Sorry to be yet another post of this region, but wanted to get advice from any of you that could provide some insight. Next summer, we are planning on going to this region for approx. 3 nights. I've read so many opinions on stay in Almafi, stay in Positano, stay in Sorrento, stay in Ravello, etc etc.
Therefore, having numerous options is great, but it is also what has me confused and undecided. After visiting Cinque Terre this past summer, we really want to see this region as well. Would love to see Positano, AC and Capri. A few things to point out to assist in the process of your advice:

- we will be arriving from Rome. Don't know how yet, but that's not important in my decision.
- we will be going to the Greek islands after this for approx. 10 days
- although we are not opposed to going the beaches in the region, it is not a priority. We reside in Miami, Florida and often to go Caribbean as well. Also, as I stated we will be going to Greek Islands after.

Thank you in advance for any input that could assist us.

Ariel

For such a short trip I think it will end up making a big difference as to how you are arriving in Rome (can you fly into Napoli?) and how you are going from the Amalfi Coast to the Greek islands. So until you have a grip on both those crucial pieces of the puzzle, any advice people give you is just too general to be actually useful for your particular trip.


Two things you should know now: Sorrento is not on the Amalfi coadt but Positano is. Getting to and from Ravello to the rest of the Amalfi coast or Capri requires leaving the inland town of Ravello & returning, using public transportation or taxis.

With so little time on the Amalfi Coast, I think it depends on what you want to see and experience while there. Just relax and enjoy the views? Visit Pompeii or Herculaneum or Paestum? Hike?

Pompeii, Herculaneum & Paestum are not on the Amalfi coast and are quite difficult or expensive to visit while staying on the Amalfi coast.

Sorrento is a great utilitarian base for all those places and Pompeii, etc. But it has few sea views and not much a seafront but ferries to islands and buses and ferries along Amalfi and easy access from Naples.

In any case take a train from Rome to Naples or Salerno and take ferries or buses or private transfers to your base. Book train tickets really early to get nifty discounts - www.trenitalia.com - check www.seat61.com for tips on booking your own tickets - and for general rail info www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Massimop-
thank you for your reply. From my understanding, Rome is an hour train ride to Naples. From there I can arrange my next destination by car. Another option is just driving myself from Rome. This not really the concern.
I understand Sorrento is west of Almafi, Positano etc, but based on other blogs/comments a lot of folks tend to use Sorrento as a hub per se to visit all including Capri. My concern is where, not really how to get there.
Also, I can fly to Greece from Napoli.

We want to go see and just enjoy the time there. No specific agenda.
Hiking is not really an option. We travel with our son, who will be 8 at the time.
He just went with us to Cinque Terre in the summer. We did all there, but hike. We all loved it.

Thank you.

In short ....in order to maximize the best experience for 3 nights, where would you recommend to stay as a hub to visit Positano, Almafi and do a day trip to Capri?

If you just want to stay in relax, are committed to visiting Capri, and have can 8-year-old with you, then Amalfi might be your best bet; that or Positano. IMO, either would be better for your purposes than Sorrento, Ravello, or other locations in the area. JMO.

kja- Thank you! I think so too.
I read someone else on another blog who said they opted for the same because of people recommended Sorrento as a hub to get everywhere, yet not many actually recommend Sorrento as the highlight. Therefore, as you stated, it's probably best to just be in Positano or Almafi and take it from there.

Yes Sorrento totally lacks the charm of a Amalfi or Positano if mainly want to relax in one place. Sorrento is a nice enough if not dreamy utilitarian base for those who want to hop to Pompeii, Heraculeaum, Capri, Ischia and Amalfi area but yes lacks the charm of Amalfi proper towns.

kja is right, as usual.

@ PalenQ: Thanks, but I'm not sure I'm "right" often enough to qualify for 'as usual." ;-)

how about 'usually'? minor nuance!

Renting a car in Naples is really not advisable if you are traveling in summer to the Amalfi coast to visit the coast and Capri. Gat a driver from Napoli train station to take you to Amalfi or == perhaps even more fun -- switch to the commuter train in Naples that goes to Sorrento & then get on a ferry to the town of Amalfi. The latter helps if anybody in your party suffers from car sickness, plus you won't get caught in traffic jams along the Amalfi Drive.

If you are determined to rent a car in Naples, pick it up at the airport (take a taxi or bus from the train station). But in general, all you are going to do with a car on the Amalfi coast in summer is find yourself stuck in traffic jams and paying a fortune to park it.

PS; If you are thinking of driving from the Amalfi coast to an airport so you can fly to Greece, you need to allow plenty of time for traffic jams. Again, using the ferries would be easier, or hiring a driver to take you through a back route to the airport.

http://mariadams.com/2015/06/05/five...and-loving-it/

This is what we did last year.
We took the train from Rome to Naples.
Spent a night in Naples.
Took a late afternoon boat to Capri.
Spent a night in Capri.
Then took the last boat out of Capri to Sorrento
Spent 2 nights in Sorrento
-

Night 1: Naples
Night 2: Capri
Full day at Capri and took the last boat to Sorrento. We were able to see most of the "tourist" stuff, but I could easily see myself spending another day or two exploring the island
Night 3: Sorrento
Hire a driver to drive us along the Amalfi coast and visit couple towns like Positano, Ravello. Then we went to Paestum. It is nice to go to Paestum but I felt that we should have spent more time in Amalfi
Night 4: Sorrento
Next morning we head over to Pompeii

Our only regret was that didn't get to spend the time to explore the Sorrento because we made reservation at fancy restaurant and didn't know that it was going to take that much time. Since we were traveling with 4 children, by the time we were done with the meal, they were all exhausted. If I were to do it again, I probably would just have a quick meal and enjoy the night life in Sorrento.

If I were to do it again, I probably would have stayed in the Sorrento area. Positano is nice and pretty. but i'm not so sure if it would be convenient when traveling with kids. But that's just my opinion.

btw, the boat ride btwn Naples to Capri and Capri to Sorrento are pretty frequent. I was worried that we might not be able to move to an earlier or later boat ride if there is change in our schedule. But as long as they have seat, you can always hop on to an earlier boat.

Naples to Capri to Amalfi might be an option-- but when I was there, there was no where to store luggage on Capri for just a day trip while in transit. Maybe things have changed....

If you do stop in Capri, whether for a day trip or an overnight, ferries to Amalfi (with a stop in Positano) are also common -- no need to go to Sorrento unless you want to do so.

And FWIW, I think it would be hard to see "most of the 'tourist' stuff'" of Capri on a single stay of just one night -- but I guess it depends on how one defines "most" and "tourist stuff."

With only 3 days, I would base in Positano and day trip from there to Capri and Amalfi/Ravello. Just get an early start to Capri if you're going in the busy summer months.

Please check flights from Naples to Greece. These used to be seasonal and only on certain days, so unless that's changed in the last year or so, you may still have to fly out of Rome to Athens.

The ferries from Naples to Capri are passenger ferries only, so if you are renting a car in Rome or Naples you cannot take the car on the ferry.