Need more help with trip planning: Italy/ Amalfi coast
 

I have posted previously just trying to figure out what we wanted to see Amalfi Coast. After great advise from here, guidebooks, other people we have decided we want to experience local culture and nature… Flexible with dates looking toward mid may fir 2 weeks.
Looking to not move lodging alot. Basing out if Prianio,?? , … maybe 2-3 nights in ischia have not decided base yet… interested in Ischia, Centaro, Minori, Ravello … smaller local towns
Exploring Naturaladventure walking tour… or just booking private small group tours boat tours. interested in cooking class, etc

Before I dig deeper into itinerary. Need to decide on flights. Live in south Florida. Not crazy about long flights..
-To fly into Naples would require stop over ( total of 16 hours or do) not crazy about long flights ir changing planes
or
-Fly to Rome can get direct flight .. then take fast train to Naples .. then private transport to our base ( leaning toward Prianio)

1. Any input on either means of getting there….

2. Use a travel agent ( any one know of Italy travel consultants thst arent super expensive)or continue to plan on my own. I have a spreadsheet with what I have gathered so far. Always did all if our trip planning but this one is overwhelming

3 Any great experiences with smaller tour grouos ie. Get your guide, Natural Adventure, Love Italy. Want flexibility but dont want to miss hidden gems

Dont want too much time to go by before I book anything

Thanks so much for all of you!

My visit to the area was without guides or private tours, and I found it easy to enjoy the area.

I wonder: Do you know why planning for this trip feels overwhelming to you?

Hi Kja, I think I feel overwhelmed because our last and only trip to Italy was about 9 years ago It was a biking trip (VBT) in Tuscany. Everything was taken care of and we had such an amazing group of people. One of our best trips ever!!!

We really got to experience local culture . We loved the intimacy of 14 people ( which we still keep in touch with) it was flexibility .. but support of the local guides..

Amalfi has so much to offer.. theres just alot more moving parts then when we traveled with VBT .. we are not interested in bus tours or large group tours

I think I am making this more complicated then I need to. Will feel better once I actually book the flight .. I have been gathering alot of things we would like to experience… but I want to do it at a pace where we can truly enjoy it. So will have to narrow the list …. Thats the part thats hard

Narrowing one's wish list is always a challenge!

Good luck with your planning. It's a beautiful area, so I'm sure you'll have a wonderful trip no matter what you decide.

In April/May 2022 we spent 9 nights between Naples and the Amalfi Coast, based in Atrani. Four days in each place, we had been to Capri and Ischia on a different trip and skipped it on this one.

You don’t need a travel agent, it’s super easy to plan everything on your own. We took the SITA bus and ferries on the AC, Atrani is just a short 6-7 mins walk from Amalfi, which is a big transport hub. We spent a day up at Ravello, which was one of the highlights of our stay. Do take the ferry too as the views from the water are stupendous.

I don’t remember if you mentioned what kind of lodging you are looking for. We stayed at an Airbnb in Atrani, right on the main street, overlooking the bay. Incidentally, Atrani has some excellent restaurants and we ate extremely well.

Your title doesn't mention Italy and there is no country tag. (you could be traveling anywhere). Maybe ask the moderators to edit the title and add and add the Italy tag . . .

Praiano is popular with some and on a map it appears central. But the idea of "central" depends on what's on your sightseeing list and public transportation options. The specific places you mention are not close together, and traveling this area by bus, taxi and ferry is not fast. (You typed Centaro, but did you mean Cetara?)

Praiano does not have ferry service, so getting to Ischia and/or Capri would be multi-step journeys with some bits of time spent waiting for connections between bus and ferry. Spending a couple of nights on either island would be great. Taxis (land and water) can help with the physical aspects of the travel but don't always save time and can get expensive. Praiano to/from Cetara by public transportation would be scenic but long. Getting to/from the excavations at Pompei and/or Herculaneum would be easiest by taxi.

Having two weeks would mean you don't have to rush around, but depending on the plans I would probably want to split the hotel nights between/among multiple towns.

As for the question of how to get from Florida to Italy, I'd choose the direct flight to FCO with a connecting flight to NAP (all on one ticket) and then private driver to the hotel. If you're coming from Miami, I also see connecting flights via Zurich with a similar overall flight time.

Flying into Naples means moving in the airport to a new departure gate at the stopover (probably Rome) with your luggage checked through.
Flying into Rome means getting your luggage and then having to travel to Termini train station to get a train to Naples. Personally, I don't think this is easier.

Clay, if it might help, our recentish TR here titled 'Costa Amalfi' is chock full of fotos plus logistical tips. One would see how we chose Minori as a base. I'm using my wife's travel tablet and would link it here if only I knew how.
Good luck.

I am done. The setting for the latest Equalizer

Hi claytoj1,

My DH and I liked the town of Amalfi very much. You need to double check this, but I believe you can get a ferry from Amalfi to Capri (and Sorrento and Naples).

Also double check if train from Rome to Salerno would get you closer to the Ravello side of the Amalfi Coast. Check areas south of Salerno as well....can anyone suggest less known resorts in that area?

We took a local bus from Sorrento to Amalfi and it took 2 hours to go 18 miles! In March! Looking forward to reading about your trip.

Making progress with plans slowly
 

Thanks to all of you for such great input, after reading guides, talking to alot of people have made some progress.

