Sorrento and surrounds trip advice
Aug 9th, 2004, 03:45 PM
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Sorrento and surrounds trip advice
Revcently returned from a week based in Sorrento, also visiting the Amalfi Coast, Pompei, Ercolano, Mt Vesuvius, Naples and Capri. Happy to answer any questions.
Matt
Matt
Aug 9th, 2004, 05:15 PM
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We are leaving Sept 1st for our trip - getting married in Positano while we are there. Anywhere you highly recommend to dine for lunch following our wedding in Positano?
What was the best website for boat/hydrofoil schedules and prices? So far all I find is in Italian....no english websites.
We plan to travel between Positano and Sorrento, Naples, Amalfi, Paestum and Capri. Any general tips for day trips to these cites appreciated...any key learnings that would make our trip go smoother would be great. Any favorite lunch/dinner restaurants?
What was the best website for boat/hydrofoil schedules and prices? So far all I find is in Italian....no english websites.
We plan to travel between Positano and Sorrento, Naples, Amalfi, Paestum and Capri. Any general tips for day trips to these cites appreciated...any key learnings that would make our trip go smoother would be great. Any favorite lunch/dinner restaurants?
Aug 9th, 2004, 05:56 PM
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Hi Matt,
I'd like to know more about your trip to Mt. Vesuvius. Did you take a tour to the top. Can you go the whole way up to the top by vehicle or do you need to hike the last bit. I there was hiking involved how strenuous was it. I'm thinking about seeing Vesuvius on my trip next year.
Thanks so much.
I'd like to know more about your trip to Mt. Vesuvius. Did you take a tour to the top. Can you go the whole way up to the top by vehicle or do you need to hike the last bit. I there was hiking involved how strenuous was it. I'm thinking about seeing Vesuvius on my trip next year.
Thanks so much.
Aug 10th, 2004, 03:43 PM
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Hello mgfit,
Sorry, can?t recommend anywhere in Positano to eat, we didn?t have a meal there.
The Tourist Info office at Sorrento had 2-page handouts including all the local transport information (trains, buses, ferries), including fares and latest timetables. We carried them with us everywhere. Buses and trains are very cheap, as are most ferries, but check first, because ferry price ranges seemed to vary widely depending on operators. As a guide our ferry from Amalfi to Sorrento (via Positano) was 6 euros. The most expensive ferries are those to Capri.
From Positano, Sorrento is either about 45 mins by bus or a bit less by ferry. Both are very scenic trips, so I?d get 1-way on both. Remember bus tickets have to be bought in advance from bars, etc. Behind the tourist office in Sorrento is the Foreigners Club, which has great views from a very large, quiet terrace. Perfect for a relaxing drink. Plenty of fine restaurants and shops, especially if you delve into the backstreets. You might try to the restaurant at Hotel Loreley, where we stayed. The food is just OK, but the prices are reasonable and the views are spectacular, especially the sunset over the Bay of Naples.
The Circumvesuviana train line stops/ends at Sorrento. Trains run approx. every 30 mins. Its about 30 mins to Pompei, 45 mins to Ercolano and a bit over an hour to Naples. The fare to Naples was less than 4 euros. Tickets can be bought at the station?s ticket window. We visited Naples on a Sunday and it was lovely and quiet. We wanted avoid the crowds and petty thieves. The Archaelogical Museum, which was excellent and riding up the hills on a funiculare is a good idea for some great views. Generally, however, public transport is much reduced on Sundays.
Capri is a fairly short ferry ride from Sorrento, or a bit longer from Positano. I?d recommend getting a one-way fares, so you don?t have to be a tied to the one operators return timetable. Also, beware that the return ferries don?t run very late, so you have to keep an eye on the time. On arrival, get the funiculare up to Piazza Garibaldi. From there you can venture off in several directions. Our favourite spot was the ruins of Villa Jovis on the eastern tip. It?s a fair hike (abt 40 mins) but wonderful views and a great walk past lovely villas. Nearby, Arco Naturale is worth a look. Boat trips around the island to the Grottos leave from the main harbour.
