Naples, the islands and the Amalfi Coast
 

Hey everybody on this forum,

I'll have 10 days off in June and I'd like to visit Campania.

I'd like to visit Naples, Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast and one of the islands (which one?).

I've read about Sorrento being the best base to explore these places, but, in my opinion, it doesn't look as interesting as the places I mentioned above and I'm not fond of day trips. I already found the hotels (except for the one on one of the islands) and I want to book them as soon as possible because I know that June is a busy month in Campania.

I was thinking 4 nights in Naples with an excursion to Pompeii and 4 nights based in Amalfi in order to visit the main towns (Positano and Amalfi) and do some hiking (Path of the Gods or Valley of the Mills or both?). Am I giving the right amount of time to each location correctly or should I do 5 nights in Naples and 3 nights in Amalfi?

I'd also like to visit an island, but I can't decide on which one to visit: Capri, Ischia or Procida?

Thanks for your time and for your advice.

Hi! I don't know a ton as I am just planning and researching my trip to Naples and the Amalfi Coast for this September. I too read about Sorrento being a good home base but chose to stay in Positano for 7 nights and Capri for 2 nights. I will take day trips to Naples ( 1 full day), Sorrento (1 full day) and a another full day trip to Pompeii and Vesuvius. For the rest of the days on Positano I plan to take trips to all of the little towns by hiking or bus. There are many websites that discuss hiking that I have found and there is a book called sorrento, amalfi and capri by julian tippett or something made by sunflower. It was a little difficult to get but it seems to be a good hiking guide for the area. here are the websites:
http://www.ondaverde.it/trekkingi.htm
http://www.giovis.com/Egiovis.htm
Capri seems to be one of the more popular islands to visit and when I think of the Amalfi Coast that one comes to mind. I am so excited to be going there and happy I decided to stay there overnight. Many people say that it is better at night after the day trippers leave. There is some hiking to be done there, the chair lift up mount solaro and the famous blue grotto too. I don't know much about the other islands you visited. but capri is fairly easy to get to by boat from the coast. I think if I were you I would spend more time on the coast and less in Naples or maybe stay in Sorrento rather than Naples and just day trip there. I've heard some not so great things about Naples from time to time. And therefore chose Positano as my home base to be closer to the coast.
also I have found Rick Steves Italy to be a wealth of information. On my last trip to Italy I used his book to plan my whole trip. His sections on Naples, Sorrento, Capri and the Amalfi Coast are great. with many walking tours to follow to get acquainted with the area and see the sights. I also love DK Eyewitness guides top 10 for naples and the amalfi coast and have used their city and region guides for trips in Italy, Europe and the US. have fun!!!

HI M,

>should I do 5 nights in Naples and 3 nights in Amalfi?

I would do either 4/4 or 3 in Naples and 5 on the AC.

You could visit Pompei Scavi on your way from Naples to the AC if you choose to take the Circumvesuviana to Sorrento and the SITA bus along the coast road to Amalfi.

Otherwise, you might want to take the train from Naples to Salerno, and the ferry or SITA bus to Amalfi.

Have you considered visiting Paestum from Amalfi?

((I))

Hi there,

I think you have split your time well. 4 nights in the AC is a good amount of time. You'll get to see a lot and won't be rushed while you do so.

We spent 4 nights in Positano at the Hotel California in '05 and really enjoyed ourselves. We liked the size of the town and it made for a great day tripping base. From Positano, you can easily get to Amalfi, Ravello (a must see!), Capri, and Sorrento.

I have an extensive trip report linked to my name about the trip if you want more details.

Hope that helps a bit. Good luck!

Hi MCM - I'd spend 4/5 nights in Positano, 2 on Capri (- or Ischia) and 2/3 in Naples.

Steve

Thanks! I guess I'll visit Capri and split my time 4/4 between Naples and Amalfi.

With 10 days (is that 10 full days/nights ?) I'd do 4 in Naples, 4 in Amalfi & 2 on Capri. Amalfi IMO is the easiest spot on the Amalfi Coast for doing daytrips to other towns like Positano & Ravello. I love Ischia (and am planning my 3rd trip there in 3 years) but I'd say go to Capri first. And it is definitely worth staying over, there - many people get a bad impression by visiting it as a daytrip & just seeing the crowds between the docks, the fuynicular & the main square in Capri Town.

HI; I see you hace already found your hotels. But in Naples you should consider 'Costantinopoli 104. Enjoy Iris

Hi MCMLXXVI,
You seem to be splitting your time quite well.
As far as hiking, the sunflower guide is excellent (also expensive), but you can also pick up good hiking maps at the local tourist information office (if you get up to Ravello-they have some excellent ones. I've had some email contact with Giovanni Visetti who runs the giovis group and they occasionally have nature walks which are made up of local people and others who are environmentally concious.

Another tip: The Sentiero degli Dei and the Valle dei Mulini differ quite a bit from each other, with the first being a good half day (4 plus hours) experience, not counting the steps (maybe 1000) to get to the base of the path. If you're staying in Amalfi the second one is a very good choice, and if you bus up to Ravello you can follow the path down to Amalfi and visit the paper museum when you get to Amalfi. If you do end up hiking above Ravello and get to the village of Pontone, here's a great (and reasonable) restaurant that I highly recommend:

http://www.ristorantesangiovanni.com/index.html

The owners are lovely people and they have a terrace with open sweeping views across the valley to Ravello and the sea beyond. And the food...oh my! Enjoy your time there!

Pardon, I hit the post button too soon. I should say that The Giovis group is based over on the Sorrentine Penninsula (but they come to the Amalfi Coast too at times!)

Also, You can also get to the Sentieri degli Dei (Path of the Gods) from Agerola, and it's easy to find maps locally in Praiano. Or here's a link with pictures that will help:
http://digilander.libero.it/Anfie/page1.html
It's in Italian but clicking on the map (carta) at the upper right corner will gives you a larger version. It's a general map from Agerola.
A poster here named Gerardo is a local (think he lives up around Ravello. Do a search for his name, then Try this thread:
"Hiking in Amalfi Coast"