In August 2017, a girlfriend and I decided to do a girl’s trip to the Amalfi Coast. It was one of my most memorable trips – not because it was a girl’s trip, but because of everything that we encountered from Rome to Amalfi.
Coming from a solo adventure in Malta, I decided to meet my girlfriend in Rome. From Rome, we were going to arrive in Naples separately, as we both booked options that were relative to our budget, and where we were coming from. I took a flight from Malta > Rome, whereas she took a flight from Amsterdam > Naples, with a layover in Rome.
With its breathtaking buildings and monuments, incredible works of art, small-town charm and world-renowned cuisine, the Eternal City, or the Capital of the World (Rome) is a must visit, at least once in your lifetime.
Although our experience was quite short (6 hrs), we managed to walk the entire city in a day. I had been to Rome before, so I wasn’t really looking at spending time at each destination – it was more of just something to do, since I needed to catch a bus to Naples in the evening. The historic center of Rome is very walkable and the best way to soak in the atmosphere of the city is undoubtedly on foot; just make sure you are wearing good shoes, as flip flops and cobblestones are a nightmare and a half… ESPECIALLY in Rome.
Upon my arrival, I dropped my suitcase off at a Bags Free location (located just 11 minutes from the main train station). This option is SO convenient for travelers who want to take full advantage of a day, without the added hassle of bags/luggage. In addition, if you’re just carrying a carry-on, you might need to consider where you are hoping to go, as many sites will not let you in with a bag greater than a certain size. Soon after, we indulged ourselves in whatever mouth-watering bufala pizza, and gelato we could find.
On our short “layover” in Rome, we were able to cover the following sites (along with some shopping/food pit-stops):
Castro Pretorio, Trevi Fountain, Roman Forum, Basiliican Emilia, and the Colosseum
Seeing as my stay in Rome was short, I didn’t really get to experience all of the sights that I wanted to revisit. Regardless I was pretty happy to leave as there were SO many crowds (and I can’t stand crowds and crazy tourists). If you’re hoping to visit Rome one day, I’d aim for early spring, when there are less tourists.
That same day, I ended up catching a bus from Rome to Naples (Tiburtina Bus Station, 8:35 pm – Naples Metropark Centrale 11:55 pm), where once again, my girlfriend and I were going to meet, and spend the night.
Arriving in Naples at 11:55 pm, I was hoping to catch a taxi to the hotel I had booked, however the streets were deserted. I was the only one left on the bus, and if you’ve ever been to Italy before, you would know that Italian’s aren’t very friendly.
Time was not an issue, as I had planned late night/overnight trips before, and they had been fine, it was more so that I hadn’t looked up what Naples was like – which was a BIG mistake on my part.
Safe to say, I ended up fine, but it could have been a lot worse. If you’re looking at going to Naples, please, please, PLEASE make sure you look up safety concerns prior to your arrival.
Rome may be the heart of Italy, but Naples is said to be the soul. Brimming with attitude and character, it is an interesting city to explore — but “sketchy”. The Camorra or Mafia is still highly influential and are the beating heart. Naples has a lot of history, art, and pizza to offer (none of which I got to explore or eat), and is the closest city to both Sorrento and Pompeii (Vesuvius) –popular tourist destinations.
Although I had booked a Bed and Breakfast (Friends and Family) for my friend and I, neither of us ended up staying there that night. Upon our arrival (at separate times) the Bed and Breakfast was completely closed. We ended up finding each other at around 2 AM, and I could not have been more grateful for the two women – not speaking a lick of English – that helped me out that night. Long story short(ish), my friend and I ended up staying at the airport (outside). Pro-tip: Make sure you check operational hours prior..
Definitely not the ideal start to any fun girl’s trip, however we decided to laugh it off. Once the airport opened, we found out that there were two ways to get to Sorrento. 1) Train or 2) Private taxi. Because of our budget, we opted for the train. Little did we know (once again), that the Circumvesuviana train would also be a terrible experience.
Given the number of tourists who travel to the Amalfi Coast, there should be a clean, safe, and adequately equipped train or bus from Naples, however there is not. Needless to say, we were fine once again – I guess it helps to look Italian!
Once we arrived in Sorrento, we took a public bus to Positano. The bus was overly crowded, and there was no sense of organization when getting on/off. This appeared to be the southern way of life – to each their own. The bus ride from Sorrento to Positano provided breathtaking views, that I will never forget. It seemed a lot longer than 30 minutes, but we finally made it to our hostel.
The hostel we booked for 5 nights was Hostel Brikette. Unfortunately, we never ended up staying the night, as my friend and I were asked to leave the premises. Worst customer service I have ever experienced. As we were told last minute, and it was a national holiday (Assumption Day, or Ferragosto) we scrambled to find a place to stay that night. Luckily, we were able to store our luggage in a butcher shop – thanks to a random man we met on the street – but every hotel was booked. We ended up sleeping on the beach (after the bars closed).
It was a WILD 48 hrs, that I’ll never forget.
The hotels we ended up booking for the remainder of the trip were:
- Hotel Holiday in Praiano (1 night, $267) – STUNNING views and room. Would totally book again.
- Maliosa D’Arienzo in Positano (3 nights, $900) – Service and location were amazing. Room was small, but again, location is everything.
Although our trip was initially a hot mess, we ended up having the time of our lives, in true Terrone (Southern) style. We did a ton of walking, and it felt like we were on a never ending stairmaster for 5 days (overdose). We stayed up for 48 hours straight, having walked the streets of Rome, Naples and Positano. We frolicked and smashed jellyfish on the rocky beaches of Spiaggia Grande and Fiordo di Furore. We made friends, ate, and drank with all walks of life, and in compensation for this sweat-inducing, calf-sculpting hike of 5 days, we were bestowed with some of the finest shopping, the art of the aperitivo, lemons as big as our heads (Land of Lemons), and white-haired men literally nailing shoes onto our feet. It was an experience of a lifetime.
Since we thoroughly enjoyed and made the most out of the 5 nights, 6 days that we were there, I’ve created a full itinerary of all of the restaurants/bars, shopping, and sites to visit (primarily in Positano, Praiano and Amalfi). If you’d like to check it out, you can click here!
