A Week in Positano

[Pauline]

Who is in charge of this board? It seems I was posting about renting a car in Naples on @jan 's thread about Naples! I will paste in my last post.

Well, against all advice we have rented a car.

We fly into Naples, taxi to a hotel and spend two nights. Then we will taxi back to the airport to pickup a car on the Saturday morning. It is 20 minutes from hotel to airport or to train station and I thought the airport would be better because there are more cars (we reserve an automatic and sometimes there is a problem with that) and it would be easier to hop onto the autostrada. But the car rental pickup will be a zoo, as will be the one at the train station.

The villa checkin is 4pm, so I will figure out somewhere to go along the route where we won't be worried about leaving our luggage in the car.

Then after our two weeks, we will leave early Saturday morning and drive back to Naples airport.

We rented a compact (Audi A1 or equivalent) and I got the measurements and description of the parking spot from Summer in Italy to make sure parking will be easy enough, and it seems like it will. We won't use the car every day.

And I will be cautious about driving into Sorrento! I am sure the Amalfi Coast road will be busy too.

 

[ellen]

You won't have a problem leaving Naples with a rental car since you've rented from the airport, which is pretty much next to the autostrada and well, well outside the Naples ZTLs (there are six of them, I think). Just pack on the patience for the drive, especially the section from the autostrada exit through Sorrento, as it's slow going.

I can't remember if we've discussed the fixed fare taxi system in Naples and I'm too lazy to go back and read the entire thread, so if I'm repeating myself just ignore me.

Naples has had a fixed fare system for taxis for several years and it works great if (1) you know about the system and how it works, (2) you are assertive about getting the fixed fare, and (3) you can tolerate/appreciate/even enjoy a bit of Neapolitan street theater from your driver.

The fare from your hotel to the airport will vary based on where your hotel is. If it's in the Centro ZTL the fare is only €16. From the area near Piazza Municipio it's €19, or from the Chiaia area it's €23. To get the fixed fare you must tell the driver you want it (la tariffa predeterminta) before he engages the meter. I make it clear before I even get in the cab and wait for the show. I understand the reluctance, they have not had a fare increase since 2012 and they are not enjoying lower fuel prices like we are in the States. Nevertheless, those are the fares so I live through the complaining, happy that my Italian isn't all that good, and get on with it.

Although the fare chart is posted in every cab, I encourage you to download it from the city's web site and print your own copy so you can point to what you want, just in case part of the "act" includes pretending not to understand you. You can find the chart on this page of the web site, the third pdf under the cartoon of the taxi is in English: http://www.comune.napoli.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/1193

 

[Pauline]

You mentioned the fares earlier @ellen but not with as much detail. Thanks for this. Our hotel is in the Chiaia area. The last time we were in Naples, in 2004, we were overcharged by taxis and had to argue to get the correct rate. I will make sure we know exactly what it will cost and will bring the printed chart with me. Steve's Italian is pretty good - so we have that going for us.

 

[Anne]

We paid somewhere in the €12-15 range for a taxi from the train station to Piazza Dante, where we were meeting our apartment owner. Possibly more than we needed to pay, but we agreed to the price upfront so it wasn't a surprise. And actually turned out not to be an official taxi, but we enjoyed the ride and the driver's very friendly company so all was well!

Leaving Naples, we picked up a rental car at the airport and had no problem getting onto the autostrada heading south (to Maratea in our case.) Had to do a little circling around/backtracking to find the same rental lot two weeks later when we returned the car, but that's mostly because I find a GPS screen a little tricky to follow closely while I'm driving, but I can't stand having the voice turned on.

We took the bus from Sorrento to Amalfi a few years ago, in March/07. I thought it was a blast, would do it again in a heartbeat (in off season, that is!) I intentionally sat on the water side of the bus and had to keep biting my tongue to keep from exclaiming things like "look, it's straight down, this is so cool!!!" because several other passengers (including my mother) were clearly very anxious.

 

[Anne]

In Sorrento, is the Correale Museum on your radar? We found it rather fascinating, such an eclectic mix of art and antiques. The villa's terrace has a gorgeous view of the coast.

 

[Pauline]

In Sorrento, is the Correale Museum on your radar? We found it rather fascinating, such an eclectic mix of art and antiques. The villa's terrace has a gorgeous view of the coast.

I haven't heard of it. Thanks!

 

[Valerie]

How about the piazza where they had the shoe store - I can go there at least?

Is it Piazza dei Martiri? If so, not a problem. You'll find Ferragamo as the shoe store!
The "Rettifilo" is Corso Umberto according to an article I read, and you can go there, too. I just wouldn't stroll the streets of the rione. Really not safe according to my Neapolitan friends.

 

[ellen]

Piazza dei Martiri is all high end shopping (and there's a big Feltrinelli there). Corso Umberto is a main thoroughfare, busy day and night with traffic. At one end is the train station and at the other end the university, with lots of small retail in between. It's a living and working area, not terribly interesting to tourists unless they are interested in actual Neapolitan city life. It's as safe as any downtown city, with all the usual precautions about pickpockets (who prey upon everyone, tourists and locals alike).

I don't have a problem wandering around the area off of Corso Umberto but there's not a lot of reason to do so. The street mercato between Napoli Centrale and the Circumvesuviana Porto Nolana station may be interesting to some but I find it full of bad knock offs, used goods, and a fair amount of what I assume are stolen items including pirated DVDs.

