Naples-Sorrento-Amalfi Coast
 

Realistically, we probably only have 1 1/2 days. An early Saturday morning in mid-September we will take the train from Bari to either Sorrento or Naples. I'm on the fence about Sorrento as that will add a day to our trip. We have an early morning flight home from Naples that Monday. How doable is this relatively rushed itinerary? Ferry to AC from Naples vs Sorrento?.I know Sorrento is closer. Spend 1 day in Naples before flying home. Open to any ideas. Thank you.

Personally, I'd spend the time in Naples -- there is a LOT to see there! But if you are committed to seeing the Amalfi Coast, well, Sorrento isn't on it -- it's just close. Your trip, your call.

I'll be honest, I found the Amalfi Coast to be a bit overrated for the attention it gets, and I am not normally someone who comes away from places with that outlook. Your interests may be more suited to the area than mine, but outside of the beaches, high prices of restaurants at some of the popular towns, maybe occasional hikes (if of interest - lots of steps!), and tourist shops all selling the same thing as the other - there is not a lot to "do" on the AC. In addition, in September it will still be very, very crowded.

Coming from Bari would make for a potentially long day as well. My visit to the AC was after being in Puglia (but stopped in Matera for 2 nights).

Again, it depends on your interests as well as how much travel you want to do for such a short stint.

As kja mentioned, there is a lot to do in Naples. With Sorrento, you can get a "taste" of the area but is actually on Bay of Naples, but has good connections to the airport.

Obviously this is not my trip, but I would choose Naples to make it more simple, get some fantastic pizza, and maybe take in a couple of interesting sites - the city definitely has its share of those!

I don't often disagree with Travel_Nerd, but in this case I'll quibble enough to point to Ravello as an exception: Several stunningly gorgeous gardens, some charming remnants of its medieval roots, and a church with some unusual and lovely ambos ... not to mention some of the most beautiful views I've personally been fortunate enough to see. The cathedral in Amalfi, with its "Cloister of Paradise" is quite special, too. And while Salerno is technically just outside the Amalfi Coat, it has a fascinating cathedral and diocesan museum.

The OP might have time to get to Amalfi, though it would mean spending a chunk of time to do so; I think getting to Ravello in time to enjoy it in the little time available would be quite a challenge. I could be wrong.

Thanks everyone for your ideas. We decided to make our life easy and not so rushed by just staying in Naples - eat good food and see a few sites. Two questions. What are your must see sites? What area of the city do you recommend for a hotel - historic area or somewhere else? Thanks again for your input and time.

I'd spend the nights in Naples, esp. if the departing flight is early.

Considering the length of the train ride from Bari to Naples, I think you'd have to depart Bari at 6:30 a.m. to have the half day. And the half day will tick by quickly as you check into a hotel or just drop the luggage, perhaps have a bite of lunch or a snack, etc. On the full day, you wouldn't run out of things to see in Naples, possibly Pompeii?, but you could see a bit of the AC if that's your priority. The ferry from Naples to Positano takes about 80 minutes, about 110 minutes Naples to Amalfi, plus time to get to the Naples ferry dock. It's another 30 minutes Amalfi to Ravello if you take the bus or perhaps 20 if you take a taxi.

If you decide on Amalfi and Ravello, you could ferry from Naples to Amalfi and then ferry Amalfi to Salerno (about 25 minutes) to catch a train back to Naples. This would give you views of the entire AC. I don't know if you could squeeze in a stop in Positano. You'd have to check the ferry and bus timetables or be willing to hire a taxi for the 30+ minute drive between Positano and Amalfi.

FWIW, I think the AC is visually stunning with the Ravello the stunningest and Amalfi the most historically interesting, but to me the crowds and tourist tat everywhere are a big turn off. I'm not a shopper, so Positano is an easy pass, again just me.

FYI, if the weather is windy/rainy and the seas are rough, ferries can be cancelled. Know your options in the event you're not able to return to Naples by ferry.

IMO, what is "must see" depends on one's interests. For me: The archeology museum. Spaccanapoli, The Capodimimonte. Views from the Castel Sant'Elmo. Pizza. The Duomo. Santa Chiara.

I think you would do well to consult a good guidebook or two.

Another to add in Naples: the Veiled Christ sculpture at San Severo. Absolutely amazing!

