Comments on: Amalfi Coast

By: Boris

Boris — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:10:33 +0000

Hi Jessica,

Great blog, thank you for all the information. I plan on spending a few days around Amalfi coast area in mid-April, and was wondering if I should try renting a car, or am I better off relying on public transportation? How easy is it to use the buses to get around?

Thank you,

By: Jessica

Jessica — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 02:42:44 +0000

The Naples Airport is your best bet to get close to the Amalfi Coast:
http://www.italylogue.com/airfare-to-naples

From there, you could take a bus to the town in which you plan to base yourself on the coast:
http://www.italylogue.com/planning-a-trip/getting-around-the-amalfi-coast.html

And then you could take a bus back into Naples and get a train from there to Florence.

With only 5 days, I’m not sure you’d have time for the Amalfi Coast, Naples, and another town in the area. You could probably spend all 5 days on the Amalfi Coast, using a few of them for day trips – to the island of Capri, to Naples, or to Pompeii. It just depends on your preference.

By: sally

sally — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 06:35:35 +0000

Ciao Jessica,
Your blog is very informative and interesting !! We are a group of 4 planning a trip to South Italy for 5 days and then Florence for 2 days, we have some difficulities to plan the trip and hope you could share your travel experiences with us.

To arrive Almafi Coast,which international airport is nearest ?

Should we travel alone the Almafi coast to Sorrento and then Naple. And take train from Naple to Florence ?

What other nearby cities in the South we should also travel ?
Many thanks.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 22:25:03 +0000

I’m afraid I don’t do trip consultation, John, but I do have friends who do that kind of work – including one who specializes in southern Italy. She’s listed here – her name is Cherrye, just tell her I sent you!
http://www.italylogue.com/moving-to-italy/expat-resources/best-italy-expat-blogs-bloggers-in-the-travel-industry.html

By: John Lamproglou

John Lamproglou — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 09:26:07 +0000

Hello Jessica,
Was wondering if you could help?
My wife and i live in Sydney Australia we are in the age bracket of 50-60 and active. We are planning a trip to Southern Italy at the beginning of August for approx. 15 days. We would like to drive thus hiring a car.
Could you please recommend various stop overs and places of interest to help us plan our trip.
Thanking you in advance, looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Regards
John and Emmie

By: Frank

Frank — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 20:17:41 +0000

Hi Kimberly,

I hope this reply finds you in time.

I just came back from a seven-day visit to the Amalfi Coast. My friends and I made Amalfi town our base, by renting a three-bedroom villa about two miles up the road from the main town square in Agerola.

The towns Sorrento, Positano, Praiano and Amalfi are lined up in that order, from east to west, and are all accessible by the same, curvy street that winds through the seaside cliffs. Driving on this street takes lots of skill, as full-size buses also use the same road, and the road is not very wide. Just to give you an idea: While riding the bus, another bus came up to us from the opposite direction, and our bus driver reached his hand out of the driver-side window and folded/collapsed the side rear-view mirror for the other bus to make more room. That was how narrow the streets were… I would say there must have been no more than three inches between the buses. All of the tourists clapped in amazement as the two bus drivers maneuvered their way past each other.

To answer your question about where to stay after Pompeii — I did notice a big campground just outside of the Pompeii ruins, though I have to say I know nothing about it. I am sure, though, that you will be able to find accommodations in Pompeii or another town near it or on the way down to Sorrento. Yes, Napoli looked very dangerous, as we spent three hours walking through town during the day… I can’t imagine how it’s like at night.

Best of luck, and have fun!

Frank

By: Kimberly

Kimberly — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 21:22:40 +0000

I'm thinking of bypassing Naples but would like to see the Amalfi coast and Pompei. What would you suggest? I'm having a little trouble understanding where Sorrento Positano and Amalfi are on the Amalfi coast drive and so am uncertain how long it would take to drive to various places. Ideally I'd like to leave Rome in the morning, go to PompeiI the same day and then take the Amalfi coast drive the next day, but where would we stay over night after leaving Pompeii if we want to avoid Naples? I'm open to any suggestions you might have. Thank you.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:53:15 +0000

Hi, Jognjan:

Thanks for your note, and I’m glad you’re finding the website helpful. Now, for your questions…

* With one week total, and three days in Rome, I’d say you could split the remaining four days between Naples and a town on the Amalfi Coast (two days each) – but you might be happier staying in one spot for such a short time and making more day-trips.

* There are organized trips to Pompeii from Naples and are run by Context Travel, my favorite tour company – they don’t run the tours every day because there isn’t always demand for them, but with a group of five you’d be enough to fill the tour. http://www.contexttravel.com/naples/tours/half-day-pompeii/PTR3491/

* There’s reason to be careful when visiting Naples, but the crime shouldn’t keep you away entirely. Did you see my article about things you should know about Naples? It addresses some of your concerns.

* I don’t do much in the way of specific hotel/accommodation recommendations, but I would say that with a group of five you might want to look into renting an apartment instead of a hotel. There are short-term rentals you can do (for a few days, even), and in addition to saving money overall on your accommodation you’d also have a kitchen in which to make a few lighter/simpler meals (which saves even more money). Cross-Pollinate is a website that has some short-term apartment rental listings for Rome, you might check there. (They don’t have Naples or the Amalfi Coast, though.) http://www.cross-pollinate.com/

* You’ll be able to get around without renting a car in that area, no problem, between the trains, buses, and boats.

* Doing laundry in Italy is the same as anywhere else – they have public laundromats, you just have to find them. They’re not always in the touristy areas, but decent guidebooks tend to mention them. But if you’re only going to be there for a week, I can’t imagine that you’d need to do laundry during your trip!

Hope that helps,
Jessica

By: Jognjan

Jognjan — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 23:25:33 +0000

Jessica: your website is really informative; thank you. We are a family of five adults looking to spend a week in Rome, Naples, and the Amalfi coast in late May 2010. We are thinking of spending three days in Rome (either at the beginning of the week or the end) and the other four days and nights divided up between Naples and the Amalfi coast. I was not thinking of spending all that much time in Naples, mostly because of the crime, until I read your “Top Ten Things to Do in Naples” article. I know my son will love the Archaeological Museum and underground Roman market, and of course, we must eat pizza! We also definitely want to see Pompei but I also want to take in some of the scenery on the coast, maybe take a few hikes, perhaps even do the day trip to Capri. Would you suggest trying to do all this based in Naples, or would it make more sense to spend two nights in Naples and another two in Sorrento or along the Amalfi coast? If the latter, where do you think is the best place to base ourselves? Also, since we are five, whatever accommodations we get need to be somewhat economical, so any suggestions there would be appreciated. (I’ve got guide books and have looked on the Internet, and after a while it gets really overwhelming!) We don’t plan to rent a car, so we’ll be dependent upon public transportation or possibly a driver. And here’s something I never see anyone ask: what is the best way to get your laundry done in Italy?

By: Jessica

Jessica — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 23:37:57 +0000

I believe it’s Positano, Lara, but I’m not 100% sure on that.