Good evening,

My wife and I are flying into Rome in mid May of 2009 and then going to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. The entire trip will last 13 days. I'm trying to decide whether to drive or use public transportation, and I'm looking for lodging advice. Anyone have an opinion?

Thanks,

Mike

A lot depends on what you want to see and what kind of budget you have?
Some people like staying in quiet little Amalfi coast towns like Praiano or villas outside of town, jsut chill out, enjoy the sun and scenery.

other people like staying in expensive hotels in Positano, hanging out at the pool, and shopping.

if you were going to visit sites like Pompeii, or herculaneum in addtion to Capri, maybe Sorrento is better with days trips to the Amalfi cities. In Sorrenot parking is at a premium unless you htoel has parking. It can cost you 20 euros a day. From Sorrenot there is great public transporation everywhere. Local train to naples, Pompeii, Herculaneum. Hydrofoils to Capri. May-Oct hydrofoil to Postinao and Amalfi; Nov-April buses.

then there is how much you like to drive? Have you driven in Italy before?

In 2007 we stayed in Sorrento in feb for 11 days and used public transport to get where we wanted to go. We didn't get aroudn to the Amalfi coast though.

Hi Mike and welcome to ST.

We stayed in Sorrento May 2006 for only a week and used public transport exclusively. There were five of us and we booked an apartment which is now no longer available.

Public transport was train, bus and ferry. Places visited were Pompeii, Capri, the coast and smaller towns along the Amalfi coast.

Bonus for us was getting into Pompeii for May day only costing 1€ each. It wasn't even that crowded and the day was glorious. In the evening there were fireworks over the entire Bay of Naples, which were set off from various locations along the coast.

Have fun. Elly

car hire in Italy isn't so expensive so my advice is to take the car. Public transport outside of peak season around the Amalfi Coast isn't so predictable so you might be hanging around a lot.

Hi Mike,

Welcome to Slow Travel Talk.

If you check out this discussion in our Frequently Asked Questions forum, Where to Stay - Amalfi Coast you'll find several previous discussions discussing the merits of specific towns along the coast. You'll also find links to our Campania vacation rental and hotel reviews as well as the classifieds which should help you with lodging.

Happy planning.

Hi Mike,

We just returned from Italy yesterday... and the last lag of our trip was the Amalfi Coast.

Before I answer your question, could you tell me how long you will be on the Amalfi Coast... and also, will you be flying home from Rome or Naples? The answers to these two questions will enable me to better give you an opinion.


karen

Thanks for the information so far. We fly into and out of Rome, and we plan to spend seven or eight nights outside of Rome, either in Sorrento, Naples, or the Amalfi coastal towns. We're not big time shoppers or museum people. We like to soak up as much local color as possible.

Mike

Hi Mike,

Two of your days will be travel days ... so you will have 11 full days in Italy...is that right?

Am I correct in assuming that this will be your frist trip to Italy? If so, it sounds like you are thinking 2 or 3 days in Rome... and 8 or 9 days on the Amalfi Coast. If this is the case, my first suggestion would be to spend at least 4 or 5 days in Rome... and the rest on the Amalfi Coast.

I suggest this for a couple of reasons... first, after your long flight the first day in Italy will be an adjustment ... and second, I think Rome offers much more than just museums and shopping and much more to do than the Amalfi Coast... if local color is what you are looking for... Rome has much...and 2 or 3 days would have you rushed! You could even take a train to Orvieto from Rome (about 1.5 hours)and visit a beautiful hilltown for the day. But if you really dislike large cities ... then maybe 3 days would be plenty for you in Rome.

As for the Amalfi Coast...we had 4 absolutely gorgeous days there this past week... and the weather & conditions could not have been better. People were sunbathing on the beaches and swimming in the Gulf of Naples. We based in Sorrento, and the views from our hotel terrace were fabulous and relaxing, public transportation was easy & inexpensive, locals were very nice, and food was fine. We also attended a sagra (wine festival) on the night of our arrival...and must say, that this was a highlight of our visit to the coast (the whole small town was in attendance and only a handful of tourists ...great local folk music and dancing, stomping grapes by foot, wine tasting, cake contest ...as for local color... it does not get any better than this!!) ...We also enjoyed our tour of Pompeii... fascinating!

Having said all these wonderful things about our visit to the Amalfi Coast ... I must tell you that I personally would not want to spend 8 or 9 days there ... with the exception of Pompei & Ravello, each of the coastal towns that we visited (Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi) were similar in their look and feel. They were very touristy and offered LOTS of high end & touristy shopping. Unless you are "beach people" and want to spend much of your time relaxing on the beach and swimming...I would be bored for 8 or 9 days. Also, we found the Amalfi Coast to be much more expensive than either Tuscany or Rome ... especially the cost of fresh fish (this was surprising -45 euro per kilo),wine (25 euro for house wine)and taxi service(on average 20 euro per short ride to restaurants)... and overall, we were not impressed with the food or wine.

As for transportation... I WOULD NEVER RENT A CAR FOR THIS AREA...driving is horrible and parking is almost non-existent and VERY EXPENSIVE. Public transporation is easy and inexpensive.

