Shore Excursion from Naples to Amalfi Coast

My wife and I are docked for 12 hours in Naples. Want to visit the Amalfi Coast - walk around a couple of towns, maybe Positano and Amalfi, and have lunch. Are there any of the Amalfi coast towns that are "not to be missed" in terms of charm and scenery? Any limo recommendations? How about Benvenuto Limos? Thanks for your advice!

We used APTours. Nice new shiny vans/vehicles and great prices. We did a full day ! First to Pompeii for 2+ hrs then to Ravello, Amalfi, Positano and finally Sorrento where we took the ferry back to Naples.

Each village is so different. Ravello in the mountains, Amalfi with its big church and tiny "streets" winding up and away from the square and Positano with its laid back charm, shopping and beach ! Loved em all !

We didnt really visit Sorrento - only drove thru to the ferry landing. Seemed nice and would like to re-visit.

Check out APTours. They will customize your day any way you want.

We used All Around Italy on our last cruise in Italy for Amalfi and Pompei tour. He is very friendly and very good driver! I wouldn't hesitate to recommend him.

The towns not to be missed on the Amalfi Coast are Positano and Ravello. Amalfi also has some charm and is easily visited on the way to Ravello. Bus tours are not permitted to enter the road in Positano, so anyone on a cruise line bus tour will have to settle at looking down on Positano without every really getting to explore the streets. Look to book a tour that uses a car or van to get the most out of the Amalfi Coast. The other option is to go on your own which generally means you take the train or boat to Sorrento where you can get on the regional SITA bus that spans the Amalfi Coast. One other option is to rent a car and drive yourself, but we do not recommend this option for those who are not used to driving in Europe and Italy.

Hank

We have used tourofitaly.com twice and have recommended them several times to friends who were also very pleased with the service. They drive Mercedes cars or vans, whatever is needed. Giancarlo and his father speak very good english and were alway a little cheaper than the competition. I suggest pricing with the others and confirm rates before hiring any driver. Some drivers require advance payment, some a credit card to hold and some neither of the above. All the other drivers/guides mentioned above are apparently good and recommended on these boards so go at it. Happy cruising

We used APTours. Nice new shiny vans/vehicles and great prices. We did a full day ! First to Pompeii for 2+ hrs then to Ravello, Amalfi, Positano and finally Sorrento where we took the ferry back to Naples.

Texancruzer, we are thinking about doing this same or a similar tour through APTours. We are traveling with my folks, who will be nervous about using a private tour company for fear of not getting back before the ship departs. How long was the tour (what time did you start and what time did you return) and do you know how often the ferries run between Sorrento and Naples? Knowing my parents, if we do this, they will want to know that if for some chance we miss the first ferry back, there will be enough time to catch another one. Thanks and any other info you can provide that might calm any fears they may have would be much appreciated.

Texancruzer, we are thinking about doing this same or a similar tour through APTours. We are traveling with my folks, who will be nervous about using a private tour company for fear of not getting back before the ship departs. How long was the tour (what time did you start and what time did you return) and do you know how often the ferries run between Sorrento and Naples? Knowing my parents, if we do this, they will want to know that if for some chance we miss the first ferry back, there will be enough time to catch another one. Thanks and any other info you can provide that might calm any fears they may have would be much appreciated.

First - let me say that this company relies very heavily on word of mouth here and on other websites for business. If they don't get people back to the ship on time - that equals BAD word of mouth. Now, while on our day our driver was in contact numerous times with the office checking on traffic etc. I never once worried about not getting back. (There have been 1 or 2 horror stories about people IN A TAXI not getting back due to a traffic accident....... taxis would not worry about checking on conditions as this company did)

Second - part of the wonderful experience of using a company like this is that you don't have to worry about the ferry schedules. They do it for you. They live there. They know all the details. When we arrived at the ferry dock in Sorrento, our driver took our $$ and bought our tickets for us. He had timed it so we only had to wait about 5-10 minutes for the next ferry. Now, if for some reason we had not been able to take that ferry, we would have all gotten back in the van and driven back. However, the local ferry is the one the locals use to get back and forth to work. They depend on it and it runs pretty much unless severe weather does not allow it to. We had told them the time our ship was to leave and the time we had to be back onboard (always 30 minutes before) and they made sure we were back almost an hour before that. As a frequent DIY'er - always give yourself a cushion of time.

