Please help!
My husband and I ( 40+ and fit. Travel light )
will be arriving late morning on 6 April at Naples Airport.
I was thinking of the following:
Catch bus straight from airport to Sorrento.
Stay 4 nights Sorrento OR 2 nights Sorrento and 2 nights Amalfi. ( few hours to Pompeii and explore Amalfi coastal towns is our aim)
Then catch ferry to Capri for 2 nights there.
Last night in Naples
Catch flight back home 7pm on following day (13 April.)
My concerns: Ferry service between coastal towns of Amalfi starting May only??!!! Is this true?
Should we rather base ourselves for 4 nights in Sorrento and only rely on bus service if ferries not operating? I read that it is not worth renting a car ( winding, hilly roads not putting us off after a recent trip to Norway, but expensive parking and parking being far from central locations sounds like a hassle.)
Two nights Capri worth it? Or rather do a daytrip/boat cruise from Sorrento ( which might be cancelled if weather not okay?!?)
How busy is the area around Easter weekend? (Flying back home to South Africa on Easter Monday. )
We would have LOVED to stay longer, but this is a short break trip without our 3 kids and 7 nights is all we can manage right now.
I would really appreciate any advice!!!
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
7030 posts
Ferry service starts in April
https://www.positano.com/en/ferry-schedule?from=sorrento&to=amalfi#
Posted by
4811 posts
Travelmar (https://www.travelmar.it/en/) says April 1, and I assume Sorrento ferries are similar.
You just have to weigh having long day trips versus moving bases.
If you are not interested in Naples, with a 7pm departure you could travel to the airport that day. I usually urge people to stay there before a morning departure, but since you have limited time then maybe that would help.
If you want to visit Capri, then I would stay overnight--with day trips you have to contend with crowds.
Posted by
OP
7 posts
Thanks so much for your reply!
My thinking was to do 2 nights Capri but catch early ferry to Naples on departing Capri; drop bags at Naples hotel which has luggage storage if too early for check-in. Then effectively I can have half day in Naples, sleep 1 night Naples and another half day before heading to airport in the afternoon.
Or is this too little time to get a ‘feel’ of Naples?
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7766 posts
There are busses betwen Sorrento and Amalfi. You can look up the "SITA" schedules, but they are roughly half-hourly, and are extremely crowded at times (especially in the summer) because they are so cheap.
You need to tell us if you are sun-seeking Brits who don't care what the exact weather in the Sorrento area is like:
https://www.holiday-weather.com/sorrento/averages/april/
Capri is very attractive, especially for vigorous (paved path) walkers. But you may find some businesses closed for the off season. Have you found hotels in Sorrento and Amalfi yet? In season, these towns book up six or months in advance, but you are in off-season.
Have you used the search box top center to read the dozens of monthly posts on this area on this board? It may save you a lot of research. You can filter for age of posts to reduce the number you have to read, but honestly, things don't change that much over time except maybe exact prices.
Posted by
New York, NY
1585 posts
1 day is sufficient to hit the highlights of Naples. If you wanted a slower pace to explore the city, then 2 days is recommended.
Posted by
4811 posts
Yes if you have interest in Naples then definitely go for it--it's an amazing city, and that is plenty enough time to see the archaeological museum if you wish and to do a long walking tour. That was just a rare option (with an evening departure) for eking out more time elsewhere if you wanted more time on Capri.
Posted by
OP
7 posts
Thanks so much!
Really appreciate all the wonderful links!
No I have not booked any hotels yet but there are plenty within our budget on Booking.com
No, we are not sunseeking Brits...South Africans and not interested in sunbathing in April ( I think a little on the cold side ) in southern Italy....have had plenty of it over Christmas in sunny South Africa.
Was hoping on beating the summer crowds as a previous trip to Cinque Terre mid July was extremely hot and crowded and the area lost a bit of its magic.
Walking/hiking a possibility if weather permits but soaking up the beautiful scenery, dining the Italian way and exploring historic areas on our agenda.
Posted by
San Diego, California
5442 posts
I would recommend checking on what is closed on Easter Sunday & Monday, as you plan your trip.
Safe travels!
Posted by
2696 posts
We did 2 nights Naples, 2 nights Sorrento, 2 nights Amalfi, 2 nights Positano, and last night in Naples. We did a day trip to Capri (jammed) but you are there in April and we were there in July.
Sorrento and Amalfi are very different and you can take a ferry to Positano from Amalfi (which is what I wish we had done rather than moving again).
You can ferry from Capri to Naples which works well.
If you decide you want to day trip with luggage to Capri (we took ferry from Positano to Capri and then ferry from Capri to Naples), you can leave luggage near dock where you arrive.
The series of 2 night stays wore us out and we vowed to never do it again. But you have fewer nights than us so might be OK.