Italy -Rome, Amalfi & Sicily

We're planning on going to Italy in July for 8 nights. We're flying into Rome and plan on spending 2 nights there (have been there a few times before so we dont mind this being a short stop-off).
My questions are:

1. We're planning on heading down the amalfi coast. Would rather travel by bus or train it but is it impossible to see the coastlines in travelling like this?
2. Is Naples worth a stop? We have about 3 nights to spend around the coast. We are definitely on a budget and we are not opposed staying in guesthouses or hostels. Any ideas where we should spend those three nights?
3. Lastly we plan to spend to spend 3nights in Sicily. As we will fly home from Catania, we were thinking about spending the 3nights in Taormina. any thoughts on this or recommendations for accommodation?

Thanks.
newbie

We were down that way a few years ago. Stayed in Sorrento. You can see the coast very well from the public bus. Sit on the right side of the bus for best views. We flew into Naples and were advised not to stay there. Pompeii well worth seeing, Isle of Capri is a bit of a tourist trap. Enjoy!

Amalfi coast is spectacular, get to Positano or Ravello if you can. I took the train from Rome to Naples and there wasn't great views to be honest. We stayed in Sorrento and did trips to Ischia and along the Amalfi coast. Pompeii is worth a visit or Herculaneum.
I spent a week in Sicily last summer. We stayed in Gardini Naxos which is the coastal town just below Taormina. I thought Taormina was stunning fantastic views lovely restaurants and a great place to stay for a few days. My favourite trip from all these was definitely Mount Etna which will take a full day but in my opinion absolutely worth it. Enjoy

Hi, thanks for the replies. Not keen on going to sorrento and have already been to Pompeii so the idea of Positano or Ravello sound nice. Would driving be stressful?

Hi there

I lived in Pozzouli, Naples for 6 months, I brought my car with me and while driving around amalfi is scary I did it with a new born and believe me I'm not that confident a driver.

Naples does have a rep for being dirty and dangerous and yes parts of it are but it also has a rep for it's 'beautiful madness' - it's a wild and interesting city with some lovely buildings and good resteraunts, worth at least a night and a day... also can easily do a day trip to Capri from there which is also lovely.

As per other posts, the train will not give you the views you are looking for so bus or car is the way to go... all towns are beautiful, further south on the coast for less tourists - to me sorrento is to amalfi as temple bar is to Dublin - best avoided!

Newbie! said:

Hi, thanks for the replies. Not keen on going to sorrento and have already been to Pompeii so the idea of Positano or Ravello sound nice. Would driving be stressful?

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Sorrento is not that bad and you can do the day trip to Capri from there. This is worth while even if there are a lot of other tourists. There are going to be a lot of tourists everywhere at the time of year you're going. For this reason, I think you would be better going to the Amalfi Coast by bus as the hairpin bends are scary, even in a bus. Relationships might not survive the stress! Sorrento is nearer to the Amalfi coast as well for organising your trip. Positano and Ravello are beautiful but there are loads of villages that would be worth staying in on the way.

I went to this area in August 2008 with 4 friends. Stayed in Positano which we all loved and also Naples was nice. None of us liked Capri - very touristy and Capri town at night all about high fashion and looking cool! Day trips to Amalfi and Sorrento which were good. We took the bus which gave good views for me - however friends all suffer from vertigo/travel sickness so they kept their eyes closed (some of the roads along the coast on edges of cliffs). Have driven in Italy before in north and no problems other then narrow streets in old towns - Italian drivers are impatient but as long as you are calm you'll be fine!

Sorry forgot to add - I travelled from Naples to Positano by boat rather than bus which is an option - views are good too and not too long. The boats stop at the towns all along the coast.

I agree with Godric. It's a great idea to take the bus one way & then return by boat. We did this a few years ago. We stayed in a small town called Minori close to Amalfi, which I'd highly recommend for a more authentic visit.
We got the bus to Sorrento which took well over 2 hours but the views are spectacular. The boat back took all of 30mins and gave us a completely different perspective.
Capri left me cold - very pretty but so touristy and expensive - but I believe Ischia is well worth a visit.

I absolutely love Sicily. Have a great trip!

Newbie! said:

Hi, thanks for the replies. Not keen on going to sorrento and have already been to Pompeii so the idea of Positano or Ravello sound nice. Would driving be stressful?

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Came across this while browsing. It might be of interest.