Hello,

Is Naples the best place to stay to visit Vesuvio / Pompeii?

I would like to visit Naples / Vesuvio / Pompeii / Positano / Sorrento / Capri / Amalfi.

I dont know much about the areas. If any one could suggest where best to stay / locate myself to visit these areas, and how to travel in between it would be so much appreciated.

thanks so much in advance.

I'd say that the best place to stay is Amalfi. You can reach any place on the Amalfi Coast from there and I'd suggest that you don't drive a car. I'm big on driving on my vacations in Europe but our visit to Amalfi last fall for 10 days showed me that it's not a great idea there. It's the first place where a car turned out to be a burden and I just left it at the hotel for the whole trip. Buses, and better still, boats that leave from the small port in Amalfi go to just about everywhere and the views are really great while getting to your destination, whether it be Positano, Sorrento, etc. I'd use Amalfi as a base and use the buses and boats to get to Capri, Positano, Sorrento, etc....By the way, don't miss Ravelo, which you can get to by foot, though it's a bit of a tough walk or by bus from Amalfi. Explore that town thoroughly by foot...it's heavenly.

Going to Vesuvio/Pompeii and Naples is a bit out of the way from Amalfi, though and so I'd stay closer by or if you go from Amalfi, it's a long day of traveling with waking up at an early hour and getting back to Amalfi late, so it's best to stay overnight, closer to those destinations.

If seeing Vesuvius and Pompeii (and Herculaneum) is the more important goal for you, then staying in Sorrento might be better. Herculanuem, Pompeii, Sorrento, and other places (like Stabiae) are on the private rail line called Circumvesuviana that runs from Naples out to Sorrento.

Getting to Amalfi from Sorrento will involve taking SITA buses...but there is no rail service at all on the south side of the Amalfi peninsula, so if you stayed in Amalfi, getting back to Pompeii is a multi-modal trip...

Furthermore, I imagine that there are good connections from Sorrento to Capri by ferry or hydrofoil, but do check...in terms of transportation, Sorrento is probably more convenient for MOST of your venues (not necessarily all)...

Bill

I agree with Bill. Having done this in February, with no car, I would certainly not consider staying in amalfi. To get anywhere you have to take the lovely, but lengthy, bus journey along the coast road.

Definitely stay in Sorrento (I recommend the Hotel Savoia). The Circumvesuviana train goes from there, and stops at Pompeii/Herculaneum/Villa Poppea (Torre Annunziata station). You can get trips up Vesuvius (if it's open) from Sorrento itself, or from Pompeii town. The Circumvesuviana goes into Naples (takes about an hour), so a day visit there is entirely feasible.

From Sorrento (outside the Circumvesuviana station) you can take the regular Sita bus to Positano and Amalfi; an easy day trip. Buy your tickets from the newspaper shop at the station.

You can also take the hydrofoil/ferry to Capri/Naples etc from Sorrento.

Circumvesuviana train times (Linea Napoli-Sorrento link):

http://www.vesuviana.it/Reteeorari/Ferrovia/Orario

Sita bus to Amalfi/Positano timetable:

http://www.sitabus.it/wps/portal/OrariCampania

(look under 'Quadro 15')

Buses to Vesuvius:
http://www.vesuvianamobilita.it/orari/vesuvio/vesuvio.htm

If you are flying into Naples there is a direct bus from the airport to Sorrento. Timetables here:

http://www.curreriviaggi.it/

Have a look also in the Naples and/or Sorrento forums as this question has been dealt with in depth at least twice during the past month. Sorrento definitely makes a good base for visiting both the archaelogical sites, as well as the towns of the Amalfi penninsula, as well as Capri. It is preferable to Naples, I would say, especially in the summer.

agreeing with most above, if you do not have a car and are going to rely on public transportation, then Sorrento is the most central (although visiting lovely Ravello becomes a chore ). If you have a car, you are still probably going to visit Pompeii etc by public transit using the bus to Sorrento and then the train. In this case, suggest finding a hotel with a parking lot in Positano which is a beautiful place to stay.