Amalfi Coast

We spent 5 days touring along the coastal area in early September. We based ourselves in Sorrento and felt that it was the best town due to the ease of transportation connections. Plus, it's a really nice town. I was hesitant to stay there and had originally wanted to stay in Positano but I'm glad we chose Sorrento. We stayed at Palazzo Montefusco in Sorrento (rated #1 B&B on Trip Advisor) and our stay there was incredible. The location was superb and the hotel itself was very clean, comfortable and modern. The staff couldn't do enough for us and we would stay there again in a heartbeat. It's literally half a block to Piazza Tasso (the main square) and just a few blocks to the train station. Sorrento is a nice town to stroll around and we enjoyed dining in Marina Grande as well. As for driving in Italy, we have done it twice and would not hesitate to do it again but only in areas not well served by public transit. We drove through the Dolomites and Tuscany and found it to be very easy (with our GPS). If you're considering driving along the Amalfi Coast, I would not suggest it. If you are traveling during peak season, the road is very congested and parking is almost impossible. Plus, the driver is not able to enjoy the stunning views. We hired a private driver for a day trip along the coast & we were very happy that we did. I can give you his name/contact info if you're interested. Have a great trip.

Debra,
My wife and I were in Positano for 3 nights back in 2009 and stayed at Hotel Buca di Bacco. I realize that it was 4 years ago but the hotel was FANTASTIC! It is located near the shore so it is in a great location for taking the water taxi to Capri, Amalfi, Sorrento etc. Breakfast at the time was wonderful. I have no reason to believe anything is different today. It still gets great reviews on Trip Advisor. That said, I don't know what your budget might be. The hotel is very expensive (in our opinion). Clearly the most expensive hotel in which we have stayed in Europe. We spent 2 weeks in Europe in 2009 and 30 days Traveling Europe this past June. It is a beautiful hotel with excellent service. Enjoy your trip! Tom

Just got back from two weeks in Italy. We spent 2 nights at a bed and breakfast in Sorrento called the Villa Monica. It is high in the hill overlooking Sorrento, Bay of Naples, Vesuvius. The views are incredible. Had our own balcony, beautiful room and bathroom, great breakfast on outside deck. Pasquale, the owner will pick you up at train station. He runs a free shuttle about every hour up and down to a meeting place right near the town square. He is full of lots of recommendation for day trips and places to eat. I found Villa Monica on trip advisor. It was wonderful.
I wish we had stayed there 3 nights.

Debra, When is this trip taking place and which other places are you visiting? Some of the favourites on the Amalfi Coast are Sorrento, Positano, Ravello and a day trip Capri. You might find it helpful to have a look at the Italy Guidebook in order to decide which locations most appeal to you. Regarding your question on driving, the public transportation in Italy is excellent, so cars are usually most beneficial in areas where transit is limited or the timing is difficult. Travel by train is usually faster and more efficient, especially when travelling via the high speed (300 kmH) Freccia or Italo trains. Driving on the Amalfi Coast can often be quite challenging. Note that there are some "caveats" to driving in Italy. EACH driver must have the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. Failure to produce an IDP if requested can result in fines on the spot! There's also the issue of the dreaded ZTL (limited traffic) areas, which exist in many towns in Italy. Driving through these will result in hefty fines, which drivers often won't know about until several months after they've returned home. If this is also your first trip to Europe, I'd recommend reading Europe Through The Back Door prior to the trip. Good luck with your planning!

Driving in Italy is not difficult, although parking can be tricky. We have always stayed in Ravello, as it is a smaller town and we have never had a problem with parking there. If you are the driver along the Amalfi Coast, you will not see as much as the passengers. I think the only time that my husband had the opportunity to enjoy the Amalfi coast was once when we got behind a bicycle race which we were not able to pass and had to drive at a snails pace. Having a car will get you to many places up and down the coast. Do try to go to Basilicata from Sapri south for about 30 or 40 miles. It is stunning and an easy drive from the Amalfi area. Good luck in finding a bicycle race.

Thanks to all for the incredible information! Our trip we hope will be in June. Our last trip encompassed France and Germany. This trip will last 3 weeks and we hope it to memorable as it will be our 30th anniversary gift to ourselves! Again thanks.

We are currently in Positano and it is amazing! You will get many differing opinions on where to stay on the Amalfi Coast, but we say Positano is the way to go. Each time we day trip to a different area along the coast, we take a deep breath and say that we are so glad that we chose Positano. We are down by the beach and LOVE it! I may be wrong about this, but I feel that most people would prefer Positano to Sorrento. We have met several people who live or have lived in Sorrento, and each of them has said that if money were not an issue, they would live in Positano. The ferries have come/gone all week here in Positano, which has been great. We have heard that the ferry schedule gets a little "iffy" right now based on the waters (October), but they have run everyday this week. In reference to a car, we have rented cars in almost every destination we have ever visited.However, we are SO glad that we did not rent a car in either Rome or the Amalfi Coast-very narrow streets, little parking,impatient local drivers, etc. Have a wonderful trip.To us, Positano is a slice of heaven on earth. It is really almost surreal!

We are currently staying in Sorrento and our quite happy with our choice. The bus ride out to Positano and Amalfi can be quite taxing if anyone in your group has any kind of issue with motion sickness. The ferries are NOT running daily now so you cannot count on them to get you around the coast. They do their regular runs to Capri but not up and down the coast. Yesterday we were told that the ferry to Positano would run today. We went today only to be told that all the coast ferries were cancelled for the day.

Thank you to everyone for your recommendations! Definitely will not rent a car in Italy! This is our 2nd trip to Europe and our first stop will be Gdansk to find my mother's family. So we will then fly to Italy. Total trip time 3 weeks in June 2014 if everything goes well. I think we will stay in Positana so names of places to stay that are wonderful would be appreciated! Many thanks! Debra

We stayed at Villa La Tartania, not sure of spelling but it is a B&B and we loved it. It is only maybe five minutes walk from beach in Positano. If you look at their website, all the pictures are exactly what you get. If you do go there it by bus from Sorrento, be sure to get off at second Positano bus stop or you will have to take a local bus into town, we learned by hard luck. Enjoy.

Thanks to everyone for their incredible advice and recommendations! I noticed on Trip Advisor a place I wanted to book for June2014 on the Amalfi coast is already booked for the entire month! Is this normal for this location? What is your advice and experience on booking accommodations? Thanks all!

We are in Sorrento right now staying at the Hotel Antiche Mura (see RS Italy guidebook for discount help) and are really enjoying it. We've driven in Italy, but don't recommend it for the stretch along the Amalfi coast. Have a great trip.

Thanks to everyone for their incredible advice and recommendations! I noticed on Trip Advisor a place I wanted to book for June2014 on the Amalfi coast is already booked for the entire month! Is this normal for this location? What is your advice and experience on booking accommodations? In reply to the above. They are probably not booked at all in June. They probably have not opened up booking for 2014 on TripAdvisor or even on their own web site. They have not established next year's rates. I have run into this several times in planning our trip to Italy next May. If you really want to make a reservation now at this hotel your should call them or wait until January (could be earlier) to book online.