Amalfi Coast Tour Question

[LynnTH]

Looks like we are going to do a Private Tour with AP Tours.  Going to Pompeii, Sorrento and Positano.  We have the following options:

 

1.  Driver only

2 . Driver W/Guide in Pompeii Only

3.  Driver W/ Full Day Guide

 

I know we would want a guide in Pompeii for sure, but is it necessary to have one in Sorrento and Positano.  Or are we able to just wander around on our own and a guide is not needed in those places?  

[CCJack]

We had a driver only and stopped at Sorrento and Positano (we did not go to Pompeii).   I think Sorrento and Positano we easily doable on your own without a guide.  They are both beautiful but not large and easily walkable.   If I was going to Pompeii, I would want a guide as you suggest.

 

 

[marazul]

46 minutes ago, LynnTH said:

Looks like we are going to do a Private Tour with AP Tours.  Going to Pompeii, Sorrento and Positano.  We have the following options:

 

1.  Driver only

2 . Driver W/Guide in Pompeii Only

3.  Driver W/ Full Day Guide

 

I know we would want a guide in Pompeii for sure, but is it necessary to have one in Sorrento and Positano.  Or are we able to just wander around on our own and a guide is not needed in those places?  

Instead of Sorrento go to Amalfi and Positano.  BTW -Sorrento is not on the Amalfi coast. Amalfi is. 😉

[LynnTH]

23 minutes ago, CCJack said:

We had a driver only and stopped at Sorrento and Positano (we did not go to Pompeii).   I think Sorrento and Positano we easily doable on your own without a guide.  They are both beautiful but not large and easily walkable.   If I was going to Pompeii, I would want a guide as you suggest.

 

 

Thanks. That is kind of what I was thinking.

[LynnTH]

8 minutes ago, marazul said:

Instead of Sorrento go to Amalfi and Positano.  BTW -Sorrento is not on the Amalfi coast. Amalfi is. 😉

Thanks.  Since we are doing our own Private Tour - am assuming they will take us where ever we would like to go.  Will look into that.

[mskaufman]

We did this last summer and chose number 2.  The guide was worth it in Pompeii to make the best use of our time. Agree that Sorrento and Positano can be done without the guide.  The driver gave us general directions on which way to go.

[tj_shopper]

We did this in 2019 but docked in Naples.  We went with Ciro la Motta, the taxi driver.  Ciro was our driver, who sings Elvis songs lol while driving.  He arranged a tour guide for us at Pompeii - very informative.  Suggest a tour guide in Pompeii for sure as there is so much to see and having someone take you around and explain the different buildings and structures was so worth it.  Ciro also drove us to Sorrento and recommended a fantastic place for lunch - let us walk around and explored on our own in Sorrento.  We also went to Positano and explored on our own.  Let me know if you have any questions.

[mskaufman]

We went with Rome In Limo.  They arranged for the Pompeii guide.

[LynnTH]

lyOk -another question.  Getting ready to book this with a tour with a guide only at Pompeii.

 

Right now they have us going to Sorrento and Positano first (pick up at 8am).  Then on to Pompeii with the guide meeting us at 1:45 - leaving at 3:45 ish then back to the ship by 4:45 or so.  (Ship leaves at 6).  

 

Seems Pompeii is further from the port than the other 2 stops - but is the traffic better coming from Pompeii than Sorrento/Positano?  Was thinking we should do Pompeii first but maybe this is a better way?  

 

Do the shops close in the afternoons for a bit.  Thought I read that they close from like 1-3.  If so, then maybe that is why Pompeii is last.  

 

Should we move up Pompeii to 1:00 just to give us a little more wiggle room coming back or is that not an issue? 

[mapleleaves]

Traffic is very slow on the AC so your driver probably wants to get that leg completed first.  If you run into a major backup, you can cut time off the Pompeii visit and still return to the port on time, whereas if you did Pompeii first then got stuck in traffic somewhere near Amalfi, you're screwed.

Our driver suggested an early start so we agreed to meet near the ship at 7:30am.  

Edited January 16, 2023 by mapleleaves

[cruisemom42]

They are likely taking you back to your ship on the highway from Pompeii, an easy shot and not subject to the traffic back-ups on some other roads like the Amalfi Coast drive.

 

 

Edited to add:  It's true that many shops in Sorrento close for the approximately 1-3 pm "pause". I stayed in Sorrento for a week and definitely found this to be true. Some of the very touristy places will stay open.

Edited January 16, 2023 by cruisemom42

[marazul]

1 hour ago, LynnTH said:

 

Right now they have us going to Sorrento and Positano first (pick up at 8am).  Then on to Pompeii with the guide meeting us at 1:45 - leaving at 3:45 ish then back to the ship by 4:45 or so.  (Ship leaves at 6).  

 

Seems Pompeii is further from the port than the other 2 stops - but is the traffic better coming from Pompeii than Sorrento/Positano?  Was thinking we should do Pompeii first but maybe this is a better way?  

 

Look at this map.  Going from Salerno to Positano you have to drive through Amalfi.  From Positano, your tour would take you through Sorrento before going to Pompeii, or there is a shortcut that skips Sorrento.  It doesn't make sense to go from Salerno to Sorrento and then to Positano.  

