Visiting Amalfi coast, Ravello and Positano, driving vs ferry

[Tina80]

Planning on visiting Amalfi coast, Ravello and Positano in a day excursion from the cruise port in Naples. Was wondering how different the view is from inside a car vs a bus vs ferry. Can we see the colorful houses on the cliff from inside the car or we will see it only if we take a boat/ferry tour? What are the pros and cons of each transportation option? (Bus vs private driver vs ferry)? 

Edited August 29 by Tina80

[Vineyard View]

We stayed on the Amalfi coast many years ago. We used the ferry as much as possible, supplemented by their local SITA bus system. The bus system is a method to get from A-B. 
The ferry system is reliable, enjoyable, and more scenic. In subsequent port stops, we have used the ferry system. Enjoy. Such a beautiful place in our world. 

[Tina80]

25 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

We stayed on the Amalfi coast many years ago. We used the ferry as much as possible, supplemented by their local SITA bus system. The bus system is a method to get from A-B. 
The ferry system is reliable, enjoyable, and more scenic. In subsequent port stops, we have used the ferry system. Enjoy. Such a beautiful place in our world. 

Thank you so much for your great and helpful reply. Our cruise will arrive in Naples, so we have a day for the excursion. Will it be doable getting from the cruise port to Amalfi and Positano? I read that there is a bus (the same one you mentioned), but will the timing work out for us in your opinion?

Edited August 29 by Tina80

[erby2283]

Last time I was there we docked in Salerno and I booked a tour that included the Amalfi coast but we never made it to Positano...which I wanted to see so badly.

 

We sail next week and dock in Naples and have booked a tour with Simply Amalfi to go to Positano and Ravello.  I can report back upon my return. 🙂

[Tina80]

10 minutes ago, erby2283 said:

Last time I was there we docked in Salerno and I booked a tour that included the Amalfi coast but we never made it to Positano...which I wanted to see so badly.

 

We sail next week and dock in Naples and have booked a tour with Simply Amalfi to go to Positano and Ravello.  I can report back upon my return. 🙂

Oh no, so sorry you were not able to visit Positano, I would be so upset too. Gladly you get to visit that beautiful place this time. Is this the tour you booked? Can you please let me know how much it was? https://simplyamalfi.com/amalfi-coast-destination-of-your-dreams/

[erby2283]

55 minutes ago, Tina80 said:

Oh no, so sorry you were not able to visit Positano, I would be so upset too. Gladly you get to visit that beautiful place this time. Is this the tour you booked? Can you please let me know how much it was? https://simplyamalfi.com/amalfi-coast-destination-of-your-dreams/

Yes, that's the tour I booked.  I emailed them and Salvatore responded right away. I told him i REALLLLLYYYY needed to get to Positano lol.   I was able to get a total of 7 people (including myself) for this tour from our sailing and it was 600 euros total. For an all-day tour.  Food, entrance fees and tips not included.  I had to pay a 100 euro deposit via paypal and the balance is due at the end of the tour.  I was a bit nervous to pay up front for the deposit but there seemed to be plenty of reviews for him and I felt comfortable doing so.  

[Tina80]

13 minutes ago, erby2283 said:

Yes, that's the tour I booked.  I emailed them and Salvatore responded right away. I told him i REALLLLLYYYY needed to get to Positano lol.   I was able to get a total of 7 people (including myself) for this tour from our sailing and it was 600 euros total. For an all-day tour.  Food, entrance fees and tips not included.  I had to pay a 100 euro deposit via paypal and the balance is due at the end of the tour.  I was a bit nervous to pay up front for the deposit but there seemed to be plenty of reviews for him and I felt comfortable doing so.  

Thanks much for the info, I have booked mine with Rome in a Limo, the price I will be paying is 500 Euros, hopefully I can find more people to join me so the price gets cheaper! I wish you guys a great trip and hopefully you get to visit Positano on this trip. Funny story, I have a similar experience, we visited Naples back in 2019 and I wanted to take a private tour to visit Positano. Did not have enough cash on me, so they pointed me to the ATM there and turned out I never had a PIN set up for my credit card. An hour or so on the phone with my bank and I finally got a PIN setup and got the cash. By that time, the driver refused to take us saying it was too late and there would be a bad rush hour... 

[erby2283]

6 minutes ago, Tina80 said:

Thanks much for the info, I have booked mine with Rome in a Limo, the price I will be paying is 500 Euros, hopefully I can find more people to join me so the price gets cheaper! I wish you guys a great trip and hopefully you get to visit Positano on this trip. Funny story, I have a similar experience, we visited Naples back in 2019 and I wanted to take a private tour to visit Positano. Did not have enough cash on me, so they pointed me to the ATM there and turned out I never had a PIN set up for my credit card. An hour or so on the phone with my bank and I finally got a PIN setup and got the cash. By that time, the driver refused to take us saying it was too late and there would be a bad rush hour... 

Good luck in getting people to join.  When is your trip? My previous trip was back in 2019 too....but they told me ahead of time it's usually just a view of Positano from above bc the traffic is usually too bad so I kind of had a feeling going in it wasn't going to happen. But it will happen in a little over two weeks!

