Almafi Coast/Sorrento

If I had only two days, I would stay in Sorrento and do a day trip to Positano and another to Capri.

schoolrsp, are you flying home after your Amalfi/Sorrento stay and if so, from where? It matters as this is not the easiest area to transport from if you have, say, a morning or midday flight out of Rome after your 3rd night in the region.

I get the idea that the cruise does NOT stop at Capri or the A.C. The Rome cruise port is annoyingly far from Rome. Whatever the cruise provides in Rome (say, a half-day bus tour) won't even scratch the surface of perhaps the most historic city in Europe. If you have not been to Italy before, there is no reason to slog to Sorrento and back in time for airport checkin three hours before departure. I would stay in Rome.

If you insist on A.C. or Sorrento, tell us what month and year is the cruise. Most people visit this area independently, at most, hiring a car and driver for eight hours of the A.C. from Sorrento, because traffic, driving, parking, and sleeping there are difficult in season. Since you didn't mention Pompeii or Capri, it's hard to guess at your groups strongest interests.

We will be there early October of this year. Flying home out of Naples, after spending 3 nights in Serrento. Thus far, Positano, Pompeii, and Capri are areas of interest. We welcome any suggestions being this is our first visit. Thank you!

OK, the first thing you have to tackle is getting there. Citivavecchia isn't technically in Rome: it's a good hour outside of it.

There looks to be a 9:24 IC train direct from Civitavecchia to Napoli Centrale that takes a little over 3 hours. Not knowing what time your ship gets in and how long it takes to disembark, it's uncertain if you can make it, though. From Naples, you'd take another train or maybe a private driver to Sorrento. A driver would be expensive but maybe worth the fee as it can be split between your group and save you another train change.

Your other option would be a train from Civitavecchia to Roma Termini and then a fast train to Naples. From there, you could either take a commuter train or private driver to Sorrento.

Time of your flight out of Naples needs to be a consideration as well as if it's early, you'll want to stay in Naples the night before. Have you booked flights yet?

I have just returned from Sorrento. I HIGHLY recommend the Grand Hotel Capodimonte in Sorrento. Elegant and just a two minute (flat) walk out of town. A little removed from the craziness of tourist areas. There is an elevator that takes you to the top of the hill for the hotel so you do not have to climb.

The hotel is gorgeous. If you can afford it, the sea view rooms are well worth the money, but the views from the common areas are wonderful too. Breakfast is first rate (again with a view). Lovely pools and first rate service. I have been to Sorrento before, but I will never stay anywhere else in the future.

Take a walk down to Marina Grande. Great restaurant...Bagni Delfino.

As for touring the Amalfi Coast, we used Sorrento Coast Limo. They were wonderfully accommodating. Comfortable Mercedes vans and our driver Rosario speaks perfect English which made the tour very informative. He is very nice about arranging the day the way YOU like it.

We did a five hour tour that included lemon groves, cheese making and making our own pizzas, and that was fun. It was called Sorrento Farm Experience Including Tastings, Pizza Making and Limoncello. Nice guides and lots of fun. Best mozzarella ever.

Think about a day trip to Pompeii or Herculaneum. You can take a tour or since you are a Rick Steves follower, you can cautiously (with a money belt) take the local train watching out for pickpockets.

Capri if you have time, but that is pretty much an entire day.

Just enjoy Sorrento....It is a beautiful place.

How big is "small group"? I ask because the decision to order a car service (either for sightseeing, or for transfer to the Naples airport, or train station upon arrival) is driven by whether you fit in a full-size sedan or not. I'm over 60, but, know that much of Capri is pedestrian-only touring, with long distances and hills, just FYI. There is no taxi access to large portions of Capri. As noted, Capri takes an entire daylight day. (Look up sunrise and sunset for October, BTW.)

Tim, they can order a transfer to Sorrento for whatever sized group they have. A good transfer company will provide the appropriately sized vehicle.

We also had no issues exploring Capri on foot ( excepting a bus from Capri town to Anacapri, and from port up to Capri town) and we're not spring chickens anymore. But you are right: a quality visit requires an entire day. Better yet, an overnight on the island. If anyone in the group has mobility challenges, then accessing parts of Capri on foot or at all could be an issue.

