amalfi tour- worth doing?

[ta tommy]

Has anyone done the amalfi coast tour privately? Is it worth seeing. I've read that if you're a big group, the van won't be able to go down to the villages because of narrow roads? Is this correct? Any information will be appreciated. i thought of doing this tour since my dad is 87 and have 3 teenage kids who are'nt intersted in history. So if the views are worth it, we'll do the Amalfi tour.

[seapenarth]

Has anyone done the amalfi coast tour privately? Is it worth seeing. I've read that if you're a big group, the van won't be able to go down to the villages because of narrow roads? Is this correct? Any information will be appreciated. i thought of doing this tour since my dad is 87 and have 3 teenage kids who are'nt intersted in history. So if the views are worth it, we'll do the Amalfi tour.

 

For best view you need to go to Ravello up above Amalfi. Road down to Amalfi is rather hairy but the buses do it without problems as I`m sure a local driver will. I would not do it on your own ;)

[ta tommy]

what makes you say that?

[seapenarth]

what makes you say that?

 

I`ve been there several times and the road is steep, twists and turns, with stops having to be made to let others pass. Some times you have to reverse and there`s a steep drop one side but please yourself.

[texancruzer]

We did a private tour last November. We joined a group (3 other couples) from our Roll Call (Meet and Mingle) and split the cost.

 

The van was a 9 passenger van. 4 couples and a driver.

 

We did a tour of Pompeii in the morning and then went to Ravello, Amalfi, Positano and then to Sorrento where we took the ferry back to Naples.

 

It was THE best day of the trip. The area is drop-dead gorgeous.

 

If you can swing it - go for the private tour. The large buses are not allowed down into the villages....but vans are. You will also have control over your day and itinerary. That is my advice.

 

Hope this helps

[cathydev]

Amalfi coast was beautiful, however it's a long day because you have to make a loop of the area due to the mountains. We started out at 8 am, met our driver, Francesco Marrapese and headed towards Pompeii for a 2 hour private tour with Vini. We traveled with 2 adults and 4 young adults (ages 16, 18, 18 and 19). Pompeii was a highlight. We then went to Ravello for lunch. Wonderful place with great views. Then we went to Poisitano, a great cute town, but we didn't spend enough time there. The road from Ravello to Positano was windy and narrow and somewhat crowded. I would say, other than Pompeii we spent most of the time in the car. Two of our sleep deprived kids slept and missed the views. The views were stunning and gorgeous but I was eager to get out and explore. The entire Amalfi coast tour is probably not a good one if you don't like sitting in a car for long periods. Perhaps if you opted not to do Pompeii you it would provide more time in Positano (great fun city, but narrow and lots of steps and all walking as no cars allowed). Francesco was very knowledgeable and personable. I do recommend him if you are interested in this type of tour.

[Dowunder]

Also did this tour with Francesco M and he is an excellent driver and knows the territory being a Sorrento resident. The trick is not to try and do too much. Concentrate on Pompeii if you are into the history or Positano, Amalfi and lunch at Ravello if you want some of the best coastal scenery on earth.

[texancruzer]

Just a note: "doing too much" really has a lot to do with what time of year you are there also.

 

In the summer (high season) the traffic is horrendous. Lines and crowds too. So I would definately scale back my plans if I were to be there during this time of year.

 

We went the END of November. Gorgeous weather.....no lines, no crowds and no traffic. We were picked up at 8 am by our driver - went straight to Pompeii. There was almost no one there. Had arranged a private guide (which we also split the cost for) for a 2-1/2 hr tour of Pompeii. Then to Ravello for about an hour. Amalfi we had @ 1-1/2 hrs and had lunch there (on our own) then to Positano for an hour. We had stops along the way at scenic points and bathroom breaks. Also stopped at one really nice ceramic store. That can either be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how your dw likes to shop :eek: I know I left some $$ there ! And we ended our tour in Sorrento where our driver took us right to the ferry landing and we took the ferry back to Naples. 9 euros pp. Very neat ending to our day. The ferry docked right next to our ship so very convenient also.

 

PS the only village your 87 yr old dad may have issues with is Positano. It is all steps and inclines. But many nice tavernas to sit and relax at and soak up the UNBELIEVABLE view :)

[nparmelee]

For some the Amalfi drive includes Pompeii, to me the Amalfi drive means the Sorrento to Ravello or Minarolo areas and Pompeii is separate. Personally I think both are worth doing. What exactly are you looking at doing? We hired a private driver two years ago and have hired him again for next year. Next year we are lucky in that we have a full day at Sorrento and then a second day for Amalfi so we can spend one concentrating on Pompeii and Erculano and the second on the Amalfi Coast towns and drive. An 8 person mini van is not that big and can get to the parking areas of most it not all the towns. More specifics of what you want to do would help in the advice.

