My wife and I will be in Italy for 10 nights in May. Arriving in Rome and thinking that first 3 nights in Rome would be good plan (have been there before) and probably our last night also in Rome for convenience to airport. Looking at Amalfi Coast/Sorrento area and thinking that four nights would seem about right to do there. Wondering if that does sound right; and if that leaves two other nights what might be options from Amalfi area?? Also wondering in going to Amalfi/Sorrento whether a car is desirable; or if train/bus travel may be the best bet.

See if you can fly into Naples and start south and end in Rome. Forget the car in May.

May should be very nice in Rome and the Amalfi coast! If it were me, I'd spend several nights in Sorrento - visit Pompeii, Naples, and then go down the coast by bus, boat or driver to see Positano / Amalfi / Ravello. Then I'd go to Capri for two or three nights for a few days of hiking / Blue Grotto etc. You can do Capri as a day trip but it's nice to spend a few nights there to enjoy it when the day trippers have gone.

We have been to the Amalfi coast twice in late May and having a car made the trip much easier. From our hotel in Sorrento we were able to drive to Pompeii, Naples and down the coast road (and up from a return trip to Pompeii) which we found very enjoyable. And from Sorrento we took the hydrofoil to Capri. (By mid/late May the hotels should have pools open and sea swimming is possible.

Unless you have been to Rome before I would spend more time there - perhaps both before and after time on the Amalfi coast. But if you do rent a car be sure your hotel has parking (very few do) or they can arrange parking for you.

Four nights seems to me a bit short for the Amalfi Coast area, though it really depends on what you want to see and experience. If you include Naples, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Capri, Salerno, and Paestum, then closer to a week would be better.

I agree with Bob that you should fly into Naples and home from Rome. To me it is easier to recover from jetlag when in a place like the Amalfi Coast, as there is sun and you are walking around alot.

If you want to see Pompeii, Naples, etc., then you could divide your 6 days between Sorrento and a town on the Amalfi Coast. Note that Sorrento is about 45 minutes away from, but not on, the Amalfi Coast.

For the Amalfi Coast, Positano is always my choice, as IMO it is the most picturesque of the AC villages and has great transportation option, so you can see Amalfi/Ravello, Capri and Salerno as day trips via ferry.

I would NOT have a car on the AC in May, as it is already quite crowded by then and parking is scarce and expensive. It may be fine in Sorrento, but really no need there either, with the Circumvesuviana train.

I third the idea of not having a car, for all the reasons mentioned and also that if you're not accustomed to driving the roads on the AC, it's not a lot of fun. The into-Naples and out-of-Rome plan would work well.

Why not head to Amalfi immediately upon landing in Rome? Usually arrival day is a bit of wasted day anyway, so may as well press on through. Then you could have four uninterrupted days in Rome at the end of your trip, saving a travel day.

We're planning a similar trip, also in May, just a bit longer, with more time in Rome because it will be our first time there. We are flying into Rome and out of Naples, would that work for you?

<< and if that leaves two other nights what might be options from Amalfi area??
I guess it depends on your interests, but either a couple of days on Capri or a couple of days in Naples (if interested in Pompeii) sound good. FWIW, we are spending our last 2 days in Naples...and we are not going to have a car.

Have a great trip!