Is the Amalfi Coast worth the travel time? Our tentative itinerary...

It's all highly personal, but I would use those days to have a longer stay in Venice (and have time for a day-trip to Padua (Padova) and/or Vicenza) or to put in Bologna between Venice and Florence (with time for a day-trip to Ravenna, Ferrara or other smaller cities around).

Hi there, Paige-

Wow, nice to see an itinerary that doesn't cram too much into too little! Good job!

Tough call on the Amalfi but I guess it depends on how much ground you want to cover there and how badly you want to do that? From the looks of your itinerary, you are "slow" travelers (enjoy longer versus shorter stays) like we are but if the AC is something you'd like to keep, if possible, you might consider stealing a day from Rome?

Now, I can't believe I'm even suggesting this as it's my very favorite city but the 6 nights/5.5 days you've allowed is generous enough to do that, IMHO. Alternately, you might consider shifting a day from Florence instead? I love that one too but I've a healthy interest in Renaissance art, and it's also a terrific base for days trips.

The 3 nights you've allowed for the A.C. isn't impossible by any means but one more night would definitely give you a more comfortable span of time for exploring the area: the couple of towns along the coast via ferry/bus, a gander at Capri, a visit to Pompeii, etc.

When we take our 2nd trip to Italy, we will definitely return to Sorrento and Capri. The hubby and I both agreed that we don't need to go back to Amalfi or Positano. Consider Sorrento/Capri instead of Amalfi. Have you been to Italy before? We LOVED Venice and would spend more time there again than in Florence, as you have scheduled. Remember that you'll be getting over jet lag that first day in Venice, and you'll be totally worthless. We did that too, and we both fell asleep on the vaporetto. I know this wasn't your question, but you might want one more day in Venice.

I feel like the Amalfi Coast is a must see, however, for the short length of time you will be there it seems to defeat the purpose of going. I would add in a side trip, or two, from Venice, Florence or Rome and leave the Amalfi Coast for another trip when you can relax and really enjoy its' beauty and atmosphere.

Regarding slbdaisy's comments:

Everyone seems to have their favorite of the A.C. towns so where to base is a matter of preference. IMHO, Sorrento makes a good base, especially for shorter stays, because of the choices of transport from there: it has train service as well as ferry and bus. It's not technically on the Amalfi Coast but shoutin' distance via bus or ferry, and it's only 30 minutes from Pompeii and 60 minutes to Naples via (battered but cheap and serviceable) local commuter train. Sorrento is also larger than the A.C. towns so it has more restaurants, shops and whatnot.

There are some other bus/ferry alternatives between Naples and Sorrento as well; we can talk about those later if you decide to keep the A.C. on your agenda.

Editing to add: Salerno is another choice for a base, also has train service, and sees some love amongst posters who've stayed there.

Our recent trip to Amalfi in September 2017 was as follows. Train from Paestum to Salerno. Costal bus Salerno to Amalfi. The coast by bus or boat from Salerno was lovely. Seafood options for food in the Amalfi coast were great. Choose Amalfi for transportation if using public options. We did the Path of Gods hike in the direction of east to west. There are beautiful views of the coast and coastal towns. Wild fennel everywhere. The upper portion of Positano was packed. Coastal buses were packed. Suggest a private driver. Positano to Amalfi coastal and Ravello drive were lovely. Boat to Capri with transfer to Sorrento. Positano and Capri are lovely from the Sea. Sorrento to Napoli by commuter train. Transfer from Amalfi to Napoli was about 3 hours. Our goals were met with 3 nights and 2 days. The weather in September 2017 included blue skies and heat. It is not shoulder season, it is packed! Napoli to Rome by fast train is 1 1/2-2 hours. The Amalfi coast had been on our bucket list. We worked it into a Rome, Napoli, and Paestrum itinerary and on our 5th trip to Italy. We were able to have a complete visit of Rome with 4 nights, including one side trip out of town. I would suggest Dolomites north of Venice or sight south of Florence on the way to Rome.