We took the Eurostar (2nd class seats) from Rome to Sorrento. This train was inexpensive, non-stop,very comfortable and took about an hour an a half. We then took the Circumvensia (local train) from Naples to Sorrento (about 1 hour) and just down the stairs from where the Eurostar drops you off. If you pack light (we had carry-on luggage & backpack) this train offers a very cheap (3 euro)and easy transport to Sorrento. Other options for getting to Sorrento from Naples are bus, hydrofoil (fast boat)or private driver (average 100 euro)

While in Sorrento, when possible, we used ferryboats to go from one town to the other (about 20 euro round trip to Amalfi, Positano, Capri etc - and much faster than car or bus)... when ferryboats were not an option, we used the local bus service (SITA). While in Sorrento, we either walked, used SITA bus or took taxi's to dinner and to the port.

We departed Italy from Naples airport, so we did not have to go back to Rome. On the day of departure, we did hire a private driver to take us from Sorrento to Naples airport... cost was 80 euros. You will be departing from Rome... so if I were you, I would go back a day early on the Eurostar from Naples to Rome ... and spend my last night in Rome. Then I would have a taxi take me to the airport on the day of your departure.

Hope this helps ... I know that I was very confused about transport from Rome to Naples/Sorrento when I was planning our trip.

Good luck with your planning ... before you know it...it will be May!

Karen

We came back last week from a great week in Amalfi, I will write a short trip report soon. We spent the week at the apartment belonging to the www.residencedelduca.it This was possibly the best vacation rental we have stayed at. They also have rooms which are very nice. We did not find Amalfi too touristy in fact if you are looking for local color the area around this rental is the place. We spent most of our time hiking the various trails between the towns on the coast and enjoying wonderful food. Two years ago we spent a week in Positano and although we also enjoyed Positano we prefer Amalfi,as it is less touristy.

no, no, no :-) no reason at all (IMHO) to bother with a car for Sorrento and the Amalfi coast.

car rentals are NOT cheap in Italy

PaulV. where in the world are you getting the cheap car hire info.??? car rentals, I've always found anyway, to be rather expensive - and we rent one a few times a year out of Rome - they are cheaper if you are a UK resident with some companies...and, of course, if you drive a manual...and are paying in GBP and not USD - I do not drive stick and reside in the US - so maybe that's why (?) Gas is VERY expensive, as is parking...and...in general, I find having a car on the coast to be a pain. I have been to the Amalfi coast in almost every month of the year...including Jan., Feb., March - can't get more off-season than that...and I have never, ever found the public transporataion to be not "predictable." I'm curious why you think that? were you trying to take ferries off-season or something?

We usually DO have a car in Italy becasue we stay inland in the Avelino Province, where it is needed (as it would be in the Benevento as well...and Basilicata) and parking is free no problem...but, when I go to the Amalfi coast, I park in the municipal lot in Salerno and take public transpot the entire time anyway.

I have had a car in the past staying in Positano and Sorrento and really, I find it mush less stress to be without. Sorrento is an easy base to get everywhere you want to go (on the coast anyway) with trains, busses, boats.

You certainly have chosen a perfect place for soaking up atmosphere (and lemoncello). The Naples Bay area, area has small villages and a big city, Naples, that are just about as atmospheric as Italy can be. The ferry, train and bus systems will cover evertything that you will want to see. The only reason I rented a car was to drive from Naples to Paestum, otherwise a car is not only useless but a downright liability. I've used different base camps each time I went there and I found that Sorrento is the best. Although it is heavily populated by tourists, from Sorrento there are easy day trips by public transportation. Here are a few suggested desitnation:

Amalfi and Positano by ferry or bus (the ferry ride is spectacular)

Naples, Capri, Ischia and Procida by ferry.

Pompeii Scavi, Mt Vesuvius, Herculaneum by a muni metro

I spent a day island hopping by boat, and it was a lot of fun. If you ferry from Sorrento to Naples, choosing the hydrofoil will save a lot of time.

IMHO for atmosphere, the fish market in Naples, the Spanish Quarter and Procida harbor (little fishing village on a little island) would be the best, although there are countless other options.

Paestum is also easily acccessed by bus - just wanted to add that so no one thought they had to have a car to visit Paestum :-)

Hey - we were there for 11 days last year and LOVED it. We did not rent a car, finding that public transportation from Sorrento was great. I would recommend staying in Sorrento, taking the circumvesuviana all over the place and on a special day, call the Monetti Taxi company. Carmello Monetti and his family own it - they will bring a lovely car for you and do an 8 - 10 hour tour that travels down the coast through Positano, Amalfi (Stops here for about an hour), up to Ravello and over to Paestum for a late lunch and the ruins and then has you back to your door by 6 p.m. in time for a lovely dinner. He speaks colorful English and is very, very fun. For 2 it was kind of expensive, but well worth it - a very wonderful day!

