Sorrento vs Positano, rental car or not?
 

Hi All. Planning the Southern Italy section of our Italy trip in early June is both fun and confusing. After staying in Rome for 4 days, we plan to visit Campania for 3 days. Do you recommend staying in Sorrento or Positano? The things we want to fit in are Pompeii, Positano, Sorrento, Ravella. Not sure we can fit in a excursion to Capri and whether Capri is a must see over the other coastal locals mentioned above. Interested in hearing your thoughts about that as well. The I heard that Sorrento can be quite noisy at night, but our travel agent says Sorrento is the best choice. Do you recommend staying in Sorrento or Positano? She also recommends renting a car from Naples. I have read a lot of posts and I'm still confused. Is driving a total nightmare? My husband is willing to drive and has no problem with driving in Big Sur, Calif but I realize this is not the same... Should we rent a car take the train from Naples to Sorrento? I appreciate any advice you can give!!!

Eurolady, i was looking for the identical info when ran across your message. my wife has same concerns about driving to Positano...friends of ours made the drive and enjoyed it. we are going in early May. all my research has indicated Positano over Sorrento. i look forward to whatever guidance you receive from others...don't be confuse...this is fun stuff!!!

Hi EL,

>...Campania for 3 days. Do you recommend staying in Sorrento or Positano? The things we want to fit in are Pompeii, Positano, Sorrento, Ravella. <

It is much easier to get to Pompeii from Sorrento.

You can take the SITA bus to the other towns.

I think that a car on the AC in season is more hindrance than help.

((I))

I agree with Ira. My parents drove the coast about a year or so ago without a problem, and we've all done the highway 1 trip a zillion times (a month ago, in fact), which isn't as difficult, or so I understand. Still, when we went last June, I decided I'd rather see the scenery than concentrating on driving, as much as I like to drive. We took the train from Rome to Salerno, then took the ferry from there to Positano. It was a gorgeous way to get to Positano. So, driving won't be a nightmare. Parking is another story, as Ira suggests.

It's definitely much easier to get to Pompeii from Sorrento, and much easier to get to Ravello, Amalfi, Montepertuso, etc. from Positano. Capri is also easier to get to from Sorrento.

We spent three days in Positano, two in Capri, and two in Sorrento, the combination of which is 4 more days than you are alloting.

I think town picking is really a personal thing. None of us in my family mind noise (we live on a busy street)and we like the lively ambiance and bustle. It makes us feel alive. Coming from L.A., there's too much cubby-hole type of living and keeping your own space. For that reason, we enjoy mixing in and living the experience rather than watching the experience. Sorry for sounding too philosophical in my response, but it goes back to it being a personal thing.

For that reason, and others, we enjoyed our stay in Capri the best. It was so beautiful, and there was so much to do. We had the best time! Sorrento is more of a place to use as a base to see other stuff, unless you really enjoy shopping. Positano -- well, it was certainly more relaxing and a place we'd go back to in a heart-beat. It's a place to chill, see incredibly heart-stopping scenery, swim, boat, eat great food and walk.

I hope this helps and doesn't confuse you more!

topping

Ira is right that a car on the Amalfi Coast can be a hindrance. We had a rental while staying in Sorrento last year, and it cost us 10 euro a day to have it sit in a parking lot for 5 days. The only time we used it was to drive to Paestum, which is less easy to reach by public transportation (but very much worth seeing). If you did want to go there, you could get a one-day rental in Sorrento, where there are several car rental agencies.

It will take you a lot longer to drive up the Amalfi Coast to Pompeii than to take the train, because the traffic is so horrendous and the roads are so narrow. Also, Pompeii can be exhausting in itself because there is so much to see. We were very glad to collapse on the train after our day in Pompeii. Driving home down those Amalfi roads would have completely done us in.

Positano will be quieter and more beautiful; Sorrento will be easier as a base for visiting other places. You have to decide which is more important to you.

There have been several discussions on the board about visiting Capri; you might want to search for those.

I guess the vote on rental car is a "no". I am so glad I asked. So I guess the way to do this is train from Rome to Naples, Naples to Sorrento. Now just need to decide between Positano and Sorrento. We'll look into Capri to decide if it is worth a day over seeing the rest of the AC. But still interested in any of your thoughts. This is my first experience with the Fodor's forum. I am impressed with the quality and thoughtfullness of the responses. My travel agent warned me not to take too much stock in message boards, but I think she is wrong about this one.

Eurolady,

I have posted a report on our Nov 2004 trip to Sorrento and Rome starting at:

http://www.rozault.com/italy2004/report04.html

Maybe your travel agent warns you away from message boards because she's afraid they'll cut into her business! Most of us here have found that we get wonderful advice from our fellow travelers.