IMO the San Severo chapel and Christo Velato are not to be missed. I hadn’t ever heard about this until I started planning our trip to Naples. I went there without any idea of what I’d see and was completely blown away. One of the most beautiful sculptures I’ve ever seen!

Will continue my research as to what we want to see while in Naples. Thanks for the suggestions. Any recommendations as to the area to stay for the 2 nights we will be there? I was thinking of the historic part of the city. Thoughts?

https://www.hotelpiazzabellini.com/
We enjoyed our stay here in the historic part of the city.

I second this recommendation if it is within your budget. Centrally located to many major sites.

I also stayed there, and it was great. If you walk out of the hotel and turn right and take a short walk to the southwestern corner of Piazza Bellini, you will find Port d'Alba Pizza on the street of the same name for some of the best pizza you will ever have! It's reportedly the oldest pizzeria in Naples.

Another recommendation for the Hotel Piazza Bellini. It has a special place in my heart as our daughter and her boyfriend called us while we were there (sitting in the courtyard enjoying a Bellini) and announced they were engaged.

We took a food tour on our first night in Naples that was fun and gave us a nice introduction to the city.

I was in Naples last September. Sites I recommend you see that would probably take 4-5 days to see properly if you include external places like Caserta, Popeii, Herculaneum, and Vesuvius. If you only consider Naples proper I think it's doable in 3 packed days. Also keep in mind you can do a ferry to Capri from Naples.


Day 1
Catacombs of San Gennaro
Piazza San Gesu
Neptune Fountain
Castel Nuovo
Galleria Umberto
Piazza del Plebescito
Royal Palace of Naples
Basilica of Francesco
Waterfront of Naples
Fontana del Gigante
Castel dell'Ovo

Day 2
Certosa di San Martino near Vomero
Castel Sant'Elmo
Museum and royal forest of Capodimonte
Catacombs of San Gaudioso
Monumental complex of Santa Chiara (part of the catacombs admission)
Gesu Nuovo church
San Domenico Maggiore obelisk
Church of San Domenico Maggiore
Church of San Gregorio Armeno
Church of San Lorenzo Maggiore
The Duomo
The San Gennaro baptistry of the Duomo
Chapel of San Severo (reserve tickets ahead of time as they sell out)

Day 3
Archeological museum of Naples
Vesuvius/Vesuvio and climbed it
Pompeii archaeological park

Day 4
Tomb of Virgil
Vista of the Phlegrean fields/Solfatara
Baiae ruins
Herculaneum archeological park
Palace of Caserta


Advice: Pre-book tickets for Vesuvius. The last minute thing was a huge pain but basically it is very doable. You do need a wifi connection (they have one on the volcano) and create an account to book the tickets and pay for them. They are released every 10 minutes 30 minutes before the next slot but it's a frenzy with others all trying to book them as well and competing with you for 10 people per 10 minute slot.

Best Naples Pizzeria: Sorbillo

Best pastry shop chain: Poppella

The OP only has 1.5 days in the area. Your suggestions for 4-5 days would work - IF they had that amount of time and mobility for such a packed itinerary.

As such, OP will need to be much more selective.

I could never keep up with trebizond's itinerary even if I had the four days he bases it on!
Include the things that most interest you.

FWIW, the things you list would have taken me a at least a week -- and I travel HARD. For example, I wanted a half day at the archeology museum in Naples; there is NO WAY I could have seen it the way I wanted to on the same day that I saw Pompeii and Herculaneum. I think it really depends on one's interests and preferences.

I think with 1.5 days I'd say the highlights to see would be - and it would be very tight on day 1 especially:

Day 1
Archeological museum of Naples
Piazza San Gesu, Gesu Nuovo church
Castel Nuovo
Galleria Umberto
Piazza del Plebescito
Fontana del Gigante
Castel dell'Ovo
The Duomo
The San Gennaro baptistry of the Duomo
Chapel of San Severo (reserve tickets ahead of time as they sell out)

Day 2
Museum and royal forest of Capodimonte
Certosa di San Martino near Vomero
Castel Sant'Elmo
Catacombs of San Gaudioso/Monumental complex of Santa Chiara (part of the catacombs admission)


And a traditional pizza

We had 1 1/2 days in Naples at the end of a trip, it was our first time there. I wanted to go to the archeology museum, but it was closed during the timeframe we were free. We planned a day trip to Caserta by train, arranged a small group tour at the site. No one else showed up for the tour, so we had a private guide. It was fantastic. We actually wandered into the cloisters at Santa Chiara without knowing much about it. It was so peaceful and beautiful. Definitely worth a visit.

