Ravello or Sorrento
 

Would appreciate any info on whether to base out of Ravello or Sorrento on a six day Amalfi trip. Most of our party is young but my elderly parents are coming too and don't want to overtax them.

Hi dd,

Sorrento is much more convenient for trains, ferries and buses.

To go anywhere from Ravello you have to go down to Amalfi.

I suggest staying in Sorrento and visiting Ravello.

I thought Ravello was equisite but I will say waiting for the bus in Ravello was not.

Stay in Sorrento. If you want some peace and quiet for your parents, but lots of activity for the younger ones, consider staying in a hotel up in the hills. Sorrento isn't so large that you can't walk into town, so you'll have the best of both worlds. We stayed at Il Nido Hotel, which had an amazing view of Vesuvius and a nice rooftop patio. No pool, but other hotels in Sorrento do have them.

From Sorrento, it's really easy to access the Amalfi Coast, either by bus or ferry, as well as Naples and Capri.

Just returned from staying in the Sorrento area for 2 weeks. I agree with the rest, stay there and travel to Ravello...(don't miss the Villa Cimbrone)
There are more ferries going from Sorrento to other places than from the Ravello area. Also, the train is there to go to Naples, Pompeii etc
BTW, we went to both Capri and Ischia...I would forget Capri and spend time in Ischia...We stayed there for 3 days and it was delightful. Found a great cab driver who drove us around for 2 days...I kept his card if you want his number/email.

Dear halcyon,

Would love name and number of taxi driver in Ischia...Thanks.

dd,
We just returned from Italy yesterday, and during our Amalfi segment of the trip we stayed 2 nights in Ravello and 3 in Sorrento. I agreed with all the posts about Sorrento being easier to travel from, BUT Ravello is enchanting to stay in. Our bargain hotel (da Salvatore) had private balconies with magnificent views of the golf. Next time I will just stay there. Since you want to do a lot of day trips, you probably are better off with Sorrento but it is nothing like Ravello. We enjoyed exploring the town and visiting the gardens (Cimbrone and Ruffolo). At night the piazza was wonderful. The locals come out and there are old men playing cards, children playing, couples sitting and drinking coffee in the coffee shops, and people attending church service. Not too many tourists there this time of year. Sorrento is crowded, air pollluted, a million tourist shops... but convenient. Hope this helps. (P.S. In Sorrento we stayed at Settimo Cielo, which was reasonable and had good views of the golf of Naples from our non-private balconies. It's a little out of town, a 15- to 20-minute walk up the main road and quieter; the bus stop to town is across the street.)

To dd
The guide/taxi driver in Ischia is Salvatore Gira...He is a gem! Just let him plan where to go, especially where to eat! Lunch at the Neptune was like being in a movie! So much fun!
His email is [email protected]....
His cell is 360299952..local #
You will not be disappointed!