We are looking at visiting for the first time in mid-late March 2025. Thinking of flying into Genoa to go spend a night in Manarola, then fly over to Naples to "home base" out of either Naples or Cava de Tirreni (those are our options due to hotel constraints) in order to check out the Amalfi coast towns. Any insights on best modes of daily travel, places to see, etc. since it won't be quite the "full" open season yet? Hoping that enough will be open by then.
Posted by
5097 posts
I don't think the one night at CT will be worth it. You would not really have time to enjoy the area. I usually advise picking one or the other, because while there are the regional differences one can expect in Italy, they are both coastal beauty spots with hiking.
But how many days do you have overall--could you stay in both Cava de Tirreni AND Naples? That would be a really interesting trip, putting you closer to the AC for your day trips but also with time in Naples to enjoy the city.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
We will arrive in Italy on a Sunday and leave on Friday.
Posted by
5097 posts
Then I would stick to one area for sure, but I think it's a personal preference whether to split the five days or not. It depends on what you want to see in Naples--if the weather is bad, I'd much rather be there!
Posted by
OP
4 posts
The main thing we are wanting to see is the coast (hence looking at Cinque Terre and Amalfi coast). Unfortunately the 3rd week of March is the time frame we have to work with.
Posted by
5097 posts
The short time frame is actually much better suited to Cinque Terre--most would probably say four days is too long, but not for a nature lover and you can always plan a day trip. I'd rather save the Amalfi Coast for when there will be time to do the area justice, see Naples and Pompeii, the islands, etc.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7935 posts
I admit that I have not been to the CT, but have you looked at a climate/weather website? Your screen name suggests that you are from a warm climate, but in March I personally would go to the Caribbean for a week. What is your home country or state?
Naples is a culturally rich and historically important place, but it is not remotely resort-like. It has been starved of infrastructure support by a northern-oriented national government, for generations. Unless you plan a car and driver, it is not a good base for five days of all-day daytrips to the south. We found our five nights in Sorrento to be very good for public transportation day-tripping, but Amalfi [... the town, "AC" is this board's abbreviation for The Amalfi Coast] is not "close" to anything. And pleasant-enough Sorrento is in fact, a purpose-built, postwar resort town, and not a "beach-town." I mean, how much Limoncello can you shop for? (This is not a slam of Sorrento, but more a response to your inquiry ... We were perfectly satisfied by our luxury hotel stay on the Sorrento cliff face.)
We don't have enough off-season reports on this newsboard, unfortunately.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
We are coming from Texas. Neither of us are interested in swimming or laying on the beach, so we won't mind the cooler temps. We're not worried about a "resort" feel either - this is kind of a "bucket list on a budget" trip. Our two options were Santorini/Mykonos/Athens or coastal Italy. Since we're not looking for beach time or thriving nightlife, we're focusing on IT.
Posted by
Michigan
476 posts
You will want to check hiking and hotels in the CT in March. Some hotels close for the season, as do some restaurants and shops. And check for trail closures - they are open all year, but weather (esp rain) can result in closures...
Posted by
Irving
3274 posts
The Cinque Terre deserves two nights when visiting the five lands and if you hike add an additional night per hike. If relying on train travel sleeping in Monterosso will be more convenient than Manarola because there are no direct trains from Manarola to Genoa or Naples but there are from Monterosso. I suggest taking the train from the Cinque Terre to Naples (train station name is Napoli Centrale): https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html. There is a direct train departing Monterosso at 5:16a arriving in Napoli Centrale at 12:36p. There are no direct trains to Cava de Tirreni.
It will be easier sleeping in Naples if getting around by ferry and commuter train (Circumvesuviana): https://ssl.directferries.com/. You can catch the Circumvesuviana from the basement at Napoli Centrale. Neither the ferry nor the Circumvesuviana stop in Cava de Tirreni.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16609 posts
Hi 2pineapples - :O)
I'll vote with restricting your trip to just the Sorrentine/Amalfi Coast area, and flying into/out of Naples, or Into Rome and out of Naples. Given the amount of time it would take to get from the CT area to Naples - and you only have 4 full days and part of another to work with - I'd personally not wish to spend the lion's share of one of those days sitting on a train. That 5:15 AM (Yikes, that's an 0-dark-thirty rise-and-shine!) train from Monterosso takes over 7 hours to Naples. Changing trains is not really a big deal so if you kept the CT plan, I'd choose a later departure time w/a couple changes, and some of those take less total time. Still, it's not a "fly over to" trip, and takes a good chunk of a day.
Naples/AC/Sorrentine is also a bigger area than the CT: you'd have Naples itself plus Herculaneum, Pompeii, Capri, Sorrento, Amalfi, Positano, Ravello, etc. to work with. As early spring weather could be a crapshoot in both the AC and CT, having the museums and churches in Naples would be nice if Mom Nature throws you some days of heavy rain. Other than some churches, sightseeing in the CT is virtually ALL outdoors, the trails could be closed to weather, and the ferries may not be running until closer to the end of the month.
One caveat: not all of the ferries in AC may be running in the 3rd week of March either. They will run between Naples, Sorrento and Capri (weather permitting) but not necessarily to Positano and Amalfi. SITA buses do run all year long, and there's (bare bones but serviceable) commuter rail from Naples to Herculaneum, Pompeii and Sorrento. Should you decide to fly home from Rome, it's a good idea to spend the night prior to your flight nearer to the airport than further away.
Cava de Tirreni? You'd only have buses available for transport; maybe a taxi or two but I'd guess they'd be expensive. It's not a location I'd personally choose for early spring or for a first visit to the AC region.
Anyway, there's no wrong answer unless it's wrong for you - it's your trip, after all - but you might opt to save the CT for another trip when you can give it more than 1 jet-lagged night?
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11942 posts
Thinking of flying into Genoa to go spend a night in Manarola, then fly over to Naples
Fly from where? I checked Genoa, Florence and Pisa to Naples and none has a direct flight that I could find.
Taking the train would probably be faster.
For the limited number of days you have, you would probably have a more enjoyable trip if you 'picked one', rather than doing both.
Thinking of flying into Genoa ....
And flying home from... ?
Posted by
8321 posts
To me the Amalfi Coast is a cut above Cinque Terre. Frankly, both places are somewhat similar, being right on the sea with scenic vistas.
Not sure about flying within Italy, when you can take the train, suggest comparing the cost and time.
I have been to the Naples area twice and stayed in Sorrento and used it as a base for Capri, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7935 posts
These links are not specific to time of year, just about Sorrento and the nearby AC:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/getting-around-amalfi-coast
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/naples-to-sorrento-train-or-private-driver
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/amalfi-coast-for-7-nights-itinerary-help
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/herculaneum-and-pompeii-questions
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/one-week-on-the-amalfi-coast
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/sorrento-to-naples-airport-early-morning
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/train-from-naples-to-pompei-and-then-to-salerno
Posted by
5097 posts
Could you explain more what you mean by the hotel constraints? It is actually possible to visit the AC on a budget, though I think the CT area is much more inexpensive--but we need to know a bit more about your situation.
Posted by
Chicago
2097 posts
Weather-wise, we've been to the Amalfi Coast twice in early-to-mid March. Once it was seasonally warm, 50-60 F. The other time it was blowing rain in the 40's. The whole box of chocolates thing, Forrest...
Ferry-wise, probably more of a chance it's not operating last half of March. And most of the restaurants, except in Sorrento where it's open year-round, will probably be closed, especially with Easter being late, April 20. Still, it's a great time to visit, sans tourists and the accompanying traffic & gridlock.