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HELP PLEASE - what would you include for 2.5 days on Amalfi coast?

Hi all, I LOVE this forum and finally have a question of my own.

My wife and I are taking our two young teens to Italy for their first time in March and I could not let them miss Amalfi Coast. But only 2.5 days there. Any thoughts about any of the questions below would be SO APPRECIATED, thanks! Note - we will be based in Sorrento.

I started expecting to visit 1) Capri/Anacapri/Blue Grotto and 2) Positano, as well as some relaxed time in Sorrento itself. It will be March, so I doubt we will want to swim.

Is Amalfi, Rivello, or somewhere else on coast worth trying to add (or replace) these destinations?
I see many boat tours, but no idea which may be legit and worth it?
Would local ferries and walking around on our own be essentially the same as a 7 hours tour that takes us to these destinations? Any pros/cons?
Are there sites to see at sea that we would miss by taking a local ferry, etc?
Is White grotto worth it if we see Blue Grotto?
What would you do with 2.5 days at the Amalfi coast if you were there with 2 teens?

Thanks!!!!

Posted by
5728 posts

Where are you coming from and going to after? How are you getting to Sorrento? Is the 2.5 days completely in the AC/Sorrento area, or will some of that be travel time into and out of the area?
The infrastructure has been sadly neglected, so there is no quick or efficient mode to get anywhere, south of Naples. Perhaps traffic is lighter in March, we were there in May.
You will be early in the season, so check which ferries are running, and what is open. Sorrento should have some activity and buzz. The ferries are very weather-dependent any time of year.
The blue grotto is the definition of a tourist trap. Research the reviews, but weather will also be a component.
Check Mondo shared tours for tours of the AC and Pompeii, ( if interested.) If the weather is bad, as it was for us, activities are limited.
Join a Sorrento Facebook group for real-time, on the ground info.
Positano is all high-end shopping, and along with the entire AC, is prettier from the water view.
Enjoy your family trip.

Posted by
4656 posts

Hopefully the 2.5 days doesn't include any of your travel time because it's not an easy or speedy place to get to. We spent 2 weeks in Sorrento in 2023 and loved it. The highlight was Pompeii and the other Vesuvius explosion sites. 2nd was Capri which I highly recommend over the Amalfi Coast towns. It's a short ferry ride from Sorrento. We found enough to do to fill a full day without bothering with the Blue Grotto. If you do choose to see the Amalfi Coast instead, my third choice would be Positano, we enjoyed Amalfi Town and Ravello significantly more. We spent less than an hour in Positano and that was enough.

Posted by
254 posts

We had a week in Sorrento and particularly enjoyed a day trip by ferry to Capri, and a private driver for a day up the coast.

Of that day by far our favourite spot was Ravello where we had an amazing lunch overlooking the ocean. That might not be ideal with two young teens though, ours was a romantic trip.

Sorrento itself is lovely to just wander around too.

Posted by
16659 posts

Hi Mitch; welcome to the RS forums!
We see a LOT of questions about the AC, and opinions will be all over the place. Is it sort of a challenge to get around? Yes, a lot of that simply because the mountainous terrain limits the options, and that the place has become overrun to the point of all those bodies packing what public transport there is...which was likely perfectly adequate before it became a 'thing' for so many visitors. In fact, they've had to limit access by non-resident vehicle (such as a rental car) during parts of high season due to congestion of the single coastal road.

You are going at a little less busy time of the year so you have that in your favor. Yay. Still, weather is going to be a crapshoot, and ferry services will be limited; probably the most frequent that time of year will be between Capri and Sorrento as islanders need to be able to access the mainland. They may not run at all if the more extreme weather/wind makes sea voyages too dangerous.

Capri: yes, I'd definitely do that one with your teens but manage the expectations where the grotto is concerned. It's more likely than not to be closed in March, and even if open I'd read through reviews for the pros and cons before putting it on your must-do list? We skipped it and were never sorry but it's your trip so....

I would do the chairlift to the top of Mount Solaro, and there are any number of fun hikes to keep active teens occupied; no tours needed (ignore the touts for those on the Capri website), just get a map at the tourist office and follow the directions in these links. I'll personally recommend the route to Villa Jovis, and Pizzolungo. Not all restaurants and shops will likely be open yet but take a stroll through the two villages for the scenery and whatnot.

https://www.capri.com/en/e/monte-solaro-high-drama
https://www.capri.com/en/e/the-villas-of-tiberius
https://www.capri.com/en/e/pizzolungo-2

Others:
https://www.capri.com/en/experiences?from_landing_id=54

Obviously this is a good-weather activity. That's sort of the issue with the AC in general: it's virtually an outdoor sightseeing destination so if it's pouring buckets +windy+ chilly, there's little to do.

Pompeii: not the AC but honestly, I think this is a MAJOR reason to visit the area, and especially good for you as you'll miss the heat of the later spring/summer/fall seasons. Even if your teens don't think they'll find it interesting, I'm betting that they will. Yes, look at the Mondo "Pompeii Walk" tour endorsed by Rick Steves, and you can do further exploring (the place is vast) after your tour wraps up. We done it independently and couldn't cover it all in 5+ hours (and that was my 2nd time.) Get to the site by local commuter train; very easy and inexpensive, and we can give you some pointers on the thing if you decide to do it.

https://www.sharedtours.com
https://pompeiisites.org/en/
https://pompeiisites.org/wp-content/uploads/Pompeiweb2023.pdf
https://pompeiisites.org/wp-content/uploads/A-Guide-to-the-Pompeii-Excavations-2.pdf

Just the two activities above plus exploring Sorrento could easily occupy the lion's share of your time. If you decide to explore more of the coast, I'll vote with the others to skip Positano and head to Amalfi/Ravello.