Amalfi is easily reached from Positano be either ferry of bus. I?d highly recommend a trip up the hill behind to Ravello. The Ravello buses leave from a small stand beside the beach and take about 20mins. It?s a nice little town to wander around. Recommend a meal at Cumpà Cosimo, Via Roma 44. We visited Villa Cimbrone for lovely gardens and spectacular views.
Hard to be very specific in one post, but feel free to email me if you have any more specific questions.
Sorry, can?t recommend anywhere in Positano to eat, we didn?t have a meal there.
The Tourist Info office at Sorrento had 2-page handouts including all the local transport information (trains, buses, ferries), including fares and latest timetables. We carried them with us everywhere. Buses and trains are very cheap, as are most ferries, but check first, because ferry price ranges seemed to vary widely depending on operators. As a guide our ferry from Amalfi to Sorrento (via Positano) was 6 euros. The most expensive ferries are those to Capri.
From Positano, Sorrento is either about 45 mins by bus or a bit less by ferry. Both are very scenic trips, so I?d get 1-way on both. Remember bus tickets have to be bought in advance from bars, etc. Behind the tourist office in Sorrento is the Foreigners Club, which has great views from a very large, quiet terrace. Perfect for a relaxing drink. Plenty of fine restaurants and shops, especially if you delve into the backstreets. You might try to the restaurant at Hotel Loreley, where we stayed. The food is just OK, but the prices are reasonable and the views are spectacular, especially the sunset over the Bay of Naples.
The Circumvesuviana train line stops/ends at Sorrento. Trains run approx. every 30 mins. Its about 30 mins to Pompei, 45 mins to Ercolano and a bit over an hour to Naples. The fare to Naples was less than 4 euros. Tickets can be bought at the station?s ticket window. We visited Naples on a Sunday and it was lovely and quiet. We wanted avoid the crowds and petty thieves. The Archaelogical Museum, which was excellent and riding up the hills on a funiculare is a good idea for some great views. Generally, however, public transport is much reduced on Sundays.
Capri is a fairly short ferry ride from Sorrento, or a bit longer from Positano. I?d recommend getting a one-way fares, so you don?t have to be a tied to the one operators return timetable. Also, beware that the return ferries don?t run very late, so you have to keep an eye on the time. On arrival, get the funiculare up to Piazza Garibaldi. From there you can venture off in several directions. Our favourite spot was the ruins of Villa Jovis on the eastern tip. It?s a fair hike (abt 40 mins) but wonderful views and a great walk past lovely villas. Nearby, Arco Naturale is worth a look. Boat trips around the island to the Grottos leave from the main harbour.
Amalfi is easily reached from Positano be either ferry of bus. I?d highly recommend a trip up the hill behind to Ravello. The Ravello buses leave from a small stand beside the beach and take about 20mins. It?s a nice little town to wander around. Recommend a meal at Cumpà Cosimo, Via Roma 44. We visited Villa Cimbrone for lovely gardens and spectacular views.
Hard to be very specific in one post, but feel free to email me if you have any more specific questions.
Aug 10th, 2004, 04:09 PM
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Hello Adrienne,
We didn?t have a great experience at Mt Vesuvius. We got ourselves to Ercolano station to wait for the public bus up the mountain. The bus runs about 5 times per day. Whilst waiting for the bus in the car park we were accosted by several minibus taxi operators offering trips up the mountain. In hindsight, we wished we?d taken them up on it. The public bus was 30 mins late and pulled up about 200m from where it was supposed to. The fare was about 2 euros each way. It was a long ride up, made worse by a forced 30 min stop at a roadside stall where an old bloke tries to sell books and dusty souvenirs. He must pay a commission to the drivers. The bus stops near the mountain top, but then you have a 30 minute hike up to the crater.