There will be 4 of us traveling. We want to immerse in the culture and beauty.. seeing as much as we can with relaxation in between.

Today finally booked flight and air bnb

May 12 - Fly into Rome

May 12-15 Stay in Rome .. see some sights .. have not reserved hotel yet.. or tours

May 15. Take fast train to Naples .. then catch ferry to Ischia where we will stay for 3 days. Air bnb is in Fiore and has a spectacular terrace overlooking water. Would like to visit thermal spas, castle Sip wine while watching sunsets..

May 18. Ferry back to Naples … private driver to next stop

May 18-22..Air bnb in Conca dei Marina… another beautiful terrace overlooking water with a beach within walking distance…while there hike path if lemon, Ravello, Miniori, boat tour? even found chef that would come to air bnb & cook a meal

May 22 train back to Rome. Stay near airport ..fly home out of Rome.May 23

Alot of gaps to fill in

I know we are only seeing a tiny piece of what the area has to offer .., on the positive side .. it will force us to visit again.

You have described a trip with less sightseeing time than you may think. Travel days don't count, what with getting out of lodging, travel, and getting into new lodging, plus eating a few meals. Arrival and departure days don't count either, of course. So Rome really has only two full days for seeing things, the first of which may be jetlagged. Ischia, similarly, has only 2 full days. I figure three whole days for Conca dei Marina.

Don't feel bad about this. It is always what happens when you have three locations during a short vacation. When Mrs. P and I visited Italy for a similar length of time, we limited ourselves to only two bases, Rome and Sorrento, and flew back from Naples with a change in Rome, saving the day you will spend going to Rome just to catch a plane. If you could fix your flights to do this, you could have another day for enjoyment rather than travel.

Hi, By chance did you find a boat tour you liked? we are doing a similar trip next month, shorter and includes Florence. But Ive really been wanting to do a boat tour from Sorrento to visit Capri and then take us to Amalfi where will stay for 3 nights. your trip sounds wonderful. I agree if you can change your retrun flight from naples that would give you a bit more time.

Amalfi Trip final itinerary !!
 

After much research and talking to alot of travelers our Amalfi experience is less than a month away!!

As some of you had pointed out, I regret not considering the travel days, we may be pushing ourselves a little thin at times but you only live once, right?

We arecflying in from Miami and my sister snd her husband are flying in from New Jersey . We are in our early 70, all active. We will be in Italy for our wedding anniversary and my brother in laws birthday…

So here goes..

May 13. We both arrive by noon. Have booked Welcome Pick Up to take us to our air bnb. Which is at Via Principe Amedeo in Rome
My sister has never been to Rome, so before we head to Amalfi wants to see as much as she can in the few days. We are doing an evening tour of Colleseum at 5:30.

May14- booked s Complete Vatican tour at 9:30am tour, which lasts about 3 hours . Will just relax rest of afternoon and evening. Our airbnb has suggestions for restaurants and where to hang out.

May 15- Welcome Pick Up will take us to train station. Booked fast train to Naples . Leaving Rome at 9:25 am .. arriving in Naples at 10:33.

Arranged for private driver Taxi Mister Cab pick us up in Naples. We have until 2:30 pm before we catch the hydrofoil to Ischia. Driver will take us on a tour of Naples, eat some pizza etc.

The hydrofoil leaves at 2:30 pm so we arrive in Forio, Ischia at 3:50. Booked at an Air bnb that has a beautiful large outside area with a nice view of Mt Vesuvius and sunsets.
Tonight we will just walk to restaurant and the town center or just enjoy our beautiful view.

Will be in Ischia until May 18.

Have a general idea of what we would like to see the next day .. visit Castello Aragonese, Sant Angela beach, Mortella Gardens, Ischia Porto?) These places are just ideas … may decide to just do a boat tour ..

May 17 .. just want to spend the day at Giardinin Posiden thermal spa ( which is only 7 minutes from our air bnb)
Going to reach out to host .. to get her thoughts .. also maybe if she might know of a private chef that would cook dinner for us that night.

May 18– Taking ferry back to Naples leaving at 11:20 am . Taxi Mr Cab will pick us up at ferry and take us to the next air bnb in Ravello (Via Carusiello also with a beautiful patio overlooking the water and a garden.
We are here until May 22.

One day walk the Path of Lemons from Miniori to Maiori . Then explore those towns and if time allows would like to visit Cetera. ( drink
Limoncello .. eat local seafood)

If time allows another day .., explore Atrani,Amalfi and the gardens in Ravello.

We booked a cooking class on our last night May 21 at Amalfi Heaven.

May 22 Taxi Mr Cab will pick us up at 10 am. We scheduled train back to Rome from Naples not until 3:20 pm. So we have the driver until then We just found out our grandmother was from Caserta .. which looks to be only 1/2 hour from Naples .. if driver does not think we fit in a drive to Caserta then we will explore something else-on way from Ravello to Naples

May 22 .. we will arrive at Rome at 4:30 .. Staying at Hilyon Garden then sadly fly out next day.

Tried to not schedule every second, have a list of restaurants that were recommended for each area. Want to see as much as we can but more importantly enjoy the scenery, immerse in local culture and find time to relax.

Would love any thoughts .. ideas ..suggestions ..

Thank you so much for all your input on my earlier posts.!

Ravello is truly remarkable. I don't think you'll regret your time there!