EPIC, Med. cruise from Rome

[cesco92o]

What is the easiest and most inexpensive way to get to the Amalfi coast from the Naples port? Is there a ferry? Thank you!

[camz09]

I'm not an expert on the area (far from it) but from my own research, if doing it on your own and (imo) less expensive: take the Circumvesuviana train from Naples to Sorrento, then a SITA bus from Sorrento to Positano (approx. 1 hour journey) and further on the bus journey are the rest of the coast (eg. Praiano, Amalfi, etc.)

 

With regards to ferry, as far as I know, there isn't a direct Naples-Positano one. I know they are not part of the Amalfi coast but there are direct ferries to Sorrento and Capri, though, at least during summer.

[smartpeach]

I'm not an expert also, but based on my research I don't this is feasible to do. It can be done but getting back might be very difficult. I don't think there's a direct way, so you have to juggle different modes of public transportation (bus, train, ferry etc. ). If you miss any of it on your way back then you won't be able to get back in time.

 

The Amalfi Coast is hard to do it on your own if your with a cruise ship. It's only possible if you're in a land tour and have no time constraints.

[bmwman]

I'm not an expert also, but based on my research I don't this is feasible to do. It can be done but getting back might be very difficult. I don't think there's a direct way, so you have to juggle different modes of public transportation (bus, train, ferry etc. ). If you miss any of it on your way back then you won't be able to get back in time.

 

The Amalfi Coast is hard to do it on your own if your with a cruise ship. It's only possible if you're in a land tour and have no time constraints.

 

SPOT ON do not do on your own or you will be getting the train to Civitevecchia;)!!!

[cynbar]

If you want to do the Amalfi Coast, look into hiring a private tour guide --- or see if you can join or form a group on your roll call to keep the cost down. No way would I rent a car for this, and the real beauty is the view while driving. You would miss a lot by just taking the train to one town.

[4774Papa]

We took a ship's excursion to Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast. I do not recommend trying to DIY the Amalfi Coast. Take a private tour or ship's excursion.

[SuiteTraveler]

The most direct way to get there is with a car and driver. If you want to go slowly, and view the Amalfi coast from the water, too, you can take a ferry:

http://www.napoliunplugged.com/get-amalfi-coast.html

 

Be sure you know why you are going and what you want to get out of the trip. My plan was to buy quite a lot of italian pottery and have it shipped to my home, which is what I did very quickly in both Positano and Sorrento and have an authentic Neopolitan lunch and see the views of the Amalfi Coast. Along the way I learned to make lemon cello and orange cello in a family owned restaurant where I stopped for lunch and praised their food so much, they gave me a complete tour and taught me how to make several things - no charge for the tour and lessons. Other people go to Sorrento and Positano for different reasons, be it food, the views, other shopping. It just makes sense to plan ahead and know what you are there for because it is 40 minutes drive from/to the Port of Naples so make the most of your time.

 

The Amalfi Coast highway is very winding with a cliff on one side and oncoming traffic making hairpin turns. If you drive it yourselves, you will have to pay close attention to the road and may not enjoy your day as much as if you had a hired driver who was used to driving this.

Edited July 22, 2015 by SuiteTraveler

[funpig]

One way is to form or join a group of six to eight people to hire a private driver and van. Check out the roll call on CC to find people who are literally in the same boat as you. In May we hired Joe Bananas Limo for six people for €420. We did Sorrento, Positano and Pompeii.

[Cat4158]

We did a land based holiday last year and used public transport to visit the Amalfi Coast. Based on our experience I would agree with other posters and say do not try to do it on your own. The buses are often very full and will go straight past without stopping...not good if you are trying to get back to the ship.

 

If you want to do something independent why not take an early hydrofoil to Sorrento, spend a couple of hours there, then take the train to Pompeii. Finally a train back to Naples. It's very doable in a day and plenty to see at a more relaxed pace.

 

Have fun whatever you decide.

[Lilystar]

I went on the Epic last August in the W. Med. I did a lot of research in advance on the Naples/Amalfi Coast since this was one of the reasons I even wanted to go to Europe to begin with! I really wanted to actually get to walk around Positano and the big ship tours and other larger bus tours only do a "look out" rather than a stop. This is because the road in and out is so narrow. There was so much that I wanted to do on the Amafi Coast that I had a hard time narrowing it down. So my first recommendation would be to do just that. I would NOT recommend driving yourself and trying to do it by train on your own wouldn't have worked for me because I would be a nervous wreck. Ultimately I decided on a private tour with Rome In Limo and found 6 other people here on the Cruise Critic boards to share the expense with. The day was perfect. Giovanni (our driver) picked us up at the port, drove us through Sorrento and stopped for a moment to take pics. Then onto the winding Amafi Coast (which was scary and exciting at the same time), we stopped in a Positano overlook for pictures then into the town itself where we had an hour to walk around. It was amazing. After that, back into the van for a trip to a winery near Mt. Vesuvius where we had lunch and a wine tasting. Finally onto Pompeii where we had about 2 hours with a guide. The day turned out pretty perfect!

[tedly1960]

Everyones advice is spot on. Don't do it yourself. We did Ravello, Amalfi Town and Positano. Hired a van for 8 people. Got this from http://www.seeamalficoast.com. They are probably all good. Our experience with this company was great. Cost was 475 Euros for 8 people. Like many have said, check with your roll call. Set up an excursion by yourself and you will have people join you I'm sure, or you can join someone else's. If you do go to Positano, a must for lunch is La Tagliata. It was awesome!! Google them, they have their own website.