Suggestions for Sorrento/Amalfi area

If we could take a ferry to Amalfi and Positano and then bus back, that'd be ideal

As one small tip, I preferred when I took the bus from Sorrento down (not up) the coast because you get better ocean views, especially if you sit on the right side (passenger side, not the driver's side) of the bus. If you take the bus back to Sorrento, you'll get better views from the driver's side of the bus, though there will be the additional lane of traffic between you and the ocean views.

Ah, thank you, that makes a lot of sense. Closer to the edge on the way down.

Visit viator.com, I did a trip from Sorrento to Conca, Amalfi, and Ravello for like $40-50. We had 2 hrs in Amalfi, another hour in Ravello. It was amazing and well coordinated, they picked us up early and dropped us off in piazza Taso. But if you want to explore at your own, then positano is beautiful and very close. Either way you cant go wrong, you will love it!

Using buses and ferries we easily visited Positano, Amalfi and Ravello, our favorite spot, in one day from Sorrento without feeling rushed at all.
We had lunch in Positano by the beach which was perfect, enough time there. You are right about the shops being very high end, but I am not a shopper.
Amalfi was so crowded when we visited due to the tour buses that parked there. I doubt if they will be there in November.
You mention not wanting to see the Blue Grotto. We spent four wonderful days on Capri without ever considering a visit to the Blue Grotto. There is so much beauty and history on the island. There are pedestrian paths you can take to viewpoints and gardens.

Capri is high end shopping but worth a trip just for the beauty and quaintness. We arent visiting Blue Grotto. Positano is not all high end shopping. We are renting a car to visit Paestum. Rental is not expensive and the 2-1/2 hour drive is easy. Amalfi and Ravello are beautiful. As someone else posted take bus to Amalfi not back. Enjoy your trip.

Thanks for the suggestion djoker.

Regarding Capri, is it worth going for just one day? How about if the weather isn’t great? For me meaning, rain

Check if there are any ferries operating in November except to Capri (which is year round). AFAIK the ferries along the AC stop service in October. I wouldn't worry about shopping, fancy or otherwise in November either, since many of the tourist shops are likely to be closing down as well by then. If you have good weather, visiting the AC in off-season is a joy. The attraction of the AC is not the villages but the natural beauty.

The only feasible way to visit Paestum from Sorrento is with a car. It's about a 2 hour drive without traffic and you would not take the scenic coastal road along the AC. On the weekends you are likely to get traffic.

If you aren't really interested in Capri, consider staying in Salerno instead of Sorrento. Salerno has these advantages over Sorrento:
- High speed trains from Rome and Naples
- medieval historic center
- one hour by bus or train to Paestum
- at the scenic end of the SITA bus lines that connect the AC towns and Sorrento
- More restaurant choices and cheaper prices for food and rooms
- Pretty seaside promenade

It wouldn't be convenient to stop in Pompeii on the way there, but it would be easy enough to drop your bags at your Salerno hotel and then take a local train to Pompeii for the afternoon - or head to Paestum (the temples are best in the late afternoon until after dark anyway). Then you'd have a full day for Pompeii with the option of spending part of the day in Herculaneum or in Salerno's historic center.

If you choose to stay in Sorrento, instead of Herculaneum (where luggage storage is doubtful and the site is a 10-15 minute downhill walk from the train station) stop in Naples (luggage storage at the station) and take the metro to the National Archaeology Museum, it's a wow.

See Ravello....it is breathtaking

If you've been to the area, what were your favorite viewpoints and
sights?

Jules, a favorite viewpoint spot in Sorrento was Villa Comunale, a park overlooking the Gulf of Naples. It's a great spot for sunset and to watch the lights twinkle on all around the bay. Yep, that's Vesuvius out there in the distance. We also enjoyed a hike down to Marina Grande to get a look at the fishing boats and some of the day's catch being hauled in.