 

This time....make sure you're pin is set up. 🙂 What did you end up doing that day?  I heard there's a good pizza place nearby the port - but I am sure it's touristy and can find something better that's not too crowded when we get back. 

[Tina80]

11 minutes ago, erby2283 said:

Good luck in getting people to join.  When is your trip? My previous trip was back in 2019 too....but they told me ahead of time it's usually just a view of Positano from above bc the traffic is usually too bad so I kind of had a feeling going in it wasn't going to happen. But it will happen in a little over two weeks!

 

This time....make sure you're pin is set up. 🙂 What did you end up doing that day?  I heard there's a good pizza place nearby the port - but I am sure it's touristy and can find something better that's not too crowded when we get back. 

Oh I am soooo excited for you! Our cruise trip starts on Oct 1st. We will arrive in Rome and stay for a couple of days, then we head to Milan after that. I am planning to take cash with me this time! I am really hoping it is worth this much money! 
On that day, we had already been to Pompeii and since the kids were tired, we went back to Rome. I don't remember anything except being so upset ;(

 

[euro cruiser]

2 hours ago, Tina80 said:

 Can we see the colorful houses on the cliff from inside the car or we will see it only if we take a boat/ferry tour?

Are you sure the picture you have in your mind is Positano?  The view is beautiful,  but it's not colorful houses.  Are you maybe thinking of Cinque Terre?

[Tina80]

Just now, euro cruiser said:

Are you sure the picture you have in your mind is Positano?  The view is beautiful,  but it's not colorful houses.  Are you maybe thinking of Cinque Terre?

I hope so! But definitely worth double checking! Here's the picture I had in mind:
Edit - I just looked up Cinque Terre and WOWWW

Edited August 29 by Tina80

[mapleleaves]

I'm glad euro cruiser asked the question.  I wondered the same thing. Yeah, the AC is beautiful but CT is where you see the colorful houses. I spent a few days in the CT so we saw the villages by trail, train and ferry. The views from the sea were jaw-dropping !

 

I did a private AC tour in Sept 2019 when our ship docked in Naples. I wanted to spend time in Positano, Amalfi and Ravello, PLUS I wanted to experience the view from the sea so I included the ferry from Positano to Amalfi.  Best decision !    The views from Ravello and from the ferry were the highlight of our day.  The company suggested an early start so we met our driver at 7:3,0am.  Great suggestion. We seemed to be just ahead of the crowds all day.

enjoy your trip!

 

[mapleleaves]

Positano from the ferry. 

 

 

[PurpleTraveller]

In June I did an excursion from Naples to Sorrento and then a ferry ride from Salerno to and from Amalfi and then returned to Naples. There are no views of the coast from the highway from Naples. When we turned off the highway to go along the coast road to Sorrento there were lovely views but the traffic was very congested and very slow going. You wouldn't be going on that part of the coast road to go to Ravello and Positano but I would expect that the coast road there would be as congested and slow. We then returned to the highway to get to Salerno. On the ferry from Salerno to Amalfi and return the views were lovely and the ferry ride was the best part of the day. The drive from Salerno to Naples was also on the highway.

 

This is on the coast road to Sorrento.

 

 

This is Amalfi from the ferry 

 

 

[Vineyard View]

Tina, I agree with Mapleaves regarding the views from the ferries along the Amalfi coast. They are an efficient transportation system and such a pleasure. The drive is super narrow and winding, just FYI. maybe research the ferry schedules and see if you could make it work. 
If Ravello is important, that is a side-trip up (approx 20-30 min) taking a narrow road from Amalfi town. It’s lovely, but no ferry can get you there. 

[Tina80]

5 hours ago, mapleleaves said:

I'm glad euro cruiser asked the question.  I wondered the same thing. Yeah, the AC is beautiful but CT is where you see the colorful houses. I spent a few days in the CT so we saw the villages by trail, train and ferry. The views from the sea were jaw-dropping !

 

I did a private AC tour in Sept 2019 when our ship docked in Naples. I wanted to spend time in Positano, Amalfi and Ravello, PLUS I wanted to experience the view from the sea so I included the ferry from Positano to Amalfi.  Best decision !    The views from Ravello and from the ferry were the highlight of our day.  The company suggested an early start so we met our driver at 7:3,0am.  Great suggestion. We seemed to be just ahead of the crowds all day.

enjoy your trip!

 

Now I will need to add CT to my bucket list! After seeing your comment I started wondering maybe I should pick a ferry ride vs the car!

[Tina80]

4 hours ago, mapleleaves said:

Positano from the ferry. 

 

 

Thank you so much for sharing the beautiful pic! Lovely view

[Tina80]

1 hour ago, PurpleTraveller said:

In June I did an excursion from Naples to Sorrento and then a ferry ride from Salerno to and from Amalfi and then returned to Naples. There are no views of the coast from the highway from Naples. When we turned off the highway to go along the coast road to Sorrento there were lovely views but the traffic was very congested and very slow going. You wouldn't be going on that part of the coast road to go to Ravello and Positano but I would expect that the coast road there would be as congested and slow. We then returned to the highway to get to Salerno. On the ferry from Salerno to Amalfi and return the views were lovely and the ferry ride was the best part of the day. The drive from Salerno to Naples was also on the highway.