I'm just concerned that the OP has even less time for the coast than they think they do once they transfer from the docks in Civitavecchia to Sorrento, and if they have an early flight from Naples which begs for a stay there overnight.

There are 8 of us going to Sorrento. Depending on individual interests, it could be all 8 of us may not be taking the same excursions. Departure- Two of us fly out of Naples at 9 AM, so spending the night in Naples seems best. Great information. We appreciate all your valuable input and always welcome more information. Thank you!

With 8 of you I'd definitely book private transfer from Naples to Sorrento: there's enough of you to affordably split the cost, and it's the easiest solution. I don't have a personal recommendation for a service but I'm sure some other posters do.

Those of you heading back to Naples for a night prior to an early flight could take the commuter or Express train and make a stop at Pompeii along the way: the station is right outside the main entrance and you can check your luggage at the site. Then get back on the train to finish the journey to Naples. More details can be covered for this one if anyone is interested?

Hotel: we really enjoyed Hotel Antiche Mura in Sorrento. No sea view but a really nice garden area with a pool and outdoor bar service. Makes a good gathering spot for a group. Large, sunny breakfast room with a nice morning spread, too! Terrific desk staff.

Capri is very easily done on one's own: no escorted excursions needed. The website is full of ideas (ignore the ads for tours) so see what appeals?

http://capri.net

I have a terrible time with motion sickness so exploring the Amalfi Coast (lots or twists and turns) in ANY sort of vehicle simply wasn't an option for us but the ferries were fun. Explore where they go here using the dropdowns for routes:

http://www.sorrentoinsider.com/en/ferry-schedule

Evenings, when they close some of Sorrento's main streets to traffic and shops are open late, is a nice time to just grab a gelato for la passeggiata: the "little walk" enjoyed by many of the locals at the end of the work day. Make sure to stroll over to Villa Communale (park) watch the sunset and lights twinkle on at dusk all around the bay.

We just used a private driver in Oct. for a party of 4 for 3 different days. The first to pick us up at the airport in Rome and drive us to Positano. The second time was an all day excursion from Positano to Amalfi and Ravello and the 3rd was to return us to the train station in Naples.

Top Excursion Sorrento is the name----Giovanni is the owner------extremely professional, speaks English and grew up in the area.
Giovanni drove the first day and the other 2 days our driver was Carlo. Both great!

We were in Sorrento in March. We took an 8 hour tour with Travel Etc. (https://traveletc.it/it). We looked into the Rick Steves Mondo Shared Tours (https://www.sharedtours.com/) but it was low season and they were not operating.

The Travel Etc. tour was fantastic. Picked us up at our hotel. Had enough time to see Positano, Ravello, and Amalfi without being rushed. Had a great guide (Roberto) that knew the history of the area and spoke good English. The van was very comfortable and held 20 people. Tour included a light lunch and water.

I looked into the ferry and bus options. I would not recommend it as you will spend too much time waiting for your connections and not have enough time to enjoy the beautiful cities. I think our tour only cost us €150 for two people.

We stayed 2 nights at Hotel Regina. Loved it. On the cliff overlooking the peninsula. Get room 207 or 307 that have two balconies; one facing the peninsula and Mt. Vesuvius and the other facing the mountain overlooking Sorrento. 5 minute walk to old town and most good restaurant spots. Fantastic, free, breakfast. Friendly staff. Language is not a problem.

Such wonderful recommendations, thank you!

Just to recap, there are 8 of us who will need transportation form Citivavecchia to Rome, where we would like to take a half day tour. Following the tour, we need to transfer to Sorrento. Any suggestions for transportation?

Once in Sorrento, we may be breaking up in smaller groups and visiting the areas of high interest. Would you recommend a bus or private driver for a day trip to Amalfi. Does the bus stop in Positano allowing time to visit?

Two of us will only be staying in Sorrento for 2 nights. We will be staying our third night in Naples and catching a 9 AM flight to the U.S. Any recommendations for lodging in Naples?