Third - hmmm its been a while but we were picked early and at Pompeii when doors opened - our guide was waiting for us (Pina was wonderful).

Now - another factor that allowed us to see and do all that we did (all the villages and Pompeii etc) was we were there way out of season. Very late November. No crowds, no traffic, no lines etc. If you are travelling in high season then this would need to be modified. Ask APTours what is possible after you tell them all the things on your wish list. They will advise you what can and cannot be done.

Hope this helps. Ask if you have any more questions.

Ours is a Sept 19 cruise out of Barcelona. If we are on the same cruise maybe we can tour Amalfi together.

Larry Schmidt

another vote for tourofitaly....we used them last year and have booked them again for our upcoming June cruise. We had the Dad, and he is a charactor. By the end of the tour we were like old time friends. DO NOT miss the lunch he recommends, right on the Amalfi coast overlooking Positano on one side and Soreento on the other...breathtaking! and the lunch was the best food we ate the entire trip. 25 euros pp and includes antipasto, pasta (3 different kinds), dessert (fresh from their farms), unlimited wine (made there), and soft drinks/and or water. I highly recommend this company....price was a little cheaper than the others I looked into too!

We used romeinlimo. Our driver was Gianni. He was excellent. Best day of the entire trip.

Texancruzer, thank you very much for the info and taking the time to do the thorough response - that was exactly what I needed. We are going in mid-May, so I expect it to be busier than November, but hopefully not as busy as the summer months.

Twice we have used Marcello of www.seesorrento.com. We had 4 people and it was wonderful. He customized our days as I wanted to go to a florist shop and a ceramics shop outside Ravello. I also wanted to see the "Veiled Christ" and he went out of his "normal" tour to insure we had time at the chapel. He stopped at a lemon and olive grove. He arranged an incredible lunch both days. He talks a lot, telling you everything you could ever want to know about Amalfi and it's towns, and he's not into "tourist shopping". For us, he really provided exactly what we wanted.

First - let me say that this company relies very heavily on word of mouth here and on other websites for business. If they don't get people back to the ship on time - that equals BAD word of mouth. Now, while on our day our driver was in contact numerous times with the office checking on traffic etc. I never once worried about not getting back. (There have been 1 or 2 horror stories about people IN A TAXI not getting back due to a traffic accident....... taxis would not worry about checking on conditions as this company did)

 

Second - part of the wonderful experience of using a company like this is that you don't have to worry about the ferry schedules. They do it for you. They live there. They know all the details. When we arrived at the ferry dock in Sorrento, our driver took our $$ and bought our tickets for us. He had timed it so we only had to wait about 5-10 minutes for the next ferry. Now, if for some reason we had not been able to take that ferry, we would have all gotten back in the van and driven back. However, the local ferry is the one the locals use to get back and forth to work. They depend on it and it runs pretty much unless severe weather does not allow it to. We had told them the time our ship was to leave and the time we had to be back onboard (always 30 minutes before) and they made sure we were back almost an hour before that. As a frequent DIY'er - always give yourself a cushion of time.

 

Third - hmmm its been a while but we were picked early and at Pompeii when doors opened - our guide was waiting for us (Pina was wonderful).

Now - another factor that allowed us to see and do all that we did (all the villages and Pompeii etc) was we were there way out of season. Very late November. No crowds, no traffic, no lines etc. If you are travelling in high season then this would need to be modified. Ask APTours what is possible after you tell them all the things on your wish list. They will advise you what can and cannot be done.

 

Hope this helps. Ask if you have any more questions.

We are doing a standard tour with them. Ravello was not mentioned at all in the agreement. Of course, we are going in the height of the summer. Amalfi Coast, Sorrento, Positano are included extensively. Maybe there really are time factors depending on the time of year. We are also doing a larger tour with several on the roll call. I found this company online and read some reviews in Trip Advisor. I am relieved to see some positive reviews here on CC.

I'm curious, those of you who have used tour companies to see the Amalfi Coast, do they drive both directions along the coast road, or do they return via the land route? We came back once by going north from Maiori to the autostrada, rather than drive the length of the coast and go back through Sorrento. In our minds, it was faster, but how would we know, so I'm wondering if the professional drivers do this to save time.

