Thinking of Minori as "home base"?
 

I'm thinking of staying in Minori during a first-time visit to the Amalfi Coast. Can anyone chime in and let me know if this is a good central spot to explore the area? Or would another town better? Thanks!

For my first time visiting the Amalfi Coast, I would want to be in a town that has better transportation options, especially if visiting during the mid to high season. The 2 towns with the greatest transportation options, including ferries, are Positano and Amalfi.

Personally I adore Positano but others like Amalfi.

Kathy, what time of year are you going?
We stayed in Minori for five days last October and liked it a lot but we had a car and used that to drive to Paestum, Ravello and Amalfi. From Amalfi we took the ferry to Positano.

We drove to Sorrento and spent five days there as well.

What I liked about Minori and it's neighbour Maiori (sp?) is that they still felt like real towns rather than over run with people. I enjoyed seeing Amalfi and Positano but they were crowded and I was glad not to be staying there, but that is just my preference.

If you are going in summer Maiori has quite a nice beach compared to some of the other towns which mostly have rocky or pebbly beaches.

If you don't have a car you can take the bus from Minori to Amalfi and then access the ferries to Positano and the bus to Ravello.

I would love to stay in Ravello but only with a car.

Thanks for the info. We are planning on late September, but we're afraid to drive around there. I'm from Miami, and the drivers are crazy here, but the roads look scary around Amalfi!

It is a beautiful area Kathy and that time of year you will still have good weather.

The roads on the Amalfi are very narrow, the drivers in Italy are very good but they are aggressive drivers and motorbikes and scooters will pass you and ride down the centre line.

If you are a calm driver and have good spatial judgement there should be no problem, but you need to get a very small car because parking is tight. In late September it will still be busy but the roads won't be super congested like it is in the summer.
My husband enjoyed the driving there actually. As the passenger I was letting out a few shrieks every now and then but judging from the looks on the faces of people on the buses I was glad to be in the car.

I have only been to Miami once but if you can drive there I'm pretty sure you could drive the Amalfi!!

I agree with raincitygirl. Minori is a jewel was there thismJune. Loved it . I had been in Tuscany fior 3weeks so,we appreciated being able to get away from the crowds and enjoy the locals in Minori. Just don't tell too many people,lol.

I drive all around Italy and I don't enjoy driving in the Amalfi area, especially the southern stretches between the drive and towns like Salerno or Paestum or Pompei.

If you plan to include visiting Pompei as part your trip to the area, it is best to try to see it on your way into the Amalfi area or leaving it rather than try to see it from a base on the Amalfi.

It really does matter what you mean by "explore". I think rainycitygirl and Slow Traveler are right that if what you want to do is explore the local culture, then Minori is a jewel, with gorgeous scenery that is not heaving with tourists. If you mean you want to see the internatiionally famous Positano, Capri, Sorrento, then it is not well positioned for that. It is not hard to get to Amalfi and Ravello by bus or taxi from Minori, but other excursions get more complicated and lengthy.