i want to spend 4 days on the Amalfi coast. is it better to stay in Capri and do day trips to Positano, Amalfi & Ravello? Or stay in Positano and do day trips to Amalfi, Ravello and Capri?

I would (and did) stay in Positano and daytrip from there. When I was there in September, we had some days of rough water and the ferries weren't running so we were able to use the SITA bus to visit places along the coast from Positano. We were told the closest ferry to Capri was from Sorrento.

I've read that people daytrip from Capri, but after staying there I wouldn't want to do that. How about you split up your time between the two? Three nights in Positano and one on Capri?

I actually just wrote on your other thread.
You should check up on the ferry schedule and be sure that daytrips from Capri to the coast are possible. We were on the coast a few years ago in early spring and could not get an early morning ferry to Positano.

If the ferries are no problem, I think you win either way.

Both Positano and Capri are wonderful places to stay - I don't think you will be unhappy with either. Capri was my favorite part of our stay on the Amalfi Coast - and it really is a place that you need to stay overnight not just daytrip to. I found it to be a wonderfully romantic, glamorous and beautiful place. We had a great time - doing a round-the-island tour by boat, exploring the island by moped by day and people-watching in the square at night. We swam and did some sightseeing in Anacapri.

Positano also has its perks. The hotels have gorgeous views, most with private balconies. You can camp out on your balcony with a glass of wine and just enjoy! Its also a bit easier to get over to Amalfi and Ravello (personally I thought riding on the SITA buses was an adventure all its own).

Would definitely stay in Positano, but as someone else suggested, spend one night on Capri (or Anacapri, as I did). Positano offers a much easier base to explore the region, either by bus or ferry, but stay one night on Capri, since otherwise, you'll only get to visit when it's packed with day tourists. We stayed in Anacapri over night, and took advantage the next morning to visit the major tourist attractions before the majority of boats from the mainland could get there.

Unrelated, but worth checking into...when I was there, which was in 2002 (I think?) we had dinner one night on a farm way above Amalfi as part of the Agricultural Tourism program. It was a really unique experience.

IMO, there's much more to see and do on the Isle of Capri than in the other places, all of which can be visited in a single day. Therefore the emphasis should be on Capri, not the other way around.

I wouldn't say that you could do the entire amalfi coast in a day

steviegene - I am a little concerned after reading your post about ferry timings from Capri. I wouldn't want to spend all my nights in Capri and have that potentially mess with my schedule for day trips.
So I think I'm leaning towards either all 4 nights in Positano with day trips OR 3 nights in Positano and 1 night in Capri.

I used Positano as my home base for exploring the Amalfi Coast and I actually went to Capri on a daytrip using a hydrofoil from Napioli.

Capri is a great visit and plan to spend an entire day there. I would only stay in Capri if I planned to spend 2-3 days there relaxing on the beach at least part of the time. So if part of your vacation includes beach relaxation time then I'd think a stay at Capri would be a good idea.

However, I think that Positano is a more convinient homebase for exploring the Amalfi coast because you can take both ferries and buses to get around. On Capri you're "literally" on an island with only one way in and out so I'd find this limiting to say the least.

--gatorbill

Dtph,

If you have your heart set on staying on Capri, I would just do your homework and look into ferry times. Like I said I don't know when they run -- you should just check. When we went in '04, we were planning on 2 nights in Capri and then 4 nights in Positano. We had planned to take a morning ferry over to Positano, but hadn't done our research. There was no morning ferry so we were stuck on the island until the afternoon. It turned out fine, as we decided to hike up to the ruins for something to do, and had a great time.
I think the first poster also had a good point about weather. Sometimes if the seas are rough they may not run the ferries, and then you're really stuck. As much as I absolutely adore Capri, Positano really is (in my opinion) a more convenient base for exploring the coast. It is very easy to take the bus from town to town.

I think either itinerary you've suggested (either all 4 nights in Positano with day trips OR 3 nights in Positano and 1 night in Capri) would work -- and you will have a wonderful time with either choice, guaranteed.

I absolutely loved staying on Capri - I really thought it was wonderful.
But...... I stayed 2 nights - which made it more of a destination, rather than a stopover. You will arrive on the island (probably early afternoon by the time you get there) and have to lug your bags (up the huge hill from the port) into a new hotel for a one night stay - and then the next day you will have to lug them back down to catch an afternoon ferry out. I don't know if its worth it to stay one night -- I think it really depends on what kind of travelers you and your husband are. Do you like to go-go-go or do you like to relax a bit? Is it going to bother you to stay somewhere only one night, is it too much moving around for you, or do you like to do a lot of moving around?

Hi Dtph - Stevegenie is correct.

Day-tripping from Capri is NOT possible by direct ferry to the Amalfi Coast. It's only feasible via Sorrento. See my post on your other thread.

Steve

Steve,

Isn't it possible to take a ferry to Sorrento and then another ferry to Positano?