Positano, Amalfi & Ravello

Hi,

Been reading through the posts on the Amalfi Coast but would love to hear peoples experience & recommendations for tours just to these three towns. I'd really like to visit Villa Cimbrone & Villa Rufolo in Ravello. Positano is on hubby's bucket list & Amalfi is between the two so we'd like to check out the Cathedral there :). We'd also like perhaps a bit of flexibility on the day too & not just do something that is structured that doesn't suit. We have booked ships excursions for some other ports but they are not really offering what we want at this port. We'd just like to mainly soak up the coastal atmosphere of these 3 towns, whilst seeing some sites that are of interest to us. We don't really want to be on a big bus for this one.

Cheers

LM

We went to all three towns in 2015 and Had a marvelous day. Used Sorento First Choice. They picked us up in Salerno they will also do pick up from Naples. All eight of us had a wonderful time and it was about €75 per person. We chose exactly where we wanted to go how long we wanted to spend in each place and modified our plan as the day

went on. We went to Positano first and were there by nine in the morning and avoided all crowds, spent an hour there, then ambled up to Ravello, spent a couple hours there, then went to Amalfi spent 2.5 hours there, and enjoyed lunch

We spent from eight in the morning and arrive back to the cruise port by 5:00 pm and set sail at 6:30 PM

I am so very glad that we chose to go to these three towns as opposed to doing other things

It truly was the highlight of our 12 day cruise. If we had been on a cruise ship excursion we would have never been able to get up to Ravello

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There are a number of factors to take into account - which is your port of call, how long you are there and what time of year.

The ideal would be if you have a long day and your port is Salerno and during the high season for ferries i.e. between end of March and end of October.

If this is the case you can do these 3 within a day by ferry. There are a number of ferries which run from Salerno along the coast calling into both Amalfi and Positano. Some ferries go from the main port where the ship docks (Molo Manfredi) and some from the dock in the town (Piazza Concordia). Please note that the port of Salerno is a little outside the town so you will need to catch the shuttle bus into town. It's only a 10 minute drive and then a 10-15 minute walk to Piazza Concordia, so you would need to build this in to your timings. Use this link to work out timings http://www.positano.com/en/ferry-schedule?from=salerno&to=amalfi It may take a bit of research to which out which is best for you depending on the order in which you want to do things. The link shows ferries to Amalfi but just change Amalfi to Positano in the search bar to get timings from there. Generally the ferry will stop at both ports anyway.

I would be inclined to do Amalfi first, just because the bus to Ravello, which runs from close to where the ferry drops you, can get very crowded so the earlier you get there the better chance you have of getting a seat, and the less crowded Ravello will be. Having visited Ravello you can then work out how much time you need to view the cathedral in Amalfi before catching the ferry on to Positano. Then work out which ferry you need to catch from Positano back to Salerno, to give you time to get to the ship.

Whilst travelling by bus/car is an option I feel it's a much nicer way to travel and to see the coast if you do it by ferry. The roads can be a nightmare if you're travelling during peak season. Of course all of the above assumes you're docking in Salerno, if you're docking in Naples you will have more time constraints.

I agree with Bobal abut using ferries from Salerno. I would go to Positano first since it is farther away from Salerno. Then go to Amalfi and take a taxi up to Ravello. The taxis are right at the port in Amalfi and there are taxis at the square in Ravello. Leave Amalfi's cathedral for the last stop. It is a short walk to the pier and it would make it easier to time your return to Salerno. A couple of taxis would still be a significant savings over a private or ship excursion.

Hi Bobal & marazul,

Thanks for both your replies.

I edited my original post & must of deleted the information on which port & when, silly me.

Naples is our port of call & we will be there in October.

Cheers

It all depends on your budget.

My wife and I had a private driver for our day in Naples. It was our big splurge for an excursion.

Our first stop was Ravello — loved it was our absolute favorite, then we headed to Amalfi, then Positano and lastly Sorrento.

We were able to adjust time spent in each to our liking. After some research we knew Sorrento was least important and didn’t mind shaving time off of being there at the end of our tour.

4cats4me I don't know what's going on but I'm pretty sure I replied to you earlier but now it's disappeared, oh well ;p

Thanks for your reply.

Sounds like a wonderful day.

That's exactly what I'd like to do.

Hopefully we can get off the ship early. I think we are in port from 7am to 7pm.

Titangas thanks for your reply too.

Sorrento is least important to me also.

I would still enjoy visiting there given more time but I don't want the tour to be too rushed, trying to fit too much in.

Just out of curiosity do you remember the name of the company you used?

Hi,

 

Been reading through the posts on the Amalfi Coast but would love to hear peoples experience & recommendations for tours just to these three towns. I'd really like to visit Villa Cimbrone & Villa Rufolo in Ravello. Positano is on hubby's bucket list & Amalfi is between the two so we'd like to check out the Cathedral there :). We'd also like perhaps a bit of flexibility on the day too & not just do something that is structured that doesn't suit. We have booked ships excursions for some other ports but they are not really offering what we want at this port. We'd just like to mainly soak up the coastal atmosphere of these 3 towns, whilst seeing some sites that are of interest to us. We don't really want to be on a big bus for this one.

 

Cheers

LM

Hi LM

We "did" those 3 towns but couldn't tender into Amalfi as planned, instead having to dock at Naples which camped our style as we couldn't even do that until noon and the daylight ran out around 7 pm.. We were in group of 8 with Joe Banana and it looked like this. From memory entry to Villa Cimbrone was €6 pp. It was still a super day, although I could have done without the rain at Ravello. All the best, Tony

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Thanks Tony for your videos! We are heading that direction in September 2018 and this is pretty much how we’d like to spend our day. Just enjoying the towns at a leisurely pace with time for shopping and eating too!

