plans for Sorrento, Amalfi Coast, Naples area

Larry,
I am flying into Rome and then taking the train to Napoli and connecting to the regional train to home base in Sorrento for 7 days. I am staying at the Piazza Tasso B&B and they also own the Plazzo Tasso and there are 3 of us so the B7B has the 3 beds. My friend spent their honeymoon there and it is not fancy but so very lovely and Silvana took great care of them. So I can report back at the end of December to let you know. Many of the larger hotels are closed in December. Then we are going to use the regional train and do day trips first to Pompei, then the Museum in Naples and of course eat alot of local pizza, then based on the weather, use the Sita bus to go to Positano, Amalfi and Ravello is a Must See I hear from a very good friend. All a new adventure so will let you know. Silicy will be amazing as the couple who spent their honeymoon, started the first 7 days in Silicy and you might need 2 weeks!! You will be going a perfect time with the weather and I would always opt for the air travel vs a 9 hour train ride, I like 2-3 hour trains actually.
Kathy

Hi Larry-

Naples is grand, gorgeous, and gritty. It's definitely worth a stop, especially if you're headed to Pompei. Visiting the archeological museum will add much depth to your Pompei visit, and stop by the Capelle Sansevero, the Veiled Christ is amazing, and there is spooky surprise in the basement...There's a good walking tour in the RS Italy book, well worth the time.

Sorrento is a great base for the region, Ulisse Deluxe is a great value, clean and comfortable. You could take an early train to Naples en route from Palermo, check your bags at the train station, spend the day exploring, and catch the Circumvesuviana train down to Sorrento. If you love Naples, it's an easy ride back up for more. Several people have cautioned me about Naples being dangerous, but I've checked my bags, put on my money belt, and had a great time wandering the city alone. Brave or stupid? Who cares, it was wonderful and worth the risk for the pizza!

Amalfi coast is gorgeous. Capri is as well, but be prepared for crazy prices. I enjoyed checking out Capri and the blue grotto, but liked Ischia even more. It is larger and has a more relaxed feel than Capri, and if you truly want a lounge day, visit Negombo to enjoy the natural hot springs. I did this as a day trip from Sorrento and returned in September for a few days on honeymoon! If you do go to Ischia and use a taxi, be sure to negotiate your rate when you get in, I learned the hard way that cabbies are willing to help you part with your euros...

Hope you have a great trip!

Hi Larry,

I am envious that you have so much time to spend in Italy! A few years ago I took the overnight boat from Palermo to Naples, it was a great experience since I had never taken an overnight boat before, but if the airfare isnt much of a price difference, it sounds like it might be the better option. I've been to Sorrento 4 times in the past 8 years or so. For me personally, I prefer Sorrento as a home base and save Naples as a day trip because it can be a little "seedy" at night. I travel with 3 of my girlfriends, so we get a little concerned about that!

One thing to consider is the time of year - May is still a little early for busy summer season, so if you stay in Sorrento, you will have more day trip/excursion options vs staying in Positano. Also, in Positano, every time you want to leave, you have to climb the big hill and wait for the bus - and that's just to get out of town...so Sorrento is much more central to stay in.

I also stayed at Ulisse Deluxe when I was there last year -its basic, but a great value and we really liked it! The hotel has a huge lobby with comfy couches so each night people would be out there on their Ipads, relaxing and catching up on Facebook and emails. We bought some Prosecco and strawberries and hung out in the lobby and met some great people. The hotel front desk also helped book our one day boat trip to Capri.

Hope this helps!

Four nights is not too long in Sorrento at all. We've stayed 7 nights, on 3 different trips and 7 nights wasn't too long. In fact, we always hate leaving. Sorrento is wonderful. Then, there are all the great day trips from there. As Tiffany said, Sorrento is the easiest town to get to other places. I'm not a fan of Capri, but love to spend time in Sorrento itself walking and exploring, then there's Positano, Amalfi, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Mt. Vesuvious and Naples.

Blue Grotto is interesting (and famous) but quite a hassle. You take a boat to Capri (expensive), then get in line to buy tickets for another boat, wait for that boat then get on, then you have to transfer to a small rowboat, spend maybe 5 min tops in the grotto, then you're forced to tip the boat rower if you want to get out of that boat after leaving the grotto and back onto the bigger boat. Takes a couple hours and I wouldn't do it again, wasn't worth it to me.

The Amalfi Coast drive is very much like Hwy 1 from Carmel south. We prefer taking a ferry (they're small, one was more like a large speed boat that held maybe 20 people) which we think is way more fun. If you do take the SITA bus from Sorrento sit on the right side of bus, and for Positano, get off at the 2nd stop in Positano.

Check out Hotel Sorrento City and Il Nido.

Sorrento is our favorite place in Italy, have fun!

Hi Larry,

I stayed at Magi House B&B when I was in Sorrento and I loved it. The rate for the Sirene Room in mid-May is about €170/night. If you select 1 person, it comes up as no availability, but for 2 people it works.