How to Take the Best Amalfi Coast Tour From Sorrento

Why Choose a Private Tour of the Amalfi Coast?

There are a number of ways to get around the Amalfi Coast. First, you can take the SITA buses for an economical choice. These are inexpensive city bus tickets (a few Euros) that connect Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi, and Salerno. The downside is that these buses are very crowded and inconvenient.

There are coach bus tours, but this type of travel isn't very appealing to us. You travel with a large group (generally more than 50 people) from place to place. This is something you may need to book as part of a larger tour and isn't catered for independent travelers like us.

There are ferries that venture between some of the Amalfi Coast towns on the coast. You can take a ferry between Sorrento, Positano and Amalfi. The ferries don't run all year long and they are weather dependent. If it's too windy or stormy, they could be canceled. They also don't reach towns that are higher up in the hills like Ravello.

It's also possible to book a rental car to travel to the Amalfi Coast from Sorrento. However, this isn't the most relaxing journey. It might be too stressful of a drive to enjoy the beautiful views. There are hairpin turns and traffic jams, plus there isn't much public parking in these little villages.

While it is a more expensive option, booking a private tour of the Amalfi Coast is well worth the additional cost. Justin and I booked our Amalfi Coast tour from Sorrento with Lovely Amalfi Coast Tours.

Our tour included a private driver and guide in a luxury vehicle, spots at lookout points along the way, a lunch stop, and visits to Amalfi, Ravello and Positano. Our driver shared local knowledge and interesting details about the places we visited as drove between the towns.

This took all of the stress and logistical planning out of our day trip. In fact, we didn't have to plan anything at all. We simply enjoyed our day in the Amalfi Coast.

Lovely Amalfi Coast Tours

Lovely Amalfi Coast Tours provides a variety of day tours and port excursions around the Amalfi Coast, like Positano, Amalfi, Ravello, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Capri, Naples and more.

A private driver drives you from place to place, explaining the local culture and history on the way. The tours usually last between seven to nine hours with plenty of free time to explore each place.

We originally took our Amalfi Coast tour from Sorrento back in May 2015. I'm updating this blog post to keep it current in order to help you plan your travels. It's wonderful to see that Lovely Amalfi Coast Tours has catered to visitors for well over a decade with thousands of five star reviews.

Our Amalfi Coast Tour From Sorrento

On our Amalfi Coast tour, we visited Amalfi, Positano and Ravello with a lunch stop in the middle. Since we took our trip in 2015, Lovely Amalfi Coast Tours has adapted it.

I am sure that traffic has increased over the last decade and it's better to feel less rushed in two places rather than rushed in three spots.

Nowadays, you can either book this Amalfi Coast Tour (Ravello, Amalfi Coast drive, Amalfi town) or this Amalfi Coast Tour (Positano, Amalfi Coast drive, Amalfi town).

If I had to choose between the two, I'd book the first one that includes Ravello. I've had the pleasure of now visiting Ravello, Amalfi, and Positano twice and Ravello continues to be my favourite destination of the three.

Our Tour Guide and Driver

Our driver, Giovanni picked us up from our apartment in Sorrento at 8:00am. We started bright and early in an effort to beat the crowds. Gio planned the tour strategically to avoid the crowds as much as possible.

One tour was so awesome because our driver, Giovanni was excellent. Gio is the owner of Lovely Amalfi Coast Tours. He has a warm and friendly personality and was easy to talk to as we drove from place to place.

Gio speaks perfect English and he is incredibly knowledgeable. He takes great pride in his company and helps tourists have the best day possible in the Amalfi Coast. You can tell that he takes great pride in showing visitors around his homeland.

There are a few drivers employed by Lovely Amalfi Coast Tours. They all speak great English and will help you have the best day in the region.

Amalfi Coast Drive

Our first glimpses of the Amalfi Coast were from the vehicle. Justin and I admired the scenery from the car as we drove towards Amalfi.

The calm, blue waters of the sea were stunning. We even spotted the island of Capri off in the distance, which we had visited a couple of days prior to this trip.

It was wonderful to be able to ask Gio any questions we had during the drive. We noticed two small islands off in the distance. Gio explained that these are privately owned by a very wealthy man. I couldn't imagine owning islands off the Amalfi Coast.

Giovanni navigated all the twists and turns of these winding roads like a pro. We were very grateful that we didn't attempt to drive around in a rented car.

The roads are so narrow at some sections. I don't know how those massive coach buses manage to stay on the road.

We made three stops at different viewpoints along the coast on our way to Amalfi. These are very scenic stops where we took many photos. Gio also offered to take our photo in these beautiful places.

This is also a nice touch as we travel so much together, yet rarely have photos together. Sometimes when you ask an average tourist to take your photo, you'll either get a poorly framed picture or a thumb covering part of the lens. Gio takes great photos!

Amalfi

The first town that we visited was Amalfi. We arrived pretty early in the morning, which was a great way to beat the crowds. Most of the large tour buses hadn't arrived yet, and the streets were not crowded at all.

It was the perfect time to explore. As a private driver, Gio can take us from place to place and share information in the car. However, Italy is very strict when it comes to tour guides and only certain licensed tour guides can lead tourists around the towns.

