Itinerary for Amalfi Coast, etc..
 

Hi, I would appreciate feedback on the itinerary I am planning for May 31-June 12.We are looking to have a relaxing, fun and interesting trip--sightseeing, but not rushing too much. We are not renting a car.

We are starting with four nights in Capri where we are attending a wedding. Then,two nights in Sorrento, three nights in Positano, and two nights in Naples.

We will arrive in in Sorrento the morning of the 5th, and plan to tour the city that day.
The following day we are planning to hire a guide and walk the "Path of the Gods'.
On the 7th we plan to hire a guide and go to Pompeii for the day. The guide would pick us up in Sorrento and return us to the hotel in Positano.

The next day we will tour the Amalif coast, and the following day, the 9th, we are leaving open for the beach, etc. On the 10th we are going to a cooking school in Amalfi. We would have the driver pick us up in Positano and return us to the hotel in Naples. Our last day we will tour Naples, and on the 12th fly home.

Does this make sense logistically? Also, does anyone have recommendations of tour guides or car services? Thanks in advance for your help.

Should be a great trip!

Just a couple of thoughts:

Consider adding magnificent Paestum to your itinerary. You can reach it via Salerno (which I consider seriously underrated). Consider leaving time for Paestum's small but worth museum and, of course, for the local buffalo mozzarella. :-)

Consider making time for glorious Ravello, my favorite place along the Amalfi Coast.

I don't think you need a guide for the Path of the Gods, nor do you need one to get to Pompeii, or to get from Amalfi to Naples. In fact, you don't need a guide at Pompeii at all -- there's an audio guide, and you can read up on your own. Of course, if you PREFER to use a guide, your call!

One day is exceedingly little for Naples, so be sure to think through your priorities in advance.

Wondering why you aren't planning the Path of the Gods while you are actually on the Amalfi Coast? I would not change hotels so often, but it's your trip.

I would absolutely include a visit to RAVELLO. In my opinion, it a special town....beautiful, amazing views, etc.

If you are visiting Pompeii, you may want to skip Paestum on this trip.
Sometimes seeing "too many ruins on the same trip is not as enjoyable, unless that is your passion.

So many beautiful things to see on the Amalfi coast!
Enjoy!

TrendGirl2.

Sounds like you have a great trip planned! Sorrento is a pretty town that will be chock a block with committed shoppers if a cruise ship is in. I would day trip to Pompeii by train from there and hike the Pathway of the Gods, as denisea suggested, while on the Amalfi coast.
I can recommend Sorrento Cars which I used for three transfers. You can click on my name for my trip report from last May for details.

I agree - you should walk the Path of the Gods when you are on the AC. It is inconvenient to do it from Sorrento. Honestly, I would cut down on one hotel change (time waster) by cutting out Sorrento. Add at least one day to Naples and you can see Pompeii from Naples (and have time for the museum in Naples which houses many treasures from Pompeii).

You can then add the other day to your time on the AC and do the Path of the Gods while in Positano. There is a guide by the name of Zia Lucy who can accompany you on the walk if you like.

<We will arrive in in Sorrento the morning of the 5th, and plan to tour the city that day.>

That will take all of five minutes. Sorrento is a town with nothing to see except a quirky museum with some dusty porcelain and inlaid wood. I don't know what you are expecting to tour. There are a ton of shops and restaurants as it is a tourist town catering mostly to Brits escaping the miserable weather in the UK.

While I, personally, am not prone to becoming "ruined-out," I can appreciate the value of giving some thought to one's tolerance for seeing multiple ruins. In this case, though, I can't imagine that seeing the ancient Roman city of Pompeii would interfere in any way with the extraordinarily different experience of seeing the 3 magnificently preserved Greek temples at Paestum (or vice versa).

By way of contrast, I am much more likely to weary of yet another tourist-filled cafe or shop-lined street. To each his / her own!

We are just back from the AC and spent 6 days in Ravello and 2 in Positano.

I third the recommendation to get to Ravello if you can. It is up in the hills vs. down by the water, with magnificent views, two villa gardens right in town worth seeing (not time-intensive at all) and a central square with an ancient duomo. Amalfi is the closest major town (downhill). I was glad we didn't use our time in Sorrento though we went through it when returning to Naples.

They have a fantastic music/concert series going too -- we attended the first one for this year, which was lovely. People from other towns also came for the concert.

We stayed at Casa di Vania which was phenomenal -- I realize you are staying elsewhere but if Ravello does tempt you it's a great place to stay.

Please - do NOT rent a scooter. Even locals hesitate riding motor bikes on the coast road. It is dangerous, your travel insurance probably wouldn't cover injury and you'll end up like the rest of the traffic - stuck in gridlock breathing in fumes.

Yes, having a scooter on the Amalfi Coast is a terrible idea unless you are a local. And ico appears to be affiliated with the tour ico is recommending, as all of his posts are recommending the company.