The car park is really grotty ? dusty with a few ugly souvenir stands, with the only shade available in an over-priced bar that serves awful food and drinks. The walk is quite strenuous and near the top they hit you for 6.50 euros. At the top you can walk about half-way around the crater. The views at the top would have been spectacular but were partly blocked by haze/smog. Looking into the crater itself is nothing special. The infrequent buses are poorly timetabled so that you either have to rush up and down to catch the next one back, or wait over an hour. We rushed back, along with plenty of others, and made it with a couple of minutes to spare but the bus was already leaving ? empty. So we all had to sit around in the blazing sun for over an hour waiting for the next one. We suspect this was a tactic to get people to spend more money at the Bar and souvenir stands. Overall, we were disappointed, as were lots of others we talked to. The whole experience seemed to be aimed at gouging money from the tourist, but providing nothing in return.
The day was saved however, by a trip to the ruins of Herculaneum later in the day. After the bus dropped us off at the train station, its about a 10 minute walk down the hill to the ruins. They are far less crowded than Pompei, much smaller, but better-preserved. Because we were there late afternoon (they close at 7:30pm) we had the place almost to ourselves. The audio-guide was well worth it.
Feel free to email me if you have any more specific questions
[email protected]
We didn?t have a great experience at Mt Vesuvius. We got ourselves to Ercolano station to wait for the public bus up the mountain. The bus runs about 5 times per day. Whilst waiting for the bus in the car park we were accosted by several minibus taxi operators offering trips up the mountain. In hindsight, we wished we?d taken them up on it. The public bus was 30 mins late and pulled up about 200m from where it was supposed to. The fare was about 2 euros each way. It was a long ride up, made worse by a forced 30 min stop at a roadside stall where an old bloke tries to sell books and dusty souvenirs. He must pay a commission to the drivers. The bus stops near the mountain top, but then you have a 30 minute hike up to the crater.
The car park is really grotty ? dusty with a few ugly souvenir stands, with the only shade available in an over-priced bar that serves awful food and drinks. The walk is quite strenuous and near the top they hit you for 6.50 euros. At the top you can walk about half-way around the crater. The views at the top would have been spectacular but were partly blocked by haze/smog. Looking into the crater itself is nothing special. The infrequent buses are poorly timetabled so that you either have to rush up and down to catch the next one back, or wait over an hour. We rushed back, along with plenty of others, and made it with a couple of minutes to spare but the bus was already leaving ? empty. So we all had to sit around in the blazing sun for over an hour waiting for the next one. We suspect this was a tactic to get people to spend more money at the Bar and souvenir stands. Overall, we were disappointed, as were lots of others we talked to. The whole experience seemed to be aimed at gouging money from the tourist, but providing nothing in return.
The day was saved however, by a trip to the ruins of Herculaneum later in the day. After the bus dropped us off at the train station, its about a 10 minute walk down the hill to the ruins. They are far less crowded than Pompei, much smaller, but better-preserved. Because we were there late afternoon (they close at 7:30pm) we had the place almost to ourselves. The audio-guide was well worth it.
Feel free to email me if you have any more specific questions
[email protected]
Aug 10th, 2004, 07:13 PM
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Thanks Matt! I had entertained thoughts of Mt. Vesuvius. Our time is pretty tightly scheduled and I would have had to try to fit in Mt. V. Now I won't bother. Herculanum is definitely on the list. I've been to Pompeii but want another look since I didn't have enough time there. We're doing Pompeii one day and Herculanum another day with perhaps a side trip to Villa Poppea, recommended by Paradise Lost (Walter).
I'm reading a book called Pompeii which is a fictionalized account of the 2 days preceeding and 2 days following the 79 erruption. It's great for a flavor of the times. I'm still on the day before the erruption; I can't wait to find out what happens (ha ha).
I'm reading a book called Pompeii which is a fictionalized account of the 2 days preceeding and 2 days following the 79 erruption. It's great for a flavor of the times. I'm still on the day before the erruption; I can't wait to find out what happens (ha ha).
