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Itinerary suggestion for Amalfi/Sorrento/Positano/Ravello/Pompeii/Capri Nov 17-22

Hello,

My wife and I (late 40s) decided (late) to take a trip to Italy during the Thanksgiving week.
Would like to see the place and not really interested in food/drink/restaurants per se.

We want to visit Amalfi/Sorrento/Positano/Ravello/Pompeii/Capri .. If possible, would like to see Venice, albeit for a day. We have seen Rome/Florence several years ago.

arrival : Saturday Nov 17 10am Rome airport
departure : Saturday Nov 23 10am Rome airport

we would like to do some shopping in Rome Friday Nov 22 so essentially we only have 6 nights

I would really appreciate your suggestions for a suitable itinerary ... ..Is Capri accessible during this time? is car rental recommended?

thanks in advance for your assistance

HD

Posted by
667 posts

I don't know your travel style, but if you are going to stay in Rome the night before, then you have 4 full days in your destination. You absolutely do not have time for a trip to Venice from Campania if you have all of that on your list. At this time of the year, I believe Sorrento would be your best bet, with transport to Capri (ferry), Pompeii (train), and buses to Amalfi, Positano, and Ravello.

Posted by
15798 posts

Hi and welcome to the RS forum, cistain.

Here's the tall and short of it:
You have just 4 FULL days before having to be back in Rome. The 17th will essentially be spent just getting down to the coast and settled in (daylight will be SHORT!!!). That leaves you the 18, 19th, 20th and 21st. You'll get multiple opinions on what you should do so this is just my 2-cents.

Stay in Sorrento; you'll be traveling in the off season for the coast, and that one is going to have the most businesses, shopping, restaurants, accommodations and whatnot open. It's also the most convenient for travel to Pompeii and to/from Rome as it has train service. It also has winter ferry service to/from Capri. There is no ferry service to/from Positano or Amalfi from anywhere on the coast during winter.

https://www.capri.net/en/ferry-schedule?from=sorrento&to=capri#

17th- get to Sorrento/settle in
18th - explore Sorrento and a bit of the coast by SITA bus
19th - day trip to Pompeii (train)
20th - more towns around the coast by SITA bus
21st - day trip to Capri (ferry)
22nd: back to Rome in the morning. You may even want to return on the evening of the 21st if you want a full shopping day there: if so, do Capri on a different day.

I'd keep the itinerary loose as you could see some rain, and Capri wouldn't be fun on a wet day. Plan activities per the weather. There's also the outside chance of the boats not running to the island at all on a REALLY rough-seas day. Regarding the car question, I'll leave that to other responders. The A.C. roads shouldn't be as crazy in late November as high season but I've no firsthand experience there. You would want to do your homework regarding ZTLs and other road rules in Italy, and parking could still be a pain.

Venice is clear on the other side of the country so isn't realistic with the time that you have: you'd spend most of a day just getting there.

Posted by
4824 posts

If you're shopping in Rome on the 22nd and leaving the next day, then you'll want a hotel room in Rome that night. That only leaves you 5 nights. And the bulk of your first day will be spent just getting to your hotel, fighting thru the jet lag, and familiarizing yourself with the town you're staying in. That gives you 4 days to explore. Given the distances between the AC and Venice, I think it's safe to say you don't have time to see Venice if you want to see all off the places you want to see around the AC. Logistically, Sorrento will be the easiest place to stay. From there you can take the Circumvesuviana train to Pompeii and Naples (for the Archeological museum). That will eat up a whole day. From Sorrento you can also get a ferry to Capri. That's another day. For the AC towns, you could either take the local buses or hire a driver for the day, or you could rent a car. But even though it's off season, if renting a car parking can be a problem, and the driver will see nothing of the scenery during the drive. He/she will have to have eyes glued to the road as they white knuckle their way along the drive.

Do you mean THIS Thanksgiving? As in 2 weeks from now? Better get those reservations made PDQ. And pack for the weather. It could be wet and cool.

ETA Looks like all of us so far are thinking alike.

Posted by
11300 posts

Kathy nailed it (as usual!). Stick with her plan. No time for Venice unless you give up Rome and fly out of Venice which I do not think is feasible at this point.

