We are just back from Venice, and already longing for Italy...

We are now starting to plan a trip to Positano.

We loved the weather in Venice when we were there late May - high 70s and sunshine, in fact we could have stood a little cooler.

We are not looking for swim, just sightsee, but would like to avoid the rainy season if there is one and the major crowds. We would like to be there when the flowers are out as well.

What would be the optimal time to visit Positano? We were thinking perhaps April? How does April compare to Sept/Oct?

Hi W,

We were there the first week in Oct, when the rates go down.

Rained the first and last days. Gorgeous weather. Flowers, lemons, olives everywhere.

More details in my trip report:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34451044

Ira -
I LOVED your report! Printed it out as there are lots of helpful details.

We will be flying from US to London to Naples - can do Paris, but with the strikes thought London safer bet (??).

Not clear how you got from Naples to Praiano (in our case it will be Positano). Was this a private driver you hired? We are not keen on taking a taxi, and were thinking private driver of boat (??)

If yours was private car, @ how much is it to do this?

Hi W,

April is beautiful but may have many italian/German vacationers at that time. My pick would be mid September.
Enjoy!

Hi W,

To/from Naples we splurged on a private driver (90E each way), Limousine Service Sorrento (Renato Cuomo)
www.cuomonet.it

Also consider Francesco. He has started his own business. He might give you a better price. http://www.francescomarrapese.com/

I think Sept/Oct is likely to be less crowded than April, but either of these is a great time for a visit.

Just a word of caution about going through London- try to catch a a flight to Naples out of Heathrow instead of Gatwick. It will save you the money, time, and hassle of the transfer. Also we've found that many times intra-European flights out of Gatwick are seriously delayed.

For Naples- Positano transportation, along with the other excellent recommendations, I can also recommend Giovanni Gargiulo of tourofitaly.com. We've used him several times for our trips, and he's a charming and reliable driver.

By the way, as soon as you decide when you're going and where you'd like to stay in Positano, e-mail the hotels. Positano is VERY small, and some of these hotels get booked months, even a year ahead!

Have a great trip!

Ah, valuable info about the airport. All the flights I checked are LHR, which I believe is Heathrow.

We are thinking we will go early May - easier with our schedules, and it "appears" from the charts less chance of rain.

We are renting an apartment, and realize things book quickly, so will be booking in the next few weeks, I am sure.

Thanks everyone for the info. about the driver. Ira, did you say the driver picked you up in Sorrento? How did you get from Naples? Funny, until I read one of your recent posts and saw you were from Atlanta (I think - pls correct me if I am wrong), I thought you were from Italy - you know so much about the country!

Thanks for the help. Can't wait to get back!

Hi W,

We were picked up at our hotel in Naples, driven to our hotel in Praiano and returned to the Naples train station.

Thanks for the kind words.