Italy with Teenagers
Feb 9th, 2008, 07:48 PM
#1
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Italy with Teenagers
My husband and I would like to go from Rome to Sorrento & the Amalfi Coast in August for the first time with our family. Would it be easier to travel by train and bus or rent a car?
Feb 9th, 2008, 08:11 PM
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Having researched this exact question, but not one with first-hand advice since we'll be traveling in June, I am thinking it is easier to travel by train. Amalfi Coast roads are said to be pretty crowded in summer, and public transportation seems easy enough.
I'm sure others will chime in soon...
Have a great trip!
I'm sure others will chime in soon...
Have a great trip!
Feb 9th, 2008, 09:32 PM
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Hi Rose321,
We have visited Italy with our two kids but not Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast so I can't give you first hand reports about the driving conditions there. That said, we really liked having a car as we found it cheaper than travelling by train or bus (by the time you pay for 4 tickets) and the car gave us lots of flexibility.
Driving in Italy is not for the faint of heart, however. If you are used to big city driving, you'll probably be fine. One tip: if you can leave Rome on a Sunday morning, the streets are not very crowded then.
Have a great trip!
We have visited Italy with our two kids but not Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast so I can't give you first hand reports about the driving conditions there. That said, we really liked having a car as we found it cheaper than travelling by train or bus (by the time you pay for 4 tickets) and the car gave us lots of flexibility.
Driving in Italy is not for the faint of heart, however. If you are used to big city driving, you'll probably be fine. One tip: if you can leave Rome on a Sunday morning, the streets are not very crowded then.
Have a great trip!
Feb 10th, 2008, 12:53 PM
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We drove the Amalfi Coast during our first trip to Italy. It's one of those things that you kind of pat yourself on the back for doing. 
We came in from the Salerno side so we were on the mountainside not the cliff side so we may lose points for that but the views were just as magnificent. We visited during the week so that may have some bearing on the amount of traffic but we saw no evidence of the terrific summer traffic jams.
All that being said, once we got to our hotel in Praiano we parked the car for the duration of our stay. The bus to Amalfi was too simple, and we took a ferry to Capri for a day.
We came in from the Salerno side so we were on the mountainside not the cliff side so we may lose points for that but the views were just as magnificent. We visited during the week so that may have some bearing on the amount of traffic but we saw no evidence of the terrific summer traffic jams. All that being said, once we got to our hotel in Praiano we parked the car for the duration of our stay. The bus to Amalfi was too simple, and we took a ferry to Capri for a day.
Feb 10th, 2008, 05:16 PM
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We've been to Sorrento and the AC a few times with our teenagers. The traffic in Sorrento and along the coast road to Positano in late July/early August was horrific. And sometimes you have to be very creative to find parking in the small coastal towns.
A much saner alternative is the boat between SOrrento and Positano, and Positano and AMalfi. The SITA buses that run between the towns are often overcrowded and hot. The ferries/hydrofoils are a great way to experience the coast without the traffic!
A much saner alternative is the boat between SOrrento and Positano, and Positano and AMalfi. The SITA buses that run between the towns are often overcrowded and hot. The ferries/hydrofoils are a great way to experience the coast without the traffic!
