Greetings. I am trying to finalize a 4-day (three night) itinerary (May 8-11) and logistics for the Amalfi coast region. We have never been to this part of Italy. We are a couple in our late 60’s and will be flying in to Naples from Geneva in the late afternoon of May 8 and plan to take a train to Sorrento that afternoon then a ferry to Positano where we will be staying for two nights. After reading several posts on this forum I am thinking that although Positano is a beautiful place to visit (probably better seen from the deck of a ferry) we should probably plan on spending more time visiting close-by sites such as a day trip to Ravello on one of our days there. Any other suggestions? We still do not have accommodations for the night of May 10 and since we will be traveling to Rome on May 11, I was wondering if it might be a good idea to stay that night in Vietri sul Mare or Salerno and taking the train from Salerno to Rome or a ferry to Naples then a train to Rome. Is Vietri sul Mare or Salerno a good choice for overnighting and for worthwhile attractions, restaurants and nice “affordable” accommodations?
Thank you for any input that you may provide.
Posted by
755 posts
Consider spending all your nights in Amalfi. It is more centrally located and a transportation hub from which you can visit Positano, Ravello, and Vietri. “Affordable” accommodations are difficult to find on the Amalfi coast these days, and unless you want to get to Rome very early in the day, you don’t need to stay in Salerno on your final night. You can take the ferry from Amalfi to Salerno and then the train to Rome.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7943 posts
It's late to book this area, so you may have less choice. You didn't mention Pompeii or Capri or Paestum, Is that deliberate? Pompeii is time consuming and expensive from places other than Sorrento or Naples. You could go from Salerno, take a taxi, and check your luggage at the ruins entrance.
The fast trains to Rome are cheaper bought in advance, but are non-changeable tickets. Are you going to stay in Rome, or fly home that day? You can't wake up in Vietri or Amalfi and fly home from Rome that day.
Check how far your Positano place is from the ferry dock. Could be hundreds of steps.
Edit: Taking a ferry here, even at the very start of High Season should not be confused with taking a ferry in a place like Seattle. This is southern Italy. Positano, for example, can only take smaller boats. Salerno is quite far by open sea. Boats sell out and are sometimes cancelled for weather.
Posted by
lake park, georgia, usa
86 posts
WE (my spouse and I) had a similar issue. We are leaving for southern Italy in 10 days traveling for 6 weeks. After much research, we chose Amalfi ( 5nights) and Salerno (2nights) over positano and other options. Both A&S seem to have more transportation options and make stair climbing more of an option than a necessity.
As near as i can tell there are still lodging option in both towns.
Posted by
1045 posts
If your plan is to ferry from Sorrento on your arrival day, straight to Positano, I’m not sure how viable that is. You need to check the ferry schedules because I do not think there are late afternoon departures in that direction. Given the vagaries involved with the airport/transfers/train, this sounds very dicey. Your best option is to splurge on a car service to drive you straight from Naples airport to your destination (Positano or Amalfi.) While expensive, the net gain of time and stress makes this a no brainer imo.
With that, you could spend all three nights on the coast with little to worry about. If you have any interest in getting around and visiting Ravello or Capri then Amalfi is a better location. It is the primary transportation hub on the coast, and the less time you spend on transportation the better here. Grabbing an early ferry to Salerno, with a direct train to Rome is easy. It would not necessitate staying the night in Salerno.
And yes, it is getting late in the game to reserve accommodations, so do not delay.
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
7236 posts
Your itinerary needs some clarification
I am trying to finalize a 4-day (three night) itinerary (May 8-11)
You don’t have 4 days- a 3 night stay is 2.5 days and since you are arriving later in day and not getting to Sorrento or where ever you choose to spend the night you really only have 2 days.
It’s a long way to go for such a short amount of time.
then a ferry to Positano where we will be staying for two nights.
This only gives you 1 full day in Positano- you'll arrive in the evening day one. Again a lot of travel for not much time being there.
There are direct buses from Naples airport to Sorrento- that would be quicker/easier/cheaper than taxi to station then Circumvesuviana then another taxi to the port.
Ferries won’t run if weather is inclement so relying on a ferry from Sorrento to Positano is risky- and as mentioned above- check the schedules- there may not be one late enough for you.
If you are going to Amalfi Coast your best bet is to hire a driver door to door.
You can check pricing here- probably over 150 euros. We used this company and were very pleased, there are many others.
https://www.topexcursionsorrento.com
Amalfi would be a better choice than Positano- it’s the transportation hub for the AC with fewer steps/stairs and less expensive lodging. From Amalfi you can easily get to Salerno- ferry or bus or driver- to catch a fast train to Rome.
You will need to decide ASAP as the area books up early- you may be limited by what’s still available,
Salerno is a worthwhile stop. Do a search on this forum- it is mentioned often. Great restaurants, lovely waterfront, super fun passegiatta, easy access to Paestum, direct fast trains to Rome. Very non touristy and really inexpensive lodging
You might even consider staying there for your 2 (or 3?) nights and just visiting AC towns by ferry.
Sorrento is also a very good base for all the places you mentioned seeing. You could be there pretty quickly after landing in Naples and at least spend more time seeing than traveling.
Mondo Guides www.sharedtours.com offers a very affordable day trip to 3 AC towns. (And others)
Lastly- are you headed to Rome to catch a departing flight on 5/11? If so- you must be in Rome the night before departure.
Posted by
OP
22 posts
Thank you all for your very helpful suggestions regarding our AC itinerary. I believe that we will be hiring a driver to take us to our first stop (we already have two nights booked in Positano - prior to reading all of the practical suggestions). I'm not looking forward to all the stairs but my wife really wanted to stay in Positano. I'm thinking that we'll give Ravello a try on May 9 or 10. And we decided to stay in Amalfi for our third night, then on day four a mid-day ferry to Salerno and fast train to Rome. We'll spend two days in Rome before boarding a cruise ship that will head down the coast with stops in Napes, Crete, Kusadasi, Istanbul, Mykonos and Athens.
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
7236 posts
Sounds like a plan!
FYI
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/positano-port-closure-april-2023
Posted by
OP
22 posts
Well, following another review of all your comments/suggestions and a "consultation" with my wife, we reached an agreement to change our three-night accommodations to Amalfi and from there take short trips via the various transportation options up and around the AC area. Thanks again everyone!
Posted by
Idaho, USA
7887 posts
If it helps, we stayed at the Amalfi Coast last September. We stayed at Salerno two nights and the town of Amalfi for three nights. We took day trips to Positano & Ravello from Amalfi.
When we left Amalfi, we took the ferry to Salerno and took the train to Rome. I think we were in Rome by early afternoon.