Day trip from Sorrento

Can you clarify? You go down the Amalfi coast to get to Positano, so I'm not sure you'd do one without the other. Or are you talking about just driving down the coast and returning vs visiting Positano for the day?

Take the fast ferry to Amalfi, explore that tiny city, then do the 1,000 stairs up to Ravello and enjoy the rest of the day. Take the ferry back to Sorrento, or stop in Positano for a few hours as well.

I don't recommend the bus for coastal travel. Why be stuck in a tight space for hours in traffic? The ferry affords you great views of the towns and out to sea...and when you are in Ravello, or Amalfi, you also have the view of the sea.

How about taking the morning boat from Sorrento to Ischia for the day? Leaves at 9.30am and returns 17.20.

http://www.italyheaven.co.uk/campania/ischia/index.html

http://www.alilauro.it/ischia.php

Or a mini day cruise to Ischia and Procida.

http://www.city-discovery.com/sorrento/tour.php?id=2616

If you don't care for the hike up to Ravello, there is hourly bus service as well from the main parking area in Amalfi.

Thank you all for your suggestions! Mike, I wasn't sure if one can do Amalfi Coast and Positano in one day hence my question. We will be taking the ferry as we won't be driving at all. This is our first trip to Italy.

I would suggest taking the bus from Sorrento to Positano and then the ferry back. Part of the beauty of the place is the beautiful scenery and views from the road heading down the coast, which you'd miss if you take the ferry both ways. If you take the bus take an early one as there tends be be a long line by mid-morning.

With 5 days in Sorrento, in addition to Capri and the Amalfi Coast/Positano, I hope you are also planning a day trip to Pompeii? You wouldn't want to miss that.

As others have rec. Amalfi, Positano and Ravello w/ a day in Capri. Savor Sorrento while you are there. No time for other islands imo.

Yes, in addition to Capri, Amalfi, Positano, we will be going to Pompeii. Is it worth going to Herculaneum and Mt. Vesuvius? Also does anyone have suggestions about travelling to Rome from Sorrento by bus or the Circumvesuviana to Naples and from there to Rome by the IC train? As per Steve's book on Italy the direct bus from Sorrento to Rome is more convenient. Does anyone know about it? I don't think the frequency of the buses is that good.

Mike, you mentioned about taking the bus to Positano and ferry back to Sorrento. I was wondering if Positano and Amalfi Coast can be done on the same day and if so, can I take a ferry from Positano to Amalfi and back by ferry from Amalfi to Sorrento? Input from anyone is appreciated! Thank you to all for helping me plan my family vacation.

You can easily see the entire Amalfi Coast in a day. It's just a matter of how much time you'd want to spend in Positano, Amalfi and/or Ravello. I highly recommend you take the bus down the coast, at least from Positano to Amalfi. While the ferry is beautiful and you have lovely views, that bus ride is amazing, especially if you're on the right side of the bus closer to the water. Trust me, you'll be impressed by the engineering feat it was to build this road. It's also lots of fun to watch these amazing professional drivers negotiate the turns or squeezing past oncoming traffic with about 6 inches of clearance on each side.

I've seen the coast from the water (rented a boat in Positano), from above (hiking the path of the Gods) and from the road (many trips by bus and car). All three ways give you a unique perspective on the beauty of the coast. If you take the bus heading south, you can take the ferry north again-- that'll give you two great ways of seeing things.

We took the bus to Positano,the ferry from Positano to Amalfi, and then the bus back to Sorrento. We avoided catching any buses in Positano as this can often be difficult since the buses departing from Sorrento and Amalfi can fill up before getting to Positano. As our full bus traveling from Amalfi back to Sorrento drove past Positano, I could see a line of weary and disappointed travelers at the bus stop hoping they would get a seat...they looked like they had already watched several buses pass them by (and we weren't even there during the summer crowds). Also, we got off the bus in Positano at the top of the hill and walked all the way down...after doing that I was worried that I'd have to walk back up the hill to catch another bus and really wasn't looking forward to that (although I think I was mistaken since there is a second bus stop). The views from the ferry were beautiful, but a ride on the bus (even for just a short section) is also an experience not to miss.

Amalfi coast was great, was just there with girls 15 & 17. Set them free, their interests will be different than yours. The kids had a blast by themselves in Sorrent, too some beautiful photos too. Also for other activities, did you notice the bit about how discover scuba or snorkeling was also a possibility in Sorrento (maybe Steve didn't mention snorkeling but the places themselves do). Teens like activity.

In addition to seeing the ruins of Pompeii it is also interesting to visit the museum in Naples that houses all the relics that were removed from Pompeii. We visited Pompeii in the morning before it was too hot and the museum in the afternoon. Take the bus to Amalfi and the ferry back and that way you will see both sides. It is amazing.

Our family of two teens (girl age 14 and boy age 16) just spent three days in Sorrento at the end of a 15-day trip to Italy. I have a couple suggestions:

Consider hiring a driver to take you down the Amalfi Coast, stopping in each town for just an hour or so. There's a lot to see and the road is amazing but each town is worth visiting just briefly. We used Carmelo Monetti, someone Rick suggests in his book, but I most definitely would NOT recommend him as his English is very limited and he just couldn't really converse with us. I would recommend someone named Roberto di Palma who you could contact through amalficoastdestination.com ... he was recommended to us at the last minute as someone who could take us from the train station in Naples to Sorrento and I so wish I had known about him in advance. His English is fabulous, he knows a ton, and loves the area.

The town of Sorrento is definitely OK for teenagers to wander around in. The old town is particularly fun and the main street is shut to traffic in the evening.

We also travelled down to Paestum, where there are some really amazing Greek temples. A long drive but pretty fabulous, particularly if you've never seen full Greek temples before.

My kids were so done after our trip down the coast and to Paestum and two weeks in Italy generally that they wanted to spend the day at the pool/beach instead of going to Pompeii on our last day so I went alone. I totally loved it but it is really hot, huge, and can be a little overwhelming.

Speaking of hot ... it is really hot and very humid. Just be prepared for that.

If your kids like the beach as opposed to the pool and your hotel doesn't have it's own beach, know that you can pay to use the beaches at other hotels.

My daughter insisted on bringing her laptop ... I was doubtful but it turned out to be great, as she could connect to Facebook sometimes using hotel WiFi and we all could use it to get various recommendations.