On the Amalfi Coast is it better to stay at Sorrento or Positano?

I want to be in an attractive town/village and do some serious sunbathing and swimming in the sea during the summer, which of these two is the best to stay in and why?

Sorrento is more package deal tourism, flatter, noisier and bigger, whereas Positano is more select, very steep with vehicles unable to get to most houses and hotels, there are just alley ways and steps between the building – and it’s generally more expensive and favoured by ‘The Beautiful People’

Whichever you go to, make sure you visit the other and don’t bother taking a carto either. The roads are narrow, twisting, vertiginous and in summer an endless traffic jam with parking almost impossible. The bus and boat servies are more than adequate for a couple of weeks holiday.
Enjoy whichever you go to.

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Hey
So I’ll be at the Amalfi Coast in May with my Dad, and I’m trying to decide where we should go. We only have 3 days there, so please make a recommendation as to which place should be our base, and which 2 we should travel to!

Amalfi (the city)
Ravello
Positano
Praiano
I’ve tried to find images of Amalfi (the city), but I’m having trouble, because I’m certain most of the images are of the Amalfi Coast, not Amalfi itself.
Please tell me which you have been to and why you prefer them, thanks!!
I guess I should mention that I have been 2x before to each (Sorrento, Pompeii, Positano) and Capri 1x, but that my father has never been to Italy at all.

Seeing as you are only there for 3 days. it might be worth doing one of the various boat trips and that way seeing more places in one day. I stayed in Sorrento and took a bat trip to Capri (even though we only swam in the sea and not get off at the island) The on to Positano and down to Amalfi. So i am sure they do it the opposite way for you. There are so many trips you can take. The whole of the coast from Sorrento down is breathtaking.

i go almost every year and never get bored, if your dad has never been i’m sure he will enjoy all of it, and even if you have to re-visit places i’m sure you will always find or see something new. have fun

P.s. the car/bus is a lovely drive, but because the roads are narrow it can take quite a while and also if its hot can get very congested.

I am half Sicilian and half Calabrais. So I would like to visit the region of Calabria. I will be renting along the coast in Amalfi or Sorrento. I was wondering how far (minutes/hours) is the coastal region of Amalfi and Sorrento from Calabria? Also is May a good time to go? I do not want to go during the busy tourist season. What authentic southern Italian towns are there to visit during my stay? Is it expensive to travel to Sicily by ferry? Would that be a day trip (just to Palermo)?

Hi i’m half calabrais and sicilian like you. The trip (by train/bus) from Amalfi and Sorrento to Calabria would be like 6 hours. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Amalfi&daddr=Reggio+Calabria+Reggio+de+Calabre,+Calabria,+Italy&hl=en&geocode=&mra=pe&mrcr=0&sll=39.31168,15.199128&sspn=4.487935,9.887695&ie=UTF8&ll=39.402244,15.457764&spn=4.481942,9.887695&t=h&z=7
May is the perfect month if you don’t want to come during the busy tourist season. The best town and cities to visit here in Calabria are: Tropea, Scilla, Reggio Calabria, Gerace. In Sicily: Messina, Cefalù, Isole Eolie and Palermo. The ferry is very cheap a round trip to Sicily costs € 2.00 (around $ 2.80). Yeah from Messina it’d be a day trip it takes less than 3 hours to Palermo by train. for any other question you can im me on this screename lolloitaly89 or just e-mail me on here. i hope you enjoy your stay here!

We are not the type to want to book anything in advance – we like to just turn up and go with the flow. If we try this in August on the Amalfi Coast, will we be in trouble. Do we have to book everything in advance for that time of year? I am talking about hotels, B&B etc – our budget would be $200 per night. Thanks for any help.

August is the peak of the tourist season. In normal years, you should book in advance. It’s hard to predict this year though. There have been huge job losses in the direct tourist industry because tourism has ben down with the state of the economy. This might suggest that you might be able to find things as you go. However, if you do this, the most likely available places will be the most expensive – everyone is looking for the cheapest options now.

I use this site for hotels here in Italy: http://www.venere.com/

Driving across europe London to Amalfi.
My car is not up for that sort of journey.
Is there a hire company that allows you to take their vechiles across Europe?

Not really. Not across Europe.

Very few companies would want to because they’re all run on a national basis. And the insurance risk and premium goes up on such journeys.

And who would drive the car back? It can’t stay in the destination country because the license plates are not valid for long time use. It can’t be put into the local fleet without changing the registration of the car.

We offer from all the hotels & holiday residence Full day excursion days
With specialized driver/english speaking also (other language on request)

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