5 days in Sorrento and the islands, Amalfi

Sorrento is a wonderful place. No way would I skip Capri. The Amalfi Coast is another must. Pompeii and the museum in Naples are good as well.

Sorrento is a favorite of mine for a decade now. I find it a great place to day trip from. Capri, sorry, it's beautiful but so very crowded. I haven't been to Ischia but friends (American and Italian) keep saying go and pretty dismiss Capri as a tourist destination only. Maybe this summer a few days on Ischia. There is a boat trip from Sorrento around the Amalfi Coast. Sorry, don't have my notes with me to give you details. We had a blast! The boat stops off of Capri and everyone jumps in the water for a great swim. Then it's off to Positano and Amalfi. You can get off at either town and roam around. There are plenty of buses to get you to the next town (Ravenna is really worth a visit too). Just know what time your boat returns to Sorrento from each town. Although, the bus ride back to Sorrento isn't bad but you'd miss the stop at Capri for another swim. 5 years later and we're still telling that story! A wonderful, unexpected memory (that wasn't about food). :)

Robert said

Ravenna is really worth a visit too

He meant Ravello. Ravenna is in another part of the country.

I found Capri very touristy and expensive, but you can get away from it if you walk away from the crowds and head up to the ruins of Tiberius' villa. That was worthwhile: great exercise and a fabulous view.

Procida is very sweet. There's nothing special to see there, but it is very low key, at least until July and August!

Oh, and Ravello truly is worth a visit! I'd pick it over Capri any day. Villa Cimbrone will make you swoon.

(Ravenna is really worth a visit too).

I think you meant Ravello? :O)

IMHO, the trick with Capri is losing the mob. If you stay on the island - and so be there during the morning/evening hours when the day trippers aren't around - and be willing to do some footwork to less explored corners, it can make a big difference. We enjoyed our two nights there but probably wouldn't have liked it as much had we been one of the day-trippers.

Boat tours: I'd recommended this one to a honeymooning couple awhile back, as I'd heard such good things, and they LOVED it. Tours can be as short as three hours to a full day, and reviews are still stellar.

http://www.giannisboat.com

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187783-d1557450-Reviews-Gianni_s_Boat-Capri_Island_of_Capri_Province_of_Naples_Campania.html

Thank you everyone so far who wrote me. We just got in contact with Gianni's and think we will possibly go on one of their boat tours. Hopefully we can be in Capri outside of the crowd and will go to Ravello. Any new ideas are welcome. Lynnie

Hopefully we can be in Capri outside of the crowd

Lynnie, Capri will be busy in June. As previously suggested, you need to get away from the piazzas, the marina, shops and the more easily accessed attractions - like the Gardens of Augustus - to lose the crowd. Hiking to Villa Jovis, the path to Arco Naturale, etc. are good ways to do that as fewer of the day-trippers get very far away from the centers of Capri and Anacapri.

But you'll certainly lose them on a boat! :O)

http://www.capri.com/en/what-to-see

Gianni's boat is the way to go when you get to Capri. We did the . the three hr tour which circles the island and you have time for the blue grotto although this is a separate boat and price.You can stop and swim and enjoy lunch on board the gozzo. You can then have time in the afternoon for Mt Solara by way of the the sedevia which gives spectacular views or enjoy the walks described by the other responders.

We stayed in Sorrento for 4 days this past March. You could categorize our experience as "touristy" because we did the usual things that folks do when they stay in Sorrento and tour the Amalfi Coast. But it was quite enjoyable, and we also worked in some daily 'quiet time', sitting on the balcony of our hotel room, looking out over the Bay of Naples to Vesuvius in the distance, and enjoying a nice glass or two of some local wine. One day, we took the hydrofoil boat to Capri. Instead of fighting the crowds to get on the small buses, we took a taxi from the marina straight up to the center of Anacapri, where we rode the chair lift to the top of Monte Solare. The view was incredible, and the chair lift trip (13 minutes each way) was fun. Afterwards, we had lunch and then strolled around the town, stopping in at the San Michele Church with it's spectacular tile floor. We then took a cab back down to marina and took a 1-hour cruise around the island before catching the hydrofoil back to Sorrento. In short, it was a great day and I would recommend a visit to Capri. On another day, we took the Rick Steves Shared Mondo Tours Amalfi Coast tour. It is deeply discounted (50 Euros/person) as compared to hiring a private driver for the day (9-hours). We stopped in Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello. Had about 2+ hours in each town to do as we pleased. The spectacular gardens overlooking the sea at the Villa Rufolo in Ravello was the highlight for us. I highly recommend taking this tour. I know that the Amalfi Coast road is a nightmare in the summer (July, August), but maybe not so bad in mid-June (others can weigh in on that)? One other thing we did was on our 'getaway day', we hired Sorrento Silver Star Taxi to take us from Sorrento to Pompeii (with a 2-hour guided tour with 'Lucia", who was excellent) and then on to Herculaneum (self-guided tour) before dropping us at Napoli Centrale to catch our train to Florence. This was a very efficient use of our time and it worked out perfectly. Pompeii was a 'bucket-list' item for me, but I found Herculaneum to actually be more interesting and better preserved. Regardless, I highly recommend Sorrento Silver Star if you are considering hiring a driver, and Lucia to guide you in Pompeii. Lastly, although I would have liked to fit Ischia into our itinerary, the hydrofoils from Sorrento did not go there; you would have to take one from Naples or hire a private boat. We're saving that for next time!

Thank you ever so much for your long and detailed sharing about your time in Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. we are checking out everything you suggested. We did get a ½ day trip with Gianni's boat and hope we can indeed get away from the hordes of tourists. Right now we are looking at a trip with Rick Steve's Mondo tour and if not too late, will book that. I really appreciate your help. We just had a fantastic time in Norway and Denmark using Rick Steve's suggestions. I can share more if you ever want to go north. Lynne

While the boat tour is a great thing...I think many people who do this and do not stay on the island never see THE ISLAND :)

It really needs to be walked and experienced from up high...like taking the Mt Solaro chair lift or visiting Villa San Michele in Anacapri...I have stayed on Capri for a week at a time for several years and still look forward to walking the island...

Procida is skipable.....Ischia is nice if you can line up with the around the island boat tour to all 4 major towns...if not a few hours at the Castle Aragonese will be great!