Hello and thank you in advance for your advice.
I am planning a honeymoon trip for late May. After a stay in Amalfi, we plan on taking a ferry to Capri.
Our trip is for 14 days. We will have 2 large pieces of luggage, 2 carry on bags and 2 garment bags between the both of us.
Has anyone been able to take this much luggage on the ferry to Capri from Amalfi?
Thanks very much!
Robert
If you can carry it, you can take it, but it will not be easy or enjoyable. Share where you start before Amalfi and and where you go when you return to the mainland, as you could store something there and just take a smaller bag to Capri.
If you are also traveling by train, you are going to be miserable. That's a lot of luggage for 2 weeks.
Hello rmizzaro, and welcome to the forum,
I'm going to go off piste answer a question you didn't ask and say "Yes" you are bringing way too much luggage for 14 days. Moving around with this much luggage will cause a logistical hassle most places but especially in places like the Amalfi coast which often involves boats, buses, trains and often all in the same day.
Do you have a destination wedding or some other reason to bring this much on a short trip? Can you pare it down and leave some behind when travelling on to Capri or the coast?
As others have mentioned some more context about what's happening on either side of this trip would be helpful. Also some information on your travelling style and previous experiences in Europe and Italy could provide additional context.
=Tod
Thanks all for the advice. I do not think we can reduce the amount of luggage. But, I see your points. Capri may be out of the question as well as traveling by train. Since we are staying on the Amalfi Coast, perhaps keeping the hotel stays to towns within private transfer range is the better option. A day trip to Capri from Amalfi may be the better option.
Has anyone been able to take this much luggage on the ferry to Capri from Amalfi?
Possibly, but I suspect no one on this forum has taken that much luggage for a 14 day trip.
If you bring that much stuff with you, I suspect you will regret it.
What size is "large" ?
I am having trouble visualize how one person can move one large bag, one carry-on bag and a garment bag.
On the Amalfi coast there is very little level. Mostly up/down and cobblestones.
I do not think we can reduce the amount of luggage. But, I see your points. Capri may be out of the question as well as traveling by train.
How are you getting to Amalfi? Unless you fly into Naples and have a car service pick you up at the airport, a train or bus is unavoidable.
You do not say how many different places you are staying, but if it is 3 or more, I suspect you will have some thoughts on what you really didn't need to bring, that you currently see as 'essential'. Even on the Amalfi coast there are laundry services; you can have clean clothes every day without having to bring 14 sets of everything.
Think harder and remember your honeymoon for something other than being 'pack mule.'
Last summer, we watched numerous people with large rolling suitcases trying to maneuver their suitcase on and off trains in Switzerland. It wasn’t an easy task with one suitcase. You might want to put all your luggage out at home and see how well you do transporting them by yourself outside on a sidewalk, up and down stairs, etc. Getting all that up the gangplank of a ferry might be trying….yes, a day trip would be a great idea.
Hi. More information:
So, we would each carry 3 pieces.
The plan was fly into Naples, take private transfer (taxi) to Amalfi (4 days), ferry to Capri (3 days), ferry to Positano (7 days) for a total of 14 nights. We will also take a taxi from Positano to Naples International when we return home.
I have been to Italy twice so I do not have a great amount of experience. It has been 25 years since I was last there or to any destination outside of the US.
This is not a destination wedding. We actually got married on December 29th but we wanted to wait until May to travel to Italy when the weather is a bit warmer.
I just know that even if we try to pair down the amount of luggage, in the end we will still take at least the large bag and carry on.
We took luggage in the Capri ferry but we each had one carry on bag. That was a bit challenging as it was.
There is no way you could take what you are planning in the ferry.
But I must say I am not sure why you would want to. The Amalfi coast is very causal.
And I would just stay in one place and make day trips. Amalfi is the best located. We moved from Amalfi to Positano and regretted it. And Positano has huge hills! We found it challenging with our carry ons.
That is an absurd anount of luggage
Not even sure it will fit in the car if whoever you hire to drive you
None of your locations require a dressy wardrobe at all and what in the world will you do with yourselves for all those days in Positano? We spent a few hours and that was plenty
Please reconsider youer packing list-you don’t have to “backpack it” but reduce your bags to ONE suitcase and a small personal /knapsack or I guarantee you will he miserable
Also not sure all that luggage will fit in a hotel room
https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/packing-light
Eta
You will need to be in Naples night before your departure
Very risky lraving in am to catch a flight unless the flight is later afternoon
Congratulations! Figure out what’s in your luggage that you need almost every day and pack that into carryons and shoulder bags. Ship what you don’t need in the second week either back home or. ahead to your next hotel. Your hotels can hep you with that.