 

This is on the coast road to Sorrento.

 

 

This is Amalfi from the ferry 

 

 

Lovely! Thanks much. Does the ferry stop anywhere? I know the car ride lets you get off and walk around

[Tina80]

1 hour ago, Vineyard View said:

Tina, I agree with Mapleaves regarding the views from the ferries along the Amalfi coast. They are an efficient transportation system and such a pleasure. The drive is super narrow and winding, just FYI. maybe research the ferry schedules and see if you could make it work. 
If Ravello is important, that is a side-trip up (approx 20-30 min) taking a narrow road from Amalfi town. It’s lovely, but no ferry can get you there. 

Ravello isnot a must for me, all I really wanted to do was seeing the houses on the cliff, I guess the ferry ride doesn't let people browse the area for shopping or dining, is that correct?

[mapleleaves]

7 minutes ago, Tina80 said:

Ravello isnot a must for me, all I really wanted to do was seeing the houses on the cliff, I guess the ferry ride doesn't let people browse the area for shopping or dining, is that correct?

You do your sightseeing, etc before and after the ferry. 

We spent about 90 minutes in Positano before boarding the ferry, maybe at 10am ish. 

Then we had an hr or so in Amalfi, then lunch for an hr, then on to Ravello for about an hr

 

 (Ravello was my favorite of the3 towns. The views from the Villa were spectacular )

 

BTW, if your RollCall on cc is slow, find it on FBook.

[Tina80]

24 minutes ago, mapleleaves said:

You do your sightseeing, etc before and after the ferry. 

We spent about 90 minutes in Positano before boarding the ferry, maybe at 10am ish. 

Then we had an hr or so in Amalfi, then lunch for an hr, then on to Ravello for about an hr

 

 (Ravello was my favorite of the3 towns. The views from the Villa were spectacular )

 

BTW, if your RollCall on cc is slow, find it on FBook.

Thank you so much, this sounds like a great itinerary. How did ypu plan your tour? Can you please share thename of your tour and also how you were able to ask for a mixed (car, ferry) tour?

There are several facebook groups not sure which one is the one for our RC Odyssey of the seas, start date Oct 1 st

[Tina80]

If this is the group, my request to join was never approved.

 

[PurpleTraveller]

4 hours ago, Tina80 said:

Lovely! Thanks much. Does the ferry stop anywhere? I know the car ride lets you get off and walk around

 

The ferry I was on was part of a Celebrity shore excursion. The ferry went direct from Salerno to Amalfi with no other stops. We then had an hour to visit Amalfi before getting another ferry from Amalfi to Salerno with no other stops. I don't know about other ferry routes such as from Positano to Amalfi. Maybe check out the Amalfi Coast ferry websites for more information.

 

It could be nice to combine a land and ferry trip. The views from high on the coast are fabulous and it was lovely to be on the water enjoying the scenery away from the traffic. 

 

Good luck with your planning and hope you have a wonderful trip. 😊

 

Edited August 30 by PurpleTraveller

[Vineyard View]

15 hours ago, Tina80 said:

Ravello isnot a must for me, all I really wanted to do was seeing the houses on the cliff, I guess the ferry ride doesn't let people browse the area for shopping or dining, is that correct?

The ferry’s run on a schedule up and down the coast. You should be able to find the schedule online ahead to plan on how much time you spend in each place. They leave directly from the port in Naples. Easy. Last time we docked in Naples we took the ferry to Capri and spent a lovely day there. It was our second visit to the island, and it was just as wonderful as the first. That would be too much to incorporate in your trip, but my point is that the ferry system makes it easy to plan your day out ahead. If you search ‘ferry schedules from Naples to Amalfi coast’ they are available. Hope this helps

[Tina80]

16 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

The ferry’s run on a schedule up and down the coast. You should be able to find the schedule online ahead to plan on how much time you spend in each place. They leave directly from the port in Naples. Easy. Last time we docked in Naples we took the ferry to Capri and spent a lovely day there. It was our second visit to the island, and it was just as wonderful as the first. That would be too much to incorporate in your trip, but my point is that the ferry system makes it easy to plan your day out ahead. If you search ‘ferry schedules from Naples to Amalfi coast’ they are available. Hope this helps

Perfect, thank you, I will look for that today and hopefully figure it out. I understand this is not the official ferry you were speaking of but looks like they stops for pax to have some free time at each place and then then can get on the same ferry: https://www.getyourguide.com/naples-l162/from-naples-ferry-boat-ticket-to-amalfi-and-positano-t553938/?ranking_uuid=50b03700-ab58-412b-830c-ee17f2dbc59a
What is the name of the pick up location I should look for? Mollo Beverello? And also, does the regular ferry also stop for everyone to look around and have some free time, then they can get back on the ferry to the next destination? Thanks

Edited August 30 by Tina80