Looking along the Amalfi Coast from Positano

Some hints and tips

• Take the fast train to Naples if you can (it turns a 3 hour trip into a one hour doddle)…we bought our tickets at the easy to understand self service booths. You will be assigned a seat and carriage (carroza) – we didn’t realise this and just sat in the first place we came to, later, when our tickets were checked we were told that we had in fact purchased premium tickets and that there was a carriage with leather seats and welcome drinks. We didn’t make the same mistake on the return trip!
• From Naples, the Circumvesuviana train leaves from downstairs in Napoli Centrale station…just follow the signs. It is just over an hour to Sorrento, about 20 minutes to Erculano Sacvi Station (there is a left baggage facility at the ticket office of the Herculano ruins – about ten minutes walk through town from the train station) and about 30 minutes to Pompeii Scavi (the left luggage facility is near the Marina entrance gate). Scavi means ruins.
• We chose to overnight in the modern city of Pompeii, breaking the journey south. This was a good option and allowed us a good four hours at the ruins the next day before continuing on to Sorrento. If you do take this option, be aware that the train line splits – Pompeii and Pompeii Scavi stations are NOT on the same line, although they are only about 10 minutes from each other.
• The Circumvesuviana trains are very basic commuter trains, covered in graffiti and with hard plastic seats. In the summer they are packed and it can be hard to find a seat, for us, in the winter it was fine, especially as we only had our small carry on bags with us (we left our big suitcases at the hotel in Rome). If you have larger suitcases there is a small storage rack at the end of each carriage.
• If you are travelling on to Positano or Amalfi, it may be best to get off at Piano de Sorrento station to catch the Sita buses to the other side of the peninsula (it is a less windy route than taking the bus from Sorrento – this bus goes up over the mountains – it’s got awesome views but takes longer).
• The Sita buses run from Sorrento, Meta and Piano de Sorrento stations. You can buy tickets from a tobacconist/newsagent. Check the timetables carefully and choose either the red or blue bus. The bus ride is not for the faint hearted, the mountain roads along the Amalfi coast just barely hug the cliff line. The scenery is jaw dropping.
• In the summer, ferries run between most major towns (ferry services to a limited number of towns also run in the winter). If you can, it is nicer to catch the ferry from Naples to Sorrento, Positano, Capri or Amalfi. This option is subject to sea conditions, however, so check with the ferry service online on the day you travel.

Sorrento harbour – a gloomy day but still a beautiful spot

The streets of Sorrento

Our unusual B&B in Sorrento

The B&B, Relais la Rupe, is perched upon a small canyon right in the heart of Sorrento

Laneways of the township of Amalfi