Beyond Sorrento: Exploring The Amalfi Coast
The highlights of Sorrento can easily be seen in 24 hours. So naturally, two days in to our relaxing break, we’re itching to explore a little further afield. And Sorrento is the perfect gateway to the region. We book ourselves a little guided tour to explore the Amalfi Coast and venture beyond Sorrento.
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Beyond Sorrento
The island of Capri is a 20 minute ferry ride from Sorrento. It’s sophisticated, glamorous, and pricey. Perfect for window-shopping though, and creating a lottery win wishlist. It’s €20pp for a one-way ticket, so an excursion with Get Your Guide may work out to be a more economical option. Ischia is another island option – without the tourists.
Pompeii and Herculaneum are just over thirty minutes train ride away on the Circumvesuviana line that brought us in from Naples. The well-preserved ruins of these towns buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius are fascinating, and a snapshot of what life may have been like. We visited Herculaneum on our first visit to Sorrento in 2013 so didn’t return this time. After all, we’d had our fill of ancient ruins in Rome.
Less than an hour in the other direction is the Amalfi Coast. 50km of sheer cliff-hugging, serpentine road with hairpin corners and breathtaking views. You can take a public bus from Sorrento. Or scooter. We preferred to travel in a small minibus, on a tour booked through Get Your Guide.
Exploring The Amalfi Coast: Positano
Clinging to the cliffs above the sparkling blue sea, picturesque Positano has lots of cobbled streets and narrow alleyways to explore. Oh, and eye wateringly expensive shops. It’s the mainland equivalent of Capri.
Parking is strictly at the top of town, meaning a sloping descent to the harbour and famous beach, Spiaggia Grande. Of course, what goes down must come back up. With just an hour’s stop in Positano, there’s sadly little time to explore or visit the myriad of tiny boutiques and gift shops.
Exploring The Amalfi Coast: Amalfi
We get a slightly longer stop in Amalfi – plenty of time to grab some lunch and a much-needed Aperol Spritz. We follow the crowds from the harbourside car park through a shady tunnel, and then emerge to the sight of the stunning Duomo di Sant’Andrea. It’s one of those sights that makes you stop and go “wow”. The mosaic facade reminded me of the Duomo in Florence, if a little smaller. And a little less bonkers.
There are plenty of options for eating and drinking in Amalfi. We opt for something casual at Blu Sirena on Corso delle Reppubliche Marinare. It’s not exactly peaceful though, located on the main SS163 coast road. We get a side order of bus fumes and honking horns with our sandwich and fries.
Exploring The Amalfi Coast: Ravello
Perched way above the Amalfi Coast is the charming town of Ravello. Nestled amongst lush hills and lemon groves, its location means that Ravello is a lot less crowded than Positano and Amalfi. On our visit most of the other visitors seem to be part of a wedding party. And what a perfectly romantic setting for a wedding Ravello is.
With just an hour in Ravello, our explorations are limited. There’s no time to visit the panoramic “terazzo dell’infinito” of Villa Cimbrone (although we walked part of the way to get a taste of some of the breathtaking views). Neither did we visit Villa Rufolo, with its elegant cliff edge gardens and picture postcard views. We did have time however to play with the local cats and eat gelato.
Exploring The Amalfi Coast with a Get Your Guide Tour
Our full day Amalfi Coast minibus tour cost £65 per person. Our pick up point was just a five minute walk from Hotel Leone. We were picked up at 8:30am, and returned back to Sorrento at around 5pm. The return drive from Ravello is mainly inland (and a little boring!) although it does afford stunning views across the sprawling Naples province, an almost entirely flattened landscape with Vesuvius dominating the horizon.
Of course, you don’t have to take a tour. There are local buses which visit the main highlights of the Amalfi Coast. Ferries run along the coast, from Naples, Sorrento and Salerno, stopping at all the main coastal towns.
Or if you fancy braving the winding Italian roads you could rent a car or a scooter. There is just one main road that connects Sorrento to the the furthest coastal town on the Amalfi Coast. Which means A LOT of traffic. Lorries and delivery trucks and coaches share the space with tiny Fiats and Smart Cars and scooters. Parts of the road are narrow and steep, with switchback curves, and a dizzying cliffside drop with barely a barrier to stop a vehicle from plummeting onto the rocks below. And then there’s the issue of finding somewhere to park.
To experience the towns of the Amalfi Coast a little more slowly, there is plenty of accommodation available, although it will come at a premium cost. Personally I wouldn’t fancy lugging suitcases up and down the steps and narrow alleyways of Positano.
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Booking.comHave I inspired you to visit the Amalfi Coast? Whether it’s for a daytrip, or a longer exploration of the towns and villages. this is one of the most beautiful parts of Italy to visit. And I highly recommend letting a tour company deal with all the stressful logistics like getting around and parking!
