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Travel
Information
Travel: Nearest airport: Naples. From the UK we use scheduled services from London
Gatwick to Naples on British Airways. But if flying from the U.K you could take advantage of cheaper Easyjet services from Stansted. You need to book these yourself, and bear in mind that with the budget airlines, services and itineraries can change at short notice.
Arrival: Taxi
direct to Amalfi from the airport can be organized
for
around 130 E. if you are short of time (for up to 4
passengers). But there is a regular bus service from the
airport to Sorrento from where you can catch buses to Amalfi or
bus from the airport to Naples Central railway station from where
you take the train to Salerno, approximately 1 hour. From there a
ferry may be taken in season up the coast for 30 minutes to Amalfi
or there is a regular bus service running along the beautiful
coast taking approx 1 hour.
End of Tour: 50-minute
bus journey to Sorrento followed by 1-hour train journey back to
Naples. This journey can be broken to visit Pompeii, which is
‘en route’. The best way to end is by taking
a ferry from Positano to Naples via Sorrento, then taking
either a bus or taxi to the airport. But the ferry does not
operate generally much before Easter or after the first weekend in
October. Bad weather can also suspend it.
If you are in a hurry, a taxi can also be organized for you
for about 130E.
Season: Any
date March – November. Mid July and the whole of August is just
too hot and too busy so only book this period if you have no other
choice and book early.
Level of Difficulty
Grade: Moderate
One
day (Day 4) is more challenging than the average and one of the
Sorrento options is rockier than any of the other walks.
This
tour is suitable for those who have had some experience of walking
and are in good general physical condition. There are lots of
ascents and descents on stepped trails, and so this is not a good
walk if you have issues with your knees. Most days are not too
long, but some people will find this tiring in warm weather.
Please note you can expect to walk in high temperatures in late
June, July, August and September.
Waymarking
Only a very small part of the route is waymarked: elsewhere it is necessary to follow the route descriptions provided together with the maps.
General
Information
Hotels:
The hotels described are our usual choice of accommodation,
however if these are not available then alternatives are used and
if these are of a different standard you will be informed at the
time of booking.
Baths/showers:
Many rooms with ensuite/private
facilities have a shower rather than a bath, usually because of
limited space. Some hotels/guesthouses may however have a separate
room in the house where a bath is available to guests.
Breakfast:
in countries such as Italy usually consist of coffee and croissant, sometimes, bread rolls,
yoghurts, ham and cheese as well. If you want more for breakfast then we would suggest you purchase some food the night before.
Special
Dietary Requirements: It is
important for you to tell us if you have any dietary requirements
when you book your holiday so that we can inform everyone that you
are staying with.
Single
Supplements: are payable on
most of our tours. The
single supplement guarantees the privacy of your own room,
however, rooms can at times be small and in some places may not
enjoy the same facilities as double/twin rooms.
Solo
Traveller Supplements: are
payable when the cost per bag of moving luggage increases.
Language:
When
travelling in less frequented areas you will not
necessarily come across people speaking English. Remember you are
experiencing a different culture, buy a phrase book and try to
learn a little of the local language!
Luggage:
When staying in hotels,
sometimes your luggage will have been taken to you room awaiting
your arrival. However don’t be surprised if your luggage is
waiting for you to take it up to your room. Please politely ask
someone if you need assistance.
Route
Notes: Please note that one
set of route notes per room booked is included in the cost of the
holiday. If you require more sets of notes then there is a charge
of £25 per set ordered.
Route notes are not issued to clients booking escorted departures.
Insurance:
All clients must have appropriate cover for the activities
included for the duration of our trip.
Accommodation & Meals
Accommodation
is on a bed and breakfast basis in 3 or 4 star hotels and all
rooms have ensuite facilities. You will be free to organize your
evening meal from the wide choice of restaurants in the area. No
picnic lunches are included in the tour, but these can be prepared
for you on request, for an extra charge, at your overnight
accommodation or materials for picnics can be purchased in the
villages where you stay.
q Nights
1, 2 & 3: These
are spent at Amalfi, the ancient capital of the Amalfi Coast, in a
welcoming and comfortable 3 star hotel. All 27 rooms in our usual
hotel have a balcony.
q Night
4 & 5: We stay in the little town of Praiano, which has a few nice little beaches in natural inlets. For those who want to relax a day longer, this is a great spot. We use several accommodations here, but our usual one has great sea views above the old coastal watchtower and
marina.
