Which is Nicer - Sorrento or Ravello?

[gemz]

Still can't decide whether to stop in Sorrento or Ravello? We are going to visit Positano for sure. Is the town of Amalfi worth a visit? We only have a bit over half a day to drive down the Amalfi Coast so I've got to pick our stops very carefully. I love breathtaking views & scenery. Sorrento or Ravello?

 

Thanks!

[lisiamc]

It depends on what you are looking for: Ravello is more scenic, although Sorrento has nice views too. Ravello is smaller, with more character, and Sorrento is more touristy. (And I say this as a huge fan of Sorrento.) But if you like shopping, Sorrento has amazing shoes.:p

 

Edited to add: Sorrento also has a ruined (supposedly haunted) Roman villa a short bus ride away at Capo di Sorrento.

 

Lisa

[euro cruiser]

Although I know there are lots of people who love Sorrento, it has never done anything for me. It would be Ravello, hands-down, for me.

 

Amalfi is also worth a visit, if only to see its lovely cathedral.

[labeachcomber]

We just drove down the coast and stopped at Ravello, Positano, and Sorrento. Ravello is what you would imagine a typical small Italian town to be. Sorrento is bigger, busier, and has some great shopping and prices for typical souvenir fare. As it was our last day of our cruise, we really enjoyed the time in Sorrento to get things for people back home.

 

We took the ferry back from Sorrento to Naples, so it gave us a different view of the coast.

[Queenzena]

If it's your first time there, I'd do Sorrento. Wish I were there, sipping Limoncello, right now!

[Hlitner]

Sorrento is simply seen (by the locals) as the main city of the Amalfi Coast. Its where folks go to buy their kids' school clothes, shop at a hardware store, etc. On the other hand, when folks are planning a destination wedding on the Amalfi Coast they go to Ravello, Positano, or even the small church in Praiano. Sorrento is not even a consideration! That being said, Sorrento is where all the cheap bus tours spend their nights (it has lots of reasonbly priced hotels) while the knowledgable travelers spend their nights in Positano or Ravello. As to the town of Amalfi, we think its a nice place for a short stop when we are driving to Ravello (Amalfi is on the route). To be blunt, Ravello and Positano are true gems, Amalfi is a semi-precious stone and Sorrento is a nice polished piece of coal!

 

Hank

[chipmaster]

Ravello has views to die for and as another poster said a cute small town! We lingered here about an hour, seemed not nearly enough.

 

Amalfi, coast town with beautifuly buildings right up against the road / beach and up the moutain top. We stopped for probably 20' or so.

 

Still can't decide whether to stop in Sorrento or Ravello? We are going to visit Positano for sure. Is the town of Amalfi worth a visit? We only have a bit over half a day to drive down the Amalfi Coast so I've got to pick our stops very carefully. I love breathtaking views & scenery. Sorrento or Ravello?

 

Thanks!

[gemz]

You guys are fabulous! Loved all your recommendations and I'm going to go with Positano, Amalfi & Ravello. I am a lover of gorgeous views and the ambience of the small Italian towns. Sorrento will be next time.

[Hlitner]

You guys are fabulous! Loved all your recommendations and I'm going to go with Positano, Amalfi & Ravello. I am a lover of gorgeous views and the ambience of the small Italian towns. Sorrento will be next time.

 

One nice advantage of driving is that you can alter your itinerary as you please. This is why we normally rent cars while in Europe as opposed to using trains. If you are driving yourself, the parking situation is more important then the roads. Parking in Positano is very difficult and many choose to park along the Amalfi Drive (at the top of the city) and either walk or grab the local Orange Bus down into the town. There is also a couple of paid parking lots in Positatno but they are very expensive. Amalfi has a large parking lot on a pier right in town..and that is good as long as its not full. Ravello is not a problem since there is plenty of parking (much of it is free). Of course if you have a professional driver he will either park or simply wait for you.

 

Hank

[labeachcomber]

One nice advantage of driving is that you can alter your itinerary as you please. This is why we normally rent cars while in Europe as opposed to using trains. If you are driving yourself, the parking situation is more important then the roads. Parking in Positano is very difficult and many choose to park along the Amalfi Drive (at the top of the city) and either walk or grab the local Orange Bus down into the town. There is also a couple of paid parking lots in Positatno but they are very expensive. Amalfi has a large parking lot on a pier right in town..and that is good as long as its not full. Ravello is not a problem since there is plenty of parking (much of it is free). Of course if you have a professional driver he will either park or simply wait for you.

 

Hank

A word of caution however to those who are thinking of renting a car and driving themselves. The roads are EXTREMELY narrow. What looks to me like a one lane road is actually a two lane road. Cars are passing by each other with mere inches of room. The roads are extremely winding in certain points. And all of the cars legally or illegally parked on the side of the road make driving very very challenging.

 

I asked our driver how he managed to not hit anything. He said in the first three years of his job, he broke so many side mirrors, scratched up so many cars, etc. Driving along the Amalfi was like nothing I have ever seen.

[euro cruiser]

I'll grant you that driving on the Amalfi coast road is not for the fainthearted, but I've driven on more difficult and frightening roads here in the US, particularly along the continental divide in Colorado.

 

It is hard for the driver to appreciate much other than the road, so we stopped frequently when we have driven there. I should note that both times we did this it was in October, not the height of the season, which I'm sure makes a huge difference.

