Could you please share the name of the tour company you used for Amalfi Coast

[gam888]

I got a few quotes and Anthony from Amalfi Transfer Service seems to be more reasonable than the others. Has anyone used his service before?

[wineluvr]

We have used Daniele and Remo at Driver in Rome three different times for a full day tour of the Amalfi Coast (Sorrento, Postitano, Amalfi). His company is FANTASTIC. They were able to get us into the Il San Pietro Hotel to take photos of Postitano when other tour companies were not allowed to enter. http://www.driverinrome.com

[sammiedawg]

We have done 2 private tours of Amalfi, the second one was great with Marcello of Seesorrento. Very passionate about his region, informative, loves Americans and patrons of CruiseCritic.

[skoi13]

We toured with Marcello from See Sorrento as well. Two families, with kids ranging from 8 to 16. We had a great time. As sammiedawg says, he's very passionate about his region, and I found him to be funny and knowledgeable. Also very flexible.

 

Have a great trip.

[elpam]

We used DriveAmalfi.com and were very happy with them. It is too far to do on your own. One word of advice, though, ask the driver to save more time for Ravello. It is at the end of the tour, and we didn't feel we had enough time there. Particularly for the Cimbrone Gardens. We did not really like Amalfi (the town) that much and suggest you skip it. It was very crowded and we didn't appreciate it. Positano is wonderful too.

[whale-watcher]

Giovanni Gargiulo of tourofitaly.com

 

We were delighted with our day, and were able to arrange an itinerary that met our needs.

[fllchick]

like many others we also used Rome in Limo..the tour was fantastic..the lunch in Positano was the best of our entire trip. I would recommend you ask to do Pompeii first!! Enjoy and I look forward to doing it again!!

 

We were also with Rome In Limo (Raffaele) for an awesome day. I laughed reading this post because it's been almost a year and we still talk about that lunch in positano. What a great day!

 

We actually did Pompeii last, and it worked out fine. We also went last October, so we didn't have the heat to deal with. We also booked a private guide for Pompeii through RIL and she was amazing (Antonella).

[soxfan1495]

We used Marcello Maresca, and could not be happier with our choice. We were with another family of four, including children ages 10-13. Marcello met us promptly at the ship and took us on a full day tour along the Amalfi coast. The van was new and comfortable and afforded a wonderful opportunity to see the stunning scenery of the region.

 

Marcello showed us the real Amalfi Coast, and a highlight was the wonderful lunch on a hillside overlooking the ocean. When Marcello learned that our daughter has a food allergy, he immediately went to the kitchen and arranged to have other delicious items brought to our table. The lunch was a feast - our best meal of the vacation (and it was not too expensive).

 

As others have said, Marcello is passionate and has a sense of humor. He really seems to enjoy his work. He also set us up with a very good tour guide in Pompeii. We would recommend him without reservation.

[Atwell]

Got a few quotes for the 5 of us for the Amalfi coast tour without Pompeii (seen it before). Pick up and return to the Naples port. It around 300 Euros. I have heard of Limo in Rome before but they are a lot more expensive. Could you please share your experience with us regarding what private company you used from Naples. I think we would spend the money on a tour in the Amalfi coast, and when we get to La Spezia, we will pass on Cinque Terre and perhaps take a train to Pisa. Would you say the scenery is more stunning in the Almafi coast? Other ports we will be visiting this August are: Malta, Tunisia, Rome, Naples, La Spezia, Corsica, Villefranche, Barcelolna. Any tour information are welcome. We will try to do DIY tours in the other ports. Seems like Amalfi is the most difficult to get around because of the distance involved.

 

We just returned last week from two weeks in the Mediterranean. We took a day tour of the Amalfi Coast (Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello) with Umberto of Benvenuto Limo. He was fabulous. You can read more reviews on Benvenuto Limo on the Trip Advisor.com web site. You definitely do not want to do this on your own because of the roads and traffic.

[jandlwilson]

We used AP Tours. I chose this tour as they offered an option to take the ferry from Sorrento back to Naples. Vittorio was our driver and we were very pleased. We started our day in Pompeii but he was willing to cater to anything we wanted for the day. After Pompeii we started our drive along the Amalfi coast. The weather was not perfect as it was very cloudy but there was no rain. I am sure this area is even more impressive on a clear day. Vittorio made several stops at scenic areas and we spent some time shopping in Positano. We had a late lunch reservation high above Positana at La Tagliata and lunch was plentiful and tasty and the views from our table overlooking the city were breathtaking. Vittorio checked several times on the ferry schedule during the day as the seas were choppy and he suggested that he drive us back to Naples. This was out the way for him as he lives in Sorrento and could have easily dropped us off and not had to drive another 45 minutes to Naples and back home.