 

[Pauline]

We are leaving in a week and a half for this trip and I am getting back to doing my research. Thanks for all this great information!

I rebooked our rental car with autoeurope for 30% less than a couple of months ago! We won't use it much, and it may be a mistake (still thinking about this), but at least it won't cost as much.

The ferries are running now from Positano to Capri. http://www.capri.net/en/ferry-schedule?from=positano&to=capri
There are two in the morning - 9:15 and 10:00

 

[Sharon J]

I'm trying to find a place to stay in Positano for myself and husband. We know the area well, but have always stayed at Le Sirenuse. Really hard to break away, but when I look for an apartment, I can't ever find one that doesn't have lots of stairs and easy access to the little town. I realize this is a rather large place, but wouldn't mind, if we can arrive without having to carry our luggage and ourselves up and down. I've had a knee replacement and hip is coming up this August. I talked to several rental agencies for Positano, and they can never find a place that matches up for us. We do need a killer view. Would Villa Eunice be a match for us?

 

[Pauline]

I will be there a week from Saturday and will let you know. Summer in Italy have been good about answering all my questions, and they have a lot of rentals in Positano, so you could email them. I didn't want to read through all their properties so asked them to recommend a couple and I chose from them.

Some of the walking I want to do is lots of stairs, straight up the mountain. I hope my knees hold out!!

 

[Pauline]

I'm trying to find a place to stay in Positano for myself and husband. We know the area well, but have always stayed at Le Sirenuse. Really hard to break away, but when I look for an apartment, I can't ever find one that doesn't have lots of stairs and easy access to the little town. I realize this is a rather large place, but wouldn't mind, if we can arrive without having to carry our luggage and ourselves up and down. I've had a knee replacement and hip is coming up this August. I talked to several rental agencies for Positano, and they can never find a place that matches up for us. We do need a killer view. Would Villa Eunice be a match for us?

I am reviewing the notes for Villa Eunice - getting prepared for the trip! - and the apartment is on two floors - so there are stairs within it. But no stairs from the street. The website says "You will reach Villa Eunice along a 50-meters (165-feet) public walkway that has no stairway steps." The views look good. And it is in the central part of town. It comes with a parking spot. The map on the website shows the exact location.

Doing Google streetview through Positano is something! We have driven it once - but in 2001! It looks like a one way, narrow, winding street through the entire town - so when we leave in the car we have to drive through the whole town to get to the main road. But I am happy that it is one way - that will make it all easier.

 

[Sharon J]

I am reviewing the notes for Villa Eunice - getting prepared for the trip! - and the apartment is on two floors - so there are stairs within it. But no stairs from the street. The website says "You will reach Villa Eunice along a 50-meters (165-feet) public walkway that has no stairway steps." The views look good. And it is in the central part of town. It comes with a parking spot. The map on the website shows the exact location.

Doing Google streetview through Positano is something! We have driven it once - but in 2001! It looks like a one way, narrow, winding street through the entire town - so when we leave in the car we have to drive through the whole town to get to the main road. But I am happy that it is one way - that will make it all easier.

Hi Pauline, This might work for us. I'm not as good with a computer as you, so I'm eager to hear exactly where Villa Eunice is located. As I mentioned, we have only stayed at Le Sirenuse, so I'm not too familiar with where this might be. We always looked at the sea, near the big golden domed church, and I get the feeling the apartment is facing it from the other side??? I will take a look at google maps, to see if I can figure it out. The villa really does look lovely. We won't have a car, so that won't be a concern. Thanks for your input.

 

[Pauline]

Hi Pauline, This might work for us. I'm not as good with a computer as you, so I'm eager to hear exactly where Villa Eunice is located.

We are in Villa Eunice now. When you turn into Positano from the coast road, the villa is just a block down, at the first corner, on your right. The garage is just off the road and is on the lower level of the house. From the road you walk about 20 paces slightly down a pathway to the entrance. Two small steps up to the house.

The house has high ceilings - 20 foot? - so the stairs to the upper level with the bedrooms are longish. Down one step to the kitchen and to the terrace.

Stefania who looks after the house is fabulous and probably could arrange to have your bags taken upstairs for you. Or you could get your car service guy to do this.

Very good grocery shop on the main road and he will deliver everything to the house. We all four went shopping so could carry it all, but he offered to bring it.

You might end up walking a bit further for restaurants.

Ask me any questions. I can take photos of anything you want to see. I started a trip report thread where I put a photo of the terrace.
http://www.sloweurope.com/community/threads/naples-and-positano.1345/

This is such a vertical town! We were all exhausted walking to the lower level and then back up.

 

[Sharon J]

Pauline, Thank you so much for the very informative reply. In all honesty, I don't think this will work for us. It sounds like we will have to continue staying at the hotel. Since cars can pull up to the front of the hotel on the main road that runs through town with no steps, and then we can also walk to and from the beach with very few steps on a side road, it's just too easy. As you know Positano is NOT easy, and I'm not getting any younger. Sadly, the price of Le Sirenuse keeps going up and up every year, and in retirement, we think twice about staying there. Glad we visited Positano as much as we did when we were younger, as it may not be in our future. Have fun Pauline. I love that town.

 

[Pauline]

Yes, I think it that while this villa is lovely, it is a steep walk down to the main area.