Not everyone can travel a marathon at a sprint, which is what you suggest. I travel fast and hard and could not accomplish this in 2 days.

While this works for YOU, it does not work for everyone nor is it realistic for everyone. Actually, looks like something AI would suggest.

Maybe we should just eat lots of pizza and pastries and call it a day! One last question, I hope. We are currently planning for 1 1/2 days, and the full day is Sunday. Are local shops closed on Sundays for the most part? I will research the sites we would like to see, but are most museums, etc closed are Sundays? As always, thank you for your ideas/recommendations.

Generally most landmarks are open but check the ones that meet for your individual interests. If you go to any churches, be cognizant of mass schedules, for example.

Grocery markets and pharmacies are generally closed on Sundays. Tourist shops likely are open. Chain or even independent clothing stores might be closed.

The biggest issue was that many churches are closed for a long siesta so it might be open 9-1 then closed 1-4 and open again 4-5:30 or something like that. It's hard to know when each is open so best to go in the morning for churches to ensure they are open. Both the archaeology museum and Capodimonte museums should be open all day.

Looks like many things are open on Sundays. Thank you. Hoping this might be my last set of questions specific to Naples.The Hotel Piazza Bellini looks wonderful and has a relatively good price point. Wondering what else you might suggest that is a bit less expensive in this same area. Also, what do you think about staying in the Santa Lucia area? How accessible is it to the historic area? I can't find a good map that helps with the last question. Any recommendations for hotels and airbnbs in this part of Naples? Thanks.

Have you checked booking.com? You can search it by location and price point. And FWIW, any decent guidebook should have a map showing the historic area of Naples.

We stayed at this Airbnb in the centro storico in Naples, a short walk away from the Archeological Museum. Large and extremely neat and clean, it was centrally located and we walked everywhere.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/19244227

Another vote for Hotel Bellini, it is a beautiful property. They also have apartments, which we were seriously considering, but the Airbnb was much larger for the same price, we also liked the location more. Turned out to be a happy choice as the host was super nice and welcoming.

If you don't have enough time, you should definitely go to Pompeii (don't waste time on Hercalanum). The rest of the attractions in Naples and its surroundings are not so amazing and atmospheric, leave the castles, museums with paintings and embankments for later, they are in many parts of the world. But you can see Pompeii only here and it is a truly impressive experience!!!

I agree that Pompeii is extraordinary. But IMO, so is Herculaneum. They are quite different from each other.

Agree, they have a different feel and both were very much worth seeing. Personally I liked Herculaneum more. Needed about 2 hrs there. Pompeii 2 hrs at the end of the day was short, probably would have needed 3-4 hrs to see it properly.

I also spent about 2 hours at Herculaneum; I thought another 1/2 hour would have been ideal. I spent 6 hours at Pompeii and was very selective in what I opted to see. While there was more to be seen, I was comfortable with my choices and ready to move on when I did.

I visited the Amalfi Coast last summer — stayed 2 nights in Amalfi and 1 night in Positano — and it was incredible. That said, with only 1.5 days, I’d recommend staying in Naples and doing a day trip by ferry to the Amalfi Coast rather than trying to base yourself in Sorrento.

From Naples, you can take the ferry to Positano, Amalfi, or even Minori / Cetara (2 of the quieter, less touristy spots). If you’re set on Sorrento, you could stop there for a few hours on the way to the AC.

I'd spend Sunday exploring Naples.

Decided to stay in Naples for 2 1/2 days. We will be there Saturday afternoon and our flight is super early on Tuesday. Thank you everyone for your comments/suggestions. I feel quite educated! Elarakael: it didn't occur to me to take the ferry to Minori. From what I read, the ferry is about a 30 minute ride. Is that an accurate estimation? Thanks.

From Naples? No. More like 90 minutes to Minori, if not a bit longer. I stayed in Minori for 4 nights in October and traveled to Napoli for my time there via ferry. By that there was not as many options running. I first had to take travelmar to Amalfi and then a ferry to Naples, which had a change in Capri. This was not a short 30 minute trip in the least.

Check out the many options for ferries and catmarans on
https://www.sorrentoinsider.com/en/ferry-schedule it also has info on other forms of transport in area.