[dot73]

I just got back from a Noordam cruise and our last stop was in Naples. As a special treat, I booked AP Tours for an Amalfi excursion for just my mother and I. We were very lucky to have Vittorio as our guide.

 

My mother does not usually tolerate the winding roads too well and at the beginning of the excursion, I asked Vittorio to take it easy on the speed especially on the curves, which he did, and my mother had a delightful trip and was never afraid.

 

We chose to do only the Amalfi coast on this excursion. The drive was amazing and we stopped in Ravallo (my favourite), Positano, and Sorrento. We chose not to take the ferry from Sorrento and were driven back to the dock in plenty of time for departure.

 

I cannot say enough good things about Vittorio. He treated my mother like she was his own mama. He was always there to help her in and out of the van and asked if there was anything else he could do for her. Vittorio was also very knowledgeable about the area and we learned a lot. I would highly recommend TP Tours and Vittorio.

[Valerie Cruiser]

We used DriveAmalfi in October, 2011. The trip was wonderful. Saw Herculaneum, Ravello, Sorrento and Amalfi. Reserved for 8 people, had a roomy van with a driver and guide. The driver was so cautious, we felt completely safe on those hilly, hair pinned turning roads. Our guide, Nicholas, was very informative and stopped at so many beautiful spots. He chose our lunch stop which was overlooking the water and the food was great. I highly recommend DriveAmalfi.

[texancruzer]

Just returned from our third visit to Naples - used APTours again (2nd time) and had another spectacular day.

 

Alberto picked us up and took very good care of us. AFter Pompeii, Ravello, and Amalfi we were headed to Positano and then to Sorrento where we were to take the ferry back to Naples. Upon arriving in Positano we saw smoke on the other side...... after numerous phone calls Alberto determined there was a brush fire and the road was closed. We ended up having to drive back to Naples but he got us back with plenty of time to spare.

 

This company knows what they are doing. They are professional in every way and provide a high quality for a reasonable price.

 

Thank you guys !!!! I know you will see this !!!

[Carolyn R]

I can personally recommend Vito and Carmine at seeamalficoast.com and Fabrizio at allarounditaly.net Both are excellent and very prompt and responsive to emails. Ask to stop at da Costantino in Positano for a wonderful lunch with heart-stopping views!

[twopats]

I can personally recommend Vito and Carmine at seeamalficoast.com and Fabrizio at allarounditaly.net Both are excellent and very prompt and responsive to emails. Ask to stop at da Costantino in Positano for a wonderful lunch with heart-stopping views!

 

I attempted to send an email to allarounditaly.net but it would not go through. We are searching for a tour company to leave from Livorno and include some of the Tuscany picturesque towns and perhaps Florence as well. Any suggestions? Trish

[Carolyn R]

I attempted to send an email to allarounditaly.net but it would not go through. We are searching for a tour company to leave from Livorno and include some of the Tuscany picturesque towns and perhaps Florence as well. Any suggestions? Trish

 

allarounditaly.net is the website not the email address. If you go to the website you will see how to contact Fabrizio. Tell him Carolyn sent you!

[TLCOhio]

As some suggested and did, we used RomeInLimo. Worked very, very well. Here are details and visuals from our Saturday, June 11, adventure from Naples. This is especially to spotlight our great guide-driver from Romeinlimo, Carmine! Our group of eight experienced a totally wonderful day. First, it was driving through the mountains south of Naples that they call “the little Switzerland” as we moved towards Ravello. Carmine told us about his love of Naples and this whole area. There were great Italian songs on the CD as we went through the mountains. Carmine stopped to get and share some fresh fruit from a roadside stand and told us a few jokes, including what Italians view as what the letters in the name of their car company, FIAT, mean. He said that car name means “Fix It Again, Tony”. F. I. A. T.!! We were riding in a nice Mercedes van.

 

When in the Naples-Amalfi area in 1999, we had not seen this part of the region. We previously had lunch overlooking the beach at Chez Black in Positano, but we had not gone farther east from that point to see these areas that we reached this year. It was wonderful to see so much more during this visit. Ravello overlooks the Gulf of Salerno and the Mediterranean. Ravello is famed as a place where Wagner composed many music pieces, famous (Gore Vidal) lived/wrote at La Rondinaia (The Swallow's Nest) and many others visited for the great views. Then we went through several of the charming towns along this coast, including Atrani and Amalfi, traveling narrow, twisted routes with steep terraces above and below us. It was great to have Carmine do the driving while I was taking pictures and the others enjoyed the great views and sights. We wanted to have lunch in a smaller, less tourist place and Carmine came up with the perfect, super scenic location.

