We will be visiting the AC in late April and am looking at car tours from Sorrento down the coast and back that take 8-9 hours! That seems like a long time trapped in a car......Was thinking of splitting it up between a car driver and taking the ferry....
I read that the ferry is "meh" because the windows don't open.... I really want to see the coast from the water. What's the best thing to do? Is a hired car the best option or is public transportation OK? Rent a boat for part of the trip. HELP!
Thank you....
Posted by
755 posts
The ferries have inside and outside seating. The buses are dependable and frequent. Be aware that April 25 and May 1 are national holidays and there will be crowds everywhere.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
8141 posts
Who will pay for the car to return empty while you take the ferry back? You will. At least April is a bit ahead of season and traffic may be a little lighter. You need to define "down the coast." We told our car and driver (from Sorrento) that we wanted to see Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello. We had at least an hour of free time in each of those, I think more. We ate a "walking lunch" to save sightseeing time. The car worked great for us, but I'm sure it's over 300 Euros by now. A "driver" is not usually a certified guide, BTW.
I can only speak for the ferries from Sorrento to Capri, but they had sealed windows in the last week of May. Note that ferries change boat size with the season and crowd size.
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
7469 posts
The ferries we’ve taken from Positano to Amalfi and from Amalfi to Salerno were both large open air with seating inside and seating on top
Posted by
Darmouth, MA, USA
391 posts
Just returned from 2 weeks primarily on the coast. I would absolutely take ferries. We did take a bus up to Bomrano to start our Path of Gods hike, it was slow, twisting road that almost made me motion sick. What I did not realize is Sorrento is not really the Amalfi coast because it is on the northern part of the peninsula separated by step hills/mountains. I would not focus on seeing it all but enjoy a ferry ride (yes you are outside) to Amalfi, Positano, Capri, (go up to Anacapri to avoid the hordes of people) or do grab a bus (we hiked) up to Ravello. I went in early October and the towns I mentioned were bursting with tourists. I cannot imagine what "in season" looks like. But, you can get away from the crowds and we had an outstanding trip.