[Hlitner]

Guess I need to dispel some myths about the Amalfi Drive. The truth is that it is an excellent 2 lane road with very secure guard rails and walls in areas where the road is near the edge of a cliff. There are a few spots (mostly near Positano) where it does get extremely narrow, but it is not a big deal. And as to the side mirrors, we have had our mements when it was necessary for me to reach out and fold-in the mirror to avoid possible damage. The mirrors on most European cars are actually hinged so that they can be folded (good in tight squeezes and when parked). One of the fun things about driving the Amalfi Drive is when you get into a "standoff" with a large tour bus. This happens at some of the sharper narrow curves near Positano and when it happens there are always bystanders who think they are traffic cops and can help clear the mess. It is all good fun and its rare for anyone to have a real accident. To be blunt, we have been on many other roads in other parts of Italy that are much more dangerous then the Amalfi Drive. Probably the worst is the lakeside road that connects the city of Como with Bellagio....which is the only road in Italy that had me shaking from all the near misses :)

 

Hank

[dileep]

Still can't decide whether to stop in Sorrento or Ravello? We are going to visit Positano for sure. Is the town of Amalfi worth a visit? We only have a bit over half a day to drive down the Amalfi Coast so I've got to pick our stops very carefully. I love breathtaking views & scenery. Sorrento or Ravello?

 

Thanks!

 

Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello.

[gemz]

Thanks again for all the helpful tips. Oh god no, we would never dream of driving the Amalfi Coast. We were on a tour bus in Majorica and I swear we were going over the side of the mountains. We drove down Hwy 1 in California in foggy conditions and I also thought we were going to go over the side. We'll leave the driving to Rome In Limo who should be the experts at navigating these roads. It should be a lot of fun!

[chipmaster]

We had fun doing it :D

 

Guess I need to dispel some myths about the Amalfi Drive. The truth is that it is an excellent 2 lane road with very secure guard rails and walls in areas where the road is near the edge of a cliff. There are a few spots (mostly near Positano) where it does get extremely narrow, but it is not a big deal. And as to the side mirrors, we have had our mements when it was necessary for me to reach out and fold-in the mirror to avoid possible damage. The mirrors on most European cars are actually hinged so that they can be folded (good in tight squeezes and when parked). One of the fun things about driving the Amalfi Drive is when you get into a "standoff" with a large tour bus. This happens at some of the sharper narrow curves near Positano and when it happens there are always bystanders who think they are traffic cops and can help clear the mess. It is all good fun and its rare for anyone to have a real accident. To be blunt, we have been on many other roads in other parts of Italy that are much more dangerous then the Amalfi Drive. Probably the worst is the lakeside road that connects the city of Como with Bellagio....which is the only road in Italy that had me shaking from all the near misses :)

 

Hank

[Susan H]

Sorrento is simply seen (by the locals) as the main city of the Amalfi Coast. Its where folks go to buy their kids' school clothes, shop at a hardware store, etc. On the other hand, when folks are planning a destination wedding on the Amalfi Coast they go to Ravello, Positano, or even the small church in Praiano. Sorrento is not even a consideration! That being said, Sorrento is where all the cheap bus tours spend their nights (it has lots of reasonbly priced hotels) while the knowledgable travelers spend their nights in Positano or Ravello. As to the town of Amalfi, we think its a nice place for a short stop when we are driving to Ravello (Amalfi is on the route). To be blunt, Ravello and Positano are true gems, Amalfi is a semi-precious stone and Sorrento is a nice polished piece of coal!

 

Hank

 

I love your gem discriptions of these towns!! We will be tendering into Sorrento in two weeks. We've already done all the local "points of interest" except Ravello. Can we get there by local bus? Would you suggest we do this or just re-do Positano? I love the limoncello everywhere!!!! Thanks

[euro cruiser]

We will be tendering into Sorrento in two weeks. We've already done all the local "points of interest" except Ravello. Can we get there by local bus? Would you suggest we do this or just re-do Positano?

I think Ravello is worth the extra effort. You can get there by bus, but you need to change in Amalfi.

 

Bus schedule Sorrento - Amalfi and Amalfi - Ravello here (bottom half of page): http://www.sitabus.it/sitabus/campania/orarioCAMPANIA/QUADROXV.pdf

 

Bus schedule Amalfi - Ravello here: http://www.sitabus.it/sitabus/campania/orarioCAMPANIA/QUADROXV.pdf

[Susan H]

I think Ravello is worth the extra effort. You can get there by bus, but you need to change in Amalfi.

 

Bus schedule Sorrento - Amalfi and Amalfi - Ravello here (bottom half of page): http://www.sitabus.it/sitabus/campania/orarioCAMPANIA/QUADROXV.pdf

 

Bus schedule Amalfi - Ravello here: http://www.sitabus.it/sitabus/campania/orarioCAMPANIA/QUADROXV.pdf

 

Thanks again euro cruiser.

[Susan H]

Has anyone done the Ho Ho bus in Sorrento?

[janina]

We're doing amalfi in October. I've been to Sorrento and Capri, so traveling further down this time. Great info, now I'm even more excited.

[roberts2005]

Has anyone done the Ho Ho bus in Sorrento?

 

 

I don't remember seeing one. Town was small enough to walk.

[graymadeb]

EURO CRUISER! I read one of your posts about renting a car and driving on your own from Naples over to Positano, Almafi coast, etc. We are interested in doing this. Driving there does not worry us. We have driven in various places in Europe and in Colorado as you stated. We will be on the NCL Jade in October.

 

HLITNER - could you please put your two cents worth in here too?

 

A couple of questions:

 

Did you rent/reserve a car before getting to Naples?

 

Approximately how much was the car rental? There are four of us.

 

Time frame - to go to Positano, etc?

 

Any other advice? Thanks in advance. If you would like to email me: ddhubbs@msn.com.