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Best location(s) to spend 4 nights in Sorrento/Amalfi coast

We will be finishing our three-week Italian vacation in July with four nights in the Amalfi coast/ Sorrento region, before flying home out of Naples. Wondering where we should stay for those four nights. Sorrento for four nights, Amalfi for four nights, or two nights in each? Like the idea of being based in one location but what do people recommend if we want to see the Amlafi coast and visit Capri etc.

Posted by
5953 posts

We enjoyed our time in both Sorrento and Amalfi.

From Sorrento- Pompeii and Capri are easy
From Amalfi- Positano, Ravello are easy

If you are flying home from Naples at anytime before 12 noon I would want to be in Naples the night before so that may limit your options.
If that's the case- 3 Sorrento, 1 Naples
Day trip by bus/ferry/private driver around Amalfi coast.

Posted by
8 posts

that's helpful, thanks. If we have a later flight out of Naples then we could avoid spending fourth night in Naples. would you still suggest all four nights in Sorrento, or divide between there and Amalfi?

Posted by
856 posts

It depends on your sightseeing priorities. If you intend on visiting Pompeii/Naples and Capri then Sorrento is the best choice. If you want to relax and enjoy the Amalfi coast itself then stay on the Amalfi coast side of the peninsula. Plenty of people day trip to the coast from Sorrento but it is time consuming and there will be plenty of crowds to contend with.

Meanwhile, you’re looking for accommodations in high season less than two months out? You will find your options limited (and expensive). I would jump on whatever you can find. Smaller coast towns like Maiori, Minori, Priano might be better bets. You may also find Salerno as on option.

Posted by
5953 posts

I think even with later flight out of Naples I would want to at least be in Sorrento the night before. Getting from Amalfi to Naples airport on departure day could be problematic- crowded buses, train to Naples then bus to airport. That's a lot of travel segments that could go wrong. Alternative is to hire a private driver to take you from Amalfi to NAP.

With 4 nights Sorrento I would do this-

Day 1/Night 1 Arrive Sorrento- half day here- enjoy the town.
Day 2/Night 2 Day trip to Capri or Amalfi coast by bus/ferry/private driver- both are full days
Day 3/Night 3 Day trip to Pompeii if that is of interest- half day- remainder in Sorento
Day 4/Night 4 Day trip Capri or Amalfi coast

Next AM to NAP

We really enjoyed the 2 shared tours we did with Mondo Guides (RS recommended).
We did Pompeii tour and the Capri boat trip. Best part of Capri was the boat trip around the island, we could have easily skipped Capri itself. Truly money well spent.
They also offer a day tour of Amalfi coast with stops in Positano, Amalfi and Ravello.
https://www.sharedtours.com

Posted by
4212 posts

Ditto what awrzesinski said. You can also get to Capri from the Amalfi coast, so if you are not visiting Pompeii then I would stay on the coast rather than day trip over.
Traffic can be really bad in July, I would stay in Naples rather than have a long transfer to the airport.

Posted by
11 posts

Here's my opinion based on what we did 2 summers ago:
Positano is all you need (Amalfi). We stayed 4 nights at the HOTEL MARINCANTO which, while not cheap, was perfect. It has its own stairs to the beach, which is rare. It has views galore, an excellent small pool, and a nice restaurant. Plus you can easily walk downhill to all the shops, restaurants, and other beaches. We arranged to have the hotel pick us up from Pompeii, which was helpful, and when we left we took a ferry from Positano to Naples, via Capri (just for lunch). Then we stayed in Naples for 2 nights so I can't help with the airport part. At the end of your trip maybe you just want to lie in the sun? Because the swimming along the coast is so refreshing and floaty. We did rent a private daylong boat trip down the coast that included a short grotto tour, a visit to Minori, a swimming stop, and a lunch place that can only be reached by boat and was amazing. The tour company was Bluestar and it's on the Positano beach. Other than that we were happy to hang out and explore within walking and swimming distance.
About Sorrento, we were also there for a half-day to drop off our rental car pre-Pompeii and it was lovely but bigger than the Amalfi towns. We enjoyed one of the beach clubs for a few hours... I think it's an either/or. Have so much fun!

Posted by
391 posts

Just to give you an idea of the ease of getting from Positano to Naples:

This May we were hoteling in Salerno and ended our time w/ a day in Positano.
At the end of the day, we had to get to Naples.
I think we got on the 3 PM ferry. There were some couples on the ferry w/ us that had luggage. They were doing the same journey.
We got to Salerno, walked to our hotel (where our bags had been held for us for the day) and walked to the train station. We purchased our train tickets and were on the 5 PM train to Naples - the other couples from the ferry were on the train with us.
The point being - we were Naples 2.5-3 hours after leaving Positano.
The only hitch would have been high seas shutting down the ferry service.