Naples and the Amalfi Coast

Have to agree with Debra. We were in Italy in March 2011 and in planning our trip we at first followed the guidance here and planned 6 of our 19 nights in Sorrento. Then our stubborn streak kicked in and we decided we would not spend two days travelling back and forth to Naples and we would not be frightened away by others' opinions. We spent 3 nights (2 full days) in Sorrento and then 3 nights in Naples. From Sorrento we took the bus down the Amalfi coast and spent the second day at Pompeii. Then on to Naples where we visited Ercolano and spent the remaining two days exploring Naples. We stayed in a hotel on Piazza Garibaldi (Hotel Cavour), another nono for some. It was very convenient to the train/metro station and within walking distance of many sights. Naples is not the cleanest city but we found the people there to be very friendly and helpful, the museum and other sights were great as was the food. The city has much to offer and was a great experience for us. We really enjoyed our time there. Sorrento is a beautiful little town but it has more of a tourist or resort atmosphere and we used it as a base and traveled away each day. You will have to decide for yourself what kind of experience you want to have. Have fun!

Spent a week in Sorrento last month. Plenty to do, but it is a lot of day-trip travel up and down the coast from Naples to Amalfi. We found one day in Naples to be "enough." It was chaotic, though interesting. How to divide up your stay depends on what you want to do and the time of year. I think when we go back, we'll spend 2 or 3 nights in Amalfi. I loved the area and would have liked to hike more, but the time spent in busses between Amalfi and Sorrento limited our time to hike. You could stay in Sorrento to see Naples (daytrip for the museum and pizza and Rick Steves self-guided walk for highlights), Pompeii, and Ercolano if you are inclined to do both ruins. Then you could go to Amalfi or Positano to experience the AC.

Hi Karen, We traveled to that area about 10 years ago; and knowing what I know now, I would stay in Sorrento as a base for seeing Pompei, the Naples Archaeological Museum, and/or Herculaneum. Naples just might be the only city in Europe that I truly hated. It was dirty, disorganized, and filled with beggars. The worst part was that despite a very good public transit system, no one seemed to be able to give us clear directions on how to get places, not even the TI office. No such thing as a transit map. Over and over we had the experience , e.g., of being told to go to a certain piazza for a bus; but the bus stop was really a block or two from there. Or the street or piazza was known to locals by a different name from that on the street sign, so we didn't know when we had actually found it. Consequently, we spent enormous amounts of time and energy just trying to get to where we wanted to be. Maybe things have improved since then, but I wouldn't bet on it. Rosalyn

I know I'm in the vast majority here but I liked Naples. My favorite, place, no, but I dare to say there's noplace on earth like it and if you have 5 days then yes i would recommend 2 in Naples. You can enjoy plenty of pizza, wander the atmospheric streets, and see a couple of the major museums. I stayed at a tiny B&B that was really a family's apartment who rented out a few rooms. B&B Bellini 67 was the name, and it was in a perfect location right off Piazza Dante. Some Italian would be useful as only one person in the family speaks English. I'd recommend staying anywhere in the Piazza Dante/Piazza Bellini area. Its right in the thick of it all but feels safe enough. Naples i think is a love/hate type of place. Most people on these boards seem to hate it. I don't know if I loved it and I'm not sure if I'd return or not (might for the pizza alone) but i'm very glad I spent 4 nights there. Sorrento is lovely but it's not Naples. It's like night and day. IF you want to see Naples, you should sty there. If you just want to come in and see the museum and have pizza for lunch, then I guess you shouldn't.

We've stayed in maybe 15 cities in Italy starting in 2003 and if we were to rank them in order of enjoyment, Naples would be without a doubt at the bottom of our list. I might even put it at #16. I think it might have been different if we had had a good guide or had a friend who was living in Naples who could show us around. Instead, we did a self-directed tour using the RS Italy book. With the exception of the Arch. Museum, we really didn't like it. Loved Sorrento, on the other hand.