Hello All,
We have about 7 days in Amalfi and want to hike, but also have time to explore the villages and swim/kayak. We know it's $$, we are looking for less expensive lodging in 2 places along the coast that would be central to visiting all of the villages and the best hiking.
We won't have access to a car, so we will be traveling via bus or ferry.
Also, what's the best way to get from Naples airport to the Amalfi coast. We land in the early afternoon.
Thank you!
I always recommend any of the villages with ferry service (https://www.travelmar.it/en/index) OR Atrani, which is just a short walk from Amalfi. Amalfi/Atrani are good bases for hiking because some trails originate in Amalfi and you can just set off without taking a bus or taxi to a trailhead. But there are trails all over the peninsula, so you have many choices. There are two books that describe the trails, one published by Cicerone and the other by Sunflower. They give transport info so can be really helpful for planning. Ferries are seasonal, so be sure to add what month (I assume summer since you mentioned swimming).
From NAP, you can take a bus direct to Salerno and switch to ferry there (or bus). https://www.aeroportodinapoli.it/en/by-bus
We chose to stay in Cetara for the restaurants and lack of crowds, but the bonus was our room was a bargain. The only caveat is that this b&b is a walk uphill from Cetara, but if you are going to the area to hike I suspect you would also be fine with this. We had no problem walking down to Cetara and back for dinners, and we visited Pompeii from this base as well. Owner was lovely and we had a sea view: https://www.ilglicinebb.it/en/homepage/
Don't worry about relying on ferry and bus--that is the way to do this area (along with hiking shoes!). Try to use ferry as much as possible because the buses can be full. You could probably do it with one base, but I like the idea of two--maybe one more convenient for moving around and another where you are really off the grid.
Thank you so much! We are going in early June so I am seeing high prices and know there will be crowds. This B&B you suggest looks lovely. How long did you stay? How far is the hike from the place to a bus or ferry for transport to other villages or trails?
We stayed 4-5 nights, with one full day for Pompeii and 2-3 spent hiking and visiting the villages. I can't recall the length of the walk, but it was not onerous. There was not ferry service there when I visited but there is now, so you would want to map the walk to the ferry port. Down to the road for a bus stop was maybe 10-15 minutes. Walking up after dinner longer but not steep, well-lit, and a perfect antidote to a big meal. (If this helps: we were in our late 30s on this trip, considerably older now but we would do the same thing. I'll walk up a thousand steps if it gives me a view.)
I am still astounded how little we paid (and it was not luxury, but pictures don't lie--million dollar view) but I bet there are other little bargains tucked up in some of the other villages even with the massive increase in popularity of the area. I would be checking Maiori and Minori and definitely Atrani (not sure if Ripley on Netflix being filmed there has made it more popular but it's super cute).
If you find you are absolutely priced out or can't find a booking, check out the Cilento coast further south. We stayed in Pisciotta and although this area is definitely more difficult without a car, it is possible.
good luck!
Thank you, again for this amazing info. I have emailed and texted Massumo and he has a room for us for 3 days.
As I mentioned we will be on foot. We are in decent shape for walking. : )
How far is the B&B from the bus or ferry landing? If we walk, how long of a walk is it? Did you end up doing activities in Cetara or did you leave for day trips?
Thank you, again!
Best,
Christine
We had dinner in Cetara nightly but spent our days out and about.
I suggest using Google maps to pinpoint the exact distances. I just recall it was not a bad walk even after hiking all day --and you did not have to walk all the way to town to catch a bus, you could catch one at the main road. So the ferry port will be a bit further (but we did not have that luxury--it's great the ferry stops have been expanded).
Tell Massimo an American couple who he picked up from the Salerno train station have warm memories of our time there! He actually ran into us in a restaurant one night (the fantastic Aquapazza) and gave us a ride home, he's a great guy!
We have two nights with your guy! So now we have to figure out the rest of our plan for the next 7 days. We will also look at Amalfi and Minori.
Thank you, again! I was feeling so overwhelmed and had no idea where to begin. : )
