Getting around Almalfi Coast

When will you be traveling?

The ferries don't service all locations on the coast in the winter.
And you can't, of course, take a ferry to Ravello as it's landlocked. :O)

How are you arriving on the coast to begin with, from where, how many days do you have for the coast, and where might you be staying?

Trains to Naples are doable from Sorrento and Salerno but staying on the coast the night before a flight usually isn't recommended if that flight is in the morning.

You do not want or need a car to visit Amalfi coast

A bit more info would be helpful-where are you staying? When is this trip?

You would take bus to Ravello, it’s up top no ferry there!;)

You don't say when you will be traveling - which makes a difference when it comes to car rental. Also, it would help to know where you are coming from. But for the sake of argument let's say you are flying into Naples. There is no train service to Amalfi or Ravello. You could take the Circumvesuviana train to Sorrento. From there you could take a bus along the Amalfi Coast to the town of Amalfi, change there for a bus to Ravello. Personally, I always take the ferry from Sorrento to Positano and Amalfi. It's relaxing and the scenery from the water is beautiful. From Amalfi you could take a bus back to Sorrento, catch the Circumvesuviana back to Naples and bus or taxi your way to the airport. I hope you aren't planning on doing this all in one day!?!

We are planning this trip in September 2020. We were thinking of flying into Naples or Rome . Wanted to stay in Sorrento for 2 days, ferry over to Capri for 2 days Then ferry back to Sorrento or if there’s a ferry to Positano from Capri we’ll stay there in Positano for 2 days. Want to spend a total of 12 days in ITALY .

You mention 2 days each in Sorrento, Positano and Capri which is 6 days. You have a total of 12 but don't mention spending any time IN either Rome or Naples. So still a little confused as to what you are asking.

From Naples (if you fly into Rome you need to take the train to Naples anyway) - you can take a local train to Sorrento. From there you can take either a bus or ferry to towns along the Amalfi Coast such as Positano or Amalfi. Obviously Capri requires a ferry, which you can take from Naples, Sorrento or Positano.

There are advantages to spending a couple of nights in Capri and Positano - you get to see the towns with slightly fewer tourists than on a day trip, and you get to spend more time there. The disadvantage is moving hotels and the amount of time and energy that takes. But if you really want to spend all 11 nights (12 minus the night before you fly out when you will need to be in either Rome or Naples) in that region you have plenty of time for 3 different bases. That's 3 or 4 nights each. You mentioned 2 nights each so not sure what your plans are for the rest of the nights. But basically what I'm saying is if you can afford 3-4 nights each I'd go to the trouble of relocating hotels to have 3 different bases. But if you really only have 6 nights then I'd probably stay in Sorrento the entire time and do day trips to Positano, Amalfi, Ravello, Capri.

Fly into Naples and out of Rome.

Arrive Naples Capodicino. Curreri Viaggi bus to Sorrento. 1Hr15m 10€ 2 nites
https://www.curreriviaggi.it/airport-shuttle/times-download

Ferry Sorrento to Capri 20-30 minutes 2nites

https://www.positano.com/en/ferry-schedule?from=amalfi&to=capri&all=1

Ferry Capri-Positano 40 minutes 2 nites

Bus 40min. to Amalfi or ferry 20 min.
Bus from Amalfi-Ravello 30 minutes

Amalfi/Positano-Salerno ferry 50m-1H 10min. Train Salerno-Florence? (3H15m)

Florence-Rome.? (2H06m) Where after Amalfi Coast??? End your trip in Rome.

Edited

It's my understanding that September is still high season, so expect there will be lines to board buses and ferries. Note that changing locations means extra time to pack/unpack, check in/out and you have to drop your bags before you can start sight-seeing. What that boils down to is having 1-1/2 days max in each 2 day stay. The idea of riding a crowded bus on the AC with luggage isn't appealing.

I would never recommend a first-time visitor to Italy to stay in Naples. Rome is a big, hectic, bustling, confusing place to be on a first trip, Naples is that on steroids, without the wide streets.

Getting to the AC is time-consuming or expensive. What is your intention for the 12 days? Do you want to spend time in either/both Naples and Rome? Is the AC at the beginning or the middle of your trip? There is no train service to Sorrento or the AC towns. There is a commuter train between Naples and Sorrento that takes about 1.25-1.30 hours, the Circumvesuviana ("CV") and the spiffier, slightly faster Campania Express 5-6 times a day on the CV tracks. The Sorrento train/bus station is near the top of the cliffs a little above the center. The ferries are, of course, way down at the sea. To get from the center to the sea, you walk (lots of stairs), take an elevator (maybe long wait), or take a circuitous ride on a bus (maybe slow, crowded) or a taxi (expensive). The only transportation to Positano and Amalfi is by road (bus) or ferry. The only way to Ravello is by road (bus/taxi from Amalfi) or hike. Many hike down (scenic), few choose to go up on foot.

I only got a 1 day taste of the Amalfi Coast on a small group tour a few years ago, it was October and the crowds and traffic were still crazy. Two things I learned from that tour;

1. I want to go back and spend a week.
2. I will not drive. The roads are so twisty with a lot of blind-hairpin curves, traffic backs up quickly as large tour buses have to be lead around these curves and parking is at a premium.

Half the fun we have about telling stories of that day is the crazy traffic and roads. If you do decide to rent a car, please do a trip report so we can read of your adventure.

We would not do the Amalfi Coast by car. There are too many big buses and cars on the narrow winding Amalfi Coast road. You would be too busy looking at the road and traffic to enjoy the gorgeous coastal views. My older Rick Steve’s Italy e-book has a great section on the Amalfi Coast. It says: “With its stunning scenery, hill- and harbor-hugging towns, and historic ruins, Amalfi is Italy’s coast with the most. The bus trip from Sorrento to Salerno along the breathtaking Amalfi Coast is one of the world’s great bus rides. It will leave your mouth open and your camera’s memory card full. You’ll gain respect for the Italian engineers who built the roads in the 1800s—and even more respect for the bus drivers who drive it today” and “All Amalfi Coast ticket, good to Amalfi and beyond-€7.20; 3-day ticket-€18). For most trips, you’ll want the 24-hour All Amalfi Coast ticket. In summer, buses start running as early as 6:30 and run as late as 22:00 (they stop running earlier off-season; check the schedule). Buy tickets at the tobacco shop nearest any bus stop before boarding.” Our last trip to Italy we stayed near the Rome train station in order to do a day trip of the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii. Buying tickets ahead for the high speed trains from Rome to Salerno is from €9.90 and from 1.5 hours (see Trenitalia.com). We walked a couple of blocks from the Salerno train station and bought our ferry tickets at the ferry although you can buy them online. At the ferry stop in Amalfi we bought bus tickets to Sorrento (Positano looked nice but we didn’t get off). The bus dropped us at the train station in Sorrento where we bought train tickets for the short train ride to Pompeii which we highly recommend, and then we took the train to Naples and ate Pizza in Naples before taking the train back to our hotel in Rome. You could enjoy a whole week along the Amalfi Coast or a whole week in Rome and its nearby hill towns like Orvieto. I’m not recommending the Amalfi Coast in a day as we did, but just telling you how easy it can be done without a car. We were in our mid-60’s then and now 70 years old. Italy is on our 5 country trip this summer. There are so many wonderful places to visit in Italy that you will want to do many more trips there. We especially enjoyed the northern lakes areas of Italy but you can’t do everything in one trip.