3 star hotel.
q Nights
6 & 7: Your last two nights are spent in the lively village of Positano, with its characteristic vertically stacked houses clinging to the edge of the mountains. Positano’s charming little streets are a must.
We
use one of 2 hotels, a 4* Best Western hotel or a 3* hotel. The
latter is more centrally located. The cost of the holiday is the
same no matter which or the two hotels is used.
q Optional
extension: Nights 8, 9, 10: If you book the extended tour, the last three nights are spent in a 3 *
hotel in Sorrento. Please note that there is a
baggage transfer included between Positano and Sorrento (for those
on the 11 day tour), you however will need to make use of local
(public bus or ferry) transport or take a taxi as the vehicle
moving your luggage is not licensed for passengers.
Books
A really good guide on the walks on the Amalfi Coast is written by Julian Tippett, and printed by Sunflower books. We can recommend the Lonely Planet Guide to “Walking in Italy,” which has a section on Amalfi coast although not exactly following all the routes that we do. Nevertheless this has good introductory texts on walking in Italy Per se. The Rough Guide series produce similar books.
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Outline Itinerary
q Day
1: Arrival
in Amalfi. Short visit to the town centre and maybe a swim to wash
off the tiredness of the journey. Visit St. Andrew’s Cathedral,
which claims to also be the eponymous saint’s resting place, and
the interesting Arabesque cloister. You could also visit the Paper
museum where there are still 14th century water driven
presses and hammers that produce parchment paper from cloth
fragments.
q Day
2:
Valle
dei Mulini circular walk.
The
first part of the walk today takes us into the “Valle dei Mulini”,
the valley of the watermills, with its ruins of Europe’s oldest
paper factories, dating back to the 11th century. The
path then takes us up to the little village of Pontone and there
is an optional walk to the Torre dello Zirro, which is a marvelous
picnic area, with spectacular views of Amalfi to one side and
Atrani to the other. From here it’s about an hour’s walk to
Ravello, another highlight of the Amalfi Coast, with its beautiful
Romanesque church and two sets of gardens you could visit. These
are the Villa Rufolo, whose gardens were developed by a Scot and
just down the way Villa Cimbrone, developed by an English Lord.
Both have views from their terraces that have been described as
the most beautiful in the World. We will leave it up to you to
decide. From Cimbrone we walk steeply back down to Amalfi, passing
through the beautiful town of Atrani, with the chance to look
around the narrow white little streets of the town centre. The
last short stretch to Amalfi is very scenic and has beautiful
viewpoints of the city centre.
Distance:
11km approx, 5 hours walking. Ascent/ Descent:
640 metres approx
q Day
3: Valle delle Ferriere circular
walk. Short
transfer by bus to Scala (tickets not included or optional steep
walk). From Scala we walk into the Valle delle Ferriere, one of
southern Italy’s most beautiful nature reserves. We see some
spectacular scenery, walking over comfortable footpaths underneath
the towering cliffs, and passing close to some little waterfalls.
The path then gradually descends through the forest towards the
little village of Pogerola. There is a nice bar here with a
balcony overlooking Pontone and Ravello, a veritable rest stop for
an afternoon coffee, wine or beer. From here a beautiful,
reasonably graded medieval stepped mule track curves down to
Amalfi, amidst lemon groves and marquis.
Distance:
10km approx 5 hours walking. Ascent: 300m / Descent: 550m approx
q Day
4: Maestra dei Villaggi and on to Praiano.
This is the most strenuous day and there is not much shade if it
is hot, but you could shorten it by taking the bus at the lunch
spot at around half way.
