Amalfi, Car & Boat?

[BeachBum1007]

I am interested in finding an Amalfi Coast excursion that allows me to take a private tour up the coast and then a boat back to Naples. We just can't settle on one or the other, must see both! :)

 

We wanted to have at least a little bit of time in the towns to explore and eat lunch.

 

We were considering RIL or AP tours, but I don't think they have a boat option. Also, we considered taking the ferry back from Sorrento, but I'm not sure of the costs (whether the price of the tour goes down and how much the ferry is)or how easy it is to do (and if the views are what I expect from boat).

 

Do we have time and does anybody have any experience doing this? Thanks in advance :)

[euro cruiser]

Any one of the car services would be happy to put you on the ferry at Sorrento rather than drive you back to Naples. Simply tell them that as you make your arrangements.

[texancruzer]

With APTours you can either pay one price to drive both ways - or - pay a bit less and take the ferry. The cost was I think 11 euros for us and our driver purchased our tickets for us (we gave him the $$) and even made sure we got on the right ferry .........

 

We did do this. Pompeii first, then to Ravello, Amalfi, Positano and then to Sorrento where we took the ferry back to Naples.

 

It was interesting to see the coast from the ferry but the views weren't nearly as stupendous as driving it looking down.

 

Hope this helps.

[Taylorgal]

Texancruzer,

Thank you for the reply. I just noticed in this thread that you did Pompeii, Ravello, Amalfi, Positano, AND Sorrento. Was that all in one day? You must have done their Tour#1. We are looking at #2 (Pompeii, Positano, Sorrento) because I thought that would be too rushed.

 

Thoughts? Did you spend a lot of time eating somewhere?

Also, I just want a little shopping thrown in. I don't even know very much about Sorrento. Would like a ceramic or 2 or 3 or 4----

 

I'm beginning to think the car drive back might be as nice as the ferry. AP Tours makes it sound like you have more shopping time in Sorrento if you ride the ferry, but timewise it looks like only 45 min. or so, anyway. Is there any shopping right at the port in Naples? It just seems with all of these tours we are booking, that this Texas gal isn't going to have any shop and buy time.

[texancruzer]

Texancruzer,

Thank you for the reply. I just noticed in this thread that you did Pompeii, Ravello, Amalfi, Positano, AND Sorrento. Was that all in one day? You must have done their Tour#1. We are looking at #2 (Pompeii, Positano, Sorrento) because I thought that would be too rushed.

 

Thoughts? Did you spend a lot of time eating somewhere?

Also, I just want a little shopping thrown in. I don't even know very much about Sorrento. Would like a ceramic or 2 or 3 or 4----

 

I'm beginning to think the car drive back might be as nice as the ferry. AP Tours makes it sound like you have more shopping time in Sorrento if you ride the ferry, but timewise it looks like only 45 min. or so, anyway. Is there any shopping right at the port in Naples? It just seems with all of these tours we are booking, that this Texas gal isn't going to have any shop and buy time.

 

Yes, all one day. We like to go-go-go. I can rest on the ship - haha ! Here is a quick rundown of our day. Right off the boat and to Pompeii (beat the crowds) with 2 hrs there. Then to Ravello (45 minutes) Amalfi (1.5 hr) Positano (1 hr) and then drive to Sorrento where we went straight to the ferry.

 

No, we opted to not have a big sit down lunch. Have read of others who do this and loved it, but we wanted more time in each village to explore and SHOP. We found a neat little trattoria in Amalfi and had a quick sit-down lunch there. Think pizza by the slice, appetizer type items and pastas. It was really good as we got a few items and shared.

 

Ravello is small, main square has some nice ceramic places and souvenir type items...... Amalfi has lots of shops with all kinds of items. Positano I didn't do much shopping as we walked down to the beach and back up. Lots of boutique type shops (clothing, pers. items etc) all along the walk down and up.

 

Here is a wonderful ceramics store..... if you can't find it here - you can't find it anywhere !!!! The website doesn't even begin to give you an idea of what they have !!!! APTours will almost always stop here for a "bathroom break" or so they say :) but it is my favorite !!!

