Amalfi Coast

Take the bus early if coming from Sorrento-driving may age you-tight turns, narrow road. I choose Ravello for the view, and the estate garden. take the bus to Amalfi, transfer to the mini-bus to get to Ravello, and, if able, take the hike back down to Amalfi and visit the church. Give yourself a solid day.

Welcome!

Private driver or ferry (when is your trip? Ferries stop running in October)
Buses would be OK if it’s not high season and that season is April thru October now so may be your only choice

Positano- a few hours
Amalfi- half a day
Ravello-at least 3/4 day if you want to see the Villas (don’t skip Villa Cimbrond-that’s where the views are)

Ravello for the views

If you are staying in Sorrento take a look at Mondo Guides-they offer affordable shared van tours of the AC
www.sharedtours.com

Questions about Amalfi Coast come up almost ever day here
Some forum searches will give you more advice and suggestions
Be sure to filter Search by
Type: Travel Forum
and
Date: 2 yrs, 1 yr, 6 months etc

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/amalfi-coast-touring-september

Hopefully you don't mean driving yourself - congestion and car sickness on the curvey roads are major issues.
Time of year is important to know for best advice. Be advised that the area is a victim of its Instagram success- the realities of the crowds and congestion are never photographed.

I agree with Christine, there's a wealth of info here, just review under Italy section, and do Searches.

Have a great trip.

Either way, it will be a rush to fit all the into one day. We did a 9 hours tour with Mondo Tours in April 2023 and 4.5 hours were in a car. Public transportation would be even worse. I'd spend extra and use the ferries. Having said that, we were overwhelmingly underwhelmed by Positano. Half an hour and getting a photo was more than enough. Visiting Amalfi and Ravello may be enough to fill a day. Of the three, Ravello was my favourite.

Taking the ferry affords you magnificent views of the coast and the towns as you pull into dock. It’s really unbeatable, and are among my best memories of the trip. I only took the bus a couple times, and I wouldn’t want to be on one very long. Bus can be crowded, hot, the views mixed, and the whole thing can take the stuffing out of you. Give me the fresh sea air.

If you’re on a tight schedule, a few hours in any town are enough to get the gist. However, I feel like the coast gains value by spending more time there. When you’re not in a rush, you can take it all in. Of the three towns, Ravello is my top choice. Very easy to enjoy, and the views from Villa Cimbrone are beyond compare.

IMHO - Ravello is the pick of the litter. The Terrace of Infinity at Villa Cimbrone is one of the most beautiful places I have seen ever. But you can see enough of Ravello in a couple of hours. I have heard that Villa Rufolo in Ravello is equally gorgeous.

In 2022, we based ourselves in Salerno and hired the owner of our B&B to drive us as far as Amalfi, with a few stops for photos along the way, plus the longer visit to Ravello. At Amalfi, we met the boat we had chartered to sail along the coast to Positano. We enjoyed the view of Positano (no desire to step into that beehive), and returned to Salerno. It was one of the best days of my life, but I don't feel the need for any more of the Amalfi coast.

https://www.blumediterraneosas.com/

https://www.salernocentro.it/en/

We've been to the Amalfi Coast twice, both times in early March when it was, believe it or not, sleepy. And wonderful, by the way. Next April, we'll be there with cousins who've never been. Staying in Salerno, and through a friend who's done it gave me the contact of a reasonably-priced driver that will take us where we want for part of one day. We're thinking of beginning in Vietri sul Mare, followed by a drive on the coastal road and then lunch in Ravello. Finally, pastries at Sal De Riso Pasticceria in Minori. All places I've never been, probably start-to-finish 5 hours or so. No matter what time of year, it would be difficult-to-impossible to accomplish this via public transportation.

Jay, I don't mean to put words in your mouth; But some people might mis-understand your car-and-driver plan to be a suggestion that (unlike them ...), you are reluctant or afraid to drive a curvy road, in a new BMW rental, with no guard rails! In fact, one of the main reasons to hire a driver (who is not a professional guide ... ) is so you don't have to deal with parking in places with no public parking. It's not a reflection on your driving skill at all. Of course, knowing how to get there, and knowing where the driver can play cards with his buddies while you have free time are part of it, too.

Commenter stated that ferries along amalfi coast stop running in october. Do they stop the first, middle or end of october? We are going first days of Oct. and i was thinking of staying in Sorrento because of good ferry connections to see the Amalfi towns but i could move the trip more towards the middle-end of sept. If that helps. Prefer about 3 weeks in october though.

Also would you stay in sorrento for the good connections or minori/maiori for the smaller crowds and cheaper hotel prices? We do want to visit pompeii, we are history lovers and not beach lovers, though we like looking at the ocean. We dont want to drive. Rather take public transportation or perhaps do Mondo or similar tours. So we are mindful of transportation issues.

jtridle1, most of the AC ferries stop running towards the end of October or early November. It depends on the weather. Choosing Sorrento for a base is a plus as ferries run between there and Capri (only 20 minutes by high-speed craft) all year, weather permitting, and it's a dirt-cheap-hop-skip to Pompeii from there by local Circumvesuviana commuter train. It doesn't really have a beach so no loss there. There's no need at all for a car, and you don't even need a formal tour if willing to do some reading up in advance. That said, you might consider one for Pompeii; it's a VAST excavation so even a tour is only going to cover part of it. You can stay longer after the tour wraps up to do more exploring on your own if desired.

Check the October 2025 ferry schedules around the coast as you're closer to your fall dates:
https://www.sorrentoinsider.com/en/ferry-schedule
https://www.naplesbayferry.com/en/t/sorrento/capri

There's no wrong answer unless it's wrong for you but staying in a transportation hub like Sorrento - even though it's not technically the Amalfi Coast - has enough benefits, IMHO, to make paying a bit more worthwhile. Example? Should you get stuck with a day or two of heavy rain, you'd have convenient train service into Naples for the Archeological Museum + other indoor sightseeing.

An extra note about weather... It is possible for some or all ferry services to cancel if high winds or other conditions make water transport unsafe. Positano's dock has been especially prone to experiencing cancelled service.

We visited on a day trip in October from Sorrento a few years ago. As we are from Australia, the thought of driving on the "wrong" side of the road on a cliff with no rails wasn't terribly appealing, so we hired a driver.

It was the best decision we could have made. We made the usual stops at Positano and Amalfi and our driver called ahead to organise parking. This was fairly late in October, but the towns were still packed and we would never have found a park.

Whilst I am glad we saw these places, were were not particularly impressed and an hour or so in each place was plenty.

Like others have said, Ravello was our favourite. We easily spent over an hour here in the magnificent gardens with stunning views, as well as a leisurely lunch at Villa Maria.

We didn't consider the bus as they were jammed every day and ferry times in October didn't work well.

The driver was perfect.

Ferries: directferries.com is a must. Then buy the tics direct from the ferry company.

The statement that "ferries stop running in October" is misleading. Some ferries are indeed seasonal in just depends where you are going.

I was in AC the beginning of November and took the ferry from Amalfi to Salerno and from Naples to Ischia and Procida, so it just depends.

This thread began in August and was just resurrected. Not sure the first-time original poster is still around. However, the info posted is very helpful. Safe travels to all!

Right. The OPs thread was 'hijacked' (in forum-speak) by another poster with unrelated questions, thus the resurrection. Very gently, jtridle1, if you have further questions about your 2025 October trip, you'll very likely receive more help if you start your own thread versus piggyback on someone else's where your ? won't be seen by as many potentially helpful eyes. :O)