Is 5 days to much for Amalfi Coast

I don't think that 5 days is too much for the A/C, but then I am spending a week there next year. Although you say you only want a "half a day" in each town, there are MANY towns along the coast and traveling between them can take time, whether by bus, ferry or taxi. If you can spend 5 days there do it, and just relax and enjoy the sights, including Positano, Praiano, Amalfi, Ravello, Minori, Vietri, in addition to Capri and Naples. Each of Naples and Capri would take more than a half-day, including transportation to and from wherever you are staying.

I think it's way too much. Each place is so much like the next one that it gets real boring real quick. I driven it three times (maybe four) spread over a lot of years, and never in the summer (and never in the dead of winter, either). At the times I've been along there, it's been uniformly mobbed to the point it's unenjoyable. Two days (or a day and a half ) with one night should do it. That gives you one good stretch in one town and stops in a couple of others. I have no opinion about buses, but finding a place to park is a pain in the tail. Unless you've been to Rome before, it needs more time than you've given it. So does Naples - - Naples, not Sorrento - - it's a great place despite what the naysayers rattle on about.

My friends and I will be returning to the Amalfi Coast again in October. We were there 2 years ago for a few days and this time we're staying 6 days. We're staying in Positano and if you are considering taking the Hydrofoil to Capri, you should also include Ana Capri, we also enjoyed a day in Sorrento, had a lovely lunch at L'Antica, very easy getting back and forth with the SITA bus service. Also, there is a fabulous restaurant called LaTagliata way up on the cliffs overlooking Positano, for 35 euros they will pick you up at your hotel, serve you a delicious dinner, wine, lemoncello and singing and dancing. Half days are just not enough for us to enjoy the beauty of the Amalfi Coast and all the lovely little towns it has to offer. My suggestion would be to review all the cities separately, see what might interest you, go from there and enjoy....

Opinions vary. We spent one week in the area. Used Sorrento as our base. From there, we took the ferry to Capri (one day.) We also visited Positano and Amalfi. We also went by boat, I don't think I had the stomach for the bus ride. There's also Pompeii (in my opinion, not to be missed.) Our original plan was to spend one day in Naples. That turned into two, because one day just wasn't enough. September should be a lovely time to travel. We were there in early October and the weather was glorious. I would return in a heartbeat!

Margaret, I don't think 5 days for that area is too much. We spent 4 nights in Sorrento (arrived late afternoon on day one, then spent day 2 at Pompeii, day 3 at Capri, day 4 on a boat ride to Amalfi/Ravello, and on day 5 we took that Amalfi coast bus ride to Salerno, and then onward to Paestum). We were there in late September and we enjoyed every minute of it.

I spent 5 nights in amalfi coast and thought it was not enuf. And we did not get to Naples either. Lots to see ans do incl Pompeeii, Ravello and Positano for sure.

I certainly do not think that 5 days is too much for the Amalfi Coast.I don't know exactly what you mean by half a day in each town but there are MANY towns on the AC. The beauty of Italy is that after you get your fill of touring, you can spend fabulous time just people watching or sitting on a terrace or at a cafe, sipping wine and enjoying the view. Also, if you are headed to a farm near Sora (maybe Italyfarmstay) you should spend more than one day there. You will hardly be unpacked and will need to leave again. We are headed to Sora on saturday as my parents spend their summers in the area and we can hardly stand to leave. There is so much to experience in that area that tourists to not get to see.
Slow down a little and extend your trip by a few days if you can.

Your itinerary is a bit like the (blessedly defunct fad) Speed Dating. You will spend a few moments with many pretty faces while not getting to know any of them as people.

Just returned from Italy last night. We flew to Rome, train to Florence for 5 days, train to Naples to get a hydrofoil to the islands west of Naples for a week. Only negative experience of our trip was Naples. It's pretty awful right now. Hot, crowded and (quite literally) piles of rotting garbage on ALL of the streets. Skip Naples if you can or use it to get the hydrofoil service to some very quaint islands for a day trip (Ischia, Ventotene (our favorite), or Procida. The hydrofoil trips are fast and cheap and get you out of the American tourist crunch. Did I mention, stay out of Naples?
Good luck.

Thanks Mark for your input.I have heard that Naples is pretty bad right now with the garbage strike.I have been reading the Italian newspaper ( in English) and I was hoping the government will step in before we go in September. I will look into those Islands you mentioned . Would you share a little more about them and where you stayed etc...
Pat

I don't think it is too much at all! 5 days enable you to enjoy the region without much hurry, and plan accordingly to the weather as it evolves there. Making a base in Sorrento, you could travel to Paestum (usually overlooked), visit some other more remote villages and so on. Renting a car is the best option in that case.