We have been to Sorrento in winter and got a lovely dry week. I hope you have the same luck, but it will be chilly. I wore a lined heavy raincoat, gloves, scarf, and hat most days. Pompeii is uncrowded so a great time to go there! Suggest you get a guide and if Gaetano Manfredi is available (Google him) he is worth every penny.

Posted by
4105 posts

Daughter lives in Naples area. Forecast for next week. 17-19th sunny-partly sunny. 60 high. 45-50 low. 20-22nd rain. Same range of temps.
They've had some pretty intense destructive storms in the past 3 weeks, so do as Laurel says and make sure you have enough layers.

Posted by
11 posts

thanks all for your replies...much appreciated.

I somehow ate a day! we are actually leaving from Rome on Saturday Nov 24 ...that gives us an extra day

Posted by
15798 posts

Still not enough time for Venice. Spend it shopping in Rome if that's your plan.

Posted by
15576 posts

You can do it all, except for Venice. Make your way to Sorrento - consider a private transfer from FCO. Full price tickets from Rome to Naples are €48. The train from FCO to Termini is another €14. That's €120 and a train change to Naples, then shlep through the station to the Circumvesuviana to Sorrento, then get to your hotel, perhaps by taxi which is expensive in Sorrento. I don't have a clue how much a car and driver would be, but after a long-haul red-eye flight, it may well be worth the extra cost for a comfortable trip and give you a much earlier arrival in Sorrento. Plan to stay in the center of town, so you have easy access to the train and bus. A charming place with a view that's 1-2 kilometers out of town will be of no use to you.

Look at the weather reports when you get to Sorrento and consult with your hotel. You'll want to go to Capri on a good weather day - ferries won't/can't sail in bad weather. You will also want to take the bus to the Amalfi Coast on a good weather day. Parts of Pompeii are difficult for walking (these photos will give you an idea of why) and will be harder in the rain, but definitely doable.

Logistical details. Sorrento is built on the cliff sides. The center of town is pretty level, the train/bus is a 5-10 minute uphil walk, but the seashore - and ferry pier - is down a whole lot of steps. There are elevators in the center, but they may not be operating in off-season. You can download the SITA bus schedules from their website. There is one line that goes from Sorrento via Positano to Amalfi. If you want to go farther east on the coast, say to Minori and Maiori, you need to change buses in Amalfi. There is also a bus that goes up to Ravello from Amalfi. Trying to do all that in one day is really too much, but you do have a "spare" day for a second visit if the weather's good. Take the Circumvesuviana (CV) train to Pompeii.

If you don't have good weather, alternatives are to visit Herculaneum (I did it in the rain and it was fine) and/or Naples. The archaeology museum is a Wow and there are other sights as well. The RS book has a self-guided walking tour that begins across the street from the museum. In fact, you could visit the museum and probably do the tour on Thursday, if you take an early CV train and leave your bags in storage at the train station, then get a late afternoon train to Rome.

Posted by
173 posts

...and not really interested in food/drink/restaurants per se

That is the #1 tourist attraction for me personally :)

Posted by
1944 posts

...and not really interested in food/drink/restaurants per se

That is the #1 tourist attraction for me personally :)

Maybe that's why Chani didn't mention her pastry shop in Minori--Sal de Riso. Without checking back, I think she was there in February, so chances are it'll be open next week.

Don't want to minimize how crappy the weather can get on the peninsula this time of year, almost independent from the rest of the country. We had had a great, temperate week in Rome last year late February, then moved south to Sorrento, where you'd think it would be warmer. Uh uh--for 3 days driving rain and temps in the 40's. Finally last day and a half it cleared somewhat, warmed to about 60 and we took full advantage by taking the SITA bus (as Kathy has said) over to the A.C. and toured an almost desolate Positano, which is actually quite nice with no tourists! :)

Things to do if weather is bad in Sorrento: eat, train to Naples to the Arch Museum, eat, shop, eat. BTW, the food in Sorrento is spectacular, so take advantage.

Good luck!

Posted by
15576 posts

Sal de Riso in Minori, one more thing to be grateful to Zoe for. It was indeed open in February and the most delicious pastries - so good I went back and even took a box of goodies back to my hotel. I'm not a foodie but I would go back to the AC just for Sal de Riso . . . well, that and the beautiful scenery.