October Trip Itinerary/Suggestions

Your hotel budget in Positano: Is that $150 US or 150 euros? I've never been to Positano, but I know it's an expensive destination. I took a quick look at booking.com and found some options available at under $150/night. There will be more of them if your stay is on Monday-Thursday nights than if it spans part of the weekend, and rates may be a bit lower if your trip is later in the month.

How long are you going to stay in Pompeii? There are drivers who will take you to Pompeii, wait for 3 hours with your luggage and then drive you to Positano.

Acraven, doesn't matter, not dead set at 150, but around that number preferably. Just not looking to spend over 200 or more a night. We don't need the most luxurious place, just one with a good view/terrace. We don't spend much time in the hotel.

Dario, was thinking to do maybe 3-4 hours. Taking the train from Naples early morning and head back in the afternoon. The driver idea isn't a bad one, have you done it before? If so, what was the cost like?

We chose to stay in Amalfi rather than Positano and very glad we did.
For us Positano was only worth a short day visit, we spent a few hours there and that was plenty- it was crowded, full of expensive shops and cafes, very steep. The ferry will not run if weather is inclement so your transportation options there are limited, whereas Amalfi is the transportation hub. That might present a problem on your departure day getting to Salerno.
Amalfi felt more real to us.

I like your plan of train from Salerno to Rome- we did something similar but went from Salerno to Venice.
You might consider adding a night in Salerno and visit Paestum, which is what we did- one of our favorite days. Easy train ride, the temples are magnificent and the museum is worth some time.
Salerno is a nice little town, lovely waterfront, not touristy at all, very walkable, good restaurants and an interesting historic center. Really fun passegiatta every evening.

Curious as to why you are staying in Naples rather than Sorrento- unless you've already been to Sorrento?
Nothing wrong with Naples but Sorrento is quite nice for a laid back few days with easy access to so many other places, great restaurants, beautiful views.

We did Sorrento 4, Amalfi/Ravello 3, Salerno 2

We were very pleased with Mondo Guides www.sharedtours.com- used them for Pompeii and Capri.

I highly recommend that you take the bus up to Ravello, a beautiful place with amazing views. I agree with comments about Positano, crowded, overpriced.

Christine, thank you for the detailed response, really helpful!
Never been to Sorrento but from some of the research I've done, not sure if there is much to do over there? I figured for a few nights, Naples would be a bit more entertaining? Good food, sights we are interested in seeing plus the Archaeological museum and to easily trip over to Pompeii. Thought it would be a good mix since Positano would be our laid back downtime.

I do get the sense that not many people enjoy Naples however, would you suggest otherwise?

Might have to look more into staying in Amalfi rather than Positano. I know my wife is really interested in Positano, so really it's her call on that decision.

Naples does have vastly more to do than Sorrento. People don't like it for the obvious reasons--chaotic, loud, etc.--but if you are going for the culture and history, few places can hold a candle to it. Of course it makes sense that some people want a more relaxed place that has convenient day trips on a vacation, but you have a nice balance if you stay ON the coast and also in cities.
Since you have Rome and Naples on the agenda, a few days relaxing in Positano is a good idea. In addition to visiting the other villages, there are boat trips, cooking classes, that kind of thing. Hiking was the main draw for me. If that is not of interest, let her indulge her relaxation fantasy and take a day trip to Salerno, and you can possibly even go to Paestum if you don't mind a long day out.
Ferries usually end sometime in October I think.

Nothing wrong with your plan, it sounds fine.

I'm a big fan of Sorrento, especially in shoulder season when it's possible you'll have a few rainy days. I would actually bases the whole time (8 nights) there and do day trips. Every place you mention - Naples, Pompei (and don't forget Herculaneum), Procida/Ischia, Postano, Amalfi, Ravello - they are all easy day trips from Sorrento. The benefit to doing that is if you do get some bad weather days you can use those for things like Naples and even Pompei which are enjoyable even if the sun isn't out and use the beautiful days for the coastal villages.

Of course there are advantages to splitting the time. If you do choose that I'd go with Amalfi over Positano. I agree with the other poster who said that while it's absolutely beautiful, it's crowded, full of expensive shops and very steep. Go see it, but stay in Amalfi (if you aren't staying in Sorrento).

MayNy-

We’ve not been to Naples…yet. We are staying there for 1 night between Orvieto and Sorrento in September.
We had planned to day trip after our Pompeii visit but it was pouring down rain that day (May 2019) and after trekking around Pompeii with dripping ponchos, wet shoes etc we just wanted to go back to our place in Sorrento and get dry. We regretted not seeing Naples, thus the 1 night stay this year.
We figure we better go there first before we get to Sorrento and blow it off again! lol
Looking forward to visiting the lemon grove that was closed when we were there.

You mentioned liking “quaint and charming walkable cities” and to me that is the perfect description of Sorrento.
Not sure what kind of night life you are interested in, while in Sorrento we just enjoyed wandering the little alleys, cafe sitting, watching the sunset on the bay with views of Vesuvius, having a good dinner at a cozy restaurant, etc. I can guarantee you we were highly entertained.

Amalfi is much more walkable than Positano, we stayed at a hotel on water level just to avoid having to climb steep steps to/from our lodgings every time we came and went. We had a small sea view balcony, could watch the boats coming and going, etc. It was perfect for us. Others prefer to stay high up on the hill. There is a beach- but it is rocky, as is Positano.
The duomo is beautiful and the cloister/museum is worth the small entrance fee. We really enjoyed sitting at a cafe in the tiny piazza at foot of the duomo just watching the sun shine on the facade. So quiet in the evening.
There is also the paper mill and the cemetery up on the ridge- (there is an elevator to get you up there)

We took the bus to Positano- I have never been car sick in my life but if that bus ride had lasted 5 more minutes I would not be able to claim that. Walked down thru the town, visited the cathedral, then down to port and had a mediocre overpriced pizza for lunch. Took the ferry home. That way we avoided having to hike back up to top and ride that bus again. The ferry ride was spectacular.

We took the open air bus up to Ravello for an overnight and glad we did that, it was a bit of a splurge but our room had that iconic Amalfi coast view. Fabulous. That allowed us time to walk out to Villa Cimbrone which is not to be missed, views to die for. The town was so quiet after about 5 pm.