One week on the Amalfi Coast

Sorrento is a good hub; it is easier to get to Pompeii and everywhere else from there.

Positano is where you want to stay, if you want to be on the Amalfi Coast but also have an easy boat link to Capri or also Amalfi, and other locations. Praiano is nice but I wouldn’t base myself there without a car or motorcycle.

Although Sorrento is very popular with many people here, primarily for logistical reasons (train link to Pompeii and Naples, frequent boat service to Capri and Naples), however Sorrento technically is not on the Amalfi Coast (which is only the southern coast of the Sorrento Peninsula) and in my opinion Sorrento lacks the quaintness of Positano and the other Amalfi Coast towns.

Is there ferry service from Praiano? I seem to recall that there isn't, and that's why it's not such a perfect base. There are two SITA bus lines along the coast, one between Sorrento and Amalfi, the other between Amalfi and Salerno. In September buses can be crowded and lines can be long, maybe for ferries too. My guess is that the number of people getting on the bus in Positano to Amalfi will not be more than the number of people getting off in Positano. Getting on the bus in either direction from Praiano may be even harder. Ferries are likely to be faster, since traffic on the single 2-lane road along the coast can be really slow.

Consider splitting your time, staying in Sorrento to see Capri and Pompeii, then moving to the AC for the rest.

No, there's no ferry service to Praiano, which is why I wouldn't choose it as a base either. Positano is OK but I couldn't personally do it for a week, and it's sort of a pain to do Pompeii from there. Ferry service is more frequent to Capri from Sorrento, and more reliable than from Positano as rough seas can make it temporarily unsafe for boats to dock there.

I like Chani's suggestion to split your week between Sorrento and another location on the A.C. Although not everyone's cuppa, we liked Sorrento and thought the view of the Gulf of Naples from its perch above was plenty scenic.

One caution? Most of us would advise staying close to your airport of departure the night before an international flight. Having had to get up at serious o-dark-thirty and take a cab to Naples for an early plane out (trains from Sorrento not running at that hour), that's not an experience I'd repeat again.

Kathy & Chani know their stuff. Stay 3-4 nights in Positano and then 3-4 nights in Sorrento, Vico Equense or Salerno. Pros & cons to all three of those places.

I liked amalfi a lot better than positano. We stayed in sorrento, then amalfi, and finally positano. If I had to do it again I would have split time between sorrento and amalfi and just day tripped to positano.

I’m in agreement with others here, splitting up your week between Sorrento and Positano is a good solution. Transportation can take a while around this region, at least enough to make a trip to Pompeii either really easy or quite wearying. You want to minimize your travel time. Sorrento is nice and you won’t regret spending a couple nights there. I’ll throw in that Capri was an easy day trip between Sorrento and Positano.

Do you want one base (which would imply Sorrento, which is larger and not on the AC), or are you okay with more than one (Then what is your preference--city, village, in between)?
Does your arrival or departure time require a night in Naples, presuming you are arriving there by air?
As an alternative to Sorrento, the towns at the mainland end of the AC are close enough to day trip to Pompeii from (*as opposed to Amalfi/Positano, which are far for a day trip), and also put you close to Salerno for a Capri ferry.
Praiano is not convenient for day trips, as it has no ferry and requires a bus change for Amalfi.

Thank you all for great perspective. We appreciate your insight.

Splitting your week makes a lot of sense. We stayed in Pompeii one night on our way to the Amalfi Coast, then spent 4 nights in an airbnb in Positano, but I think Amalfi would also be good. Ferries made it easy to get to Capri, Amalfi, Ravello. I would not want to base in Sorrento for a whole week, but part of the week should work well.

Really good advice here. Note that even Positano is a bit out of the way. (That's why you're going there.) Many travelers don't allow enough time to get to FCO, if that is their next destination after Positano. Even Sorrento is about three hours and "three seats" from FCO. Plus a taxi to the Circumvesuviana if necessary.

Tim is right. Our friends didn't allow enough time to get to Rome from Positano and missed their flight.

Thanks all for your perspectives. It is very helpful.

We stayed in Praiano in early April 2018, at La Maurella. When planning our trip I thought of staying in Sorrento at first but someone in this forum mentioned Praiano. After some research we chose this location and was very pleased. Easy access to Positano, Ravello, and the Town of Amalfi. We visited Capri as well. Sorrento is a little bit off the path. Enjoy, it’s spectacular,,