My family’s trip to Italy will be 15 nights in June 2018. We’ll be traveling with extended family...6 adults and 4 kids ranging in ages from 11 to 15. We’re planning to start our trip with 5 nights in Rome, them 5 nights in Florence/Tuscany, then ending with 5 nights on the Amalfi Coast. I originally thought we’d like to be in Positano, but I’m already noticing that availability for accomodations is getting picked over so I’m considering Praiano or Ravello which I’m reading may be less crowded than Positano or Amalfi. While there we’d like to do a day trip to Pompeii and Capri. The rest of the time we just want to relax by a pool or on a small beach, or a bench by the sea and take in some gorgeous scenery. We’d like a town with a few small restaurants, cafes, or shops but mostly at this point in the trip we’d just like to relax. Pictures of both areas look like they fit the bill...hoping you all who have been there before could share some experience that would help me pick the right spot to end our Italian holiday!
Posted by
11679 posts
Amalfi Coast: One is down near the water and lacks easy transportation options.-Priano. The other is up high on a cliff with great views-Ravello
Pompeii is not an easy day trip from Amalfi Coast. Stop there coming or going.
Posted by
seattle
2147 posts
Ravello is beautiful, but very touristed. I've had several Italian friends say Priano is great, but we have never been there. We spent several nights in Minori which is accessible by bus. We liked it very much.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
8043 posts
Are you already familiar with the Amalfi Coast? I ask because these high-end resort towns may not be that attractive to younger children i.e. boring. And they are both difficult to make daytrips from with public transportation. If you can be sure you will have a car and parking at your sleep-site, then you'll face fierce traffic. You certainly don't want to take the car to a ferry town for Capri. I suggest you use the Search box top center to get some general guidelines about Positano (which I know you did not name, but your two choices are more remote than Positano!) Did you know that Ravello is far from any beach? And that it's hopeless to think of parking in downtown Positano?
Be sure you have planned out all of a trip to Pompeii and your final departure day before you commit to a hotel. One reason people like these towns is that they are hard to get to.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Love the Amalfi Coast, especially Praiano and Minori.
Posted by
1067 posts
There seem to be a lot of private (Airbnb) accommodations along the coast that might be most suitable to a larger party with a pool or what not. If you’re planning on having a car (not ideal, but doesn’t sound like you’re doing too much daily travel) then these might be an option. Ravello is lovely, but rather remote and not near a beach.
Many of these towns have “private” beaches, where you have to pay a fee for a chair/towels/service. It didn’t seem outrageous to me. The town of Atrani has a small beach with actual sand, and is a cute little workaday town with some great restaurants. It’s also a short walk to Amalfi, which is the transportation hub for the AC. You can ferry or bus anywhere from there very easily. If you’re planning a day trip all the way to Pompeii, this kind of accessibility should be something to consider. Getting all the way there and back from a place like Priano or Maiori can get a little complicated.
Posted by
Washington DC
28451 posts
I have relatives (adults, no kids) who stayed in Atrani last year and really enjoyed it. They had no car.