Going to Amalfi from Rome
 

We are travelling to Rome in June 2004 and want to go to the Amalfi using public transport, we want to see Amalfi, Ravello, Positano in the one day and then on to Pompeii then return to Rome, is this possible.

Fayfitzgerald - This is a long and very full day (14 hours+), but logistically it is just possible with careful planning around train/boat/bus timetables. You would need to make an early start, e.g. the 06.45 Eurostar from Rome.

IMO it might work better the other way round - Pompei, Positano, Amalfi, Ravello - returning by train from Salerno. (Otherwise you may risk arriving at Pompei late afternoon with not enough time to visit before closing time).

Hope this helps ...

Steve

Whew! That sounds like an overwhelmingly busy travel day. Even if public transportation runs on time and it did not when we went there, will you have time to really enjoy the beauty and charm of the area? Once you lay eyes on this gorgeous area you may regret that you set aside only one day.

Any chance you could spare an extra day and spend the night in Positano? I don't know who you are traveling with, but you won't regret it. Positano is a beautiful place that you'll want some time to soak in. There is less to see in Amalfi. Ravello, however, is beautiful--don't forget Villa Cimbrone!

Hi fay,

I agree with both of the above posts. It is doable, but that doesn't mean you should do it.

It is 2 hours from Rome to Naples, and another hour to Pompeii (3hr). You will spend about 3h in Pompeii (6hr). It is 1/2 hr to Sorrento (6 1/2 hr). It takes 1 1/2 hr to get from Sorrento to Amalfi ***if you don't get off the bus*** (8 hr). It will take at least 1 1/2 hr to get to Salerno or back to Sorrento (9 1/2) to return to Rome (11 1/2).

You might find these links helpful:

www.trenitalia.com/en

http://www.vesuviana.it/orario_ol/orari.asp

http://www.sita-on-line.it/SITO%20CA...eCampania.html

No, I don't think this is possible in the time you have allotted. Summer in the Amalfi area is tremendously crowded and just navigating through the streets will take much longer than you would anticipate. Besides, who wouldn't want to spend a couple of hours eating lunch overlooking the Sea?

I know I'll get disagreement with this but I'd skip Amalfi or just do a quick overview. Positano and Ravello were wonderful and very different. Amalfi was similar landscape as Positano without the charm as it is bigger. You can get a quick view of Amalfi as you change busses from Positano to Ravello.

I'd train to Naples and Pompei and Sorrento, spend the night; take the bus next day to Positano, Amalfi, Ravello and Salerno, then train from Salerno back to Rome.

I don't know how to say this delicately, so I'll say it plainly. You're cuckoo to do what you want to do. Am I right in guessing you've never been to any of the places mentioned? I will give you the benefit of the doubt and put your query down to the enthusiasm of a first-time traveller who knows each of these places is wonderful, and is hell-bent on leather to see them all.

Forget it. Italy is meant to be savored, not rushed through. You'll kick yourself in the you know what if try to do this itinerary (which, using public transportation, is highly unlikely). Choose either the Amalfi Coast OR Pompei, not both. Or at least stay overnight and make it a two day affair. You won't be sorry.

My reason for doubting it can be done using public transportation is that it's too unpredictable. You can never be certain that schedules will not be altered at the last minute, or that busses/trains/ferries run regularly. We missed a ferry in Sorrento, for example (it was very crowded and we were last in line), and the next one didn't run until mid-afternoon. We did not make it to Amalfi that day, needless to say. On the day we were in Amalfi, the busses were so jam-packed with locals and tourists that we missed not one, but two busses. Reason? Heavy rains the night befor wreaked havok on the roads and the number of busses running was drastically cut. Twice as many people wanting to get on half as many busses. In Naples we didn't make a train we wanted because we made the typical beginner's mistake of not getting in the correct line to purchase our tickets. When you don't know the layout of the train station, it can happen very easily, no matter how prepared you think you are. The itinery you are wanting for yourself requires perfect precision in order to make it feasible, and I don't think that's a done deal on public transportation!

BTW, swalter, I think you're right about Amalfi. It's not really big enough or interesting enough to go out of the way for (though certainly pleasant enough otherwise). We thought Ravello was miles above in terms of ambiance, charm, and beauty. That's one place we'd go back to in a beartbeat.

Something else no one has mentioned is that you're ignoring Capri - a fantastic experience. I vote with those who say it can't be done in one day - all it takes is two buses that can't pas on the Amalfi drive to hold up traffic for an hour or more (while and entire line of cars backs upt to a place where the buses can pass one another) and your schedule is shot.

Either do just one venue or decide to spend 2/3 days there. (I think there are Pompei bus tours from Rome most days - that might be the simplest choice)

It takes an awfully long time to get from one town to another on the Amalfi Coast. The roads are very narrow and winding. The big tour buses (they should be outlawed) are too wide for the road, so if there's one coming in the other direction, the whole line of traffic must back up. I was just there in late October/early November...I can't imagine how bad the traffic problems would be in June! Some people in our group went from Ravello to Sorrento by public bus (switching buses in Amalfi). All they did in Sorrento was have lunch, then turned around and came back. It took a FULL DAY.

By the way, if you'll be taking buses on the Amalfi Coast, motion-sickness medicine is recommended.

Also..if the weather is bad, the boats don't run.