Keep in mind that beachwear is light and you can easily get two weeks worth — including sportswear—into a carry-on. And the people in Positano won’t know what you wore in Capri or Amalfi… you can take half as many clothes.and have them laundered before going to Capri and Positano.
Cheers!
You could skip Naples’ airport and fly into the newly-opened airport just south of Salerno. It opened last summer.and is called “SALERNO COSTA d’AMALFI AEROPORTO” (QSR).
Best of all, it’s just a 28-mile, one-hour shuttle transfer from the airport to Amalfi Town.
For flight schedules: www.Skyscanner.com
I knew this is the place for expert advice! Now the hard part. Figuring out what to bring and what to leave out. My focus will be on reducing the amount of luggage to bring. This will take great strategic planning!
Think of it as a game. It is causal on Amalfi coast. You most likely will wear shorts and depending on her style, your wife may wear summer dresses as well. Those don’t take up much room. Pack for a week and plan to repeat. Roll your clothes. They take up less room.
Take something warmer for the plane-like pants and a lightweight jacket.
Take two pairs of shoes you can walk in and water shoes and bathing suits if you want to go to the beach. They have pebbles. I always take a third pair which are sandals but my shoes are smaller than my husband's which are size 13.
There are lots of ideas to cut down on toiletries under packing.
And lots of people who would be glad to help you cut down if you post questions.
If you can't pare down your luggage, check carefully where your hotel is in Positano. Not all places are accessible by car and you may be hauling the luggage uphill by yourselves.
Allan is right. That happened to us as we were smitten with the view. It was tough even with just carry ons.
An Italian friend of mine asked later why we didn’t just stay in Amalfi the whole time. That is what he did. Amalfi and Positano are very close together and in retrospect is what we should have done. We went to Capri from Positano but I think the ferry first came from Amalfi.
My first trip to Europe was in 1966. That's where I met my wife.
We've been to Europe, Central America and Africa on several trips since then. Our last trip was to Austria and Slovenia a year ago. Like your upcoming trip, it was 14 days.
For that trip, we had two carry-ons each. One thing we've learned is to pack as lightly as possible. Rick has some great tips on how to pack and carry a minimal amount of luggage. This is especially important when you take public transportation. Remember folks will only see you once and besides they don't care what you wear.
We also like to stay in one home base if at all possible. We spent 10 days in Tuscany in an agriturismo, taking day trips throughout the region. Take the bare minimum and you'll have a much more enjoyable trip.
I trust your Capri hotel has told you how the bags will get there, if they are in the extensive pedestrianized area. There are super-luxury hotels available, so there must be some kind of bag dollies.
I agree with everyone. My husband and I went to Amalfi for the first week of June 2024. I read Rick Steve's packing advise, it made sense for traveling to Europe with trains and Ferries. I also have learned in previous travels that I use to bring all my favorite things and I literally didn't even wear half. I found myself in the same sundress day and night or the same shorts with a couple different tops. I do bring two swimsuits and wear both. Wear sneakers traveling and sightseeing for long walking days. I wear low sandals that dress up for night, flip flops and water shoes for the beach. I'd rather have appropriate footwear than 10 tops that will not get unpacked. In addition, you ALWAYS buy gifts for others (and let's face it, gifts and clothing for yourself) and you need room for that! As for wear to say, the person that said stay in Amalfi is correct. Too many hills in Positano. It's beautiful but small and you will ferry to other towns. We wanted one of the recommended towns that had a nice beach. I chose Maiori and we LOVED it. They have a nice beach (pebble beach) and you can take the ferry up and down the coast. It's a perfect size town and bigger than many. Minori is smaller sister section around the little bend. You buy a one day ferry ticket and can hop on and off in all the towns all day. A. deal. We did a day trip to Capri (Ana Capri) and paid for the beach club to get to the water. Amalfi was so wonderful we are actually returning this June with our 21 and 19 year old daughters. Here is what we will all bring. One carryon, one backpack. For us girls we will have a small crossbody purse which feels like you aren't really carrying it and Rick Steve's said watch out where you keep your money and valuables. Men wear money belt hidden and women, a crossbody bag. That's my advise. We did see people struggling with larger suitcases. Each person we saw was VERY stressed, especially when they couldn't find a place for it on the full train. You won't end up sitting near it and that too will be stressful. You will practically hear the thoughts of onlookers as you struggle by. Congrats and I hope all of these comments help you have the best honeymoon!
