Pompeii
 

We will be in Positano 12 July to 17 July and was wondering what day Sun-Wednesday is the most likely to be LESS crowded. We also want to take a boat tour of the Amalfi coast and would like to have the names of some good companies to book this with. The other must do is a trip to Ravello and we were wondering the best way to get there from Positano. Does the bus go up there? We will have two children ages 8 and 13 with us and wanted to know of some good hikes from Positano. Prefer to take bus up and hike down! Wimpy I know but we are guessing it will be HOT!
Thank you!

From Positano, we took the bus up to Nocelle and then walked down the (many) steps back to Positano. The path goes through olive groves and has some spectacular views. If you haven't seen it, the Sunflower guide to Sorrento, Amalfi & Capri describes a number of hikes in the area. We also enjoyed our Amalfi Coast boat trip with Gennaro & Salvatore.
http://www.gennaroesalvatore.it/

For Ravello, I think we took the bus there (changing buses in Amalfi); on the way back, we took the bus to Amalfi and the ferry back to Positano. The ferry was more enjoyable and less crowded.

We visited the area with a 12 year old a few years ago; here's a link to our trip report in case it's helpful:

http://www.onelittleworld.com/campania_1.html

Enjoy!

We just returned from the Amalfi Coast, but chose to stay in Sorrento for a few days and visited Pompeii from there.

As for Ravello, we took the ferry one morning from Positano, and then the short bus ride to Ravello from there. I think we both liked being on the water rather than a bus on a winding road. The ferry was maybe 25 minutes, the view of the coast exquisite.

I would also recommend the boat tours of Gennaro e Salvatore that ms._go mentions above. We used them for a day trip to Capri, but I read her notes on the Amalfi day trip, and if we had had just one more day . . .

It's hard to know whether the beach or Pompeii will be less crowded on a weekend. Of bigger concern will be the heat. Go in the morning of the coolest day you have. I'd even buy an umbrella and go in the rain. The less sun the better in Pompeii.

For Ravello, you want an absolutely clear day.

Thank you for the suggestions. Has anyone used or heard of the Amalfi coast tour by Cassiopea? Does anyone know if a Monday would be a less crowded day in Pompeii? Also, we are planning on using Rainbow Cars to transfer us from Naples to Positano and back. Has anyone used them? Thank you.

Hi SB - There are a number of boat tour companies in Positano and Amalfi:

www.gennaroesalvatore.it
www.lucibello.it
www.ladolcevitataxicharter.com
www.cassiopea-positano.com
www.mitopositano.it/barca.htm
www.amalfisails.it/index1.html
www.starnet.it/ornsay
www.amalficoastlines.com


For hikes on the 'Pathway of the Gods' you might find these links useful:

http://tinyurl.com/3coedn
http://www.amalfihome.com/member/hikes.html
http://www.giovis.com/sentdei.htm
http://www.sulsentierodeglidei.it/

Nocelle is a good starting point - there's a bus up there (- and back) about every hour from Positano).

Hope this helps ...

Steve