[Hlitner]

Has anyone done the amalfi coast tour privately? Is it worth seeing. I've read that if you're a big group, the van won't be able to go down to the villages because of narrow roads? Is this correct? Any information will be appreciated. i thought of doing this tour since my dad is 87 and have 3 teenage kids who are'nt intersted in history. So if the views are worth it, we'll do the Amalfi tour.

 

 

Lets put it this way. The huge tour buses do quite fine on the Amalfi Drive (even though they have a habit of clipping the side view mirrors on my rental cars) so a van will have no problem. My only doubt is to what is the maximum size vehicle they will allow to drive down into Positano (tour buses are not allowed inside Positano) where there is only a single one-way road that snakes down (and back up) from the Amalfi Drive. Perhaps somebody else here had an experience with a van and can tell you whether you can get into that town. The size of the van would not be the problem, but I am just not sure of the local regulations.

 

Hank

[texancruzer]

We had a 9 person van with APTours. We went down into Positano on a very small road. This was just a VERY short walk to where it became "no road" and to get to the beach you must walk down a large sidewalk type area. All steps and inclined areas. Lots of shops and stores, cafes etc. Twisty windy but if you just keep heading down.....eventually you hit the beach. Of course what goes down must come back up :D

[ta tommy]

We did a private tour last November. We joined a group (3 other couples) from our Roll Call (Meet and Mingle) and split the cost.

 

The van was a 9 passenger van. 4 couples and a driver.

 

We did a tour of Pompeii in the morning and then went to Ravello, Amalfi, Positano and then to Sorrento where we took the ferry back to Naples.

 

It was THE best day of the trip. The area is drop-dead gorgeous.

 

If you can swing it - go for the private tour. The large buses are not allowed down into the villages....but vans are. You will also have control over your day and itinerary. That is my advice.

 

 

Hope this helps

 

 

I don't think the kids will fancy Pompeii. I'm glad you said that the area is drop dead gorgeous as that's what I wanted to know to help me decide. I'll make reservations for a group of 8.

My dad is 87 so lots of walking is out of the question. We're quite happy driving around, seeing the sights. We'll be cruising in the second week of September. Crowds would have died down, i hope.

[Hlitner]

Mid-September is still pretty much the season, so there will still be crowds. You are fortunate to have teens that are content to drive around in a car with "grown-ups."

 

Hank

[snappledrinker]

We recently returned from the 6-22-2008 sailing of Brilliance of the Seas. For our stop in Naples, we used Drive Amalfi at ************************ I arranged our day by contacting Salvatore at Drive Amalfi. Our day will forever be one of the highlights of our cruise vacation. Our driver was Adriano and he was the absolute BEST. Our tour included a drive through the Amalfi Coast with many stops along the way. We also had lunch in a great little restaurant recommened by Adriano, which was high up in the hills of the Amalfi Coast, with great views. We also chose to stop at Pompeii, where Salvatore pre-arranged a private guide for us.

The vehicle holds up to eight people. The more people you get for the tour, the less the per person cost. We had seven scheduled for our day, but two were no shows at the pier. So, we wasted about 45 minutes waiting for them. They NEVER even had the courtesy to say why they backed out and FAILED to even apologize. Some people are just ignorant.

Anyway, Drive Amalfi is HIGHLY recommended for an enjoyable day.

[TATOMMY]

Thank you all for the useful and helpful info. I am in the process of booking tour through ItalyLimousine. Someone by the name of Josephine is answering my e-mails.:)

[threeofus]

We also used Francesco - he was the best guide we had on our entire trip.

He is low key, patient and very warm and friendly. Perfect combination.

We had a short stop in Pompeii and spent more time on the Amalfi Coast and I am glad we made that choice.

 

It really is as beautiful as everyone says it is.

[barb61s]

Adriano is a great guy to tour with and a great singer too !!!

 

 

 

 

We recently returned from the 6-22-2008 sailing of Brilliance of the Seas. For our stop in Naples, we used Drive Amalfi at http://www.Driveamalfi.com I arranged our day by contacting Salvatore at Drive Amalfi. Our day will forever be one of the highlights of our cruise vacation. Our driver was Adriano and he was the absolute BEST. Our tour included a drive through the Amalfi Coast with many stops along the way. We also had lunch in a great little restaurant recommened by Adriano, which was high up in the hills of the Amalfi Coast, with great views. We also chose to stop at Pompeii, where Salvatore pre-arranged a private guide for us.

The vehicle holds up to eight people. The more people you get for the tour, the less the per person cost. We had seven scheduled for our day, but two were no shows at the pier. So, we wasted about 45 minutes waiting for them. They NEVER even had the courtesy to say why they backed out and FAILED to even apologize. Some people are just ignorant.

Anyway, Drive Amalfi is HIGHLY recommended for an enjoyable day.

