Amalfi Transportation

I'm confused. You are in Naples for a week but you want to take a daytrip from the Amalfi Coast to Naples? Maybe the Naples area but you aren't staying in Naples?

At any rate, via public trans you have two choices--bus Amalfi-town to Sorrento (1.5 hrs), then Circumvesuviana train to Naples (1 hr but 15+ stops), or bus to Salerno (1 hr), then train to Naples (1 hr). Both have pros & cons. Privately, of course, you can do it a lot faster, at a much higher cost, but for the price you get to totally call your shots, how long to stay, where to go. Might be worth it to you.

I do believe the ferries/hydrofoils are still running in October, but you'd have to verify that. That really is the fastest way from Point A to Point B in most cases.

Is this too much for one day?

Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and Ravello? Yes, that's too much. I personally wouldn't choose more than two - such as Sorrento and Positano - but it depends on whether you just want a quick look or to explore them in a little more depth. I'm not a fan of private-driver tours as we prefer to spend our sightseeing time by ourselves but that's surely an option.

Your other options are:

Circumvesuviana commuter train from Napoli Garibaldi to/from Sorrento and ferries from there.

Trains schedules (from/to Naples):
http://www.eavsrl.it/web/sites/default/files/eavferro/Napoli%20-%20Sorrento_1.pdf

http://www.eavsrl.it/web/sites/default/files/eavferro/Sorrento%20-%20Napoli_0.pdf

Or.....
Ferry to Sorrento from Naples, and additional ferries from there:

To/from Sorrento:
https://www.capribooking.com/en/ferry-schedule?path_id=16

https://www.capribooking.com/en/ferry-schedule?path_id=15

Trains run later to Naples from Sorrento than ferries, and there will be more of them.

Or....
SITA buses from/to Sorrento to Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello:

http://www.sitasudtrasporti.it/archivio/Download/corse/sitasud/Campania/Salerno/246728fb-3011-4b07-8ae9-236da5f30e9d_QUADROXV_2017_primavera.pdf/0

Or combinations of the above.

One other option would be to take a ferry from Positano or Amalfi to Salerno (all ferry schedules can be searched on the same ferry page linked above) and take a train back to Naples from there. My caution would be that I'm unsure what those schedules will look like in October; it could be that they will not run as late in the day. That caution pretty much applies to ferries around the coast in general in the fall.

Michelle, to Jay's point above - and given your previous question about day-tripping to Capri - what with wanting to add Sorrento, Positano, Ravello and Amalfi, it would have been easier to split your week; part in Naples and part in the Sorrentine/Amalfi area. It would cut your transport time to do your exploring of the coast if staying closer to it.

You could do Pompeii enroute between the two: check your luggage at the site.

Could that still be a consideration?

Especially for a honeymoon, I would stay in Sorrento or on the AC (I prefer Ravello) and then day trip once to Naples. There are ferries to and from all of your locations. One day to explore the AC, while staying a week in Naples is almost tragic. You will definitely want to spend your honeymoon on the AC vs. Naples.

Thanks for all the information!

Jay: Sorry if you misunderstood, we are staying in Naples and day tripping down the coast.

Kathy: Thanks for all the information! Our accommodations have been booked for the week and there's a lot we want to see in Naples (husband to be was a history major in uni). Capri would be it's own day trip on a separate day. I wouldn't dream of trying to cram Capri and the AC in one day trip :) Your information for the trains/ferries was amazing. Since the trains run later going back to Naples, I think we take the ferry along the coast and bus/train back, assuming the fall schedules can accommodate that. If we can't do it all, I would likely cut it down to 2 places for one day (and most likely Sorrento and Positano since they're the closest).

Thanks for all the suggestions! I was also looking for what others may have done, how they got around, etc. If anyone has taken a tour if they liked it?

