Itinerary for Sorrento, Naples, Amalfi Coast

Have you researched the train times from Catania to Sorrento? It may be more advantageous to fly.

Thanks, I know the time for the train, I want the experience. My concern is more on the itinerary once I'm there. Can you give me any advice there?

Day 2 - Pompeii and Herculaneum

That is an ambitious day . After doing Pompeii, I had no desire to start on another major site. Trying to do both will: a) cause you to rush through both places, doing justice to neither, or b) leave you in the 'road kill' category

It is an ambitious schedule. I sw Heraculeum and Pompeii separartely, i recom u pick one.
Naples is along way from Paestum. While greek temples and museum are wonderful perhaps u could make it your
First stop from Catania. Make sure all these sights r open in April. It is very early for tourist season there and along the amalfi coast.

RC, I did something very similar in 2014. After visiting Sicily, I flew from Sicily to Naples, then spent 3 nights in Naples and 4 nights in Sorrento, covering virtually the same places as you are, but in somewhat more time. You certainly can follow your suggested itinerary, although I think you will be somewhat rushing. From Sorrento, I visited Herculaneum, Oplontis and Pompeii on one day, on my own, by train. That was a bit much, and I found Oplontis to be the least exciting and made it too long a day. Try to avoid Pompeii in the mid-day and early afternoon, if it is a warm and sunny day. There is virtually no shade. I recommend joining one of the many 2-hour guided tours at the entry, where there are many guides hanging out, then poke around more on your own. No guide needed for Herculaneum, which is smaller. The ruins at Herculaneum are about a 10 minute walk, downhill, from the train station. I also did a day trip to Paestum from Naples, by train. The small museum next to the ruins at Paestum is excellent, with many pieces of art and artifacts from the ruins. Most memorable, the museum shows you what the temples would have looked like when in use 2500 years ago, very colorful and ornate, Totally different from today’s quite drab gray stones. But, the museum closes quite early some Mondays. The best light at the ruins is late afternoon. When I went I stopped for a couple of hours in Salerno on the way, and still had a nice morning walk and dinner in Naples, on either end of my day trip. Having just one day to visit Positano, Amalfi and Ravello will mean very little time in each, whether you are on a tour or using public transit. I did that too, with a group tour, but then had an additional day and spent about half a day in Amalfi, and half a day in Ravello, both worthwhile, traveling by public bus. The Amalfi Coast ferries are supposed to be a wonderful way to get around, if they are operating when you are there. Enjoy!

Thanks Larry and all, very helpful. I might trim things a bit but you've given me encouragement my basic plan is ok, 3 nights in Sorrento and 2 in Naples.

sorrento makes an excellent base ( we have stayed there twice)
a comment on your 1st day, the amalfi coast and ravello is some distance from sorrento, by transport. positano is easily doable but also adding in ravello ( which is very nice) on the same day would make it a HUGE day. IMO.
depending on the traffic and time taken catching ferries and/or land transport. ( we have been there is early may and there were heaps of tourists)
we did ravello when we stayed in the town of amalfi.
have a very close look at a map, so see the general distances and winding road etc and also do a search on the tab ( at the top of the screen) for previous posts on this topic.

hope this helps.

To make the most of your AC day trip, use the ferry, Sorrento to Amalfi, then bus directly to Ravello. Allow plenty of time to just wander. The views from this enchanting town are to die for.
Next head to Amalfi exploring and visiting the Duomo and cloisters, it might leave you enough time to see the cute little fishing village of Atrani, a 10 minute walk away before heading to Positano by bus and finally back to Sorrento by bus.

Paestum is an easy one hour train ride from Naples, the best tip I can give you here is to plan your time well so you can see it all. It's a mesmerizing site. I'd also plan on purchasing my return rail tickets before you leave Naples. There is a ticket machine at the Paestum station but it has not worked a few times.

Thanks gerri, that is a very interesting approach with the ferry and bus combo, I'll look at it.

I know others have expressed how big of day it is to do the coast and towns like this but it was reading the RS book that gave me this idea it was a good day excursion. And a hotel I'm looking at in Sorrento offers a guided bus outing covering the same ground (though I don't have complete details). So it makes me wonder exactly what it is that make them feel it's a bit much. Is it any particular sites, or catching more of the local flavor, or what?

the reason why there is a question about fitting in things in one day , is a combination of things, the transport up and down the coast is not a certainty. the ferries may not run ( and when they do it takes some time to travel from sorrento to amalfi and return) if by road transport, then the road is very windy and can have heaps of traffic, so once again the time to travel there and back can take many hours. plus changing busses, waiting in queues etc. catching a bus , is not like you might imagine. the local bus can be a 'sardine' event ( after waiting in crowded queues) and then travelling for a long time on a VERY windy road. it may not be like that, but it can a does happen.
its not that you can't necessarily fit in things in one day, its just a 'warning' from those you have been there and know what is involved.