 

Our lunch location was right above Positano as the sun came out in full force to offer the best views one could ever hope for or seek. Lunch? It was a super treat, family-style, plus views, wine, drinks, etc.!!! Then, we drove to the Bay of Naples side, through parts of Sorrento on the way to the historic area of Herculaneum. Great and enjoyable day. Just wanted to make sure that Carmine and Romeinlimo got proper credit for doing a wonderful job that was a highlight of our trip. Here are more pictures to document that it was really as great as claimed.

 

Ravello sits high above the water overlooking the great views of the Amalfi Coast. This charming town of 2500 people has many interesting buildings. Shown is a sample of its structures, flowers and views to nearby, terraced hillsides. In the summer months, the "Ravello Festival" takes place in Ravello. The Festival started in 1953 in honor of Richard Wagner, who did inspired writing at this location. Ravello was founded in the 5th century as a shelter location against Barbarian invaders at the end of the Western Roman Empire. In the 9th century Ravello was an important town of the maritime republic of Amalfi. In the 20th century, many famous artists, including Virginia Woolf, Greta Garbo, Joan Mirò, Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams and Leonard Bernstein, visited and stayed in Ravello.

 

We had visited Pompeii on our 1999 trip to the area and we wanted to sample Herculaneum on this second visit. Herculaneum was a nearby luxury resort town for the elite of the Roman empire. Pompeii would still probably be the first-choice as its variety and options are more there. Plus, bigger crowds. Herculaneum was nice option to do for our re-visit and it good to be able to see it without battling large numbers of other people.

 

Happy to answer any added questions, post more visuals, etc. Don't be shy!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Back from a June 7-19 Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 53,713 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

As he drove through the “Little Switzerland” mountains, our guide Carmine was driving, singing, telling us fun stories, making sure we did the right and best photo stops, etc. :

 

 

 

Ravello has many nice ceramics shops with locally-made pieces of many sizes. Here is the owner making a welcoming toast to come in and shop.:

 

 

 

Just west of Ravello is this coastal town of Atrani with this distinctive church tower and other buildings shown.:

 

 

 

Overlooking Positano along the Amalfi Coast, this is the view as we dined, family-style for lunch, at La Tagliata during our private tour for our small group through RomeInLimo. The views here were super and the sun came out in strong force as we enjoyed our three-course lunch with local wine and drinks. Their website is http://www.latagliata.com.:

 

 

 

Amalfi is a key and historic town that gives its name to this famed and scenic coast surrounded by dramatic cliffs and spectacular scenery.. Between 839 and around 1200, the Duchy of Amalfi existed as major maritime and trading power. It rivaled Pisa and Genoa in domestic prosperity and maritime importance, before the later rise of Venice and Amalfi’s defeat by the Republic of Pisa. The Amalfi Coast is known for its production of limoncello liquor. Its lemons are grown in terraced gardens along the entire coast. In the 1920s and 1930s, Amalfi was a popular holiday destination for the British upper class and aristocracy. In 1997, the Amalfi Coast was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a cultural landscape. Below is a few of the town of Amalfi from its western side.:

 

 

 

We are getting ready to enter Herculaneum's main market area and this is part of the overall view for this section of the super historic town.:

 

[sippican]

I attempted to send an email to allarounditaly.net but it would not go through. We are searching for a tour company to leave from Livorno and include some of the Tuscany picturesque towns and perhaps Florence as well. Any suggestions? Trish

 

After reading reviews on Tripadvisor we boooked Simply Amalfi from Salerno. Wish we could give them an enthusiastic recommendation but can't; the tour fell far short of our expectations. We should have booked RIL for all three tours.

[samavarcruiser]

After reading reviews on Tripadvisor we boooked Simply Amalfi from Salerno. Wish we could give them an enthusiastic recommendation but can't; the tour fell far short of our expectations. We should have booked RIL for all three tours.

 

PLEASE tell us more, detailed review will be appreciated :)

[sippican]

PLEASE tell us more, detailed review will be appreciated :)

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187780-d1818132-Reviews-or10-Simply_Amalfi_Private_Tours-Amalfi_Amalfi_Coast_Campania.html#REVIEWS

 

Please see review "A Disappointing Day" posted 10/5/11.

