper traffic.
Jun 6th, 2006, 07:19 AM
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Hi lisa,
The coast road is steep and in some sections you are looking right down the cliff.
The best you can do is have your 10-yr old sit on the port side going E and the starboard side going W.
My Lady Wife, who suffers from vertigo, found the ride harrowing.
I think that going up to Ravello would be even worse for him.
The coast road is steep and in some sections you are looking right down the cliff.
The best you can do is have your 10-yr old sit on the port side going E and the starboard side going W.
My Lady Wife, who suffers from vertigo, found the ride harrowing.
I think that going up to Ravello would be even worse for him.
Jun 6th, 2006, 09:21 AM
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I should have added, in a bus you are high up so you can see straight down the cliffside to the sea, as Ira points out, in a car you are looking more or less straight out over the sea and can pretend that there is not that long sheer drop to the rocks below, half submerged in the waves.
Don't rent Beat The Devil movie before you go, it has a wonderful scene of a runaway that plunges over the side.
Fun movie with Bogart and a wonderful cast.
Don't rent Beat The Devil movie before you go, it has a wonderful scene of a runaway that plunges over the side.
Fun movie with Bogart and a wonderful cast.
Jun 7th, 2006, 12:03 PM
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Thanks Sea Urchin and Ira. Since we are staying on the Sorrento Coast at the end of our 3 week vacation, I think we'll wait and see about Ravello. I'll have a better feel of how our child does with heights during other parts of the trip. I'm not that great with cliffs, etc and maybe I'll end up being the one who is the most scared. We will be in Italy from June 20-July 9th (less than two weeks from now..yeha!) Thanks again, Lisamarc
Jun 7th, 2006, 08:06 PM
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If you are only staying a few days to Sorrento, it might not be worth the travel time this time of year to go to Ravello. It is a beautiful town, but small, and I'm not sure that your 10 year old would appreciate it.
Jun 7th, 2006, 08:18 PM
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Our family spent a week last May in Ravello. We did hike down to Amalfi twice (once to take the ferry to Capri) and took the bus back up. We enjoyed Amalfi a lot. I thought the bus was okay, though it was like nothing I've ever done in the USA. My husband doesn't like heights and he survived. (He was much more nervous on the bus up to Anacapri.) Another reason to take the bus is that you don't have to worry about parking!
Before you set aside the idea of visiting Ravello, I hope you'll look at these photos of the Villa Cimbrone: http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/show...y.php?cat=3585. I spent more than a year traveling around Europe last year, and this is one of my favorite spots of all. Our daughter was 11 at the time and loved it; in fact, she took several of the photos.
Kathy
Before you set aside the idea of visiting Ravello, I hope you'll look at these photos of the Villa Cimbrone: http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/show...y.php?cat=3585. I spent more than a year traveling around Europe last year, and this is one of my favorite spots of all. Our daughter was 11 at the time and loved it; in fact, she took several of the photos.
Kathy
Jun 7th, 2006, 10:37 PM
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Hi we drove from Positano to Ravello 18month ago in low season. The drive can be harrowing particularly when meeting a tourist bus from the other direction. In another country the road would be one way only. But Ravello is worth the visit. One thing driving in this part of the world makes everywhere else seem easier!