From Amalfi we start walking along one of the oldest streets
of the area the “Maestra dei Villaggi,” or highway of the
villages, an old paved mule track dating back to the 9th
century. We pass the little villages of Lone and Vettica, before
arriving at the imposing monastery of Santa Rosa, now being
converted into a hotel. The route descends to the coast again
passing some charming churches beautifully located above the rocky
shore. We then descend steeply to the spectacular fjord of Furore,
which is the ideal spot for lunch. Luigi runs a tiny restaurant
down here and will prepare for you whatever his catch has been
that day should you want a
sit down meal. This is also the place where you could take the bus
to your hotel as the rest of the day is strenuous, but no less
beautiful.
From Furore
there is a steep stepped ascent above this natural inlet. From
here we walk past the church of Sant’Elia into the Valley of
Praia. The path threads its way into the wild terraces,
uncultivated for decades, and there is some walking close to
cliffs. After passing a house once occupied by a locally known
wizard, it is time to
drop into the coastal
town Praiano, with an optional descent to the very picturesque
inlet of Marina di Praia, the tiny old harbour of Praiano. Praiano
is spread out over about 3 km with upper and lower parts.
Distance
approx 15 km, 5.5 - 6 hours or 18km, 6.5 hours walking, depending
on where you are staying in the town. Ascent / Descent:
Approx: 820 metres.
q Day
5: Valley
of Praia circular walk.
We
walk from our hotel through the streets of Praiano uphill towards
the little church of San Luca, the old heart of Praiano. From here
on an easy path above the village, we walk into the Valley of
Praia, a beautiful green valley with many vineyards clinging to
the cliffs. We then climb steeply up to the caves of Santa
Barbara; another short section uphill allows us a visit to the
village of Bomerano, a very untouristy place, for a coffee.
Returning a little way brings us to the beginning of the famous
“Sentiero degli Dei” (Footpath of the Gods), a walk with
unrivalled views.
After a very panoramic stretch with views as far as the island of
Capri, we start the descent to Praiano, passing over centuries old
steps. Some of these sections are steep, and one can just marvel
about those who constructed these perhaps hundreds
of years ago.
Distance: 11km – 5 hours walking. Ascent / Descent: 660m approx.
q Day
6: Praiano to Positano.
Along an old pilgrims’ path, we twist uphill
to the monastery of San Domenico, set in stupendous
scenery, dominating the coast from its hillside terrace. Here we
can take a little rest before continuing uphill for another
stretch, through spectacular scenery with bizarre rock formations
and luxurious vegetation, We then follow the last stretch of the
“Footpath of Gods”, which really lives up to its name, through
unique scenery to the hamlet of Nocelle. On the way there are some
high cliff side trails overlooking the sea, and views down to
Praiano and onto Positano and Capri. Passing another attractive
valley we arrive in the little village of Montepertuso from where
a choice of stair ways takes us down to Positano itself, one of
the most charming villages of the coast.
11
km approx 4.5 hours
walking Ascent / descents: 645m approx
q Day
7: :
Positano circular walk.
Take the local bus up
to Montepertuso, where we start the walk above the valley of
Positano. Following ancient footpaths through the forest and along
marvelous viewpoints (some cliff top walking) we climb towards
Santa Maria al Castello, the old fortress defending the narrow
valley between the Amalfi and Sorrentine side of the peninsula. On
the way up there is a beautifully engineered section of steps
known as the ‘Tse-Tse.’ From here we oversee both the Gulf of
Salerno and the Gulf of Naples. Through a nice wooded area in a
park like landscape we then take an easy trail to the ‘Caserna
Forestale’, a foresters’ house, from where the walk continues
through the forest and with a number of zigzags descends down to
Montepertuso. Along another medieval mule track we then descend
back down to Positano.
Distance:
8km – 4.5 hours walking. Ascent / descent: 450m.
q Day
8: After
breakfast, return to Naples by ferry, bus and train, or taxi for flight.
SORRENTO EXTENSION
Please note that there is a baggage transfer included
between Positano and Sorrento (for those on the 11 day tour), you
however will need to make use of local (public bus or ferry)
transport or take a taxi as the vehicle moving your luggage is not
licensed for passengers.
(3.60E
bus per person, 15E ferry per person (limited season), or take a
taxi 60E for up to four people). These are all approx prices.
