Most convenient location to base for Amalfi Coast?
 

Hi All,

We have been doing a lot of reading about the Amalfi coast area, and are stumped about where to base for five days in late June-early July 2017. Is there a town suggestion you could make for us? We are undecided between Sorrento, Positano, and Amalfi...but plan to visit all three (and more) during our visit. Or if there is another town that is a gem and convenient to get around, we'd love to know. We value the less touristy options when we know about them.

We are experienced Italian travelers, but are just visiting this particular area for the first time this summer.

Thanks in advance!

We have stayed in Sorrento - but in May - and we loved it becasue it was larger, had a much bigger choice of restaurants and had easy access to Capri, Pompeii, Naples and the towns down the coast by car or ferry. It also has a train but we never used it. I would not take a car when you will be here is you are in the towns down the coast.

(The towns down the coast are much smaller and more resorts - sort of a staycation. Getting to other places is much more complicated. There is a very slow and crowded bus along the coast road and a few ferries a day. Or taxis. If you want to see a lot of other places I would not stay there - but great for resorts if you don;t mind ricky or pebble beaches. (We just used our hotel pool which was gorgeous in a lovely garden - and sat on the terrace overlooking the incredible Bay of Naples. But we are not beach people.)

I think it depends on what you want to do while in the area. For example, do you plan to visit Pompeii, Herculaneum, or Naples? What about Paestum or Salerno? Any time in Capri, or Ischia...?

(BTW, I would not describe Amalfi as a resort town. JMO.)

Hi there. There have been a ton of threads on this subject so if you put Amalfi etc in the search bar above you will probably find some very helpful ideas.

It will be busy all along the coast at that time.

We've stayed in Amalfi a few times but in May and September. It gets pretty busy in the main square but we had a hotel with beautiful view, and stayed out of the square in daytime.

Next to Amalfi is a little town called Atrani. You can walk to Amalfi along a path in about 15 minutes. There's not much there for services so it's not as busy and it is pretty.

If confining yourselves to the Amalfi Coast alone for your visit, perhaps you might be best to opt to Amalfi - which offers the day trip option to Capri if required.
Amalfi offers to choice of visiting both Positano and Ravello on separate days, with only a single bus ride (and you have a ferry option to Positano).
There are a couple of walks in the hinterland behind Amalfi and if you are more ambitious walkers, a bus from town can get you to Bomerano, where the Sentiero degli Dei begins. You can walk down the steps from Nocelle to catch a bus back from Positano.
Sorrento is not on the Amalfi Coast and doesn't merit a day of your valuable time.
That said, we are fans of Sorrento as a place to stay, having been twice, as it offers better transport connections if your interests lie in Pompeii (or Herculaneum), Naples or Capri.

Thanks for the advice-we're going to split our time between Sorrento and Atrani.

If you are only going to be in the area for 5 days, you are wasting time by dividing your time between 2 places IMO.

I always stay in Positano at the end of June, because I enjoy the fireworks display on Sant Pietro day and I like the good ferry connections that make visiting the other villages very convenient. Plus the amazing views, good beach selection and lovely restaurants.

Depending on the dates you will be visiting, you may be able to see the Fest of Sant Andrea is Amalfi.

I stayed in Sorrento in the old town this fall and it was the absolute best decision. Each day I could reach a new destination by bus, boat or train whether Naples, Capri, Amalfi coast Ischia or Pompeii. In the evenings I stepped out the door and was surrounded by great restaurants or evening walks.
I took a cooking class on a rainy day.