Myself and three other travelers are planning on a trip to the Amalfi Coast next June and I am wondering the best way to see the highlights in 3-4 days. I'm not familiar with the coast and not sure of the specific towns to stay in to get the most of the trip.
Any suggestions are appreciated!
Will you have a car or use public transportation? With a car, Praiano or Ravello would be my first choices. You could visit Pompeii and Ercolano as well (easier to get to from Sorrento, not on the Amalfi Coast). Further down is Paestum (also not on the Amalfi Coast.
Right now our plan is to use public transportation since we are familiar with the public transit in Italy. However, we may consider getting a rental vehicle. I saw that there was public transit all along the Amalfi Coast, so we may consider staying in either Amalfi or Sorrento to make transit along the coast easier.
I was on the Amalfi Coast in May 2014 for four days. We also planned on using public transportation as there are buses and bus stops all along the drive and it seemed like a logical option. However, once we got there, we literally had to walk everywhere.. We went to Positano early one day and could not get a bus back to Praiano because every bus just flew by maxed out with people. We walked the entire distance back! We laugh about it now, but if I ever go again, I will hire a car service. The car service is pretty expensive for one couple which is why we didn't make that arrangement, but if you can share the expense 4 ways, that is the best option.
There is a ferry that stops at major towns along the coast.
I have been twice and had rental car both times. It is real scary for some but we did it, survived, and have great stories to tell! My sister still isn't over it..and she was just a passenger..lol..
I stayed in Praiano and outside Sorrento in Priora. I did not like Sorrento. Too many insane drivers.
I would stay Praiano again or Positano ...
If you have four days base yourself out of Sorrento and Positano. See Capri and Paestum. Hire Rick's recommended guides for an experience you won't forget. Do the coast tour.
Has anyone hired a driver before? If so, how much it is for the day? There will be 4-5 of us, so splitting the cost of a driver may be the best option.
We stayed in Sorrento 4 nights in 2007 and used Rick's driver Carmello (I think his son has taken over the business) to take us along the coast & to Paestum. If there are 4-5 of you splitting the cost, that's great. We do not regret spending the money for the day-long trip because Carmello knew good spots for photos. We had abt an hour in Amalfi to visit the cathedral and museum and had sev hours in Paestum to wander at will.
We used Sorrento Silver Star car tours in 2014. Our driver picked us up in Atrani (where we were staying) and we had 8-9 hours. To Ravello, around the 'back way' past Naples to Sorrento, Positano and then back. I think the cost was about 350 euro or so. Nice air conditioned Mercedes mini van. I'm loathe to spend that amount of money on something, but it was the best option for me, hubby and my mom to see some of the towns. And in the end, it was worth it - my mom said it was her favourite day of our Italy visit. :)
