Taxi along Amalfi Drive possible?

[juezruth]

My husband and I want to see the Amalfi Coast but cannot find another couple on our cruise (in Sorrento Oct. 15th) to share an excursion. Has anyone just used a taxi to get around the Amalfi Coast for the day?

[29pearls]

Bumping thread hoping for responses. We were also considering hiring a taxi for the day to tour the Amalfi Coast during our Naples stop in November. We've already done a Capri / Pompeii ship excursion on a previous cruise (both awesome places!)

 

We'll be there on a Sunday. My thought was to take an early train from Naples to Sorrento (looks like ferries to Sorrento stop in mid-October), and then hire a taxi to take us around the coast to Positano, Amalfi, & Ravello. Has anyone done this recently? Are taxis readily available in Sorrento? How much does the taxi run? I've looked into private companies mentioned here (APtours, SeeSorrento, DriveAmalfi...) but they seem to be quite expensive so I was hoping this would be a more reasonable alternative.

 

Silvia

[MaggieS]

How about contacting some of the companies and see if you can join an existing tour. Sometimes folks are willing to add others as it will bring the price down.

[dbh62ark]

My husband and I want to see the Amalfi Coast but cannot find another couple on our cruise (in Sorrento Oct. 15th) to share an excursion. Has anyone just used a taxi to get around the Amalfi Coast for the day?

I stayed in Sorrento in May and also used the buses and boats to see the scenery and villages along the Amalfi Coast. To be honest, I don't remember seeing a single taxi on our Amalfi Coast drives. I think the advice given by the other board member to try to join a group by contacting tour operators in the area is best, but I have seen board members joining roll call threads even a few days before sailing, so that may still be an option. A ship's excursion would be the last alternative in my book but may be the best option in your case. I don't like ship's excursions because of all the time wasted, but it is nice to sit up high in the buses to see the scenery in this area.

 

Have a great trip,

Donna

[juezruth]

I have already contacted several drivers mentioned on these threads and they said that they don't put groups together. Hmmm...I would hate to miss Positano and Amalfi.

[CAT GIRL]

Just got back from our E. Med trip and I have to say that

Amalfi was one of our most favorite stops. Before going I had

struggled with the decision to try to do it all or just concentrate

on Pompeii. I'm so glad we saw Amalfi. We used a private driver.

Those roads are really not meant for buses. After lunch in a

quaint restaurant we continued on to Pompeii. We arrived there

around 2:15. So we did manage to do both. Maybe you will meet

some cool people on your ship that you can share your tour with.

[dbh62ark]

Those roads are really not meant for buses.

Sorry, but that's not accurate, and I want to be sure that there are no misunderstandings. We rode the public buses up and down the Amalfi Coast during our ground stay there in May, and buses are a great option for the drive. The public buses are not a good option for cruise passengers who want to see Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast due to timing though, and that may have been the point of your message. Adding in the organized tour coaches, I'm sure that hundreds of buses run that route every day. The buses sit up higher than cars and vans so have the primo views. I think the same would be true of the shore excursion buses, but I don't personally like shore excursions (too much time wasted).

 

Happy travels,

Donna

[CAT GIRL]

Yes, you are right, there are local buses and many tour buses

driving the Amalfi Coast. What was frustrating for us was getting

stuck behind a tour bus who took the corners very wide and

would sometimes make traffic come to a complete stop while they

made a turn. We probably wasted a half hour or more because we

couldn't get around although according to our driver they are supposed

to let cars go around them. Other than that we had a fabulous

day. Probably the best one of our cruise.