We are staying two-three nights in Positano in October. The AirBnBs are pretty much booked and the hotels / pensiones in our price range in the guide books seem to be all booked too. Any recommendations for a nice Pensione (would love a view but not for $450/night!). We will probably hike the trail and take a day trip to Capri and then head back to Naples.

We enjoyed our stay at: www.hotelcaliforniapositano.it. It looks like it has some availability in October, depending on your dates.

October is not off-season, so I'd book something ASAP that can be cancelled if a better option is found later. Use a website like booking.com to find availability for your date/s. Book on the website or directly with the property.

Consulting this guide to the Sentiero degli dei, it appears that you could just as easily stay in Amalfi or even Sorrento which might be easier than finding somewhere in Positano. Both offer ferry trips to Capri too.

https://www.positano.com/en/e/il-sentiero-degli-dei

If you’re considering Amalfi you could email/contact Luca. We rented a lovely apartment from him in Atrani, right on the beach. Atrani is tiny, without the crowds, just 7-8 minutes by walk from Amalfi, with access to the ferry, bus, etc. Luca has other properties too, worth a try. [email protected]
+39 339 221 1709

There appears to be a reasonable selection of hotels at reasonable prices on booking.com. We've stayed in the Savoia in the past, right in the centre of the village and were pleased with the standard. Prices for mid October seem to be around €220/30 per night.

https://www.booking.com/searchresult...urpose=leisure

Thank you... with the ferry service seeming to have stopped in October... we are starting to wonder if this Naples to Positano for two days makes sense. It seems pretty difficult or expensive to get there. I don't want to rent a car this time. Maybe we find something else for those 2.5 days after Naples.

That sounds as if it may be a wise decision, RubyTwins. IMO Spring is a far better time for walking of that sort - the days are longer and you have all the wild flowers to enjoy. That might be a better time to aim for for exploring that region in general and walking in particular.

How long do you have in Naples? would you mind posting your itinerary? it would be a lot easier to come up with ideas if we knew the "shape" of your trip.

Thank you--glad annhig for you to confirm my growing realization that Positano was just not going to work without more hassle than we want

Schedule that we know: So I am meeting my husband on a Saturday October 1st (I will have been teleworking from Siena). We have an Airbnb until Thursday but I am thinking maybe we leave Naples on Wednesday instead. Walk around. Go to the Archeological Museum, Pompeii and maybe also Herculaneum (not sure about both--I have seen both my husband has not).

If we left Naples on Wednesday, my husband does love to drive. Get the car maybe from the airport....drive 3 hours and We would have half day Wednesday , Thursday and Friday and would need to return to Naples on Saturday late afternoon--drop car off and fly out Sunday (me to Calabria and my husband back home). We are thinking now.... Puglia?? Metera and probably not as far down as Lecce because of time. Wish we had more time but my schedule is more flexible than my husbands and he has to return.

I am really having trouble fitting all these pieces together. I don't want to be in Naples the full week (we live in NYC--we have enough grit)... I want to be out and walking with some natural beauty as well as historical beauty too.

How about something completely different like going to Capri or Ischia for the extra time? Ideally you would do this the other way round - take off to your chosen destination on the Saturday, [or Sunday if arrival times makes this impossible] then come back to Naples to finish your stay so that you are in the right place for your onward journeys. Or, if you fancy Puglia, just go straight there instead, which is more time efficient.

I know Capri is supposed to be beautiful and someday yes... just don't want to go to a place so focused on shops etc for the uber wealthy. Perhaps I am wrong on my assessment? I just ordered another travel book.

I just finished "One Italian Summer." Never been to Italy but a must read before a visit to Positano!