Aug 11th, 2004, 01:45 AM
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How crowded was the area in July/August? We will be there in couple of weeks for a week. I had been warned about it being "unbelievably" crowded.
Thanks for the tip regarding Naples on Sunday. Good idea. We have been pondering when to go.
Was it the Archeobus to Mt V?
Did you get the Artecard & Unicocampania 3T tourist card?
Thanks in advance. This is a big relief to be able to ask these to someone who was recently there.
Thanks for the tip regarding Naples on Sunday. Good idea. We have been pondering when to go.
Was it the Archeobus to Mt V?
Did you get the Artecard & Unicocampania 3T tourist card?
Thanks in advance. This is a big relief to be able to ask these to someone who was recently there.
Aug 11th, 2004, 07:17 PM
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Aimela,
We were there in mid-June and the crowds were manageable. To avoid crowds try and visit sites very early or very late, avoiding the tour buses.
We used the public Compagnia Trasporti Vesuviani) bus from Ercolano train station to visit Mt Vesuvius. If you really want to go, I'd strongly consider one of the mini-bus touts in the Ercolano station carpark. They were asking 8 euro return per person and you don't pay until they drop you back.
We didn't get the ArteCard or similar. The public transport is so cheap, it just seemed simpler to pay as you go, without any time restrictions. Might be worth it though, if you plan on visiting a stack of sites in a short space of time.
We were there in mid-June and the crowds were manageable. To avoid crowds try and visit sites very early or very late, avoiding the tour buses.
We used the public Compagnia Trasporti Vesuviani) bus from Ercolano train station to visit Mt Vesuvius. If you really want to go, I'd strongly consider one of the mini-bus touts in the Ercolano station carpark. They were asking 8 euro return per person and you don't pay until they drop you back.
We didn't get the ArteCard or similar. The public transport is so cheap, it just seemed simpler to pay as you go, without any time restrictions. Might be worth it though, if you plan on visiting a stack of sites in a short space of time.
Nov 2nd, 2004, 06:52 PM
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Hello,
Sounds like you had a lovely time in Italy and thanks for offering advise. I have many questions but my first is:
How much it would cost to take the ferry over to the Capri return, for an adult.
I checked the train trip from Sorrento to Pompeii and it says that trip does not exist. I'm not sure why? Do I have to take the train to Naples first before it heads back to Pompeii?
Sounds like you had a lovely time in Italy and thanks for offering advise. I have many questions but my first is:
How much it would cost to take the ferry over to the Capri return, for an adult.
I checked the train trip from Sorrento to Pompeii and it says that trip does not exist. I'm not sure why? Do I have to take the train to Naples first before it heads back to Pompeii?
Nov 2nd, 2004, 08:02 PM
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You take the Circumvesuviana train from Sorrento to Pompeii Scavi for 1.8 Euro.www.vesuviana.it
Ferries and hydrofoils go to Capri from Sorrento. The ferries are cheaper (under 10E) than the hydrofoils (about 15E) You can book transportation to Capri from any of the tourist offices in Sorrento or at the port.
Ferries and hydrofoils go to Capri from Sorrento. The ferries are cheaper (under 10E) than the hydrofoils (about 15E) You can book transportation to Capri from any of the tourist offices in Sorrento or at the port.
Nov 3rd, 2004, 03:41 AM
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We had a great experience hiking Vesuvius. The buses were on strike so we took a cab (about 20 euro) and he drove us to the parking lot and waited for nearly 2 hours while we made the hike. It's not a terribly strenuous walk, but it's no stroll either. The views at the top- including the veiw inside the volcano were well worth the hike and price to get there.
Jun 3rd, 2007, 11:40 AM
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Jun 7th, 2007, 02:12 PM
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Linda, you might do a search, as the subject was covered in great detail in the past few months. (I know because I asked many of the questions for my own trip nexct year..) You might also get a better response if you state your budget...