So, Gio can drop us off in each place and make suggestions for us. This worked well for us because we usually tour around on our own anyway. He recommended that we check out the Amalfi Cathedral in the middle of town.

Amalfi Cathedral

We had about an hour to explore on our own. First, we headed straight to the spectacular Amalfi Cathedral.

Located in the Piazza del Duomo, we climbed a steep staircase of 62 steps that led to the front entrance. The bronze doors were cast in Constantinople before 1066; they are the oldest doors of post-Roman manufacture existing in Italy.

Some design aspects of the Amalfi Cathedral were influenced by Arab mosques. There were four small towers embellished with arches and decorated with majolica tiles. The front facade using striped marble was rebuilt in 1891 following the collapse of the original one.

Amalfi Town

After visiting the church, we walked through the main streets of town, stopping at unique gift shops. I was dying for some coffee and stopped at a cafe for some espresso.

I also found the cutest ceramics shop with some handcrafted gifts and purchased a little set of espresso mugs to bring back home. It was fun to explore the streets and admire the buildings, small markets, gardens, homes, archways, and even some decorated fountains.

After sauntering around town, we admired the views from the coast. The sun had disappeared behind some clouds for a short while, and the wind picked up.

The waves crashed against the shore. It was one of the prettiest places we've ever seen. We met Giovanni at the Flavio Gioia statue and drove up the mountain to Ravello.

Ravello

And we thought Amalfi was pretty. Wait until you see Ravello.

It offers stunning views of the Amalfi Coast. This town should definitely not be missed if you're visiting the region.

Oh, I forgot to mention before that the Amalfi Coast is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its beauty.

Gio recommended that we visit Villa Rufolo, a castle and gardens within the historic city centre. It didn't even matter that it had started to rain a little bit. Gio lent us one of his umbrellas, and before long, the skies cleared and the rain dissipated.

Villa Rufolo

Villa Rufolo used to belong to the prestigious Rufolo family and was constructed in the 13th century. Every year, the site hosts an exclusive music festival where attendees can enjoy music with an impressive backdrop.

The gardens are beautifully landscaped and the scenery is very impressive. It's hard to put into words just how beautiful the views were.

Then, we wandered around town for a little while, admiring every view from the main plaza and little interconnected streets.

After an hour in Ravello, we were back in the car with Gio and it was time for lunch. He took us to a special location where we ate a traditional meal in the hills above Positano.

We had the option to dine wherever we liked as the meal wasn't included in the price of the tour. We decided to take Gio's recommendation as he was familiar with all of the local dining establishments.

Along the way, we stopped for a moment at a handmade nativity scene at the side of the road.

Lunch at La Tagliata

Justin and I had lunch at La Tagliata, which has arguably one of the most beautiful views while dining in the Amalfi Coast. We reached the restaurant in a very interesting manner by taking an elevator a story down into the dining space.

We were seated at a reserved table with a view. And what a view it was. It was one of the most gorgeous outlooks that we'd experienced at a restaurant.

Once it was established that we both followed a vegan diet, the small shared plates of food arrived. There were salads, sauteed vegetables, bean dishes, and pasta.

The restaurant prides itself on growing mostly all of its own fresh produce. The food was lovingly served on painted ceramic dishes featuring the restaurant's name.

At the end, we were treated to some fresh cherries and limoncello for dessert. The meal was at a fixed price of 30 Euros per person. It was a little bit expensive, but the food was fresh and delicious, and the view was outstanding.

Positano

Our last stop for the day was Positano, which is the most popular place to visit on the Amalfi Coast. Positano is a picturesque little town with buildings stacked up the hill.

There is an impressive Duomo adorned with sparkling mosaic tiles. We walked down a path to sea level where there were lots of cute cafes, restaurants, and shops.

It was lovely to admire the sea and the surrounding cliffs. We spent an hour in Positano and really didn't do too much here. The time flew by as we strolled up and down the streets, taking in our surroundings.

The Amalfi Coast is just one of those places you must visit in your lifetime. It's one of the most beautiful spots in the world.

Driving Back to Sorrento

On the way back, Gio treated us to a surprise and a small gift, which we won't describe - we'll let you experience that for yourself when you book the tour.

We had a highly memorable day and we thoroughly enjoyed our tour with Lovely Amalfi Coast Tours. You've gotta book this tour when you visit the Amalfi Coast.

You won't have to worry about having a large group of people on your tour. You won't need to worry about transportation or navigating the narrow streets.

Plus, you're touring around with a knowledgeable driver who is very friendly, helpful, and nice. You get picked up and dropped off from your hotel or the cruise ship port, so it's extremely convenient.

It was truly a stress-free day where we could simply enjoy the places that we were visiting, the way it should be.

When you book your trip with Lovely Amalfi Coast Tours, be sure to let them know that Justin and Lauren highly recommended the experience to you!

More Blog Posts About Campania

Looking for more Italy travel guides? Here are more of our personal experiences from the Amalfi Coast and Campania.

• How to Hike Mount Vesuvius
• Where to Stay in Sorrento: Villa Elisa Sorrento
• 25 Famous Landmarks in Italy You Need to See