The Amalfi Coast is beautiful but if two days and a travel day is all you devote to it my answer would be "No, it's not worth it." You have five full days in Rome and that's good. If you eliminate the AC, add those three days for Venice ( trust me -- you wont regret it). That will give you almost an equal amount of time in three of the best cities in Italy. That will allow you to see the "biggies" in all three cities and also do some day trips and not lose time just getting from Point A to Point B. It's surprising how much time it takes to pack, check out, get to the train station, get to the new hotel, check in, and unpack.

Other than Venice, I've done this trip more than once. I like your itinerary, not shortchanging Rome--it's magnificent!

Mid-September on the A.C. will still be very busy, but temp-wise it should be perfect, if not a little hot even. It's still high season, so if you've read the horror stories about being gridlock-stuck in such a beautiful setting, it's worth investigating some logistical alternatives.

Sorrento's a good base on the peninsula, Salerno's a good one just off it--in fact from there you can visit Amalfi & Positano by ferry and maybe avoid gridlock. I've based in both, and each have their pro's and con's. Neither are the picturesque, idyllic spots that the little A.C. towns like Positano or Ravello are, but logistically they totally make sense. Also, if you want to visit Pompei (not to be missed!), take a full day to do that--it's easily accessible from either of these bases.

And it's not bad traveling to these points either. Florence/Salerno is 3 hrs, 35 min by train, Florence/Sorrento about a half hour longer, made a little more complicated with a change of train at Naples to the Circumvesuviana commuter train, unless you get private transport Naples/Sorrento, which we've done, costing 75-100 Euro. I believe there are cheaper options as well, like the Campania Express.

Enjoy your planning!

Two full days on the AC is enough to get a good look to see what you might want to travel back to see, if anything. If you stay in Sorrento, one full day can be spent seeing the small coastal towns and 'views'; i.e., Amalfi, Positano, etc. There are easy public buses for this. Another day can include Pompeii or Herculaneum. On the way to Rome you can stop in Naples for a walk through the Roman streets and see the Archaeological Museum. I spent this amount of time, if I recall correctly, and from it I took away that I need to spend more days in Naples. Once I see a view, I'm good, so I don't need to spend days looking at it (AC), so I won't see the AC again as it struck me as a pure tourist resort area...but, again, this is me. However, I also think you could take one day from Rome and add it onto the AC if you wanted to be more in-depth or go to Capri. I've spent perhaps a week plus in Rome due to circumstances and after the first 4 day visit years ago, I get out as soon as possible. And that was before the time of the massive crowds of today (think Vatican, which I hated even then), again, IMO, but it is coming from a person who studied Art History in college and loves cities.

It is most definitely worth it
PLUS you plan is otherwise all cities, I am assuming you will do some day trips out of Florence while based there but the Amalfi Coast is a break from that and has beauty you won't be seeing otherwise.

That said, I think you need more days for it than planned so would take a day from Rome and depending on your plans for Florence maybe a day from there as well.
If you are not flexible to add any more nights to the AC than the Cinque Terre is closer on your route and if you only have 3 nights may be a better choice. You don't need more than 3 nights for the Cinque Terre

In a word, yes it’s worth it. The Amalfi Coast and Bay of Naples are unlike anywhere else I have been, and continue to haunt my travel dreams.

BUT, there are a few things to consider in regards to your sightseeing priorities. If all you want to do is take in the sun and sea, then pick a nice town on the Amalfi Coast and go from there. If you wanted to see Pompeii and/or Naples (loved Naples) then Sorrento is your best home base. With limited time, you want to avoid day-tripping around to opposite sides of the peninsula. If you’re staying on the AC, getting to Rome is a snap via a ferry to Salerno and a fast train from there. It took me three hours max. If you got an early start you would have most of that travel day free in Rome. Also, use the ferries to get around down there. Beats a stuffy bus every time!

It will take some real effort for you to get down there from Florence. To make that worth your while I would take a day or two off your Rome leg. Tough decisions though!

A lot of good advice so far.

