Amalfi Coast in June

We choose Sorrento because it's a major transport hub for the Sorrentine/Amalfi. Along with SITA buses to Positano and further reaches of the Amalfi, there's train service to Pompeii, Herculaneum and Naples, and ferries around the coast.

We took a ferry from Sorrento to Positano: takes about 40 minutes but ferries may not run to all locations on the coast when the seas are too rough.

http://www.positano.com/en/ferry-schedule?from=sorrento&to=positano

Plug in your other destinations from Sorrento to see how long the ferries take. The SITA buses between Positano/Sorrento don't take 90 minutes however they CAN be full sometimes so you'd have to wait for the next bus. It would take at least 90 minutes or more by SITA from Sorrento to Amalfi.

http://www.positano.com/en/bus-schedule

Central is not the issue. The real issues are 1)The Amalfi Coast is isolated 2)It is very crowded in the summer 3)There are heavy surface transit delays due to the curvy two-lane road that serves most of it. If you do not come to grips with that, you will be disappointed with any housing decision.

You don't mention if Pompeii, Paestum, Naples, and similar places are in your plans. The reason that matters is that they can be difficult to get to and from the "prettiest" towns. Are you prepared to spend hundreds of Euros on car and driver services? If not, you are going to spend hours waiting for and jamming onto busses.

We stayed in the less glamorous Sorrento for five nights because it has some of the best transportation options. That worked well for us. But it has nearly zero beaches, and is heavily touristed. You need to do a lot of basic research to determine what your specific desires are, and how to meet them. "Somebody said" is not a good basis for an expensive vacation. An easy way to start would be the Search box at top center of the desktop version of this site, because people often discuss where to stay in this area. There are good reasons for many different decisions. Your arrival and departure seem less important, but getting "home" from a town like Amalfi is not a minor issue. The big picture needs a lot of planning.

Going from town to town on the Amalfi Coast takes minutes, if traffic moves along.

Sorrento to is not on the Amalfi Coast, so getting to the Amalfi Coast takes well over an hour.

You might consider splitting your 6 nights/5.5 days by spending some nights in Sorrento (for Capri, Pompeii) and some in a town on the Coast. But I see you are already planning one night in Capri, so that might be too many moves.

we were in amalfi yesterday and sorrento a few days earlier. moving from town to town takes time. even in early may, it was 'crazy' with tourists and traffic. capri was full of tourists . generally everywhere we went had many more tourists than when we visited 3 years ago. unless you moved right out of the town, eg a walk into the surrounding area away from them. or early morning/ late afternoon when the day trippers have gone home.

so plan your trip well

hope this helps

Private transfer Rome to Sorrento is around 350 euro. Nothing better if you have the funds to blow.

thank you so much for taking the time to respond!
Does it make sense to do Path of Gods from Positano? Also, i read somewhere that it is an uphill climb which made me want to make sure i go the opposite direction haha. Where would i start the hike for that?

I had first responded on the duplicate thread, moving it over here:

"Hi Karen--

By SITA bus it is only 45 minutes Sorrento to Positano, and another 45 minutes to Amalfi--we did that in March. But in June with many, many tourists, it could be longer, especially if you have to wait for a second bus if the first one is full--no reservations. Word of advice--get to the Sorrento bus station (if staying there) plenty early to get your place in the queue.

Bottom line is that there is no 'central' place to stay on the Amalfi Coast. Where you gain time going to one place, you lose time-wise on another. Logistically, Sorrento is the best choice--for Capri, for Naples, for Pompei. Great food too. But for scenery, Positano or frankly any place from there all the way up to Vietri sul Mare on the A.C. would suit you better, although Sorrento is still quite nice.

All these places are very popular in high season and there's a chance that a lot of the good spots might already be snagged for June--this is pretty late in the game to be securing lodging. But if you get on it ASAP maybe you'll find something--just be flexible as to your landing spot. Find that spot, then come back and we can help you re: itinerary.

