We will be taking the train from Florence to Naples and then want to go to the Amalfi Coast. We have stayed in Positano in years past and only stayed in that one location.
We are trying to decide if we should rent a car and drive as we did before, or hire a driver. Any comments are welcome!
We had a wonderful experience hiring Sorrento silver star driver
We used Sorrento Silver star as well. We had him for the 'day' - 8-9 hours. You can arrange diff 'tours', but we did the Ravello/Sorrento/Positano set up. We quite enjoyed it, and even tho the price made me blanch a bit (I'm more budget minded), when I thought about the fact that it was a private driver for the day for 3 people in a nice, clean, air conditioned car, it wasn't so bad. And my mom - who accompanied us on that trip - told me it was her fav day of our whole trip (I think she just thought the driver was cute...lol).
In May, we used Raffaele Monetti of Monetti Taxi, and had a great experience. He is listed in the Rick Steves book. (http://www.monettitaxi17.it/English.htm) We were staying in Sorrento and booked a trip along the coast and down to Paestum to see the Greek temple ruins. Raffaele picked us up, and stopped at scenic spots along the coast. After our stop in Positano, I mentioned that I wanted to go to Ravello on another day by bus. Raffaele adapted our tour to include that. (We saved Amalfi town for another day since it was easier to get there by bus.) That worked out great for us, and then we were on our way to Paestum. My husband was delighted to see the temples at Paestum, but it does make for a long day since Paestum is about 2 hours south of Amalfi. A private driver is not cheap, but the experience was worth it to us.
We were there early May, and started at 8:00 AM, so there roads weren't too crowded, but even so, my husband, who loves to drive, commented that he was glad he didn't attempt the drive. Those who drive it all the time know to anticipate the curves and bends where oncoming vehicles will be in your lane, and know just how much space they need to squeeze by in the narrow towns.
another vote for Raffaele. One of the best days of our trip was our day with him. Safe driver, full of information, very genial personality.
Thank you we were able to schedule our driver. Appreciate the referrals and the peace of mind knowing this was taken care of.
Is anyone willing to post what these things cost? Thanks.
Cynthia
We used Aldo Limos and liked them very much. Our total cost was 290 Euros - that covered pickup from the Naples train station, a ride to Herculaneum and a two hour stop there while we walked around and then a ride to our hotel in Positano. It also included a ride from our Positano hotel back to the Naples train station a few days later. If you book just a ride, take off 70 Euros for the 35/hr wait time. Our driver was really nice - a young man who drove safely and was fun to talk with.
Ugh - apparently I didn't keep good track of my spending on that trip in 2014. I think we were about 220-250 euro for the 8 hour day with Sorrento Silver. I know we paid in cash, so I can't even look it up on my cc bill.
Thanks for the replies on cost, the information is helpful.
Cynthia
Can't say enough good things about this company. We hired Carlo to drive us from Rome to Sorrento with a stop at Pompeii. The next day he picked us up and we toured the Amalfi Coast and what a wonderful day it was!! You will not be disappointed http://www.wiselytravelling.com/
We were in Sorrento May 1 to May 6 and hired Raffaele Monetti (www.monettitaxi17.it or +39 335 6029158). It was $280 for my husband and I for about an 8 hour day. We went to Positano, Amalfi, Ravello where we had lunch. It was a wonderful day and he is one of the nicest people I've met. It was a splurge for us, but well worth it.
