Amalfi Coast by boat or road?

Has anyone had experience taking the local ferries from Salerno to Positano and/or Amalfi? How did this compare with taking a land based tour? Just wondering which option might be better for one who is not a "fan" of heights.

Thanks, Mary

In May, we rented a motorboat with captain from Amalfi and cruised 50 miles up the coast to Capri (stopping for a few hours there) and back. We previously had done an Amalfi Coast drive a few years earlier on our first visit to the area. We thought the boat ride actually was superior in the viewing category.

However, I do not know how a ferry from Salerno would compare. We were able to explore a lot of small grottoes and inlets that I doubt you would get to explore while taking the ferry.

In 2012 we did a boat from Salerno to Amalfi. At the time I thought it was one of the best excursions I had taken. In 2013 we did it by road from Sorrento down the coast to Salerno. It was just as awesome. For the first time, I would recommend doing the Amalfi Drive with stops in a couple of the towns. Which ever you do, it will be great.

We recommend a road trip which (at a minimum) includes stops (to actually visit and walk around) in Positano, Amalfi and Ravello. Keep in mind that tour buses are not permitted to enter into Positano (only cars and vans can go down into the city) so most cruise line excursions will only include a view of Positano (from the Amalfi Drive looking down) which we think is almost a crime. Positano is worthy of some exploration on foot and you are only going to get this opportunity if you rent your own car, take a small private tour, or get there via the regional SITA bus.

Hank

We recommend a road trip which (at a minimum) includes stops (to actually visit and walk around) in Positano, Amalfi and Ravello. Keep in mind that tour buses are not permitted to enter into Positano (only cars and vans can go down into the city) so most cruise line excursions will only include a view of Positano (from the Amalfi Drive looking down) which we think is almost a crime. Positano is worthy of some exploration on foot and you are only going to get this opportunity if you rent your own car, take a small private tour, or get there via the regional SITA bus.

 

Hank[/QUOT

 

I was thinking of taking an 8:40 ferry from Salerno to Positano (70 minute ride) then spending a couple hours in Positano, taking a 12:00 ferry to Amalfi (25 minutes) spending time in Amalfi and then returning to Salerno on a 4:15 ferry (35 minutes) I am assuming the ferry would land in city/town centers. Have also looked into private tour to Positano, Amalfi and Ravello, but don't want concern over heights to detract from experience which is why I am thinking of this option. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

I always stay in Maiori when visiting the Amalfi Coast. There are some lovely walks in that area and it is only a 40 min trip from Salerno on the coastal SITA bus. It is in my opinion the most sunning part of the amalfi coast along this stretch. I'm not sure about vertigo but it is an exciting ride. You have to trust the driver as they do this multiple times a day!

From Maiori you can walk to Minori (it's not scary).

Minori is a famous foodie town (Jamie Oliver's friend Gennaro is from the town). It is the real amalfi coast unlike Positano which is a tourist town. Amalfi is just a 20 min bus ride from Maiori and you change for bus to Ravello there. You can walk down from Ravello to Maiori but it is a lot of steps (I don't think you will feel the heights issue though as it's all sloping gradients).

Maiori has a fantastic beach - the largest on the coast. Loads of great restaurants including Torre Normanna which is exceptional and has the most amazing view.

It's all very Italian around these parts- not many cruise shippers make it to these towns (exception is Ravello) and there's little tourist tat!! In contrast Positano is so tacky it has really been spoilt by all the tat and the expensive restaurants offering mediocre food. Such a shame as the setting is fantastic... I used to love it like 10 years ago but oh dear it's been spoilt. Shopping seems to be the no 1 activity now, you can't see the buildings through the racks of clothes from China!!

I still love Amalfi, it's touristy but has not been spoilt. The eateries are still good and locals eat in them. The cafe on the square is fab (my favourites are rum babas and their lacrima Christi wine). It's very good value.

I've taken all sorts of buses and boats in these parts over the years so if you have any questions let me know.

Amalfi is the best option for boat trips. Depending on time of year they depart regularly, are walk on and very reasonably priced. Just head to pier (right by where the bus drops you off).

If you get boat from Salerno you will see small towns many miss ( minori maiori, etc) as well as the forts - one of which is Torre Normanna which you can eat in - which is expensive but I highly recommend).