 

http://www.mcpiccadilly.com/

 

Hope this helps.

[BeachBum1007]

With APTours you can either pay one price to drive both ways - or - pay a bit less and take the ferry. The cost was I think 11 euros for us and our driver purchased our tickets for us (we gave him the $$) and even made sure we got on the right ferry .........

 

We did do this. Pompeii first, then to Ravello, Amalfi, Positano and then to Sorrento where we took the ferry back to Naples.

 

It was interesting to see the coast from the ferry but the views weren't nearly as stupendous as driving it looking down.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Thank you everybody for your replies. Texancruzer, would you happen to have any pictures from the ferry? Also, would we miss anything by not taking the car back down?

[texancruzer]

Thank you everybody for your replies. Texancruzer, would you happen to have any pictures from the ferry? Also, would we miss anything by not taking the car back down?

 

Sorry, only 1 or 2 of the inside. It was a true ferry - not the hydrofoil. We were the only tourists on it.......full of locals going home from work. And we were there very end of November (day after Thanksgiving) so it was approaching dusk (beautiful sunset tho ) and by the time we docked in Naples right next to our ship it was almost dark..... but only a 5 minute walk to the ship. Wouldn't have been that long except we had to go along the fence to the secure dock area and go thru security and then back to the waterfront to the gangway...... but still only maybe 5 minutes.

 

As for taking the car back - you will be covering the same ground you did coming over........ so no, not really.

[Nebr.cruiser]

We used APTours in May with a group of 8 we put together on our roll call. We went to Pompeii, Ravello, brief picture stop in Amalfi, Positano and brief time in Sorrento and took the ferry back.

 

It was a great if rushed day. Our group wanted to see as much as possible, so this was our choice. Our driver would have changed things up if we wanted; for instance, he asked if we would rather have a sit-down, longer lunch in a nicer restaurant or pick up a quick meal in Ravello. We choose the latter, as eating for an hour or more would have cut our time other places.

 

We spent longer in Pompeii than planned--two hours is fast--a nice amount of time in beautiful Ravello, where we all ate individually, drove along the truly stunning coast, stopping briefly for pictures when possible.

 

We chose to stop only for pictures in Amalfi and spent maybe 45 minutes in Positano, just about enough time to walk down to the beach and back, or do some shopping. Then we drove to Sorrento, where we had 30-40 minutes before boarding the ferry, for shopping and gelato!

 

I may be mistaken, but driving back they will probably take you off the coast road and onto a larger, but not coastal highway because of time constraints. The Amalfi Coast road is not fast! We chose the ferry because we got to spend more time along the coast, rather than driving back to port. I think it cost about 11 euros each.

 

The ferry back was interesting; views were nice of Sorrento as we left and of Vesuvius as we crossed the bay, but you are not really close to the Amalfi Coast line in the way a small boat might be. The ferry crosses the bay, doesn't hug the coast.

 

It was a full but great day. I hope to go back someday and spend more time at one or two of the cities along the coastal road, but it was nice to 'see it all' (kind of) on our one day.

[BeachBum1007]

Thank you for your replies, it is much appreciated! I think we'll opt to do the ferry on the way back for a different perspective. :)

[Taylorgal]

Texancruzer and Nebr.cruiser,

Is a group of 8 too crowded with AP Tours? My husband is over 6 ft. tall. What's the configuration of the mini-van?

Also, one tour suggested starting at Sorrento and driving the Amalfi Coast and ending with Pompeii so we would be closer to the cruise port. Would appreciate your thoughts on that.

[texancruzer]

Texancruzer and Nebr.cruiser,

Is a group of 8 too crowded with AP Tours? My husband is over 6 ft. tall. What's the configuration of the mini-van?

Also, one tour suggested starting at Sorrento and driving the Amalfi Coast and ending with Pompeii so we would be closer to the cruise port. Would appreciate your thoughts on that.

