Must see towns on Amalfi coast

We are spending 5 days in the Amalfi Coast area this summer and basing ourselves (together with two other couples) in Sorrento. There are also a lot of beautiful small towns and places between towns to stay but, without a car you should stay in Sorrento. RICK Steves has several places recommend in Sorrento and we booked three rooms in a highly recommended "gem" of a B&B called Casa Astarita.
Re places to visit, I'd spend a day visiting Positano and Amalfi, which you can do with public transportation (bus, I believe) - or, even better, book a one day excursion (leaving from Sorrento) through Mondo Tours where you can go to the RICK Steves special offers and be part of a group of eight and save considerably. I'd spend another day visiting Capri, grabbing the first hydrofoil in the morning to beat the crowds. And definitely a day visiting the archeological sites of Pompeii, Herculaneum and/or Vesuvius. If you can catch some time in Napoli on the way out that would be a bonus. This will be about my 15th visit to Italy (I've lost track), and looking to my first time to experience Naples.
BTW, if you're start your trip to Italy in the Amalfi coast why fly into Mikano? Consider flying "open jaw" arriving in Rome (or even Naples) and then departing from Milan if you're trav in the north at the end if your trip.

Thanks for the input! Great suggestions. We are flying into and out of Milan so my husband can visit his favorite restaurant and we are overdone with Rome. Do you catch the hydrofoil to Capri from Sorrento?

First, Sorrento is well-located for the area but it's not on the Amalfi Coast.

You can get around the Amalfi Coast by bus. I like Amalfi, Ravello, Praiano, Atrani, every bus stop has potential. I really love Ravello, the town is above Amalfi. Positano usually makes everyone's list but I find it too crowded for the time I am able to go there.

It's a long trip from Milano to Amalfi, can you use other airports (Naples and Florence, for example)?

Zoe is correct that Sorrento is not on the Amalfi Coast, but it's right around the corner on the big bay that begins in Naples. It's closer to Pompeii, Herulaneum, Vesuvius and also very easy to catch the hydrofoil to Capri -- yes, you take it from Sorrento to Capri (very short trip). And Sorrento should make a nice relaxing base to return to at the end of your days of excursions. Read the Rick Steve Italy or Rick Steves Naples and the Amalfi Coast book and it gives you many tips for getting around. Bus from Sorrento to and around the Amalfi Coast. And the Circumvesuviana train connects all the points from Naples to Sorrento -- all the archeological sites.

If you go to Amalfi and Florence, it really makes no sense to fly to Milan, unless the airfare is hundreds of dollars cheaper than flying to Rome or Florence or Naples. The most efficient way would be to fly into NAP and return from FLR. If that solution is too expensive, then I would fly in and out of Rome, since Rome is half way between the Amalfi area (near Naples) and Florence. Milan is way farther north of Florence and it would take valuable time from your trip (unless you intend to spend sometime up there in the north). Also the train isn't free. As I said I would consider flying into Milan only if the savings in airfare were hundreds of $$ over flying to Rome (which is nearly impossible since flying to Milan is generally cheaper, but never that much cheaper than flying to Rome).

I like Positano and Amalfi town the best, however they are both touristy as they are the most popular spots. The bus runs back and forth from Amalfi to Sorrento (Positano is in between). Sorrento is a good base logistically as the bus starts from there and there is the train to Naples, however, as mentioned, Sorrento is NOT on the Amalfi coast.

Ravello is my favorite for its beauty and serenity. There are two villas with gorgeous gardens that you can visit, and a small pretty cathedral. I didn't like Positano at all. There's not much to see or do, just tons of shops selling high-priced items to tourists. Other than Sorrento, the best place for a base is Amalfi, because of its transportation connections.

We are heading that way in a few weeks and have decided to 'home base' it at a Salerno B&B for 5 days. It's centrally-located to Pompeii, Paestum, Naples, and yes, the Amalfi Coast.

Unless you want to drive around the peninsula (not recommended), or be driven around by private transport (very expensive) as stated above the SITA bus is the most sane way to get around the Amalfi Coast. Here's the best schedule I have been able to find:

http://www.theamalficoast.net/orari_sita_bus_timetables.html

As you can see, it takes awhile to get anywhere. We are going to take a daytrip by starting out at the Salerno bus station, ride an hour-plus to Amalfi (where you switch buses to go further), maybe another 40 minutes to Positano, but probably not another hour beyond that to Sorrento, because at the end of it all we're going to have to backtrack. And we're not sure how March weather will treat us either. But we're certainly looking forward to it.

I have also heard that Cetara--almost the easternmost point of the coast is very quaint & less touristy. It's been filmed by Anthony Bourdain as the Italian home of sardines!

RE: your inbound to Milan, maybe you could connect from there to Naples and get down to Campania that much quicker.

If you had a FULL 3 days on the Amalfi Coast proper, I would pick Amalfi or Positano (leaning more towards Amalfi because it is a transportation hub)....I would give one day to visiting Positano (maybe some beach or hiking?) 1 day for exploring Ravello and the Amalfi city, and maybe 1 for Capri......

the easiest way to get around would be ferry, less crowded, yet more expensive, than the buses that start/end in Amalfi....

I DO love Salerno, its a bigger town/city great nightlife and shopping and a charming historic center....from there you could do 1 day Capri, 1 day Amalfi/Ravello, and 1 day exploring the town proper and Vietri (or you could just enjoy Salerno at night and do Paestum that morning/afternoon with the most well preserved Greek Temples outside of the Acropolis).....

Both would work well, but it really depends on what type of atmosphere you are going for....

We had 3 nights on the Amalfi coast last Sept and stayed in the tiny village of Atrani (a stone's throw from Amalfi).

Our first full day we had a private car tour with Sorrento Silver Star Car tours which was worth the money. Took us to Ravello, Sorrento, Positano and would have taken us to Amalfi, but since we were staying there, obviously we didn't bother. You can tailor them a little more to what you want to see, and I really should have asked to stop in Praiano or to go to Minori or something as we could have taken another hour with him at the end, but we were so hot and tired we just wanted to go back to the room. But is was nice being driven around in a air conditioned Mercedes mini van! It gave us a taste of each spot. We were there in early Sept and it was very hot, so we didn't walk much in Positano because our energy was getting sapped. They offer other tours as well - including from Sorrento or wherever you happen to be staying.

The next day, we went back to Ravello (caught the bus in Amalfi)...def my favourite of all the places. (We did the hike back down to Atrani from Ravello...gorgeous, but lots of steps and take a bottle of water if you decide to do it in the hotter months! Better yet, don't start it during the hottest part of the day like we dunces did...lol). We were so worn from the hike, we pretty much crashed...I had hoped to go to another town/village, but we spent longer in Ravello than planned.

As for base camp - well, I tend to the smaller villages and towns (Atrani, Corniglia in Cinque Terre). If I was to return (and I will, mark my words) I would be hard pressed to decide between a town on the water or up in Ravello with the amazing views...I guess Positano would give you (maybe) the best of both worlds - the beach or way up at the top of the town if you so choose! And more central to Sorrento and the other towns...