I'd add that if you're using Florence as a base to visit Sienna & Tuscany/Umbria then 4.5 days is ok but if you're just staying in Florence it may be a bit more than you need unless you've planned out an itinerary of what you'll do day by day and you really need that much time.

Also there are fast trains down to Naples from Florence; it takes about than 3 hours. So if you got on the 8am train you could be in Naples by 11am and in Sorrento by lunchtime. You'd still have that afternoon to explore Sorrento.

Stay an extra night (or two) in the Amalfi Coast or Sorrento area. 3 nights aren’t enough for that area.
You can borrow that night from Rome. 4 nights in Rome are enough.

This looks good to me. I might take a day away from Florence and add to Amalfi Coast.

I think you have planned a great trip, starting in lovely Venice, moving on to Florence, taking a break on the AC, then ending in busy Rome.

To make it even better, I would take a night from Florence and add it to Venice. Then take 2 nights from Rome and give yourselves a total of 5 nights in either Sorrento or Salerno — allowing time for Paestum, Capri and Pompeii in addition to the Amalfi Coast itself. I think 4 nights is plenty for Venice, Florence & Rome.

Yes, it’s absolutely worth it to rearrange your schedule to do it. It’s up to you which night to give up, Florence or Rome. I would give it one more night.

We went in September, so the ferries will be running. Take the train to Salerno, then ferry to Positano. That trip over seeing the coast from the sea is magical. Are you able to walk up the hill? It’s easy to take a ferry to Capri from Positano for awhile, too.

Do not sell yourself short on Venice. I would add another day there. Day trip to Padua and take a pasta cooking course.

It depends so much on what you want to see and do . . .. in Florence, the AC and Rome. Most posters here don't think it's worth the travel time to the AC for only 2 full days and I'd be one of them usually. However, if you only want to explore the AC towns, take the fast train from Florence to Salerno. Base there and use buses and ferries to hop around the towns. You won't have time to go to Capri or Pompeii or the National Archaeology Museum in Naples (it's one of the best). You will have 2 days of seeing the the beautiful coastline and wandering the cliffside towns. Even so, adding 1-2 nights would be better. Salerno is a pleasant town with a medieval center, it's mostly level and has a big, sandy beach. An added bonus is that both food and lodging are cheaper than in Sorrento, much cheaper than most of the AC towns.

You are spending a lot of time (relatively, of course) in Florence and Rome. Depending on your goals for those places, you could take a day or two away from one or both.

PS. I stayed in Sorrento on my first trip south of Rome, mainly for the ancient sights and really enjoyed the town but didn't get to the AC. This February, I stayed in Salerno and explored the AC and Paestum. Restaurants in Sorrento and Salerno were excellent.

Hey Chani, this is for the OP. What the heck is the name of that gelato/bakery place on the base of the A.C., between Vietri sul Mare and Minori, I'm guessing? You and Zoe raved about it and of course I spaced it off when in the area in March.

BTW, it's still very cold here with more snow coming. Keep your 'sandal comments' to yo'self...

Hi Jay,
I wonder if you mean the Sal De Riso Pasticcere?
If so, I had the wonderful good fortune of renting an apartment above it for my one and only (so far) trip to the Amalfi Coast.

Yes, Carolyn, that's the one. In Italy, you find a good bakery in your neighborhood, it's like gold. Ours in Rome was the Forno bakery steps away from Campo de' Fiori, owned by the Roscioli family. Not only sweets, but the best Roman pizza slices I've had to date. At least comparable to Bonci. We went there every day for a week, never had the same thing twice, and only scratched the surface of their capabilities. Just amazing.

Yes, yes, yes. Sal de Riso. On my second visit I had a lemon tiramisu that was to die for and then took some goodies back to my B&B. On the first visit, I made the mistake of ordering both lemon cake and hot chocolate - could barely waddle out the door, but soooo good. It was too chilly to try their yummy-looking gelato. But there is a great gelateria in Salerno . . .

No time in Tuscan countryside, villages? Save the Amalfi Coast for another trip just to southern Italy.