[Travel] Amalfi / Positano / Capri

LANGDON SEAGULL said:

in addition to what has been already said, Ravello as also a beautiful place to visit - a bit further up from Positano. I’ve done this trip a few times and have always based myself in Sorrento. Napoli is a gritty, fun city and if you go there, visit the Underground city caves. As previously said, Capri is a day trip and is very expensive, and I preferred Herculaneum to Pompeii. Remember to take the climb up Vesuvius as well. I also visited a limoncello distillery in the hills around Sorrento which was fun

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We holidayed in Ravello. T'was wonderful. Went to naples, pompei, positano, amalfi, scala, maiori, minori from there

All using public transport (buses, boat, coach etc)


Ravello has some fantastic 5 star hotels and friendly family run trattoria. All kinds of accommodation for all budgets

As per other posts we used Sorrento as our base. Used the train to Pompeii and Herculanium, day trip to Capri by ferry. Car hire from Naples was fine but the roads on the Amalfi coast are narrow so don’t hire anything too big.

Vico Equense is an option for hotels and eateries too. Possibly the most picturesque of the places I visited. You can get a bus from there up into the hills to Santa Maria Del Castello (which is worth a wander around) and then walk an hour walk down to Positano. There’s a tiny beach in a cove right in Positano called Spiaggi di Fornillo where you go ring a bell and food and booze is lowered down from a bar on the cliff above. We caught the ferry boat for about €20 to Sorrento from there. No real beaches in Sorrento though. All on jetties.

My dad had a Capri

Randy McNob said:

Trying to book an anniversary break here, never been, advice welcome from those that have

Is Positano Worth the almost prohibitive accomodation prices?
Is it worth staying in Capri or just doing a day trip?
What's the best way / method of travel from Naples airport?
Any other advice? I know renting a car is a bad idea

Any advice greatly appreciated

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Sorento is a better option for numbers of hotels, restaurant's it’s convenient for the train, boat and coach trips all giving easy access to the Amalfi coast and it’s dramatic road to Positano which is really beautiful but it’s very small and quite isolated as for Capri it’s alright but unless you have the millions that opens doors you will not see that much in my opinion Positano and Capri are good for a day trip but I would not choose to stay in either.

The whole area is incredibly rich in history Pompeii and Herculaneum are a must as is the national history museum in Naples.

we stayed in a hotel high on a cliff looking down on Sorento which was lovely with gardens right up to a shear drop with no fence but a great place to sit in the evening sipping a nice wine watching the maniac driving and the almost constant stream of scooter riders being ferried into the hospital below.

If you like to get out and explore away from the crowds on foot then it’s difficult as the whole Amalfi coast almost impossible walk along the coast as hotels and homes build up to the cliff so although the views are magnificent walking along the water front is not possible neither is walking out of anywhere as the pavements stop where the town ends and turn into very narrow twisting roads with no pavments.

if you like beach holidays then again this area might not provide what you are looking for

Sorrento is nice and safe place and as I previously mentioned provides good travel links but it’s also a place day trippers and cruise ships visit so is often heaving between 10:00 and 16:00

Naples and Herculaneum both have some very poor areas and crime is quite prevalent with pickpockets and mugginess so stick to the main streets and have your wits about you

However if you enjoy history, magnificent vistas, sitting with a cold drink or coffee, great food then this is a fabulous place to visit in my opinion five to seven days is enough time to see all that the Amalfi coast has to offer

So many options in this area. Would support the Salerno stay option for savings costs if that is important. Would also go with car and just drive with an Italian mindset!! Capri, Ravello, Positano, Amalfi, Pompei, Herculaneum are great days out. Food and drink fantastic. If you like a hike then I can recommend “Path of the Gods” or “Sentiero degli Dei Praiano”. About 5-6 hour return if you don’t do the 700 steps down into Positano. Start with a coffee in Crazy Burger Bar Paninoteca (Agerola). The owner cut grapes for our journey. Meal after was mostly his own produce but go late lunch to avoid the local kids in the evening. Car park or bus stop opposite.

We stayed in Sorrento as it's quite central to most things.
Capri is only worth a day trip, very little to do there that's warrants a stay.
Pompeii, Vesuvius and especially Herculaneum are all worth a visit.

As an aside, be wary on the trains if you use them. C**ty kids will try and relieve you of anything you're not paying attention to. Saw a bloke absolutely larrup a chavvy scumbag for trying to nick his suitcase.
We also got on the wrong train and ended up in the Italian Croydon where everyone looked like they wanted to rob and stab you.
See attached photo of the train on the Italian Croydon central line.

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The catacombs in naples are worth a visit. You start at the top of the hill and work your way down. When you get to the bottom go under the viaduct to the poor pat of town and get a decent priced beer.

If you're into your Romans, also check out Villa Poppea.