Florence to Amalfi and surrounding areas

Sarah,

While you can access the cliff side villages by ferry, the only island you mention is Capri.

Do you plan on visiting Pompeii or Herculaneum? Naples? If so most first time travlers to the area choose Sorrento, though technically not on the Amalfi Coast, it provides the best transportation options (train, bus and ferry).

http://www.sorrentoinsider.com

Give us an idea of where you wish to visit so we can help you decide.

Also, how many days you have and what your next destination is.

Sarah, it is very late to book this area. I had to take my fifth hotel choice in busy Sorrento in the last week of May, two years ago. Use the forum's search box, selecting "positano" or "capri" or "sorrento" and then filter by Travel Forum to read hundreds of suggestions. You don't have time to get all your answers in one discussion thread.

Sarah, it is very late to book this area.

Echoing Tim's comment, Sarah: you are very late for booking accommodations so info on stuff like restaurants is way down the priority list at this point. Budget is going to be a factor as the better of less expensive options in the most popular locations will have already been booked. As the others have said, more information would be helpful: how long you will be there, your interests, which islands (other than Capri), etc.

Yeah, starting the 1st of May or so, the Amalfi Coast will be the nexus of tourism through September, so many people in such a concentrated area, with basically one road to get on or off the peninsula. I've been there twice, but off-season when it's darn near deserted.

Maybe you get lucky and find something in Amalfi, Positano or Sorrento, or even some of the less-well-known villages that have been mentioned repeatedly on the pertinent threads. Good luck!

Hey Sarah
Do you mean may 2019? Or next month?
Aloha

Ah, I see this in her previous thread on 3/6:

I would like to book a trip to Italy for two weeks beginning May 18. I
only have two weeks.... ...the trip will be Florence and then head
south.

Okay sorry for being so vague. I'm flying into Rome on May 17th in the morning. From Rome I need to get to Florence ASAP and would like to know the best way to get there (train, bus). Does the train/bus leave from the airport? How do I get to the train/bus? Should I make advance reservations for transportation? I don't speak any Italian so I'm nervous about getting from A to B.
I will be in Florence until May 19th and would then like to travel south to see Amalfi, Sorrento, Positano, Capri, ETC - any of the islands recommended. I've never been so I'm asking for advice as to what to see. I need to relax so I'm content sitting on a beach staring at the ocean and just walking around. What is a good central location to that area? Sorrento? I won't have a car so I will need to rely on train/bus/ferry from place to place. It sounds like I will need to look into private rental homes at this point as hotels are quickly getting booked. I fly out of Rome on May 25th at noon. Do I need to get back to Rome by the 24th to leave enough time to get to the airport?

Thanks in advance for any advice - it is truly appreciated!
Best!
Sarah

You can do the exact logistics yourself, but here's a start:

Take the Leonardo Express from Roma Fiumicino airport to Roma Termini train station.

Take the Freccia train from Termini to Florence Santa Maria Novella (S.M.N.) train station.

If you know specifically when you are taking the train, yes, you can buy tickets in advance (but no itinerary changes--you buy 'em, you got 'em) on the Trenitalia website. It will save you a few bucks, not a helluva lot though this late in the game. Otherwise buy them at the station from an agent or at one of the many machines.

Sorrento is the best central location for daytrips...if you can find something there. Close to their bus/train station is good, although near there is not as picturesque as down by the marina. Great thing is you can daytrip and come back to Sorrento for a fantastic meal at any one of probably 20 top-notch, reasonably-priced trattorias. Only downside is getting there from Florence, which requires taking the train to Naples Centrale (through Rome but no changes), then either taking the ferry or the Circumvesuviana commuter train right to Sorrento or hire a private driver to take you there from the station. Expensive for the last choice, but we did it and frankly at the end of a long travel day it was money well spent.

Places to see on or near the A.C. on a daytrip are--Naples, Pompei, Ercolano, Capri, the breadth of the A.C. itself. Ceramics in Vietri sul Mare. A killer pastry shop in Minori.

If you can't get into Sorrento, try Maiori, Minori, Cetara, Vietri sul Mare or Salerno. Different pros and cons to each. I'm sure it's slim pickings now in Positano, Amalfi or Ravello.