 

Our first tour with them was with 8 people. It was comfortable but the van was definitely full. If you have concerns - ask them about it. Perhaps they have a 12 seater available that day.

 

Again, I would ask them about changing the order...... you will be going in Mid October when the summer rush is over...... you should be ok to do the Pompeii-Sorrento order and take the ferry back. In the summer the traffic is horrendous and it is wise to head to the furthest point and work your way back.......

[Nebr.cruiser]

I agree, the van was comfortable but full with 8 people. Perhaps you husband could sit in the front seat.

 

I did notice that those on the inside seat didn't have as great a view of the sea and cliffs as those on the outside seat. We sat three across in the row we were in; the back rows were two and two, plus one in front, I think.

 

In Oct. it might be fine to do the reverse itinerary, since crowds and heat should be better. Pompeii wasn't too bad when we got there around 8:30 or so, but the crowds definitely got worse when the ship tours got there. It wasn't that hot when we were there, but it was May 10th.

 

It depends partly on how long you are in port as well. APTours is very flexible and will work with your desires when possible. If they suggest a certain itinerary, it probably will work out fine.

[tromvest]

Could you please tell me if you did this tour Pompeii, Ravello, Amalfi, Positano, AND Sorrento through AP tours? Was this a custom made tour for you to be able to see all of these in one day? I couldn't find this exact tour on APtours website?

 

Thanks!!

[texancruzer]

Could you please tell me if you did this tour Pompeii, Ravello, Amalfi, Positano, AND Sorrento through AP tours? Was this a custom made tour for you to be able to see all of these in one day? I couldn't find this exact tour on APtours website?

 

Thanks!!

 

Yes we did all these in one day. I will add two items though.

 

First - we travel in the off season. Our first tour with them with the day after Thanksgiving and our second was early November. This allows us to do more in all the ports we visit - less crowds, less lines and less traffic. This used to be an option on their website. I would imagine they change it up a bit from time to time and especially in high season when the traffic is so bad on the coast road making this almost impossible.

 

Second - we did not have time in Sorrento but rather drove straight through to the ferry dock where Alberto bought our tickets and made sure we all got on the right ferry. All the other places we had time to explore on our own. If you look at my earlier post (#5) I explained our day. Not sure when you are going but different times of the year provide very different experiences. If in doubt, send them an email and inquire - they can tell you what can and can't be done in your timeframe for the time of year you will be there.

 

Hope this helps !

[Nebr.cruiser]

Could you please tell me if you did this tour Pompeii, Ravello, Amalfi, Positano, AND Sorrento through AP tours? Was this a custom made tour for you to be able to see all of these in one day? I couldn't find this exact tour on APtours website?

 

Thanks!!

 

For us, yes we did all of this in one day. We spent about 2.5 hours in Pompeii (were scheduled for 2 hours, but just couldn't make it that short), about and hour and a half in Ravello, where we grabbed quick meals like pizza, drove along the coast and stopped near/in Amalfi for pictures only, spent about 45-60 minutes in Positano (not really enough) and then drove to Sorrento.

 

We had about 45 minutes in Sorrento, which we spent strolling along the shopping area and eating gelato. Then our driver took us to the ferry, purchased our tickets, and made sure we got on the boat.

 

I don't think it is listed this way. They will tailor the tour, as much as possible, to what you want. For instance, we could have spent a lot more time at a sit-down, authentic-style lunch at a nice restaurant, but skipped, say Positano, except as a drive-through. It was our choice.

 

We also could choose to drive back to port, or skip some of the towns, etc. Just ask them.

[tromvest]

Thank you both for the info on touring this area. We were in Naples this May and went to Carpi for the whole day so we only got to see Positano for about 45 minutes before our hydrofoil to Capri but want to go back to see Pompeii, Amalfi, Ravello and Positano. If we go next May, we would skip Capri and do what you both did seeing Pompeii and all the towns on the Amalfi Coast. The cruise ships really need 2 days in Naples to see all of these highlights. In fact, Azamara has a fantastic itinerary that does 2 days in Naples. It's quite pricey though.

