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Amalfi coast/Capri.

I have a couple of questions.
1. We will be staying in sorrento the last week of April. I was wondering if I could get some input on the Amalfi coast. The mondo tours have mixed reviews and I'm not really into organized tours. Right now we are leaning toward jumping on and off the bus, but do they stop for photo ops? Has anyone rented a car and drove themselves? Is it as treacherous as you hear? Any input would be most welcome.
2. Has anyone hiked on Capri? Let me know where and how it was. The fort trail sounds interesting, looks to be about 4 miles. Is it difficult? Found a website that gives 5 of what they feel are the best hikes, and they all look fun. We like to hike, but want to be careful what we do. Thanks for any help.

Posted by
3580 posts

The public bus from Sorrento is cheap and popular. I'm sure it won't stop for you to take pictures. I think there are drivers you can hire for the Amalfi experience. If you want to see Amalfi (town) as well as Positano on the bus, go to Amalfi first then backtrack to Positano. Your chances of catching a bus may be better that way.

Posted by
1004 posts

The bus can be crowded, and definitely won't stop for photo ops. When I took the bus last fall from Positano to Sorrento, we had to wait for the 2nd bus to come through because the first was too full. Then we had to stand almost all the way back to Sorrento because the bus was really crowded. No room to move much less sight see. If you want photo ops, I would recommend taking the ferry.

Posted by
11613 posts

You can get off the bus at any of the stops for photo ops, take a later bus and stop again, etc. You will be buying multiple tickets unless you buy a day pass or some other card for Campania. April should be less crowded, but logically the morning buses to Amslfi are more crowded, the afternoon buses away from Amalfi are most crowded, so you could do your stops in the opposite order/direction.

Posted by
1175 posts
  1. You can get a driver for the coast and they will go wherever you want ! And will stop where you want! They are yours for the day. So don't look at it as an organized tour. The drive on the coast is not difficult, but the point of DOING the drive is to SEE things, not trying to keep your car from getting swiped by the busses !

  2. If you love to hike, don't miss the Sentiero degli Dei trail above Positano - take the bus up to Nocelle, hop off, and follow the signs for the trail. We hiked for 5 hours - breathtaking scenery - and wound our way down to the coast, hopped on a bus, and took it into Amalfi and Ravello.

  3. We hiked 5 of the Capri trails and loved it all - Via Krupp Augustus Gardens, Belvedere Tragara, Punta dell'arcera to Arco Naturale, Arco Naturale back into Capri town, and Via San Michele.

Posted by
1832 posts

Last week of April, the SITA buses which run frequently from Sorrento to Amalfi with stops in between should not be crowded and you should have no issue getting a seat.
I would definitely not advise to pay the cost of a private driver for this stretch.
No public bus is going to make private stops just for you to take photos but this bus stops multiple times so you culd get off at each stop and walk around a bit taking photos at each stop. Hopping back on when the next bus comes is easy.

Car driving is really not treacherous at all, as the driver you need to watch the road and other traffic so wont enjoy the views but your passengers will. The bigger issue with renting a car though is lack of parking and/or expensive parking especially when you are likely making multiple stops the parking fees are going to far outweigh any benefit to having your own car.
The bus will stop you right where you want to be and if parking your car you would have a further walk at each stop.

On Capri, an easy but very rewarding hike is to take the Chair Lift up to top of Ana Capri. View is amazing up there and then you can hike down instead of taking the Chair Lift down. Very easy hike and great views on top of Mount Solaro of the beautiful sea below. On the hike down there are places you can stop and explore like an old church.
Cost I believe for the lift is 7 euro if going up only and 10 euro if doing a round trip on the lift.
The lift leaves from Piazza Vittoria

if only going for a day trip and want to fit in other things like the Blue Grotto, some window shopping at the high end boutiques and lemoncello shops you may want to take the chair lift down as well as up and forget about hiking. There is a lot to see and a far amount of walking required to cover the island all in the same day. if staying overnight of course you would have time for hiking.

The above poster who mentions the Pathway of the Gods hike above Positano is right on, this should be done for sure if you enjoy hiking.

Posted by
16240 posts
  1. City buses will not stop for photo ops the same way that NYC City Transit buses don't stop for photo ops. Those buses are regular transit buses, not tourist buses like Grayline buses. You can get off and on again on the next bus. As mentioned above, the problem with the Amalfi coast is not the driving, it's the parking along the road. Street parking is very limited (in most cases isn't even permitted due to the narrow road) and parking lots are very expensive. I don't know if you are able (or willing) to ride a scooter (vespa), but renting one of those would be, by far, the best way to drive along the Amalfi Coast.
  2. No experience on hiking in Capri.
Posted by
616 posts

Hi, I went to Capri in August two years ago.
We arrived in Capri with a sailing boat we had rented in Sicily.
I remember how beautiful Capri was and particularly beautiful was a nice little wooden church all painted. Buses to and from Anacapri were really crowded.
Very nice luxury shops near the small port. 2 Wonderful yachts from the British Royals!!

https://www.costadiamalfi.it/italiano/traghetti_orari.htm

Posted by
25 posts

Thanks for all the help. We have booked a private tour with Mr Monetti. Seem the best way to go about it.

Posted by
1175 posts

Good idea.

And do those hikes on Capri - we loved the views - and you are away from all of the crowds that everyone complains about….

Posted by
4 posts

Just took a Mondo tour today to Amalfi coast. Fabulous. So very nice