Good evening,

My husband and I are planning a trip to italy in September. In order to fly on points we have to fly into and out of Florence. We are thilled to be vistign Florence/Tuscany but absiolutly can not wait to ge tthe the Amalfi Coast. just wondering if anyone can help with a suggested itinerary? Should we stay in Florence then drive down to Amalfi or fly in and drive straight there and do Florence on the way back out of the country? Should we even stay in Florence or just do day trips in and stay in the Tuscan countryside; we are no BIG city people. We would rather enjoy our trip "living like the locals". Thanks so much for any suggestions!

How many days do you have?

10 nights...sorry guess I shoud have included that

You sure you want to drive the Amalfi coast? I hear it can be pretty daunting to the inexperienced. You can do totally without a car for the entire 10 days. There are trains from Florence to Naples. Then a little commuter train to Sorrento and then buses from Sorrento to all points along the Amalfi coast. I know it sounds complicated but it's easy peasy.

So if it were me, I'd fly into Florence and train to Sorrento. I'd make Sorrento my base for 5 days and take day trips to eg. Positano, Amalfi, Capri, Pompeii etc. Then I'd train back to Florence for the final 5 days and do a guided trip into the countryside, taste some wines, cheeses, olive oils. Perhaps another day trip by local bus to Siena or San G or Pisa. Then you're positioned in Florence for your outbound flight.

Are you used to driving that far jet lagged? It's not something I would do.

If you intend to get a car, I think I would train south to Orvieto (not far from Florence) and spend the first night. It's a nice hill town and would be easy to pick up your car for the drive to Amalfi. If you really want to pick up the car in Florence, I still wouldn't drive much farther than Orvieto jetlagged.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filervieto.jpg

skip the car.. take the train from santa maria novella station to salerno then ferry to amalfi, positano etc....or take the train and stop at Naples and ferry to your desired destination on the amalfi.

Hi DH,

A car is good for Tuscany, but not the AC, even in Sept.

I would also recommend taking the train to Salerno and ferry or SITA bus to Amalfi or Positano, immediately upon arrival or after 2 nights in Florence.

You could also take the train to Naples and Circumvesuviana to Sorrento. From there you caould take the SITA bus to Positano.

If you can afford it, a limo from Naples or Salerno to Positano would be about 110E.

Split the rest of your time equally between the AC and Tuscany.
Rent your car in Sorrento and drive to and through Tuscany before returning to FLR.

We very much enjoyed our stay at www.lesirene.com in Praiano.

Enjoy your visit.

I love having a car on the Almalfi Coast... I always feel somehow trapped if I don't.... I think if you are born into a mass transit culture, it's probably different for you, but I'm born and raised in California where mobility is a requisite of daily life... Having said that... We loved driving the coast and would recommend that for anyone who is not afraid of a small car, it's a great drive...

I can also recommend a favorite hotel, La Punta Tragara on Capri... www.hoteltragara.com/en/index

Get room 52 on the top floor if it's available... an amazing experience and worth the few dollars you'd spend for the suite. Stay on Capri for a few week days and avoid the day-trippers and the crowds...

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