Hello, My husband and I are planning for a short 8-10 nights in Italy in Ischia and Almafi Coast sometime between Sept 15 and 28. WE are thinking of the following way to fill those 8-10 nights....
4-5 NIGHTS ISCHIA - 2-3 nights in Albergo Il Monster AND 2 nights elsewhere in Ischia (i would prefer one location but would love to experience the Castle stay and 2-3 nights will cost a lot)
4-5 NIGHTS ON ALMAFI COAST (looking at smaller, less touristy areas such as Atrani, Vietri sur Mare, Maiori,Minori.
1 NIGHT NAPLES (pre flight to Dubrovnik)
Our goal is to see the beauty of this area of Italy, On our holidays we look for the same type of places/activities as follows:
-enjoy some quiet (as quiet as possible in September) time on a less crowded beach. We enjoy a private beach attached to a hotel for the ease of using the beach. WE love to swim in the ocean and in a refreshing pool.
-Enjoy wine or coffee on terraces with a view,
-Enjoy transport by water as much as possible - tours, ferries, etc,
-Enjoy a self-guided or guided E bike tour in 1-2 areas.
-Kayaking in calm bays.
-Wander quaint villages
-Enjoy live music outdoors.
The things that we typically do not enjoy on our travels are:
-Crowds
_Touristy shopping areas ( we do not shop much on our vacations)
-Lineups
-Having to book our meals ahead of time
Your suggestions regarding my itinerary or specific areas to stay or specific accommodation (we prefer Bed and Breakfast or guesthouse style accommodation but having said that we stay in hotels often too.- Views and having a private balcony to enjoy those views is usually what we look for) we would greatly appreciate your time and thoughts.
Thank you!.
Correct spelling is Amalfi which will take you to correct sources. I like the towns you are considering visiting there.
Thank you for the spelling check.
Well our flights and itinerary are set. We have 6 nights to experience ISCHIA beaches and thermal pools, bit of down time and Amalfi coast. I have booked 3 nights in Ischia and now thinking it's easier to stay the final 3 nights in Naples and do a couple of daily boat trips to Amalfi. I am not really keen on 3 nights Naples - My first choice would be to stay on Amalfi coast for the final 3 nights but we would need to spend the 3rd night in Naples for our 1130 am flight back to Canada the next morning. . Changing location for 1 or 2 nights is not something we enjoy but will do if we have to.
So do we spend 3 nights Ischia and 3 nights Naples.
OR 3 nights Ischia, 2 nights Amalfi, and 1 night Naples.
OR 4 nights Ischia, 2 nights Naples.
This is the final 6 nights of our 22 night trip to Croatia, Montenegro and this small part of Italy.
Your thoughts are always appreciated.
My husband and I have 6 nights to enjoy Ischia, Amalfi coast, and final night in Naples. Ischia from Oct 5-8. With the remaining 3 nights, we are considering 2 nights somewhere on Amalfi Coast (Oct 8-10) and 1 night pre flight in Naples (October 10). We depart for Canada on Oct 11.
1..I would appreciate help with the quickest way to get to Ischia from naples Airport on Oct 5. We arrive at 2 pm
Would Sorrento be the quickest Amalfi coast location from Ischia on October 8?
We are open to 2 nights somewhere else but getting there quick is important with only 2 night available on Amalfi coast.What is the quickest/most reliable/economical way to return to Naples from Sorrento on October 10?
Thank you so much for your expert information.
Colleen
The travel time from ischia to the coast is what it is, I can’t think of anywhere you could get “quickly.”
I like this website for ferry schedules: https://www.sorrentoinsider.com/en/ferry-schedule
Would Sorrento be the quickest Amalfi coast location from Ischia on
October 8?
Sorrento is not on the Amalfi Coast, it just happens to be the best transportation hub to get to the AC, however with only 2 nights (2 nights = 1 full day), I would still stay there rather than attempt to waste a chunk of a day getting to Amalfi or Positano to sleep.
As for your 2nd question, the quickest is likely by car, but it won't be economical; likely €150+. I believe there is a bus that goes directly from Sorrento to the airport. The other choice is the Circumvesuviana train to Naples and then a bus or cab to the airport from the train station.
Note that Sorrento is built on a clifftop, that drops right down to the Gulf of Naples. So some of the luxury hotels have swimming platforms (not floating, but on pilings) there, connected to the hotel elevators, for salt water swimming. Otherwise, Sorrento is not a "beach destination". The main public beach is tiny, and placed between the two commercial marinas, so you can smell the diesel fumes.
This is not a slam, because our five nights at the Ambasciatori (extra cost for balcony and Vesuvius view ... ), were perfect, because we wanted to facilitate daytrips, including Capri, which Sorrento is closest to of the coastal towns.
I suggest that you do as much reading (here or in Lonely Planet) as you can to get a clearer idea of the area. It doesn't compare to "the Old Caribbean" (IF you know what that very specific tourism term means.) Rather, I'm saying that Positano may have been a favorite of people like Grace Kelley and Aga Khan (MADE THAT UP ... !!!), but it has moved a little towards the Spanish Ballearic islands in atmosphere. I was disappointed with Positano, because it had so many of the same overpriced designer boutiques that you can see in Rome, Milan, Paris, and wherever. We had a drink at La Sireneuse, a luxury hotel I wanted to see. We had to sit in the non-guest part of the bar (!), but all 8 of the people who could fit on their tiny pool deck looked like they had had "work done." We could barely see the Gulf of Amalfi from the pool deck and bar.
Some of the towns further east have sand beaches, but Positano has entirely pebble beaches, and they are quite small. But you can rent a chaise with 100 (not 1000) of your closest warm personal friends. I guess I'm warning that you may feel let down after a week on Ischia, if you have picked the right resort.
I notice that you did not mention Pompeii. Check your next destination travel, because it is hard to get anywhere quickly from the AC. You cannot wake up there and fly home from Rome, for example.
I did not see the place or stay there, but I noticed that there's a $1000 per night kind of hotel in Ravello (which is hundreds of feet above the water level, but a lovely place) that has a possibly private beach and a shuttle to take you here (15-20 minutes, probably). I mention that, because it's what I read between the lines of your posts. (Yes, I have paid near that for the best of the Carribean.)
Because our visit was very crowded in the last week of May, 8 years ago, I would expect September to be crowded.
The infrastructure in the Sorrento/Amalfi Coast area has been so neglected in the last several years, that there is no fast mode to get anywhere. Traffic congestion is legendary. Public transportation is very crowded, kind of runs on a schedule, and may not be too comfortable. We used Aldo Limos for the Sorrento-Naples and Sorrento-Rome routes, which was comfortable, but doesn't get one out of the congestion, and is expensive.
Expect crowds everywhere in the area, as there are no spring and fall shoulder seasons anymore. But if you plan for the realities on the ground, you can have a great adventure in this beautiful area. Safe travels!
Ps
Many folks here are recommending Salerno, which isn't as packed, and has great rail connections. We haven't stayed in Salerno, but I wish we had!
How about going straight to the Amalfi Coast after your arrival and then finishing your trip on Ischia? Then go to the Naples airport directly from Ischia. In October of last year, we took the train from Naples to Salerno and then the bus to Atrani - where we spent 3 nights. Atrani was fabulous - beautiful and a local feel without the tourists yet only a 10-15 minute walk to Amalfi town and all the action. Plus, ferries and busses run from Amalfi so you can get around the coast.