Is it necessary to book tickets for the ferry in advance or can you pick them up when you get there? We are staying in Sorrento and want to visit Capri, Positano and Ravello. I am trying to decide if we should hire a driver to take us to Positano and Ravello so that we can experience the drive which I understand is beautiful or should we take the ferry to Positano and then maybe a bus to Ravello?
Thank you for your help.
We just bought our ferry tickets to Capri up when we got there. We stayed on the island but I hear that if you are day-tripping during high season that the last ferry out can be REALLY full so you may want to take an earlier one or be early in line to board that last one.
We didn't do the coastal drive - no way my stomach could have handled the twists and turns - so can't help you there! 🤢
Kathy -
We are going in mid-May so I am thinking it shouldn't be as busy then.
How many days do you have for these 3 ? Were you trying to plan one day only ?
Carla -
We will have three full days.
I was thinking one full day to Capri
I was also thinking a day to Positano and Ravello possibly
Not sure yet what the third day will be. We are seeing Herculaneum on the way from Naples to Sorrento. We have decided to do that instead of Pompeii. We would still have time for Pompeii if we wanted to but we could also spend time in some other areas of the amalfi coast.
What would you suggest?
Jacque
Jacque, May is already high season in Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast.
So I guess we should get our tickets in advance.
Just buy your ferry tickets there. We loved Capri, but we did the Arco Naturale and Villa Jovis hike. Go to the Via Krupp Augustus Gardens for beautiful views. Ride the bus up to Anacapri to ride the gondola up to Mt Solaro to view the I Faraglioni Rocks and then hike down into Anacapri. The views on Capri are outstanding.
One day, ride the bus to Positano and Amalfi, changing buses to ride the bus up to Ravello. Maybe ride the ferry from Amalfi to Positano and catch the bus back to Sorrento. We loved the bus, but if you prefer a private driver for the day, try [email protected].
Another day, ride the bus from Positano up to Nocelle, and hike the amazing Path of the Gods - you have killer views of the coast. We hiked for 5 hours down into Praiano where we had a cappuccino.
Thank you Kathy of your comments. Not sure my stomach can stand the drive either but we may have to do it.
I appreciate the advice on the ferry.
Have a great day!
I'll add that when you buy the ticket at the window in Sorrento, they pretty much demand that you buy your return ticket at the same time. They are, I think, balancing the passenger loads. That is, the tickets are for specific ferries.
I also found that there are multiple ferry companies (in high season) and you aren't going to hear about the other companies at any one window. We didn't care enough to do encyclopedic research before going for the day on Capri. I can confirm that our 5:15PM-ish return ferry was absolutely packed, even though it had a capacity of hundreds of pedestrians. There was nothing pastoral about that ferry. The vast interior was nicely air conditioned, but had no view. We sat on the floor of the rear loading platform, which had fresh air, but only a miniscule, rearward view. And a whiff of diesel fuel, at times. The cheap beer from the bar helped.
Right: buy round-trip tickets in Sorrento. We purchased those when we day-tripped to Positano.
We had the same dilemma and ultimately decided to hire a driver to take us to Positano, Amafli and Ravello and also try to sqeeze in the Fiord of Furore. There will be 4 of us so that keeps the cost reasonable. One day we will take a ferry from Sorrento to Capri. We are using company 'Amalfi Coast destinations" because they had great reviews.
To maximize your time, take the ferry from Sorrento to Amalfi, (1 hour) then take the bus directly to Ravello. On the return,visit Amalfi, then take the ferry (20 min ) to Positano. Have dinner in Positano.
Bus back to Sorrento. (1 hr.)
