My wife and I will be travelling to Italy for 8 days during the last week of march. Towards the middle of our trip we will be going from Rome to Sorrento. We will stay in Sorrento for 2 days, then go to Capri for 1 night, then go to Naples for 1 night.<BR><BR>1)We will be staying in Sorrento as a good base, at hotel aminta, over staying in positano...is this a good idea?<BR>2)how do we get to pompeii from sorrento, and how long does it take?<BR>3)in capri, I want a hotel high up with a good view.....hotel minerva, villa brunella, ambassador weber, relais maresca, or casa margano?<BR><BR>thanks!!!

1. Yes. From Sorento you can take a half or a full day trip to the Amalfi coast. Positano is only an hour away by bus (beautiful ride). You get the bus at the train (Circumvesuvia) station.<BR><BR>2. Very simple to get to Pompei. You take the Circumvusuvia train from Sorrento to Pompeii. It takes 35 minutes. Buy your train ticket at the little store in the station prior to getting on the train. Be careful, there are two stations with the word Pompeii in them. Make sure you get off at the correct one. Once you leave the train, the entrance to Pompeii is right there. This is actually the same train line that runs from Sorento to Naples.<BR><BR>3. Minerva is good. All of them are a little hike from downtown but well worth it..

Thanks for the quick response!!!!<BR><BR>I have read that the hydrofoil is a quick way to get to sorrento from naples. how much does this cost? do you recommend this?

You have 2 identical threads going at the same time.<BR><BR>While the bus ride from Sorrento to Positano is spectacular, it is not for those who tend to suffer from travel sickness.<BR><BR>It's not the cliffs. The bus drivers try to keep to a schedule, consequently they drive with one hand on the horn and one foot alternating between flooring the accelerator and flooring the brakes. Couple that with the hairpin turns and you can have an interesting ride.<BR>

Sorry! I am new to the forum, and when i couldn't find my posting i thought it didn't go through and rewrote/sent it again (*2)....i actually searched incorrectly...i apologize for the inconvenience...<BR>

Don't know about the hydrofoil. We went by train to Naples, then jumped on the Circumvesuvia for the 1 1/2 hour ride to Sorento. Figured that by the time I cabbed it to the dock and waited for the ship I could be in Sorento. The Curcumvesuvia ride is not spectacular but as I recall it was very cheap-two or three dollars.

The hydrofoil from Naples to Sorrento is not all that expensive, I believe about 10 Euro per person or less. But you will need to get yourselves and your luggage from the train station to the ferry terminal and that will take up some time and money. The boat ride is beautiful if you have relatively calm seas. For some reason, the water is notoriously choppy, even on what would be considered a calm day. At the end of March, it is still considered off season, so hydrofoils do not run as frequently as they do in the summer, and, if you arrive on a story day, may not be running at all.

Hi,<BR><BR>I have been to Sorrento numerous times (my wife is Italian). In terms of food and service Aminta is one of my favorite hotels there. It is a bit out of the town and high up. You do need to visit Sorrento in the evening, all the shops are open until late (in March?). <BR>The comments by Ian are excellent.

Can I drive my rented motorhome on the Amalfi coast?

My husband and I did this trip in 2000, but slightly different. Rome on the Intercity train to Naples (2 hrs). At the Naples train station grabbed a taxi ($5) to the Port for the Hydrofoil. The driver spoke little English, but asked WHICH PORT? After a lot of gestering, he got us to the right Port (can't remember the name). I still have the stub for the Hydrofoil (L.2,400) ea. Easy ride to Capri. Stayed overnight at Hotel Syrene (nice view). Took the Hydrofoil to Sorrento. Grabbed a taxi at Sorrento's port to the Capodimonte (high on a hill overlooking Sorrento, Mt. Vesuvius). Hired a driver for the Amalfi Coast because it is a treacherous drive. The Circumvesuviana is cheap and quick to Positano. Let me know if you need further info.

to Pam<BR>You can drive your rented motor home there, but I beg you please don't! <BR>Park it in Sorrento and take the buses! There are many hairpin turns, the road is narrow, and you are sure to encounter buses on those turns coming in the opposite direction. I was just there in the off-season, when the traffic was at it's lightest, and experience several lengthy delays caused by motor-homes trying to squeeze past buses. Not to mention all of the cars trying to navigate the Amalfi Drive. As you might guess, this is the least popular vehicle among the locals!! There are alternative routes across the mountains if you must get from point A to B however, and there is also a perfectly decent campground in Sorrento where you can have a home base from which to explore the Coast, preferab;y in a smaller vehicle or in a SITA buses, which is great fun.