[ffnole]

As others have said he is an excellent guide and a good guy who grew up in Sorrento. Teenage girls will be impressed. After a morning tour of Pompeii, we spent several hours shopping in Sorrento and having some great pizza at a place Francesco recommended. Sorrento is a very nice city worth spending some time in. We then went to Positano for some additional touring and a little gelato before returning to the ship at 5pm. Denzel Washington's yacht in the harbor is worth seeing....trust me on that one. While we would have liked to have seen more of the coast, it simply wasn't possible in the summer unless you don't want to get out of the car. We decided on a little more laid back day without killing ourselves to see too many places. Leaves us wanting more on a return visit. The pace was just right for us.

[golfnut47]

My wife and I drove the Amalfi coast after our cruise. If you take your time , it is a ride that can't be beat. We stayed in Positano. The drive to Amalfi and Ravello is about 2 hrs. Also easy to Drive to Sorrento.

[fmax]

Did this tour several years ago with Marcello of seesorrento. It was beautiful. As we decided last minute (emailed him from the ship) to have him organize a guide for Pompeii, he changed the schedule around.

 

We did the coastline in the morning, it was a bit overcast. Stopped in Amalfi for an hour, then went to a local, traditional restaurant for lunch before heading to Pompeii in the afternoon. This also meant we were closer to the port after Pompeii.

 

 

 

Frances

 

http://medcruisesplendour.shutterfly.com/action/

[Travel to Ports]

On my "missed" cruise, we had arranged to be at Pompeii when it opened at 8:30 and then on to Ravello for lunch with stops then (time permitting) at Amalfi and Positano (12 hour port window). I was surprised to hear that Pompeii was changed to the end of the day. Participants told me that they were hot and tired at that time, it was hot, and some were experiencing the effects of a large lunch with lemoncello and wine, etc.

 

They had no idea why the trip has been rearranged. Its a mystery to me as well. Has anybody recently had a successful tour out of Naples that did 2 hours first at Pompeii, followed by a drive to Amalfi/Ravello for lunch, with a visit to Positano (not Sorrento) on the way back to the ship? The now-famous "Jody's story" is a little discomforting and I hope to avoid her touring company. You just need to look at a map and read about Sorrento to realize this isn't the Amalfi coast, but a moderate-sized town with commercial appeal (and the ability to feed 100s/1000s of ship passengers on their way to Capri?).

 

Hope to hear from some "experienced" travelers here (and I guess I should send some emails to Italy as well!).

 

Cordially,

David

[Host Karen]

I believe the idea for most private tour companies is to start at the point farthest from the ship and make your way back. To start at Pompeii and then drive out the Amalfi coast could mean big problems if there are traffic issues. While it can be very hot in Pompeii (been there at 2 p.m. on a very hot June afternoon), I was more comfortable knowing we were less than an hour from port rather than 2+ hours away. JMHO

[Travel to Ports]

Dear Host Karen,

Much thanks for the reply and insight provided. Something to be considered in the process, for sure!

It would seem to me that the same would apply to visits to Pisa and Florence, but I guess that there are many more road options between Florence and the Naples port?

Still would like to know if anyone has had a private tour that started with Pompeii and then drove to Ravello. If Pompeii is in the afternoon, not only water, hats, and sunscreen (light clothes), but also some advice to have a light lunch with a serious bathroom break! I would guess that if you started at 8am, you'd visit Positano and Amalfi on the way to Ravello?

I'm sure there are many readers of this thread who have taken this sort of private tour out of Naples, let's hear from you!

It seems that ship's tours often go to Pompeii first (thus the crowds), but their concept of "Amalfi coast" is either Sorrento or at most Positano. Would be interested if someone has a handle on distances/times between points. We'll be in Naples June 1, 2009 -- I'll have to reference porttime again to see what crowds will be expected.

Cordially,

David

[Host Karen]

The roads in Tuscany are nothing like the narrow, twisting road of the Amalfi coast. When we did our tour, we went up through the mountains and over to Ravello, then on to Positano where we had lunch, then along the coast up to Pompeii. We were in a 12-passenger bus and were often stopped by tour buses coming in the opposite direction trying to negotiate the tight turns. Traffic in our direction sometimes had to back up to give the tour buses enough room to make the turn. I would not want to be stuck in traffic at 3 p.m. hoping to make it back to Naples in time for sailaway. Being in Pompeii in the afternoon was quite hot, as mentioned, but it was less worrisome being that much closer to the ship.

 

Karen

[WeBeGone]

Last Nov/Dec we did a back to back on the Star so we spent 2 days with Marcello of SeeSorrento. One day was Pompeii, Herculeum, a great pizza downtown,and Naples museum. Awesome day!

 

The next time, Marcello took us down the Amalfi coast stopping every so often for photos, coffee and pastries in Sorrento, a stop at a lemon and an olive farm, an amazing lunch in Ravello, a stop at a local vendor to buy olive oil and a stop at a ceramics shop as we requested.

 

Marcello was wonderful - talking non-stop about absolutely everything Italian - it was just what I wanted.