You might wish to see Herculaneum from Naples, because it's easy to do and takes less visit time than Pompeii (and there is no food inside Herculaneum.) Note the 15-minute walk downhill to Herc that you don't have for Pompeii. Paestum is a difficult travel issue that you have to decide if it's a must. (We had to give up on it from 5 nights in Sorrento so I can't help you decide about this UNESCO WHS.) It might be better to spend a night in less-historic Salerno, but don't make the mistake of thinking the Trenitalia stations for Herc and Pomp are as close as the Circumvesuviana stops.

I don't personally care to tour with luggage, but consider that both Herc and Pomp have safe luggage desks for visits while moving between Naples and Sorrento. Do you have any interest in Caserta Palace? How about Oplontis? We hired a 250 Euro car and driver in May for the AC towns, but that may be less necessary in April. Be sure to download the bus schedules and think about all your average-15-minute waits and newsstand ticket purchases.

Thanks, I know the time for the train, I want the experience. My
concern is more on the itinerary once I'm there. Can you give me any
advice there?

RC--

For our next trip, we are doing the opposite--Naples to Taormina, Sicily by train because, yes, we too want the experience of the train/ferry over the Strait of Messina--and we are breaking it up because in a 1-day fell swoop, it's a very long day & according to Trenitalia I don't even know if the schedules match up had we tried to do it. So we are stopping two nights at a halfway point, the beautiful mountain seaside village of Maratea, right on the train line in Basilicata.

On top of that, you want to start in Catania, an hour south of Taormina, and you want to finish in Sorrento, an hour from Naples via the Circumvesuviana commuter train. Even if you could make the logistics work here, the CV is not the way--with baggage--you want to finish a long day of travel. And please factor in a wait time with each train change--you'll have them in Messina for the ferry, in Paola in Calabria, then in Naples before going on to Sorrento, with rule of thumb being public transportation takes longer and is less reliable the farther south one travels in Italy.

It's entirely possible that even if feasible this Catania to Sorrento trip could take upwards of 12-14 hours. Not to be a Debbie Downer, but an overnight stop in Maratea or Paestum or Salerno--and I get your excitement at taking the train in southern Italy--would be a wise choice.

Enjoy your planning!

according to Trenitalia I don't even know if the schedules match up had we tried to do it.

Jay,

I'm curious about your statement. I'm seeing on the Trenitalia site a travel time of 7h 34m for Catania to Naples starting at 8:41 AM. Then the CV trains leave Naples pretty much every half hour all evening. I know things can go wrong, I know it's a long day (I've had them) and I know and have experienced crowding on regional trains. I have traveled some in Italy, Austria, Germany and Finland. I travel pretty light a la RS recommendations. But looks to me like the schedules match up and there is even some buffer. Can you shed more light on your statement why it may not work?

Arrivo Departo Stazione
08:41 Catania Centrale
08:51 08:53 Acireale
09:02 09:04 Giarre-Riposto
09:17 09:19 Taormina-Giardini
09:56 10:15 Messina Centrale
11:25 11:55 Villa S. Giovanni
12:53 12:56 Lamezia Terme Centrale
13:27 13:30 Paola
14:18 14:20 Sapri
15:33 15:36 Salerno
16:15 Napoli Centrale

Honestly, RC, more power to you! I hadn't checked your schedule with Trenitalia--it's just not an itinerary I'd chance on a vacation. And while I take trains regularly in Europe, we never are on them for more than 4-5 hours a day. Makes it more enjoyable rather than reaching the point of 'get me off this $%^& TRAIN!!'

You've had enough experience--and you travel light--to know that Plan A can sometimes turn into Plan C. My main reservations with this plan are A) you may get bolloxed up at the ferry at Messina. Either acraven or someone else--one of the forum vets with a Sicilian travel history--said there sometimes is a hold up for an hour or more that cannot be explained, which could affect your schedule moving forward. Also, B) I'm not really fond of riding the CV Naples to Sorrento at night.

But...it sounds like you're carefree sort that goes with the flow if you unexpectedly have to spend a night somewhere on the road, and late April should be no problem finding lodging most anywhere along the way should it come to that.

This is adventure travel--good luck!

Thanks Jay. I'll book my hotels with "flexible" cancellation to give me a little breathing room should I change my mind. After so many times in the US with flights delayed, stranded for hours in far away places, and flights cancelled even after arriving at the airport, if things awry in Italy at least I'll be in Italy!

Well, that's it, and it's why I rarely if ever flip out when things go a little awry plan-wise when we're in Italy. Why? Because we're in Italy! Which in almost every case is better than being home. It just turns into a different adventure, most times making a darn good story upon our return to the States. My wife can't believe my serenity...hah!