My daughter, 3 grandchildren & I are driving from Rome to Positano for a day and a half side trip to this beautiful town. We will arrive sometime after noon and will be leaving the next afternoon, so essentially we have only 1 day to enjoy this area. I plan to bring the kids to one or more of the beaches and wanted to ask which one(s) would be recommended. We arrive on a Friday, so I suspect there will be crowds. Does anyone have any other recommendations in terms of activities and restaurants? Thank you for any help you might be able to give.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
12026 posts
Presumably your lodging has parking? It looks like your trip is in July, so max crowds season.
Given the geography of the area the beach closest your lodging may be the default choice. Otherwise ask your lodging host/mgr for a recommendation.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
8016 posts
All beaches in Positano are pebbles, and the water tends to be cool. Beach chairs require payment. I've only been to the closest beach to downtown, but posters here know some more secluded. If your visit is in high season, you should expect extreme difficulty in parking and getting a room, if you don't already have the rooms. We had a car-and-driver to visit from our hotel in Sorrento, but I would not recommend that you use the car after parking the first time. (All I mean is that we didn't have to think about parking.) Also note that Positano has hundreds of steps, in case any of the grandchildren are very young. There is only one, two-lane road in and out of Positano, and it backs up even when busses don't have trouble getting around the turns, and have to stop.
A land-route (that is, a road with no view of the Gulf for most of the trip) has been mentioned here, but you may have to use the search box (top center) to find those posts. Between May and September, it might be worth avoiding Sorrento and the really slow part of the drive. You will presumably have plenty of time for on-foot views of the Gulf during your 1 day visit.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16687 posts
If your visit is in high season, you should expect extreme difficulty
in parking and getting a room,
Linda, accommodation is a concern of of mine as well if you haven't already booked something for this July. It could be particularly hairy as you have 5 people. Have you booked?
Posted by
Portland
3647 posts
I didn’t see any mention of the kids’ ages. Besides the beach, there isn’t all that much that young kids will enjoy there. And, as someone has already mentioned, the beach is pebbles. Before committing to the trip, I’d consider whether everyone will be happy.
If you do go, don’t opt for the Emerald Grotto trip. It is the worst tourist ripoff you could ever imagine.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16687 posts
Rosalyn, the kids are teenagers: 12, 14, & 15. (picked that up from a different post)
Linda, another question? This from a previous post:
Does anyone know how many toll roads we will encounter on a car ride
from Rome to Positano, and then from Positano to Pompeii and from
there to Fiumicino?
Are you thinking of driving from Positano to Fiumicino with a stop in Pompeii on the same day of your departing flight? Also, how many nights will you be spending in Rome?
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
8016 posts
I would add to Kathy's last question, what time is your flight out of FCO? Almost no one can leave Positano and fly transatlantic the same day. Positano is too far and too isolated (not "remote", just Isolated.) Traffic, southern Italy infrastructure austerity, and unexpected road conditions are issues, even out of high season. Missing a flight for four people is not a minor matter.