Ischia instead of Sorrento or Capri?
May 9th, 2019 | 03:54 PM
#1
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Ischia instead of Sorrento or Capri?
Hi Fodorites,
Working on finalizing a month long trip of the Balkans and Southern Italy in September. I have another post w/ full working itinerary but wanted to throw this out as a separate question... My biggest issue w/ my itinerary at the moment is a week in the Amalfi region. We have 7 nights and our first draft of the itinerary had us spending 3 nights in Sorrento (taking the ferry from Naples in the AM), then 4 nights in Amalfi. Fell down a rabbit hole reading about Sorrento and day trips to Capri (including the interesting article posted to this forum re: Capri day trippers). That got me thinking of perhaps staying on Capri for the 3 nights instead of Sorrento. Then THAT research let me to Ischia, Capri's bigger, less expensive, and less popular sister?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/catheri.../#14f7ebe5330e
https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle...-a3897181.html
I know it is a personal decision and I know that Capri and Sorrento have lots of redeeming qualities (which is why this decision is so hard!!) but curious if any of you have stayed on Ischia and what your experience was. Bonus points if you have experience with Sorrento and Capri (as a stay, not a day trip).
If you had 3 nights and had to choose... Capri, Sorrento, or Ischia?
Thank you!
Working on finalizing a month long trip of the Balkans and Southern Italy in September. I have another post w/ full working itinerary but wanted to throw this out as a separate question... My biggest issue w/ my itinerary at the moment is a week in the Amalfi region. We have 7 nights and our first draft of the itinerary had us spending 3 nights in Sorrento (taking the ferry from Naples in the AM), then 4 nights in Amalfi. Fell down a rabbit hole reading about Sorrento and day trips to Capri (including the interesting article posted to this forum re: Capri day trippers). That got me thinking of perhaps staying on Capri for the 3 nights instead of Sorrento. Then THAT research let me to Ischia, Capri's bigger, less expensive, and less popular sister?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/catheri.../#14f7ebe5330e
https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle...-a3897181.html
I know it is a personal decision and I know that Capri and Sorrento have lots of redeeming qualities (which is why this decision is so hard!!) but curious if any of you have stayed on Ischia and what your experience was. Bonus points if you have experience with Sorrento and Capri (as a stay, not a day trip).
If you had 3 nights and had to choose... Capri, Sorrento, or Ischia?
Thank you!
May 9th, 2019 | 05:03 PM
#2
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The answer mostly depends on what else you plan to do and see. Are you going to Pompeii or Herculaneum? Are you spending any time in Naples? Are you arriving in Naples that morning? Are you going to Ravello or Paestum? Personally, I would not go to Capri unless I could spend a night. I have done day trips there because of friends, way back when it was much less crowded than now, and it was not very satisfying as a day trip even then. It would be great if they limited the number of day trippers to the island.
May 9th, 2019 | 05:26 PM
#3
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Prior to this, we will have spent the night in Cassino. Plan to get on the road early (~1-1.5 hr drive), return the car in Naples, then take the ferry to either Sorrento or one of the islands. We will not be visiting Naples or Pompeii on this trip but do plan to visit Paestum during the 2nd half of this week when based in Amalfi for 4 nights. Would also visit Ravello during this time.
Agree with your sentiments re: Capri as a day trip based on what I have read. If we end up basing in Sorrento, I think we would skip Capri this time around and explore the other towns on the coast instead. The big question is Sorrento, Capri, or Ischia for a 3-night stay?
Agree with your sentiments re: Capri as a day trip based on what I have read. If we end up basing in Sorrento, I think we would skip Capri this time around and explore the other towns on the coast instead. The big question is Sorrento, Capri, or Ischia for a 3-night stay?
May 9th, 2019 | 06:15 PM
#4
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OK then. This is simple and direct.
If you have no plans to visit Pompeii, Herculaneum, etc. no need to stay in Sorrento.
Ferry from Naples to Capri. Stay two nights. that gives you a half day the first day, a whole day, and another half day. Ferry to Your hotel in Amalfi that afternoon.
Consider Ischia if you can ferry to Amalfi (or Positano) without backtracking to Naples, but I do not think you can. OTOH, being on the water on the AC is always beautiful, so might be OK to take a lot of the day getting to Amalfi. I don’t think you can ferry from Naples to Amalfi either. You can always get busses or a train part way, but it becomes convoluted and tiring. Plus, many ferries run only a few times a day, and not always the direction you want at the time of day you want. Check ferry times before firming up plans.
One reason many people do choose Sorrento is it is a good travel hub. Then you are back to a day trip though.
If you have no plans to visit Pompeii, Herculaneum, etc. no need to stay in Sorrento.
Ferry from Naples to Capri. Stay two nights. that gives you a half day the first day, a whole day, and another half day. Ferry to Your hotel in Amalfi that afternoon.
Consider Ischia if you can ferry to Amalfi (or Positano) without backtracking to Naples, but I do not think you can. OTOH, being on the water on the AC is always beautiful, so might be OK to take a lot of the day getting to Amalfi. I don’t think you can ferry from Naples to Amalfi either. You can always get busses or a train part way, but it becomes convoluted and tiring. Plus, many ferries run only a few times a day, and not always the direction you want at the time of day you want. Check ferry times before firming up plans.
One reason many people do choose Sorrento is it is a good travel hub. Then you are back to a day trip though.