Finally, Rome Fiumicino to anywhere on the Amalfi Coast by private car will cost 200 Euro easy. It was half that for us by private car from Naples to Sorrento in March. The cheapest way--e.g. to Sorrento--will be Rome airport to Roma Termini train station to Naples Centrale station, then the Circumvesuviana train from Naples station to Sorrento. Probably would cost you around 40-50 Euro apiece in total if you do that. Fortunately, there are many other ways to skin that cat, albeit more expensive.

Enjoy your planning!"

Read Tim's post again. He is right.

"**I'm trying to understand what the best central place would be to stay? I'm super interested in being able to get around fairly easy with access to public transport to get to Positano, Capri, Amalfi, Sorrento.I would also be most grateful for an idea of an itinerary!"

This is impossible on the Amalfi Coast. You cannot get around "fairly easy" although you do have access to SITA buses. Over ten years ago we jumped a SITA from Positano to Amalfi (Ravello actually) and three of us couldn't fit on the bus because of crowding tourists. So, if you go there expecting an easy time getting on public transport be ready for the opposite. The situation must be worse today.

Everything on the coast is uphill. You might go down for awhile, but you always have to go up too. It is steep in many places. Positano has no flat areas. With respect to the beach it isn't, the beach has no sand, only pebbles, and they will hurt your feet.

We stayed in Positano and used busses and boats. We loved the place but it is a logistics nightmare but worth the visit for us. Ravello is spectacular, go there. Sorrento is a good place to stay but so are the coast towns. We took a cab from Sorrento to Positano for 100 euro, might be more now.

We used Positano as our base last September for a week and found it centrally located to visit where ever else we wanted to visit on the Amalfi Coast. We did not rent a car but took the train to Naples and had a driver pick us up there and drive us to Positano for the week and pick us up for the return trip. The coast was 110 euros each way for both of use and after seeing the road, congestion and construction in the area it is the best money we ever spent!!! Once in Positano we used the ferries to get us to the other towns. If you do not have your lodging booked yet for June I would think that needs to be done ASAP. Also, Capri was our least favorite town of all that we visited because of the crush of people and that was in September. We took a tour back to Pompeii one afternoon with the van picking us up at our flat...the cost was 60 euros per person including the transportation, guide and admission.

I feel you on the overwhelmed piece, I'm leaving in 12 days! 5 days in Sorrento and then 5 in Cetera at the far end of the coast.

I'm not sure WHY I'm overwhelmed, I've done a fair amount of planning. Questions and lurking here, I've got his books, have watched all the vids.

Our plan is to explore Naples, Pompei, and such from Sorrento
then to explore the Amalfi coast proper from Cetera, hopefully by ferry as much as possible vs the traffic on the road and sita buses.

Trickiest part is getting from Sorrento to Cetera to switch hotels, probably going to be expensive!

I'll know soon if I've done enough!

Train service between Sorrento and Naples and points in between was probably the #1 reason we chose it for location. Sure, that train is a battered, bare-bones commuter (unless you can work times for the limited-run Campania Express) but tickets are very, very inexpensive, runs are frequent, and any potential road issues are avoided so that suited both our budget and desire not to spend too much time in transport. It's about 30 minutes to Pompeii and an hour to Naples by rail.

http://www.sorrentotourism.com/en/campania-express.php

http://www.sorrentotourism.com/en/ferry-and-jet-services.php

If you have the budget for private car service, that's fine but thought I'd offer this up as it's not an affordable option for everyone.

Where are you going after the Sorrentine/Amalfi? Are you flying out of Naples, Rome or another Italian location?

Does it make sense to do the Path of the Gods from Positano?

We stayed in Positano so we COULD do the Path of the Gods. We stayed at Hotel California which was steps from the bus stop. We caught the bus up to Nocelle and followed the signs for Sentiero degli Dei all the way down into Praiano. Many people start in Bomerano.

Read pathofgods.com and neverendingvoyage.com blog for some good information.

