We have been to Rome, Florence, Siena, Venice and Cinque Terre and loved them all. We are taking a 10 day trip in June and are trying decide where to go next. Before looking at other countries, we would like to hear some thoughts on the Amalfi Coast are and Naples, Poistano, etc.. How does it compare to the Cinque Terre Region or would it be better to try the Lakes... We are a couple in our early 30s. We like a combo of seeing cities, small towns, some sightseeing, but mostly atmosphere, good food, and charm. Thanks.
Posted by
Johns Island, SC
172 posts
We loved our trip to Amalfi Coast and if you love small town atmosphere, good food, and charm, I think you would also. You can see pictures of our trip at our blog at; Look at our trip at a glance spreedsheet for southern italy for detailed recomendations.
Posted by
Brier, WA, USA
34 posts
If you love atmosphere, good food and charm, you will certainly love the Amalfi Coast! We just returned last night from our 3 1/2 week trip to Italy and the Amalfi Coast was my favorite part of the trip. We spent 5 nights in Sorrento as our base. Positano and Capri and absolutely breathtaking. From Sorrento you can easily jump on the Circumvesuviana and do Pompeii and Herculaneum. Easy train ride to Naples, also, if you are braver than I! I found Naples to be dirty and crazy and preferred the laid back easy style of the Amalfi! Can't compare to Cinque Terre or the Lakes region as we didn't do them this trip - they are on the top of my list for the next trip but Amalfi will always be my favorite!
Posted by
Portland, OR
1124 posts
We visited the Amalfi Coast this summer and were amazed by how beautiful it was. We stayed in Ravello at Punta Civita and loved every minute of it. The hiking is incredible, as you will walk everywhere. There were stairs and more stairs, but it was so great because we could burn off all of the extra pasta! :) Amalfi is a fifteen minute walk from Punta Civita, where you can catch the hydro-foil to Capri, Positano, Sorennto, and more. We liked Ravello (45 minute intense hike from Punta Civita) because it was less touristy than Amalfi, yet it had everything that we needed.
From here you can visit Pompeii, Herculanem, Salerno.. you will not be bored. I think Amalfi is laid out better for tourism than CT. We felt a little cramped in CT.
You absolutely must visit the Amalfi Coast!
Posted by
Vancouver, BC, Canada
191 posts
Two years ago I went to Venice, Florence, C.T and Rome. This year I returned with parents in tow and visited Rome, Sorrento, Amalfi Coast, Capri, Pompeii and Venice.
Naples is a hole, avoid at all costs, and I only saw it for a couple mintues on the way to Sorrento. Loved Sorrento great home base for exploring the area. Pompeii is incredible and a must. Sorrento itself is worth exploring. We got the public bus on the Amalfi Coast and it was not good. It was packed as full as it could be, windows were dirty so could not see anything, people were loud and scremaing and we took one of the bus times Rick recommends as one of the slower ones! I loved Amalfi, very Cinque Terre feel to it. Wasn't as impressed with Positano. We took the boat from Amalfi back to Sorrento which was great 100 times better than the bus. The Amalfi Coast scenery is stunning, I think I perfer C.T. although didn't have the same amount of time to enjoy the Amalfi Coast. C.T. feels a little easier to get orinated and get around. I thought Capri was very beautiful also a must, try to get to Anacapri, as its the prettiest part of the island.
I think using Sorrento as a base is really the best thing to do as you don't have to keep moving luggage around, and you can still see many places by doing day trips.
Posted by
Scottsdale, AZ, USA
1127 posts
It's time for you to start heading south. The Amalfi Coast is good option, or better yet, head to Sicily!
Posted by
Chicago, Illinois, USA
586 posts
Recommend Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. But hire a driver/guide for Amalfi.
Posted by
boulder, colorado
192 posts
You can't go wrong with either the lake district or the Amalfi coast. Plenty of what you are looking for in both places. The food will be a bit different. Much less pasta dishes in the lake district - more meats and Germanic foods. The Amalfi coast is more spectacular and there are alot of towns you can visit. Hiking is great in both areas. If you choose the Amalfi coast I would suggest traveling on the ferries and avoiding the bus.