You can really stop in Amalfi (or Ravello) on the way to Positano.  Look at the route in this map.  As you can see, Sorrento is on the left and on the opposite coast from Positano.  

As cruisemom says, there is a fast road from Pompeii to Salerno for your return.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Salerno,+SA,+Italy/Amalfi,+SA,+Italy/Positano,+84017+SA,+Italy/Pompeii+Archaeological+Park,+Via+Villa+dei+Misteri,+Pompei,+Metropolitan+City+of+Naples,+Italy/Salerno,+SA,+Italy/@40.6711276,14.5424106,11.75z/data=!4m32!4m31!1m5!1m1!1s0x133bc25734bd3089:0x15a49713da0374a0!2m2!1d14.7680961!2d40.6824408!1m5!1m1!1s0x133b95b54921c5d1:0x151a2c999fb2aca9!2m2!1d14.6026805!2d40.6340026!1m5!1m1!1s0x133b9768a710d21b:0x8cde0b2863cede31!2m2!1d14.4849812!2d40.6280528!1m5!1m1!1s0x133bbcbd87d1ea83:0x7ca462808e529b35!2m2!1d14.4819495!2d40.7482568!1m5!1m1!1s0x133bc25734bd3089:0x15a49713da0374a0!2m2!1d14.7680961!2d40.6824408!3e0?hl=en

[LynnTH]

1 hour ago, mapleleaves said:

Traffic is very slow on the AC so your driver probably wants to get that leg completed first.  If you run into a major backup, you can cut time off the Pompeii visit and still return to the port on time, whereas if you did Pompeii first then got stuck in traffic somewhere near Amalfi, you're screwed.

Our driver suggested an early start so we agreed to meet near the ship at 7:30am.  

Thank You. That helps alot and kind of what I figured was the case. So we will keep the order of things as they are. 

What times do the shops normally open?  We are leaving at 8.  Are they open before 9?  Wonder if we should change to be picked up at 7:30.

[LynnTH]

29 minutes ago, marazul said:

Look at this map.  Going from Salerno to Positano you have to drive through Amalfi.  From Positano, your tour would take you through Sorrento before going to Pompeii, or there is a shortcut that skips Sorrento.  It doesn't make sense to go from Salerno to Sorrento and then to Positano.  

You can really stop in Amalfi (or Ravello) on the way to Positano.  Look at the route in this map.  As you can see, Sorrento is on the left and on the opposite coast from Positano.  

As cruisemom says, there is a fast road from Pompeii to Salerno for your return.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Salerno,+SA,+Italy/Amalfi,+SA,+Italy/Positano,+84017+SA,+Italy/Pompeii+Archaeological+Park,+Via+Villa+dei+Misteri,+Pompei,+Metropolitan+City+of+Naples,+Italy/Salerno,+SA,+Italy/@40.6711276,14.5424106,11.75z/data=!4m32!4m31!1m5!1m1!1s0x133bc25734bd3089:0x15a49713da0374a0!2m2!1d14.7680961!2d40.6824408!1m5!1m1!1s0x133b95b54921c5d1:0x151a2c999fb2aca9!2m2!1d14.6026805!2d40.6340026!1m5!1m1!1s0x133b9768a710d21b:0x8cde0b2863cede31!2m2!1d14.4849812!2d40.6280528!1m5!1m1!1s0x133bbcbd87d1ea83:0x7ca462808e529b35!2m2!1d14.4819495!2d40.7482568!1m5!1m1!1s0x133bc25734bd3089:0x15a49713da0374a0!2m2!1d14.7680961!2d40.6824408!3e0?hl=en

Thank you for this!

[LynnTH]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

They are likely taking you back to your ship on the highway from Pompeii, an easy shot and not subject to the traffic back-ups on some other roads like the Amalfi Coast drive.

 

 

Edited to add:  It's true that many shops in Sorrento close for the approximately 1-3 pm "pause". I stayed in Sorrento for a week and definitely found this to be true. Some of the very touristy places will stay open.

Thanks.  Will do the shops first and then Pompeii as they have suggested.  

[mapleleaves]

56 minutes ago, LynnTH said:

 

What times do the shops normally open?  We are leaving at 8.  Are they open before 9?  Wonder if we should change to be picked up at 7:30.

We left the pier at 7:30am, stopping a couple of times for photos along the way. Positano was our 1st destination; shops were open when we arrived. I don't shop, but I my SIL bought a few souvenirs.  I made a beeline to the gelato place I had read about. It was open!  Then we caught a ferry to Amalfi around 11ish. The stores were definitely open there. I made a beeline to the bakery our driver recommended!  The he drove us to Ravello, then back to the pier.

We had a long port day so I paid for an extra hour in order not to feel rushed. 

 

[LynnTH]

27 minutes ago, mapleleaves said:

We left the pier at 7:30am, stopping a couple of times for photos along the way. Positano was our 1st destination; shops were open when we arrived. I don't shop, but I my SIL bought a few souvenirs.  I made a beeline to the gelato place I had read about. It was open!  Then we caught a ferry to Amalfi around 11ish. The stores were definitely open there. I made a beeline to the bakery our driver recommended!  The he drove us to Ravello, then back to the pier.

We had a long port day so I paid for an extra hour in order not to feel rushed. 

 

Thanks. I think I will see if we can get picked up at 7:30, give us a bit more wiggle room.