 

Thanks again.

[justjona]

Thank you both for the info on touring this area. We were in Naples this May and went to Carpi for the whole day so we only got to see Positano for about 45 minutes before our hydrofoil to Capri but want to go back to see Pompeii, Amalfi, Ravello and Positano. If we go next May, we would skip Capri and do what you both did seeing Pompeii and all the towns on the Amalfi Coast. The cruise ships really need 2 days in Naples to see all of these highlights. In fact, Azamara has a fantastic itinerary that does 2 days in Naples. It's quite pricey though.

 

Thanks again.

 

 

Hi,

 

You say you went to Capri I don't understand how you saw Positano, could you please explain. Also how did you like Capri.

 

Thanks

[tromvest]

Our tour guides picked us up in Naples, where the ship docked, and drove us to Positano. That drive took about 1.5 hours +/- . We caught a 10:25 am hydrofoil from Positano to Capri (45 Min.). We spent the whole day on Capri and then took the 4:30 hydrofoil back to Naples from Capri. The hydrofoil dropped us off right at the cruise port where it is only about a 5 minute walk to the ship.

[justjona]

Our tour guides picked us up in Naples, where the ship docked, and drove us to Positano. That drive took about 1.5 hours +/- . We caught a 10:25 am hydrofoil from Positano to Capri (45 Min.). We spent the whole day on Capri and then took the 4:30 hydrofoil back to Naples from Capri. The hydrofoil dropped us off right at the cruise port where it is only about a 5 minute walk to the ship.

 

 

WOW this sound owesome, are there alot of boats that leave Positano for Capri. Also what was the cost of the tour may I ask and the name of the tour. I realize you can`t give the tour information, would you be kind enough to e-mail me the name pierrejoe@sympatico.ca

 

Tks

Joanne

[euro cruiser]

According to the current schedule posted on www.capri.net (http://www.capri.net/en/ferry-schedule?path_id=12) there are five choices in the morning, the last at noon, and none in the early-mid afternoon.

[texancruzer]

Also what was the cost of the tour may I ask and the name of the tour. I realize you can`t give the tour information, would....

 

Tks

Joanne

 

Actually, if you ASK for the name - they can give you the information. :D

[BeachBum1007]

Thank you everyone for the information! Another quick question... What is a hydrofoil and how does it differ from a typical ferry? Should I make an attempt to get one or the other back to Naples?

 

What town would you want the most time in? I am looking for scenic views and a picturesque town to walk through. A little bit of beach time would be nice too! Oh, and a quick limoncello tasting :)

[euro cruiser]

A hydrofoil moves faster than a typical ferry and does not carry cars, only people.

[texancruzer]

Thank you everyone for the information! Another quick question... What is a hydrofoil and how does it differ from a typical ferry? Should I make an attempt to get one or the other back to Naples?

 

What town would you want the most time in? I am looking for scenic views and a picturesque town to walk through. A little bit of beach time would be nice too! Oh, and a quick limoncello tasting :)

 

The hydrofoil is a boat that hydros over the water.....meaning it rises up and skims over the top of the water.....going faster than a regular boat. The ferry was well, like big boat.

 

The towns are all unique and picturesque. But all in a different way. Ravello is up off the coast in the mountains. Has a quaint square with a large church. Amalfi is on the coast - you go thru an arch into the square and there is a large cathedral with lots of steps ! Small pedestrian roads twist and wind off this area. Positano is all up and down. Seems everything is on an incline :) Remember - what goes down must come back up !!!! This is perhaps the most scenic and has a nice beach. Lemoncello is available pretty much anywhere along this coast but we found lots of "tastings" in Amalfi ;)

[BeachBum1007]

That makes sense, thanks for the info! :)

 

I think I will request more time in Positano then, that sounds amazing!

 

What city do you leave out of to get back to Naples? Which do you take, the hydrofoil or the ferry? Are they both 11 euros each?