Planning to stay 10 nights in Sorrento as a base to see Pompeii, Amalfi and Naples. I would really appreciate advice on whether we rent a car (from Naples) and look for accommodation with parking nearby, or stay close to town and use public transport for getting around? Hubby has bad knees so we try to save the walking for exploring sites. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Posted by
San Diego, California
6035 posts
No- no-no car.
This is a weekly question here, so there's a wealth on info in the Search below. Public transportation has been sadly neglected. There is no shoulder season anymore. Moving about takes time and patience. Knowing the realities on the ground , and planning for them, will make for an enjoyable trip. Safe travels!
Posted by
new york
178 posts
You could rent a car in Sorrento and use it for a few days of day trips. As long as you understand how backed up the traffic can be on the Amalfi Drive, the driving is easy. But you'll be fine with no car as long as you know that taxi prices are astonishingly high. Much depends on which sites you want to explore.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16367 posts
Car not needed.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
8155 posts
PLEASE, post the month of the year. Every night as we walked to dinner in Sorrento (from the Ambasciatori hotel), we passed a huge underground garage, with a stationary line of cars waiting to enter, I suppose for their "night life" in Sorrento. There is very little parking anywhere in this area, and close to zero parking in Positano and Amalfi. You are making a huge mistake to think this is like going from mall to mall in the USA. You will have to park farther from your targets than the public transit will deliver you. It is true that you have to walk to a bus stop or Circumvesuviana stop in the morning, but Sorrento is the best location for daytrips.
The Circumvesuviana stop for Pompeii Scavi/Villa di Mistiri is almost directly across the street from the (main) Porta Marina entrance. You can see this on Google Maps.
It is fair to say that in the last week of May, every time we walked past the Positano bus stop in Sorrento, there were more people in line than would fit on the next, half-hourly bus. But you should not use the bus for this. You should do like we did, and ask your hotel to book their Land Services partner for an 8-hour car and driver to see Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello, plus some photo stops along the way.