Yes, get back to Rome on the 24th for your departure the next day. Better be safe than sorry!

Enjoy your planning!

A couple of additions to Jay's helpful post:

Does the train/bus leave from the airport?

There are two daily direct trains from Fiumicino Aereporto to Florence (Firenze S.M. Novella station). The morning one leaves at 11:08 and takes 2h 14 min, and the afternoon train leaves 15:08. If you are on the ground and through immigration quite a bit earlier than the 11:08 leaves, then follow Jay's instructions.

Should I make advance reservations for transportation?

Only for your train from Florence to Naples, from whence you'll take another transport option to wherever you're staying. As you don't know where that will be yet, those options are up in the air. Most of us don't recommend pre-purchasing train tickets for flight-arrival day in case of a delay/cancellation.

What is a good central location to that area? Sorrento?

Yes. It's the best one for multiple transport options (SITA bus, commuter train, ferries) and Salerno has the same 3 options. Other locations only have ferry+ bus or just bus service. Accommodations in Sorrento also book up early.

I've never been so I'm asking for advice as to what to see

I know some folks flinch at this suggestion but a guidebook will be your best friend. As we don't know your interests aside from a beach (the Amalfi area isn't really known for its beaches), they're really useful for sorting options which appeal to you. They're the best place to START, anyway. Tourist websites are also useful, such as:

http://www.capri.net

http://www.sorrentoinsider.com

https://www.visitnaples.eu/en

If "walking around" is the only other thing you want to do, well, just lace up a sturdy pair of shoes and off you go. Walking is the best way to explore any of the small towns on the coast.

I fly out of Rome on May 25th at noon. Do I need to get back to Rome
by the 24th to leave enough time to get to the airport?

I would say yes. The coast, depending on where you end up at, can be time consuming to get to from Rome, and it's usually best to spend the night before a morning/midday international flight closest to your airport of departure.

One more comment? As it sounds like you've never been to Italy, have little time to give to Florence, and are flying into Rome Fiumicino, I'm curious why you might not have just chosen Rome for your initial 1.5 days instead?

Okay sorry for being so vague. I'm flying into Rome on May 17th in the morning. From Rome I need to get to Florence ASAP and would like to know the best way to get there (train, bus). Does the train/bus leave from the airport? How do I get to the train/bus? Should I make advance reservations for transportation? I don't speak any Italian so I'm nervous about getting from A to B.

It will take ~2/12 hours to get from FCO to Florence. You'll need to get from the airport to the Rome station, then take the fast train to Florence. Why the big rush to get to Florence?

Don't worry about speaking Italian, almost everybody speaks English.

I see problems with your itinerary. You are flying into Rome, then heading north to Florence, then back south beyond Rome to the A.C. You just don't have enough time for the Amalfi coast. You'll spend way too much time traveling. Stay in Florence, spend some time there, then maybe take a day trip or two. You definitely need to be back in Rome the night before your flight out. You should get to the airport no later than 9:30. Plan on 45 minutes travel from downtown Rome.

Thank you all for the very helpful advice! My travel plans are not ideal - I am flying into Rome as my frequent flier miles don't work into Florence and airfare at this point was crazy expensive. I have to go north to Florence to help my daughter move out of her apartment and then the two of us will travel on the 19th from Florence south - most likely Sorrento from what people are suggesting in terms of a central location with transportation.
Sarah

I urge you not to go to Sorrento without a hotel reservation. It's unclear whether Amalfi/Amalfi Coast is non-negotiable for you or non-negotiable for your daughter. But I would suggest that if you want a relaxing visit with her (reading between the lines ... ) that you ask her what she has heard about small towns around Florence. Even Venice would be easier to get a room in on short notice, and it's (to me) more magical than crammed stone-pebble beaches on ice-cold water.

But getting back to time with your daughter: One of our trips to Italy, we went to Reggio nell Emilia after Florence, because I had been there on business. It's a small stone city, but very quiet and regional, with a nice weekly market and good options for car trips, or short train trips (like Bologna, for example.) I'm sure your daughter now has the info to do better than this, but I just wanted to suggest that Sorrento is not the only option. It can be impossible to meet some Rome air departures the same morning from a room in Sorrento.