I wouldn't dream of trying to cram Capri and the AC in one day trip :)

LOL. That's good! No, I meant that you're looking at least 2 two trips if not three in the AC area, and that (to me, anyway) warrants staying closer. :O)

I see your point. Naples is kind of our day trip hub throughout the honeymoon. It's our first time into southern Italy and we wanted to see as much as we could this time. Another trip in the future will be planned which I suspect will be staying in the AC and venturing down to Sicily :)

We both have the travel bug and know we'll be back to Italy. This is more like recon for the next trip LOL

Best wishes on your upcoming marriage. October is a nice time to visit but ferries are limited and it can be rainy. I have visited the Campania region in Sept. and early Oct. for many years, this year it rained a TON and was very cold. Previous times I swam in the sea in Positano and Capri, you really need to follow the weather the week or two before you depart. I agree with previous posters that your number of places is too much. If you are flying to Naples either stay one night or immediately head to Sorrento which is a good base and easy to navigate, meaning if you get a rainy day you can still walk around easily and do things. I have done this trip a few times at that time of year: I arrived in Naples airport took taxi to ferry ( you can take bus from airport to train station then take 2nd bus to port, but with luggage, an unfamiliar city and jet lag, take a cab), just by tickets on the spot for he next ferry to Capri, no need to buy in advance that time of year even on weekends. Stay on Capri a night or two it is more affordable in shoulder season ( or Anacapri) take direct ferry from Capri to Positano( should be running in Oct.) explore the area, Amalfi etc. I took the bus from Positano to Sorrento train station and train to Naples stay one night and fly home. If it is going to be horrible and cold weather I would save AC for another time, and maybe go to Sorrento just to experience the seaside of a pretty Campanian town and consider adding Rome ( only 1.5 hrs by fast train) to your trip since there are tons of things to do and see indoors in bad weather, where as AC is very limiting in bad weather. The archeological sites can be seen from Naples or Sorrento. I am not a fan of Sorrento but RS does make the point that it is a good and affordable base. It has many large tours and lot's of tour buses...this is not the case in Positano ( they ban tour buses) and Capri is also not as congested once day trippers leave in late afternoon early evening. Capri, Positano are great for honeymooners! Naples is a great city too! Enjoy!

Great, Michelle. I'm sure your fiance already has his eye on the Archeological Museum in Naples. The question is...do you go to Pompei first before the museum? I say yes. Besides the Farnese wing--tremendous--the museum has by far the best exhibits of art from Pompei in the world, all up close and personal, art that was taken from the ruins in the 1750's. And it is possible to visit the two on the same day, if your stamina is up for it. Each venue requires a good 4 hours apiece.

And, livefromnewyork, I am in complete agreement about not being over the moon about Sorrento. I 'should' have liked it. Great transportation hub for the area, really solid and affordable food. But for the 5 nights we spent there last month, I was meh. No real charm to the place. But others are gaga over Sorrento. To each his/her own, I suppose. I liked the 5 nights we spent in Salerno a couple years ago much better.

I'm bummed to see the posts about Sorrento, I'll be there for 5 nights as a base soon. Pretty sure that is locked in. In part chose because of the guidebook and this forum, so hopefully it will still work out!

Dantbarnes--

Don't go by me. It's all personal taste. I will admit the fact that we had previously spent 6 wonderful nights in Rome with great weather, then we get down to Sorrento, 100 miles to the south, and it's cold, rainy, and that may have colored my thinking a little!

Sorrento is hands down the best logistical base around for the A.C. & Naples/Pompei/Ercolano. Hopefully you'll be staying near the bus/train station, and can easily access your rides for daytrips. And the food is really good and inexpensive unless you go to the waterfront foo-foo places.

I'd just stay somewhere else next time. Maybe it will be warmer for you, thus more inviting!

Weather can certainly color the experience!

To cheerfully offer the opposite, we've been to Sorrento in early October (3 nights) and had beautiful weather, although it poured buckets from Rome to Naples to catch our ferry to Capri for a 2-nighter there. Capri, Sorrento and Positano were all dry and sunny, though, so it's a roll of the dice. Sorrento may not be everyone's thing but we liked it plenty well enough and it's a good transport hub for hopping around the region. It's fun to cruise the shops in the evening when they close some of the main streets down to traffic. Oh, and walk over to Villa Comunale (park) at sunset and watch the lights twinkle on in the dusk around the Bay of Naples: very nice view. Bring gelato!

In 2015, we stayed on the Amalfi Coast in late September, early October and it also rained a bit. We stayed a few nights in Sorrento, then Positano for a few more. We hired a private driver to take us along the coast and to visit Amalfi and Ravello. For me, this was the way to go. Not only is it more comfortable, but we enjoyed a lively conversation with the driver who grew up in the area. We used the driver below and I would not hesitate to use his service again.
Angelo Tour [email protected]

Congratulation on your upcoming wedding and honeymoon.