May 9th, 2019 | 07:44 PM
#5
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Hi Sassafrass, thanks so much! I did find a ferry route that could take us from Ischia to Amalfi via Sorrento. It departs Ischia at 10:35, arrives in Sorrento 11:35. Then departs Sorrento 2:55, arrives Amalfi 3:45. The ferry operator is Alilauro. It does mean spending a lot of the day on the water but as you said, there are worse ways to spend the day. I'm not familiar enough with Sorrento yet but perhaps you know... would it be feasible to stow our bags somewhere and have enough time to lunch in Sorrento? If so... sounds like a pretty nice day and a way to get a glimpse of Sorrento. What do you think?
May 10th, 2019 | 03:14 AM
#6
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I have been to the region three times, two of them spending a little over 7 days and all three times I based in Sorrento and have not regretted it. For one thing, I actually like the town itself very much. It can get crowded with cruise shippers mid day but most of the time I was elsewhere mid day so didn't really even notice them. I did multiple day trips to Amalfi, Positano, Ravello, Capri, Ischia, Naples, Pompei, Herculaneum, Pasteum. Some by boat, some by bus, the Naples/Pompei drips by train.
I can definitely see the value of spending a couple nights on Capri, there was a lot there we didn't get to in a day trip. But I did enjoy the day trip. We took a boat trip offered by our hotel - much smaller than a public ferry. It gave us 5 hours there plus a ride around the island with stop at the blue grotto before heading back to Sorrento. When we got there we immediately took a bus up to Anacapri. The bus ride was like being in a sardine can but it was only ten minutes and then up in Anacapri it was not crowded at all. We hiked around a bit, visited the villa and did the Phoenician steps walk back down. There was almost no one else on that walk. Then back in Capri town we hiked out a short ways to a garden and cloister and those were not terribly crowded either. The center of Capri town was horribly crowded so I guess that's all most people do.
Ischia was much less crowded overall and I'm really glad I visited it but I don't think it's quite as beautiful as Capri. We only visited the main town so I can't speak to the rest of the island. I wanted to get to the neighboring island of Procidia but didn't have time but if you stayed a few days you could do that.
Here are my photos of the area. Capri starts at #222 and Ischia is right after that. Pompei and Naples and Pasteum are in a separate gallery on the same site.
https://andiamo.zenfolio.com/p266655284
I can definitely see the value of spending a couple nights on Capri, there was a lot there we didn't get to in a day trip. But I did enjoy the day trip. We took a boat trip offered by our hotel - much smaller than a public ferry. It gave us 5 hours there plus a ride around the island with stop at the blue grotto before heading back to Sorrento. When we got there we immediately took a bus up to Anacapri. The bus ride was like being in a sardine can but it was only ten minutes and then up in Anacapri it was not crowded at all. We hiked around a bit, visited the villa and did the Phoenician steps walk back down. There was almost no one else on that walk. Then back in Capri town we hiked out a short ways to a garden and cloister and those were not terribly crowded either. The center of Capri town was horribly crowded so I guess that's all most people do.
Ischia was much less crowded overall and I'm really glad I visited it but I don't think it's quite as beautiful as Capri. We only visited the main town so I can't speak to the rest of the island. I wanted to get to the neighboring island of Procidia but didn't have time but if you stayed a few days you could do that.
Here are my photos of the area. Capri starts at #222 and Ischia is right after that. Pompei and Naples and Pasteum are in a separate gallery on the same site.
https://andiamo.zenfolio.com/p266655284
May 10th, 2019 | 05:29 AM
#7
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I spent 4 nights on Ischia quite a few years ago. We didn’t go to Capri or Sorrento so I can’t chime in about the comparison, but we loved our brief visit to Ischia. We choose it because we wanted to be on an island, relax, swim, and most of all soak in thermal waters at the end of a 3 week Italy trip. It was very early June, the weather was perfect, and I’d go back in a minute.
I know that July and August are extremely crowded, but I am not sure what it’s like in September. Although I wouldn’t want to visit during peak summer, I would also not want to be there too off season (island “resorts” off season can be a little depressing to me).
I know that July and August are extremely crowded, but I am not sure what it’s like in September. Although I wouldn’t want to visit during peak summer, I would also not want to be there too off season (island “resorts” off season can be a little depressing to me).
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May 10th, 2019 | 05:52 AM
#8
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Excellent input everyone! Isabel, your photos are stunning and left me feeling that we can't go wrong no matter what we choose. Annabelle2, I can't say for sure not having visited the area before but everything I have read (and corresponding hotel prices) make me believe that September will still be quite crowded. Seems like the real offseason starts in October.
May 10th, 2019 | 06:06 AM
#9
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That makes sense. We learned that it’s mostly Italians who vacation there, folllowed by Germans (a lot of the signage was in Italian & German, much less so in English), mostly in July/August. We stayed in Casamicciola up above the town/port, with great views. The gardens at La Mortella were a highlight, as were the natural hot springs near Ponza, down a long set of steps to the sea. The thermal waters there bubble up from the sea, a delightful experience. The food was delicious: lots of seafood of course but because it’s a mountainous island with some small game one specialty is rabbit. There are vineyards as well.
May 11th, 2019 | 09:05 PM
#10
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In September 2018, we booked a week in Ischia, with an apartment overlooking the Aragonese Castle. Then our daughter joined us, and she also wanted to see the Amalfi coast during her week as well. So, we cut our time on Ischia to four nights and then spent 3 nights based in Sorrento. There is a bus route that circles Ischia. That was the only part that was crowded. Once we hopped on and off at various destinations, we did not find things too crowded. Although we had been to Sorrento and Amalfi coast a couple times before, the split of time seemed perfect.