I personally wouldn't get the boat from Salerno - I'd do a mix of bus then boat from amalfi - perhaps to the emerald grotto which a lot of people miss!

Ferries to Positano and Amalfi will be fine as far as being close to the town centers. Ravello is only accessible by vehicle (there is a public bus that runs round trip between the square in Amalfi and Ravello. As to the Amalfi Drive, we think there are few height problems on the section between Salerno and Amalfi with the more scary section being between Amalfi and Sorrento.

Had to smile about the post that mentioned the Emerald Grotto. I guess this place is an attraction for some tourists, but many others (and all locals) would call it a true tourist trap. When we spent a week at a wonderful hotel in Praiano (near the Emerald Grotto) the hotel owner (who has lived in the area for many decades) just rolled his eyes when DW ask him about the Emerald Grotto. IMHO the "do not miss" place skipped by many tours and day trippers is the hilltop town of Ravello. We love just wandering around Ravello's small streets, sampling Lemoncello, etc. DD also discovered Ravello when she went there for a destination wedding and spent 3 days. It is a more laid back town then Positano (which is also wonderful) and I always appreciate that its easy to park (we always have a rental car) at Ravello. I should mention, if you are considering renting a car, that Positano is very difficult (or extremely expensive) when it comes to parking. Many who work and visit Positano park more then a mile away along the Amalfi Drive since it can be impossible to find a spot in the city.

Hank

 

Had to smile about the post that mentioned the Emerald Grotto. I guess this place is an attraction for some tourists, but many others (and all locals) would call it a true tourist trap. When we spent a week at a wonderful hotel in Praiano (near the Emerald Grotto) the hotel owner (who has lived in the area for many decades) just rolled his eyes when DW ask him about the Emerald Grotto.

Yes I agree - tourist trap like many places on the coast but it's only €5 so not bad for 10 min wonder ... It's still very beautiful. There are loads of caves dotted around the coastline actually,there is the most beautiful cove with caves that we swam into a couple of years ago. When we returned last year the sea was too high and they'd disappeared!

I've taken all sorts of buses and boats in these parts over the years so if you have any questions let me know.

@kfowinst: I'll take you up on that ... ;)

We'll dock at Amalfi in September with Seadream II and want to visit the coast a bit off the beaten tourist tracks.

My plan is, to drive by SITA-bus from Amalfi to Ravello and after strolling in this village we want walk to Minori and Maiori.

From Maiori we'd like to go on via SITA-bus to Salerno and have a look there. At the end, we'd like to go back via ship to Amalfi.

What do you think - is this makeable in one day?

Any special places on this tour, that we MUST see? What about the Ravello gardens?

Thanks in advance for your comments ... :)

@kfowinst: I'll take you up on that ... ;)

 

We'll dock at Amalfi in September with Seadream II and want to visit the coast a bit off the beaten tourist tracks.

My plan is, to drive by SITA-bus from Amalfi to Ravello and after strolling in this village we want walk to Minori and Maiori.

From Maiori we'd like to go on via SITA-bus to Salerno and have a look there. At the end, we'd like to go back via ship to Amalfi.

What do you think - is this makeable in one day?

Any special places on this tour, that we MUST see? What about the Ravello gardens?

Thanks in advance for your comments ... :)

This is possible - just start early!

Bus from Amalfi to Ravello takes about 15 mins, it leaves every 30 minutes but gets so busy that you might not get on first time! The bus station is obvious right near the water. Walking to maiori from ravello is easy and lovely and quiet! Just head to villa cimbrone and follow signs to minori. You can see where you are headed much of the time (look left). From minori walk along the coast road to maiori. I wouldn't bother with Salerno, there is not much of interest for the casual tourist, there are old streets in centre but its a port and not particularly pretty. I can imagine its a great place to live though as there's a lot going on. You can get a ferry boat from maiori to a Amalfi in high season - you will need to google to check this yeArs timetable & dates. Journey takes 20 minutes.

Best eats:

Sal de Riso for cakes in minori (he is a very famous chef)

Rum babas or cherry cornettos from Trieste or cafe Napoli in maiori

Il Giardenellos in minori for lunch

Tony's on the beachfront road in maiori for aperitf and people watching

Torre Normanna in maiori if you want a real treat

Stuff to do:

The cathedral in Amalfi is beautiful and it's worth climbing up to the church in maiori as the view is wonderful.

