Salerno - where to go from here?

[sun16]

We are on Holland and will overnight Oct 23 to 24th in Salerno.  I've been trying to research where to go from here but am getting so much information its difficult to sort out what towns to see and how best to get there.  Our only experiences in Italy are on a prior cruise in 2019 - we were in Rome, Naples and Sicily, so not in this area at the time. We visited Pompeii at the time. We don't mind taking local transportation and would like to see the "touristy" places as well as the local towns and their culture.  I see people suggesting Sorrento, Positano and Amalfi.  I've known of Amalfi but not so much Sorrento and Positano.  Any suggestions?  We are also in Salerno for one day on November 8th for this cruise - 7:00 am to 4:00 pm    Thinking this date would be better to stay around Salerno.  ??

[euro cruiser]

The nicest part of an overnight stay is not needing to rush back to the ship in the middle of the afternoon.  Even if you want to return to the ship for dinner, you could still have pre-dinner drinks at Positano, enjoying the sunset.  (Well, to be honest Positano is facing the wrong way for a sunset, but you'll still have the lessening of the light.)

 

The ferries along the coast run through the end of October, weather permitting.

 

Schedule here:  Orari traghetti Travelmar - Traghetti veloci in Costiera Amalfitana

 

Be sure to check this schedule again just before your trip to see if they have reduced the late day ferries.  They do not run after dark.

[Zukini]

Last year, the Travelmar ferries for the Amalfi Coast ran until November 6th (weather permitting of course).  If the ferries are running for your visit, it's a very scenic run up to Amalfi (where you could also make a connection for a bus up to Ravello), or to Positano. Alternatively, you could take a train from the Salerno train station (a short walk from the port) up to Pompeii just 75 minutes away if that interests you. A longer excursion would be to take a train/bus combo from the Salerno station south to the Greek temples at the Paestum Archaeological Site.  If the ferries aren't running due to weather, it's also possible to take a bus from Salerno up to Amalfi.  I wouldn't consider Sorrento, it's too difficult to get to from Salerno.
 

While I'm sure fans of Salerno may chip in, I've never really be crazy about Salerno itself,  but that may just be a failure on my part to seek out the historic center.