We will have a rental car while in Puglia. I would like to drive from Matera to the Amalfi Coast but do not want to drive along the Amalfi Coast. Need advice.....here are my questions:
1 - good central location to stay - easy enough transportation to see Ravello & Paestum for sure (I've seen Positano and we stayed in Sorrento before)
2- need a place to drop our rental car that won't require me to drive the road along the coast
3-also, any other must sees while in the area?
@valadelphia - Salerno would be good for car drop.....just not sure about staying there. Any comments on that?
I've been to Naples......did not like it......but everyone is different!
Salerno has many fans. I spent some time in town but did not stay there. I found it pleasant but it's just a small city and not an Experience (like Naples). It's really just a matter of if you want a city or village atmosphere. In addition to Vietri sul Mare, Cetara where I stayed is an option. Great little place with excellent seafood. Anything at that end really, as that gives you proximity to get to Paestum via Salerno, but you can also hop on a bus for Ravello (or hire a driver, or take a ferry to Amalfi and walk or take a bus up). You can even walk to Ravello from Minori/Maiori (can't remember from which place we accessed the trail).
My suggestion is to drive from Apulia to Paestum and perhaps spend the night. Other than the ruins and the museum, there are beaches and mozzarella producers to visit in the area. Then take the short drive to Salerno to return the car and take a bus or ferry to the town of Amalfi. I’ve stayed in both Positano and Amalfi and enjoy Amalfi more because it’s not as touristy, less expensive and a transportation hub (bus and ferry) to get to Positano, Ravello, Praiano and just about anywhere else on the coast. You can even take the ferry to Capri.
In Paestum I stayed at the wonderful B&B La Chora di Paestum. The website is only in Italian but I reserved it and read the English descriptions at Booking.com. The owners recommended Bistrot 73 on Via Tavernelle - great food at reasonable prices. In Amalfi I stayed at the 6 room Villa Annalara. Large rooms and a terrace with marvelous views of the town and the sea. Wonderful food at Ristorante Il Tari, midway between the Villa and the Cathedral.
If you’re going back to Rome, easiest way to do it is to return to Salerno and take the train.
@Philip
I never considered keeping the car for Paestum and then dropping it off. That seems like a good plan! Thanks!
Yes if you have enough time to split the stays, the area south of Paestum is really nice--so much so that you might not make it to Ravello! There are many beautiful hill towns and sandy beaches.
You have gotten good suggestions, Salerno would be probably the best to drop off the car. Naples is DEFINITELY an experience, as well as the Amalfi Coast. I am a fan of Salerno (I lived there for 2 years, just got back from my 2nd multi night stay 2 weeks ago) but if you do the car for Paestum and return it before the coast, then there's not too many reasons to stay there. Its a large TOWN, and my friend who was with me that had never been liked it the most out of our trip because it felt REAL, we would always be surprised when we heard English being spoken and it was a lot of real life. Amalfi is my favorite town on the coast, and you can take a ferry from Salerno directly there. I would pick a town with good transportation connections, as Amalfi is.
FYI -- we decided on driving to Paestum and staying for one night.....then driving and dropping off car in Salerno.
Found what looks like a GREAT place to stay in Salerno for 3 nights....Sea View B&B
From here we will ferry or bus (figuring that out) to Amalfi & Ravello.
On a previous trip we stayed in Sorrento for a week....where we had a private tour of Pompeii & Herculaneum; visited Positano & Capri and Naples. So, no need to go back.
From Salerno, we have a 2 hour direct train to Rome where we relax in one of our favorite cities for 3 nights before heading home from our 3 week vacation.
Thanks!!