On Capri, the hike up to Villa Jovis was fun, the ruins were interesting, and the view up there was wonderful. As well we enjoyed the chairlift to the top of Mt. Solaro (Anacapri) and the Pizzolungo walk. You do NOT need a tour to do any of these; just follow the directions/hours on in the links below. It also helps to purchase an island map at the info center when you first arrive.

https://www.capri.com/en/s/villa-jovis-mount-tiberio
https://www.capri.com/en/s/arco-naturale-and-pizzolungo
https://www.capri.com/en/s/mount-solaro-cetrella

We stayed a couple of October nights on the island, and in November a lot (but not all) of the restaurants will be closed but the crowds will very likely be lighter as well so that's a nice bonus! I'd only go if the weather was favorable, not in rain. We skipped the Blue Grotto too. :O)

https://www.capri.com/en/m/capri-island-in-november

Sounds like Ravello is a must! I've been looking at youtube videos to confirm. Sounds like the best approach would be bus to Amalfi, bus to Ravello. Visit Ravello, Visit Amalfi, then Positano. Would take a ferry back from Positano but it sounds like it won't be available. There are two lovely villas in Ravello. Rufolo and Cimbrone. Any reviews of those? In Amalfi sounds like the Cathedral is a must. I would do the paper museum, but not sure there would be time. I'll probably poke into the little shop if its open. In Positano I've not found much in the way of actual sites, though I do know it has a pretty cathedral dome. Any viewpoints I should look for?

Chani, I appreciate your extensive comments, I think we decided to do Paestum on a return trip, it might go well with Sicily? I also will do further research into luggage storage in Herculaeum, though if we have time, a better alternative would be the museum in Naples which does have luggage storage. How much time is needed for the museum?

Kathy, would Capri with just a day be fun? Weather permitting? Did you do a boat ride around the island?

Kathy, would Capri with just a day be fun? Weather permitting? Did you
do a boat ride around the island?

Jules, that's a tough question and very much up to personal preference. As I'd noted earlier, we did 2 nights in Capri (the town) versus a day trip, and our October weather was glorious....other than rain all the way from Rome to Naples and nearly to the island! No, we didn't do a boat ride as we were into exploring land versus sea so the jetboat from Naples was plenty of water time for us. Viewpoints from around Capri itself were lovely enough to have been glad to have been able to take them in on our own time, at our own speed, and dodging a lot of the crowds.

What you have going for you is that those crowds should be lighter (maybe much lighter?) in November as a fair amount of businesses will be closed and weather could be sketchy. If not into shopping (we weren't) and if willing to expend shoe leather beyond the main piazzas on a sunny day, I think a day trip would be OK.

We stayed in Positano the end of October. We found some restaurants already closing but there were still plenty to choose from. We were not into shopping---but Hiking was wonderful and just walking around and enjoying the breathtaking scenery. We spent one day exploring Ravello and Amalfi(we had already stayed in Ravello years ago but were with friends who had not been). Both villa's in Ravello are stunning and worth a visit. I think it would be a push to even do Positano, Ravella and Amalfi on the same day unless you just want to say you have been there.

We used a combination of private car/driver and bus for getting around.

Would have loved to do Capri but we were only there 4 nights and could not fit it in.

Kathy and Caugustine, thank you. I think what we'll do is very weather dependent. I'm thinking on our first day we will head to Amalfi and Ravello and only go to Positano if we have the time. Second day will be Positano or Capri. My fear is if we do Positano the second day that there might not be enough for us in Positano or Sorrento, but I'm sure we can think of something! I still will need to think of something to do if weather isn't great. Perhaps that's where the paper museum might come in. For us we can handle mist, infreqent showers, cloudy weather, as long as temps are at least 55F, though if those are the conditions, Capri may not be worth the chilly boat ride.

Jules,

Weather may be iffy-----our trip was late Oct into early Nov for 2 weeks. We planned for rain and took jackets etc. Luckily we never had to use them. But its a flip of the coin that time of year.

Have a wonderful trip!