I posted my review there since there is little mention of the company on these boards, and that is where we first heard of them. When I had a follow-up conversation with the owner, she defended the driver and asked us to please give them another chance if we ever visit the area again.

I do hope we have the opportunity to visit the Amalfi Coast (as envisioned) someday, but we will choose another company.

[euro cruiser]

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187780-d1818132-Reviews-or10-Simply_Amalfi_Private_Tours-Amalfi_Amalfi_Coast_Campania.html#REVIEWS

 

Please see review "A Disappointing Day" posted 10/5/11.

It sounds like they should have adjusted the plan when you notified them that you would be docking in Salerno rather than Naples. Given your desire to see Herculeneum, the change of port makes a huge difference.

 

While I recognize that one of the benefits of using a private limo service is letting them do the planning work for you, as a consumer you do assume additional risk when you purchase anything, goods or services, unprepared. The seller has all the power when you have little or no information on your side, so you are at their mercy. Sometimes you get lucky and everything goes according to plan, but other times stuff happens (traffic, road closures, weather, etc.) and if you are unprepared to participate in the decision making, disappointment is likely.

 

The drivers want to make the customer happy since that translates directly into money in the form of a tip. Ultimately, however, what they most want is the opportunity to work another day. An unhappy customer who gets back to their ship on time may mean little or no tip but a customer who misses their ship means no job the next day (or any day thereafter with that employer). They will always err on the side of disappointing you rather than risk not getting back to the port on time.

[sippican]

It sounds like they should have adjusted the plan when you notified them that you would be docking in Salerno rather than Naples. Given your desire to see Herculeneum, the change of port makes a huge difference.

 

While I recognize that one of the benefits of using a private limo service is letting them do the planning work for you, as a consumer you do assume additional risk when you purchase anything, goods or services, unprepared. The seller has all the power when you have little or no information on your side, so you are at their mercy. Sometimes you get lucky and everything goes according to plan, but other times stuff happens (traffic, road closures, weather, etc.) and if you are unprepared to participate in the decision making, disappointment is likely.

 

I get your point, but the fact is, many of our fellow cruisers were able to see much more than we did in spite of traffic, road closures, etc, with other companies. At no time did we leave the planning soley to them. I had done tons of research and was not "unprepared" to participate in the planning as you surmise, or armed with little or no information. I was an active participant in the planning right up to our first conversation on the dock, when we were informed that our itinerary was not possible. We all agreed to cut out a visit to Positano. When I made the change as to the docking location, the owner told me - "No problem."

Our other four private tours on this trip were exemplary - so we had standards of comparison.

I disagree that disappointment is likely for those unprepared to participate in the decision making. A good company delivers a quality expereince to all types of consumers, even when confronted with challenges.

[samavarcruiser]

I get your point, but the fact is, many of our fellow cruisers were able to see much more than we did in spite of traffic, road closures, etc, with other companies. At no time did we leave the planning soley to them. I had done tons of research and was not "unprepared" to participate in the planning as you surmise, or armed with little or no information. I was an active participant in the planning right up to our first conversation on the dock, when we were informed that our itinerary was not possible. We all agreed to cut out a visit to Positano. When I made the change as to the docking location, the owner told me - "No problem."

Our other four private tours on this trip were exemplary - so we had standards of comparison.

I disagree that disappointment is likely for those unprepared to participate in the decision making. A good company delivers a quality expereince to all types of consumers, even when confronted with challenges.

 

I totaly agree with you, thanks for sharing your experience with us.

Can you also please add your exprience with other tour companies?

[tinaclose]

We used Amalfi-Drive Limousine Service for transportation and tours when we were in Positano a few years ago. (http://www.amalfi-drive.com). The owners, Fabrizio and Tony, were amazing - greeted us personally and treated our group of 12 like family for the five days we were there. I can't say enough about them. They have a 5* rating on TripAdvisor. I have booked with them again for our stop in Naples next July aboard the Crown Princess. For an all day tour for 6 people to the Amalfi coast and Pompeii including stops in Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello we are paying 95 Euros per person plus the cost of lunch. The best thing is that they are from the Sorrento area (Massa Lubrense) and they have a lot of pride in the region and love showing it to people.

[riffatsea]

HI,

Have just noticed this thread.

We used Domenico from :

http://www.privatetourinitaly.com/

He is a delightful young man! He was on time and full of anecdotes about the area. We went to Positano, had a lovely meal and then he drove us back to Naples.

He can arrange pick ups and tours from any of the other Italian ports as well! I found him very willing to listen and make any necessary adjustments that were needed. He also has experience dealing with special dietary needs like gluten free etc.