Villa Ruffulo in Ravello for the garden and view

Beach in Maiori (if you walk out of town past Torre Normanna along the vcoast road towards Salerno there is a wonderful little cove where the sea is bright blue and there are caves you can swim in - be careful as there are rocks

In maiori you can walk up high to the old castle. If the owner is there he will show you his family's collection of artefacts

Torre Normanna is worth a look even if you don't eat there

If you are in maiori at 4pm you will start to see the italians doing their passegiatia along the promenade.

Have fun!!

Just to add the walk from ravello down to maiori takes about 1.5 hours.

I say easy, well it is if you don't have dodgy knees! I guess there are well over 1000 steps down (interspersed by paths which are largely downward sloping), it's more difficult doing it the other way around! You will walk through tiny hamlets, it's like stepping back in time. This was the main road before the Amalfi coast road was built!

@kfowinst: WOW, WOW, WOW!!!

Thank you so very much indeed for all the hints and tips - we'll do that!

You mentioned, that Salerno is less interesting - I'd like to go there by SITA-bus especially because of the adventure of the winding coast road from Maiori to Salerno - do you think this part is worth it?

BTW - we're light on one's feed ... ;)

@kfowinst: WOW, WOW, WOW!!!

 

Thank you so very much indeed for all the hints and tips - we'll do that!

 

You mentioned, that Salerno is less interesting - I'd like to go there by SITA-bus especially because of the adventure of the winding coast road from Maiori to Salerno - do you think this part is worth it?

 

BTW - we're light on one's feed ... ;)

No problem!

Yes it's worth doing the Sita bus ride as the views are wonderful. It's also a relatively quiet stretch between maiori and Salerno and so you'll have a better view. It gets very busy maiori to positano and often you can't see out of the window or have to stand!

You don't have to go as far as Salerno actually there is a town which marks the end if the Amalfi coast called vietri sul mare which is worth a look. It's 10 mins before Salerno. It is famous for its pottery and tiles

It can take a long time to get out of Salerno in peak hours due to heavy traffic so this might be a better idea if you need to make it back to your ship early.

I think some time wondering around Amalfi & ravello walking through minori and maiori with a sita bus ride to vietri sul mare and back to amalfi will give you a great insight into the real Amalfi coast in 8 hours... But you will probably be exhausted by the end of the day!! You can fit this much in if you don't dawdle too long in one place and start early enough to give yourself a buffer if traffic gets bad (which does happen more in peak tourist season).

Have a fab time!

Wow again!

This is exactly the tour we'd like to do!

There's no time-problem, because SDII will dock overnight in Amalfi. We'll depart next morning to Capri.

Do you know if there's a regular ship traffic back to Amalfi from Vietri sul mare mid September (no high season)?

Wow again!

This is exactly the tour we'd like to do!

There's no time-problem, because SDII will dock overnight in Amalfi. We'll depart next morning to Capri.

Do you know if there's a regular ship traffic back to Amalfi from Vietri sul mare mid September (no high season)?

There's no public ferry from vietri Sul mare. It does have the only railway station on the coast though (we've gone to Pompeii and naples from there) but that won't help you get back to amalfi.

I just had a look at your ship - it looks amazing! Lucky you! If you're not on a time schedule you can enjoy the evening too :)

If you want to eat good food in memorable setting, I would recommend making a booking at Torre Normanna for dinner on the terrace, or one of the restaurants in Cetara (a fishing village between Vietri Sul Mare and Maiori). The Sita bus stops in all of these places and runs quite late (around 10pm).

Alternatively, Tramonti (a village up in the Latteri mountains about 5km from maiori) is famous for its neopolitan pizzas and a lot of Napoli's pizzaolas originated from there. So if you want great Pizza and can't make it to Naples go there - you would need to take a taxi there and back.

If you want to go to a nightclub, I recommend Club Africana which is in a cave and possibly the most beautiful setting for a nightclub in the world! It is in praiano. You would need to get a taxi from amalfi (about 20 mins). It is where the stars used to hang out in the 60s, you can eat there and watch cabaret, dance the night away!

Have a fantastic time.

Have a fantastic time.

After reading all your hints and tips I will have an unforgetable time - if the weather fits nothing can go wrong ... :)