Planning Trip to Rome and Amalfi Coast; How steep is Positano?
 

With memories of Venice and Florence this past fall still fresh, I'm beginning to plan for our next Italy trip - this time to Rome, Pompeii, Capri and Amalfi Coast. Tentative travel in September, with 4 nights A.C. and 5 nights Rome. Preliminary research made using Positano as a base sound appealing. But Fodors Italy 2005 talks about how steep it is. Sounds like there are lots of stairs to go up and down to get around there. Concerned about how my husband would manage (he had trouble with the stairs and bridges in Venice). Is it really that challenging to get around? Would Sorrento be a better base? Appreciate any thoughts.

Uma,
If your husband had trouble with the stairs in Venice he will not make it in Positano. Look at Sorrento.

If you arrive to positano by boat you have to walk up a number of stairs to get to the city center where most of the hotels are located. If you drive to P or take the bus to P, there are no stairs to climb to get to the city center.

If you arrive to Sorrento by boat it is a fifteen minute steep walk to the city center. I would recommend taking the train or better car from Naples to Sorrento. From Sorrento you can take a day trip to Positano. There is a bus right next to the sorrento train station which will take you to Positano city center.

Replies so soon! Thanks, Henry and Celeste. Celeste, sounds like we'll still have a steep climb up and down in Sorrento when we take a boat to Capri??

You can take a taxi or the bus down to the docks (and back up) in Sorrento.

If you stay right on the main road in Positano you can walk slowly down to the lower part by the beach. In Venice you are going up and down bridges all the time, in Positano is it one long walk way with some steps.

Compared to Venice and Florence, the Amalfi Coast IS considerably steeper with a lot more hills and stairs to climb than those relatively flat cities. Since you've indicated your husband had troubles getting around in Venice, I would definitely recommend staying in Sorrento. Sorrento is high above the Gulf of Naples as well, however, it is a larger city than Positano, Amalfi, etc and is built on a flat plain. There is a local bus (1 euro/ticket) that can bring people down from the Piazzo Tasso (Sorrento's main piazza) to the Marina Piccola to catch a boat to Positano, Amalfi, etc. so you would not have to walk down that steep incline to the harbor. Positano, Amalfi, etc are considerably smaller and crammed into the hillsides. While picturesque, there are numerous stairs above, behind, and around buildings to that take you all over the place. It can be tedious going up and down those for an extended period of time.

I really like Sorrento and have returned there time and time again. It provides a terrific base with easy access to the entire Amalfi Coast, Capri, Naples, Salerno, etc. with convenient boat, Circumvesuviana train, and SITA bus connections.

Thanks, so much, SeaUrchin and Huitres, for the great information.