KarenB1, It was so nice to read your comments and to hear how your trip went. It all sounded wonderful and the best part is the turn around that you are now able to give great advice from personal experience to others. I'm thrilled your trip went so well. Makes me want to be there now. Weather sounded fabulous too. Great to hear from you. Barb Cabot

The boat services that operate along the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento Peninsular are www.metrodelmare.com and www.coopsantandrea.com

Mike--

RE: accommodation
DragonPat hit the nail on the head IMO with here statement that it depends upon your budget.

Positanto has some stupendous hotels at a price, and then Amalfi has some nice cute little b&b's and hotels at more moderate prices.

BUT: going by public bus on the Amalfi coast can be a vomitacious. experience....literally. & good luck finding a seat. However if youare looking for local colour this may hit the spot !

As Dragon Pat said:
Sorrento may make a better base for exploring in all directions. From Sorrento
you can explore the coastline by boat as mentioned.

May is a nice time to visit. Have a blast!

Hope this helps.

Craig-Sunney-

I'd just like to offer an alternate view of the driving issue in case you ARE a driver and the previous posts are scaring you off.

There is a big difference in travel styles and not everyone has the same feelings about driving in other countries.

We've driven the western coast from Anzio to Salerno. We've been to Sorrento and the environs four times and would never NOT rent a car. We are comfortable with driving and love the freedom to follow our whims that only having a car allows. just another opinion, for what it's worth.

quote:

Originally posted by mike huskey:
I'm trying to decide whether to drive or use public transportation, and I'm looking for lodging advice. Anyone have an opinion?

Mike,
Welcome on board.
We came back from Sorrento last week. As I am a “big museum guy” and love “scavi”, I would definitely suggest Sorrento as a headquarters. I found hotel “Belair” a reasonable trade-off between quality, location/transportation convenience, Vesuvio view from the window, and the cost. I have booked it using Expedia, and it was very easy to do.
My personal opinion (Jim Zurer, this is for you!) – no driving in Italy, especially in the places like Naples and Costiera Amalfitana. Public transportation is quite sufficient, and inexpensive. We used ferry to Capri, Naples, Positano and Amalfi; bus to Positano, Ravello and Amalfi; train to all “scavi”.
I have a dream to write a trip report, but am not sure I can do it soon. My wife and I took about 900 pictures there. The beauty of the place is exceeding any imagination…
If you have any particular questions (restaurants, shops, tickets, museums, Arte-cards, etc.), I would be glad to answer.

Another vote for not driving on the Amalfi coast. The road is very narrow and curving; the driver will have to keep his eyes on the road at all times. And there are very few places to pull off and admire the view. So the driver will not be seeing much of this famously beautiful coastline.

As you have probably figured out, there is much to see in the Amalfi Coast area. Did anyone mention climbing Mt. Vesuvius? But if you don't like Roman and Greek ruins (Pompeii, Herculeaneum, Paestum), you might cut your vist down to 3 or 4 days.

Sorry, can't recommend any lodging without knowing your budget. You might look at www.tripadvisor.com for hotel reviews.

Deborah,

we always have a car..and have driven the Amalfi coast many times and are very at ease with driving in Italy - so that's not the issue...I do find it actually provides us LESS freedom with the car (and we always just ditch it in Salerno or even Maiori off-season and travel by bus)

Unless your hotel has parking, it is a BIG pain-in-the-bottom. If your hotel DOES have parking, it is VERY expensive and you usually have to call in advance and have them bring it out to you. I have also been on the coast during a gas station attendant strike...there are NO self-service stations along the Amalfi coast, so we pretty much HAD to leave the car in Salerno, where we knew we could fill-up, rather than risk running out of gas in traffic along the coast! (BTW, I have never stood on a bus before - does help though that I usually get on in Salerno and not Sorrento as it is quieter that direction...and, when boarding in Amalfi, I just make sure I'm there early and get on the buis in advance when it's sitting there in the lot) I am ALL for rental cars and we always explore and have a lot of fun...but Amalfi (along with Rome, Naples, etc.!), is one place I really wouldn't bother - I have done it both ways many times ;-)

[QUOTE]

Did anyone mention climbing Mt. Vesuvius?
QUOTE]

It is easy to get there using the taxi (minibus) from Ercolano train station. It is 50 yards from the train station, on your left. They leave to Vesuvio every hour, or so. They give you enough time to climb up, stay there, take pictures, and come back to the taxi.

We are staying in Furore and it doens't appear to be as well served by public transportation, hence we're getting a car. We plan to pick it up in Castlellamare di Stabbia and drive across the penninsula to Furore. We will only be in Amalfi for 3 days. On day 2 we're going to Pompei and plan on leaving the car at the train station in Salerno and of course taking the train up to Pompei. We are not worried about the driving conditions, but will it be okay to leave the car at the train station? Do they have some kind of commuter parking?

Thanks,
jb

Parking at Pompeii is not a problem - if you have the car anyway, I'd just drive and park in the lot at the site.

Yes, there is a parking lot at Pompeii. A few years ago they dug part of it up to repair it and found a skeleton with a sack full of a Roman silver service. Fugitive from the 79 AD eruption