DD

The fastest way to visit the AC.
From Naples.

Train Napoli Centrale-Salerno. 40 min.

Ferry to Amalfi. 45m. Immediately Bus to Ravello. 30m. Visit

Bus back to Amalfi. 30m. visit.

Ferry to Positano. 20 min. or Bus 40m. Visit.

Bus to Sorrento. 1 hour.

Train, Circumvesuvian,back to Naples. 1H15m

This is a 12-14 hour day, covering a lot of ground.
It would be less intense if you dropped a town.

Have a wonderful honeymoon.

If either of you have motion sickness, I would strongly suggest NOT taking the bus between Amalfi and Sorrento. We took a boat from Sorrento to Amalfi (also stops in Positano) and it was lovely. On the return trip we took the bus to save money and I was pretty miserable the last half of the trip, and not so great the rest of the day. It is a very winding road. The money saved wasn't worth it! The train between Naples and Sorrento is not very fancy but it's economical and good for people watching.

dantbarnes: We thought Sorrento was charming. The view of the bay from our hotel was amazing. We had one of our best meals in Italy down by the fishing docks. We were there for 3 nights, going to Pompeii and Herculaneum one day and Amalfi the next day, and the transportation was easy. We used Sorrento mainly as a home base and wished we had been able to stay a little longer to better experience the town itself. Unlike Jay who had rain, we had lovely sunny weather so maybe that influenced us, plus it was our first glimpse of Italy. I wouldn't worry about choosing Sorrento, you'll have a great time!

Wow such great information that was added overnight!

Deidre: Thank you for that contact. I think that we may end up going the private driver route (for at least one direction) so that we can maximize our time. The ferry the other way (if it's still running) would give us some amazing views :)

Gerri: Thank you for that information and including the differences between bus/boat time frames, very handy!

Because of the crowded road conditions, it seems to me unrealistic to talk about a "one-way" car and driver order on the Amalfi Coast. You can't expect them to pay for a two hour trip back home to Naples with their profits from your ride out.

It's not a comparable situation from Naples, but we ordered an 8-hour car and driver from Sorrento, using our big hotel's local travel services provider, and billed it to our hotel room. That was about 245 Euros, in 2014. The driver is happy to make visit suggestions, but you can be certain that he is a well-trained guide. He's a car driver.

Although you would have to check about when the Circumvesuviana stops running, you could possibly plan to have dinner in Sorrento after a car ride from there, and train home to Naples. Or get a quote from Naples, and see if it's worth it. BTW, you should download the Taxi Flat Rate PDF from the Naples government site. You'll want it in case some driver during the visit trys to charge you extra, and it will also give you a baseline idea of current (official) taxi fares. Naples offers flat rates almost everywhere between major points.

It might be worth finding out if a car ride from Naples can take a route that's NOT through Sorrento or Salerno, and thus, perhaps, less subject to traffic delays. It's true that you're almost off-season, but we're talking about a curvy two-lane road that doesn't permit two busses to pass each other without a time-consuming ballet.

Geez, Tim--from what I saw above Positano when coming upon a turn on a cliff the bus driver honked his horn, looked at the mirror jutting out from the mountain, and went for it. Quite unnerving!

LOL, Jay. We chatted with a couple from Washington D.C. over cocktails in Positano who'd made the coastal drive the day before. The missus said it scared her so badly that she spent the duration in fetal position on the floor of the car.

Michelle,

If hiring a driver, with pick up as early as possible, have him take you to Ravello first. Less than an hour and the views driving down thru the hills beautiful. Much less traveled than the coast road.
I would have lunch here.

From Ravello a 15m drive to Amalfi. Be sure to visit the Cloisters of Paradise along with the Duomo.

It's now about 15:00. If your driver picked you up at 7:00, you've spent 8 hours with him.

From here, I would ferry to Positano, 20m, while this is not my favorite town, the views are great. Everyone should see it at least once.

From here bus to Sorrento, 1 hr
Watch the town and the bay sparkle as the lights come on.
Have dinner, at Restaurant Delfino at Marina Grande,then train back to Naples.