We are doing a standard tour with them. Ravello was not mentioned at all in the agreement. Of course, we are going in the height of the summer. Amalfi Coast, Sorrento, Positano are included extensively. Maybe there really are time factors depending on the time of year. We are also doing a larger tour with several on the roll call. I found this company online and read some reviews in Trip Advisor. I am relieved to see some positive reviews here on CC.

There are time factors if your tour includes going to Pompeii. Getting to Positano on the Amalfi Drive road can take 45 min from Sorrento since it's a 2 lane road that can get somewhat congested with tour buses in the busy tourist months. Going beyond Positano to Amalfi and Ravello adds at least another 30 min driving time to get to Amalfi and another 20 min to get up to Ravello. That is why we always suggest the best way to fully explore the Amalfi Coast is to make that your only destination. We have spent two vacations on the Amalfi Coast (we stay in a small town called Praiano which is a few miles on the Amalfi side of Positatno) and never get tired of this region.

Hank

Thanks Hank. Pompeii is a guided two hour tour in the morning. The itinerary looks packed. The last thing I want to do is crowd too much of an itinerary into one day.

Thanks so much for the APTours recommend Texancruzer. Last October we toured Pompeii on our own by train with a quick lunch and tour of Sorrento - ferry back. It was great, but it all was so hurried with train and ferry schedules, etc. This fall when we cruise again we plan to visit the naples museum and I really wanted to also tour the Amalfi coast, but was not sure with weather, etc. if it would work to do it all. Personalized excursions are so great. We used rome-in-limo in Rome and it was the easiest day we had - no worries and we saw everything on our list. I have decided when you have your heart set on something, then it is worth the extra cost. Now if I can talk DH into taking APTours, I can do everything I want;) Thanks again---

There are definately time factors like Hank posted, in doing your day in this area.

These time factors can vary greatly from month to month (high season to low season) that is why I always mention that we were able to do all that we did because we were there in the very low season. We were there the very end of November and thus had no traffic, no crowds, etc. Some things were even closed already for off season. Not that we noticed much, as we still found tons of places to eat good food, spend our money for souveniers etc and lots of wonderful people to meet !

So please take into consideration what time of year you are going and like I posted.....the best way to know what can (or can't) be done is to trust the tour company. They know how to do it best.

As to having a packed day...... well - we didnt know if we would ever get back to this area again and wanted to "see it all !" Of course we still didnt and we did get back (last May) and this time stayed in Naples and visited the Archeological Museum to see all the wonderful items they took out of Pompeii. Made our previous visit come alive even more.

We used DriveAmalfi.Com and highly recommend Salvatore, Roberto or Adriano

We have used Carmine from amalficoastdrivers dot com twice and will surely book him again when we do another cruise. He was the best guide we have ever had in 3 Mediterranean cruises. It is just wonderful being driven about in a black Mercedes sedan with a good looking Italian driver. Everybody thinks you are 'somebody' and that isn't hard to take for a day. Added to that - his sense of humour is something we still talk about and his knowledge and pride in his country is amazing.

Last time we went to Herculaneum rather than Pompeii, since we had been there before. Then to Positano and back to Sorrento for lunch and shopping, which I also agree is about the best place to shop, especially for leather handbags. Carmine has taken us to Amalfi before, so we passed on that this time. The others in our party didn't want to go to the restaurant in Ravell and I'm really sorry we missed it but we did have a lovely lunch in Sorrento.

To save time, we took the ferry back to Naples where we were docked and had expected some lovely views from the water, but it is the hydrofoil and the windows are coated in salt so you really can't see much. Wouldn't do it again.

Whatever you do - you will fall in love with this part of Italy.

I loved Sorrento! It has some great shopping. We took the train to Pompeii from Sorrento and we did our own little tour (we were too cheap to take a tour) and it was great. If I were to go again, I wouldn't miss those two places. But I think you will enjoy wherever you go on the Amalfi Coast.

To save time, we took the ferry back to Naples where we were docked and had expected some lovely views from the water, but it is the hydrofoil and the windows are coated in salt so you really can't see much. Wouldn't do it again.

We did the same thing BUT we took the local ferry (NOT the hydrofoil) We did have some lovely views of the shore and also a gorgeous sunset (it was late Nov. and the sun set early !!!) We docked right next to our cruiseship and was so convenient !