Sorrento is a budget friendly place that is good for day tripping, safer and more pleasant than staying in Naples....but day tripping takes TIME, ferries have long lines, are packed and you have to return just a few hours later.

Stay where your heart takes you! If Sorrento is not a place you want to see...don't stay there.

TIP: Pack flat cheap water shoes ( can double as slippers or flip flops around pools as well) as all the Capri and AC beaches have stones beneath the water...think slimey slippery pond bottom :) It is hard to find U.S. sizes, and usually sell out as most people do not realize that they are needed.

Fly into Rome either take car service to the Naples ferry port for Capri ferry and start there 1-2 nights. It is also very easy to take the high speed 1.5 hr train to Naples Central station and a taxi 10 minutes to the ferryport.

Capri WONDERFUL for 1-2 nights take ferry from Capri to Positano. I think that the crush of tourists in Capri turns people off...it is best to do the sights in the early morning before the day trippers arrive, go to the beach or up to Ana Capri in the afternoon, rest or relax at hotel, then go out and walk the town in the evening when the day trippers are gone!

Positano was a good base for me..and it may appeal to your husband who likes to move around a bit, you can visit the other A/C towns easily from here and take ferry back to Naples to avoid road traffic..then head to Rome. You do not say if you are staying in Rome at all, but be sure to be in the city of your departure the night prior to your flight. Too much can go wrong otherwise. :)

FYI in Positano you have beaches, shops, little lanes, restaurants, nice walks along the port, and two main beaches, you can take a free 10 minute boat ride from main port look for boat with RED FISH, to Da Adolfo restaurant in a hidden cove, for lunch and swim, basic chairs and umbrellas included...lunch very good and well priced. You may want to have your hotel reserve the time since boat only takes about 8 ppl every 20-30 minutes. There are basic changing facilities and an outdoor shower to rinse off..

ENJOY!

I feel you on the overwhelmed piece, I'm leaving in 12 days! 5 days in
Sorrento and then 5 in Cetera at the far end of the coast. I'm not
sure WHY I'm overwhelmed, I've done a fair amount of planning.
Questions and lurking here, I've got his books, have watched all the
vids.

Dan T--you've done more than your share of planning, and you'll be fine. If I were traveling this time of year and wanted to stay in the area, I'd probably stick pretty darn close to your itinerary. Good work & research.

From Cetara, don't forget to go the other way a little--Vietri sul Mare, Salerno, Paestum--each place has something different to offer. And from Sorrento, if you have time to explore a little place halfway to Castellammare di Stabia, called Vico Equense, tell us about it. Might be the only unexplored spot left on the peninsula. We passed nearby when we took the Curreri bus from Sorrento to the Naples airport on our way out and it looked fabulous, but haven't found much info on it.

If you want to go off the beaten path a little, check out Marina del Cantone. It's a very small town near Sorrento and has a hotel called La Certosa, which is a 15th century monastery, just a few feet from the water. There's lots of hiking nearby if you like to wander. You can take a bus back into Sorrento to catch the train to Pompeii or the bus down the Amalfi Coast.

But best of all, the hotel can arrange boat trips that take you to Capri or Positano. I can't tell you how much fun it is to sleep with French doors open to the sea, walk downstairs to a lovely breakfast, then walk 100 feet to a boat that takes you right to Capri or Amalfi and probably Positano as well -- and picks you up later that day. There are just a few restaurants, but they're good, and all within a 5 minute walk. Nearby is a Michelin-starred restaurant that we missed.

A few years ago, we flew into Naples and arranged a transfer to La Certosa from the Naples Airport. I think it was 70 euros? You could likely arrange a transfer from the Naples train station as well. That means you'd take a train from Rome to Naples, then step into an air conditioned car that knows exactly where it's going, as compared to making your way onto the (sometimes crowded) Circumvesuviana to Sorrento, then taking a bus to Marina del Cantone. (Buses run about once an hour but it seems they quit around late afternoon.)

We had 5 days here and could have easily stayed longer.

Thanks @jay

So excited! Thanks for the additional tips!