From the port of Naples you only have two reasonable options (we will later mention a third lousy option). 1. You can book a private tour with a car/driver. This tour should either be in a passenger car or van...not a bus! It is often possible to join with others on a private tour by posting on CC's Roll Call board for your specific cruise. There are many recommendations for tour providers found on this blog with the most common being Romeinlimo and Romecabs...and there are others. The reason you should not use a bus (for a private tour or on a cruise ship excursion) is that buses are not permitted to enter into Positano!

A 2nd option is to simply rent a car in Naples and drive yourself. We often drive in Italy...but do not generally recommend this option for those unfamilar with Italian driving habits....and the related parking issues. I can post further guidance on the rental car option if you are really interested.

The 3rd option, which I only mention to touch all bases, is to use public transit including train, bus and or ferry. This option is not always reasonable from Naples...depending on your times in port.

Hank

A 2nd option is to simply rent a car in Naples and drive yourself. We often drive in Italy...but do not generally recommend this option for those unfamilar with Italian driving habits....and the related parking issues. I can post further guidance on the rental car option if you are really interested.

 

The Amalfi coast road is probably the worse road in Italy to drive if you have never driven there before. Although Palermo comes close...

Thanks for posting those videos Tony, I'll have a look as soon as I finish replying.

Sorry there was time wasted trying to dock but at least you still had a good day.

What time of year was it? Rainy season by the look of it :)

Ski Mom 2

I'm with you, shopping, eating & leisurely pace sound good.

Hank

Thanks for those options.

Number 1 looks like the go as there will be no driving of cars by me or my hubby along the Amalfi Coast Road (too stressful for us) & don't want to waste a minute so public transport is most probably a no.

"The Amalfi coast road is probably the worse road in Italy to drive if you have never driven there before. Although Palermo comes close..."

I imagine it is marazul.

The Amalfi coast road is probably the worse road in Italy to drive if you have never driven there before. Although Palermo comes close...

Funny thing is we have never minded driving the Amalfi Drive (between Sorrento and Salerno). The Italian road I dislike the most is the 2 lane lakeside road that runs along Lako Como from Como to Bellagio.

But I do agree with you that this (Amalfi Coast) is not the place for somebody to lose their Italian driving virginity :).

Hank

Does anyone know if the ferry stop in Amalfi on its way from Salerno to Positano and again on the return? We like the idea of taking ferries to both ports and would start in Positano.

Does anyone know if the ferry stop in Amalfi on its way from Salerno to Positano and again on the return? We like the idea of taking ferries to both ports and would start in Positano.

Yes. It stops both ways.

Funny thing is we have never minded driving the Amalfi Drive (between Sorrento and Salerno). The Italian road I dislike the most is the 2 lane lakeside road that runs along Lako Como from Como to Bellagio.

 

But I do agree with you that this (Amalfi Coast) is not the place for somebody to lose their Italian driving virginity :).

 

Hank

Yep, not for newbies or virgins.:')

Thanks for posting those videos Tony, I'll have a look as soon as I finish replying.

Sorry there was time wasted trying to dock but at least you still had a good day.

What time of year was it? Rainy season by the look of it :)

Thanks (and to Ski Mom 2 too) that day was 16 October 2013. The weather was very pleasant throughout the cruise, and not bad during that day but it ended in heavy rain. With the light fading fast and our transport back to Naples leaving at 7.30 pm we didn't have the option of nipping into a cafe until it passed. To be honest, once we couldn't tender into Amalfi our plans were in tatters and it was only the miracle of two people falling ill that morning and so dropping out of a pre-booked tour of 8 and me happening to be standing by the tour leader when he found out that we had the super day that we did.

This was a bucket list trip for us in 2012, we used https://www.aldolimos.com/ and are going again this year. Once again with Aldo - first time out of Naples, this time Salerno.

Yes. It stops both ways.

Where do you buy return tickets for the ferry in Positano and Almalfi, are there booths on the pier? I note you can purchase online ahead of time, but wasn't sure if you want to take an earlier or later ferry if the ticket is good for that exact time or all day.

Thanks.

My mother, daughter and myself had a wonderful day in these 3 cities using Amalfi Driver Service with Gianaluca. This was in 2016. I believe it was 360 Euros. I have nothing but good things to say about our day visiting here. He picked us up in Salerno and taught us so much about the area without being overbearing. Positano was just beautiful. The driver told us about a small restaurant in Ravello and it was just great. We stopped at places that the tour bus just can't drive into along with some beautiful spots for pictures. This day was the highlight of our cruise. Do not hesitate to contact him for info.

Does anyone know if Royal Caribbean has a shuttle from the cruise port in Salerno to the Piazza della Concordia ferry dock?

Where do you buy return tickets for the ferry in Positano and Almalfi, are there booths on the pier? I note you can purchase online ahead of time, but wasn't sure if you want to take an earlier or later ferry if the ticket is good for that exact time or all day.

Thanks.

We cannot speak to Amalfi (never bought ferry tickets there) but in Positano there is a small ticket booth just off the pier.

Hank

We cannot speak to Amalfi (never bought ferry tickets there) but in Positano there is a small ticket booth just off the pier.

 

Hank

There is a booth at the pier in Amalfi.

If we wanted to take the ferry from Salerno to Amalfi and return would it be best to purchase our tickets in advance or buy them at the booths on the respective docks? Our ship arrives in Salerno May 30 and from what I have been reading, this time of year is outside the 'busy tourist time'.

Thank you all for your replies.

Lots of great recommendations for tours.

Tony your videos are fabulous.

What magnificent views & despite the rain it looks like it was a spectacular day.

We are due to dock in Naples on October 12, so around the same time you were there.

Think I'll take a poncho or a rain coat just in case ;)

Cheers LM