Remember when travelling on a Sunday taxis are more expensive.
q Day
8: Positano
– Sorrento. Today
you first travel to Sorrento, from where you can take the local
train to Pompeii, for a whole day’s visit without your luggage
in tow. This is the world’s most intriguing Roman excavation. A
full visit will take at least half a day. In the afternoon
take some time as well to visit the historical town centre of the
‘new’ village of Pompeii, with its famous cathedral, which is
one of southern Italy’s most important pilgrims’ destinations
before returning to Sorrento, to stroll through its charming
little streets with fabulous views of the Bay of Naples.
Or:
First
travel to Sorrento, from where you can go on short walk and do
some relaxing on the seashore. This walk today takes you to the
Roman villa of Pollio, beautifully located above a small natural
inlet, with wonderful views over the Bay of Naples. The Villa has
a natural spring, know as the baths of Queen Margherita, an ideal
place for a swim. Walk or return by bus to Sorrento.
Distance:
3.2km (one way), 6.4km return, 100m ascent and 150m of descent
from Sorrento, and reverse on the way back.
q Day
9: Termini - Punta
Campanella – Termini. Take
the local bus from Sorrento to Termini, the last village of the
peninsula. From here you walk up to the small chapel of San
Costanzo. From there you can enjoy great views over both Gulfs
(Salerno and Naples) and Monti Lattari above Positano. Next take a
beautiful but rough and rocky path running along the impressive
cliffs of the ‘Finis Terrae’-the end of the Amalfi peninsula.
The walk descends through disused terraces and scree with views
over to Capri 5 km away and also
down to the neighbouring Ieranto peninsula.
You will eventually arrive at a headland called Punta Campanella
with an old ‘Martello’ type stone watch tower built 1334,
restored 1567, called the Minerva Tower, as there was a temple and
villa originally on the site dedicated to Athena and then Minerva.
The path returning to Termini is more comfortable and an extension
can be planned from the charming village of Nerano to the Bay of
Ieranto, (‘Baia di
Ieranto’) one of the most beautiful and unspoilt bays of
the area: It represents the central area of the Natural
Marine Reserve which includes some very interesting terrestial
flora. The area is owned by a private trust (F.A.I.) but the
access is free. Here there is another stone tower and open air
agricultural and quarrying museum. You could also have a swim
before returning to Sorrento by bus.
Distance:Termini
Circular Walk: 7km 2
5 hrs. total ascent and descent 500metres approx.
Distance: Ieranto Peninsula Circular Walk
4km, total ascent and descent approx 150m, allow 2 to 3
hours.
q Day
10: Take a
boat to Capri, an island famous since Roman times for its
beautiful location and healthy climate. There is
a lovely circular walk around part of the island, there are
a few steps involved but not as many as on other days. The walk
takes you to some famous spots such as the ‘Piazzetta’, where
you can rub shoulders with the rich and famous. Views nearby of
the three sea stacks known as
the’Faragliani’ and the narrow streets of the village centre. But the walk
takes you also along to the Villa of the Emperor Tiberius, called
‘Villa Clovis’ and for a small entry fee one can wander
through fairly well preserved
Roman remains of brick work arches etc. From here we loop
to a great natural arch overlooking the sea and then down to some
grottos, and coming back to Capri town, you can visit the Monastery of San Giacomo and
the Augustus Gardens, with some time left to relax or do
some shopping, or you could drop down to the seaside on the other
side of the island for
a lunch at Marina Piccola before returning to Capri town
and then back to the harbour at Marina Grande for a mid or
late afternoon return to Sorrento.
This is a day which really
lets you feel the charm of the island, without generally getting
trapped in the mass tourism which affects Capri town.
Distance:
10km – 4 hours walking
q Day
11: After
breakfast, return to Naples by seasonal ferry, bus or train. There
is a direct airport bus from the train station. Depart Naples.
Escorted departures 2012
EJAM06 Sun
6 May - Sun 13 May (8 day)
EJAM09 Tue 9 October – Tue 16 October (8 day)
IMPORTANT
NOTE: On the escorted tour only, 2 evening meals are included and
there is an upgrade to a 4 star hotel when you spend 2 nights in
Praiano.
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