There is a lot of hiking on the Sorrentine Peninsula. You might want to get this book to research. Check trail conditions with local Tourist Info offices.

http://www.amazon.com/Walking-Amalfi-Coast-Cicerone-Guides/dp/1852845910/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1356974948&sr=1-1&keywords=amalfi+coast+hiking

From Salerno, you could take the train to Naples for the archeology museum and other sights.

From Amalfi, you could ferry to Capri.

Jean, I have heard mixed reviews on Capri - a tourist trap and "see Capri and die happy." What is your opinion? Thanks for the book recommendation - I don't have that one!

The kids might enjoy a ferry up the coast more than sitting on the bus. They can walk about on the boat, get snacks, use the bathroom, etc. and the views are fantastic!

I am not a big fan of Capri, but I took teens there and they loved it, especially going into the Blue Grotto. They are the age to most enjoy that adventure, so I would take them.

My husband and I spent five days in Minori in October. It is next door to Maiori. It looked like the beaches were pretty nice in Maiori actually, in fact I remarked to my husband that if we were to come back in warmer weather Maiori looked like a nice little place to spend some time. Maiori and Minori are still more local towns whereas Amalfi and Positano, as lovely as they are, are over-run with tourists.
One of our best days was at Paestum, just magical to see those temples standing there after 2600 years and the museum was very good. We loved the fact that there were not hordes of other tourists there and the little village was pretty low-key, we had a really good inexpensive lunch and thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.

I agree with Jean the archeology museum in Naples is very good. We went to Capri and we are now in the tourist trap camp, sadly. I didn't expect it to be so crowded in mid-October but it was wall to wall people, the only way we somewhat salvaged the day was by taking a taxi to Anacapri where it was a little less crowded. It was pretty but as my husband said "I felt like I spent the whole day with my hand in my wallet".

What time of the year will you be there?

We just did the Amalfi Coast with our kids, 14 & 11, this past summer.

We hired a car/driver for a day & it was the best decision we ever made! Even the usually tight-fisted Rick Steves advises this as a good option.

Instead of waiting 30-60 minutes at each town to board a bus & then walking into town, you get dropped off, have a local expert for advice, and cover twice as much of the coast. We used Sorrento First Choice and were very pleased.

Our kids liked the Ravello villas, the beaches in Positano/Amalfi (gravel, not sand, so consider water socks)& gelatto at every stop!

After seeing the lines at the bus stops, I would have been willng to pay doulbe for our driver!

knoxRichter5, you're going to 'tourist central,' so I wouldn't let that dictate where you explore. We enjoy Capri but haven't spent more than 15 minutes in the town of Capri which is where visitors arrive but so many seem to not leave. We buy day passes on the island bus and go everywhere it goes. We especially enjoy taking the chair lift from Anacapri to the top of Monte Solaro for the views and nearby sights (Cetrella and castle ruins).

http://www.capri.com/en/s/mount-solaro-cetrella

Consider taking a ferry along the coast. Much more convenient than the bus (which can end up doing 5 mph and half the people standing) and you get much better views of the coast and the towns.

Something your family might find interesting is a guided tour of the ceramics studios of Vietri sul Mare. They are nearby, and this is quite an important part of the local history, and one of the few things left that isn't overwhelmed by tourism. Young people sometimes are quite interested in seeing crafts people at work. In addition to seeing mozzerella made, they might be intriqued to see the process of making these very high quality ceramics, both traditional and modern.

You might also be able to arrange for a day on the sea with some fishermen -- or even better, at night. If that interests you, ask your hotel or apartment landlord. Likewise, look into the possiblity of taking a family cooking class. (Pizza?)

If you will not have a car, you are going to find your options for doing things much beyond Maiori are very limited. Even to take ferries, you will need to time your departures and returns based on local bus schedules and ferry schedules in Salerno -- tricky -- or else pay hefty taxi fares.

The same is true if you want to travel to Naples, although it is a bit easier because more trains leave from Salerno during the day than ferries to Capri or other Amalfi towns. But you will need to get back in time to catch the last buses or else pay for pricey taxis. The Archeological museum and Naples itself is certainly worthwhile if you are willing to make the effort.

The Sorrentine peninsula is much too far to go for hikes. If you want to hike, go into the hills above Maiori.

If you want, you can splurge one day and have someone take you in a taxi to Positano so you can experience much of the famed Amalfi drive, and then take a taxi back to Salerno (and a bus or taxi to Maiori).

I always let my feelings about whether or not I want to be in 'tourist central' affect where I spend my time when I travel. After resisting going to Capri for a day trip for quite some time, I gave in to a friend's request and went. I would certainly never return (and that was during low season). My friend didn't enjoy the trip much either. Some people adore Capri (especially if they spend a lot on private tours.) I am happy to leave it to others.

My advice would be to stick with your plan to see Paestum, go to Vietri sul Mare if that would interest your family, or a fishing tour, a drive along the coast one day --- OR rethink this vacation as a time when you are going to enjoy the scenic beauties and food of the coast as the Italians do, and enjoy your family company. Italians who come to the Amalfi coast often scratch their heads at the international tourists piling into buses, onto ferries, hopping hither and yon. Once you've seen Pompeii and Paestum, the area isn't about cultural things to see. The point is to marvel at the blue sea and the beautiful mountains and the pure air and lazy days away from it all.

By the way, Maiori is not "tourist central," and if you take a mozzerella tour and go to Paestum, you will not encounter the mobs you find in Capri in elsewhere.

I wouldn't call Capri a "tourist trap" because there is nothing artificial about the natural landscape. But everything service oriented in the town, combined with the sheer number of tourists, is geared at satisfying a cringe-worthy idea of Italy and Italians that many tourists delight in having affirmed for them --- and a lot of the cheap goods there and poor food can make you feel you're being had. If you go for a hike or boat ride, you might escape it all. But i was surprised by how developed Capri is with second homes and such. And i really had to scrounge to find anything resembling the what looked like life beyond the tourist industry. You won't need to do that in Maiori or nearby towns like Vietri sul Mare or Salerno.

You can rent your own boat (Banana Boat Capri Sport rentals) in Capri and circle the island stopping at the Blue Grotto for a free swim after 5:00pm.

"I have heard mixed reviews on Capri - a tourist trap and "see Capri and die happy.""

Too funny, the entire area has been world tourism central for millennia.

And it's, "See Naples and die."

Please understand that there is no single "mozzarella factory" in or near Paestum. The mozzarella in that area is mostly made with milk from the buffalo housed at farms in the vicinity. You will have to do some research to find a cheesemaker who is accessible by public transportation (the ones I've visited have been in rural areas which may or may not be served by local bus routes). I would start by checking for a cheesemaker in the hamlet of Capaccio Scalo, which is within the Paestum area. You can take a tour, in English, of the nearby Vannulo farm but you will likely have to take a taxi to get there from Paestum.

There are also cheesemakers in Agerola, in the hills above the AmalfiCoast, where the mozzarella (known here as fior di latte) will be made of cow's and not buffalo milk. This would be closer to your hotel and accessible by bus. Do not count on English being spoken, and do not count on a formal tour, but one of the makers would likely let you watch production, which usually takes places early in the morning. One name to look for in Agerola is Caseificio Ruocco; another is La Montanina and yet a third is Fior d'Agerola. Your hotel can help you with details on how to get there.

Thanks for all the replies. We are now planning on staying in an apartment in Vietri and skipping Capri. We are also trying to add up all the individual tickets for boats/trains/ferries and may get a car after all. I think my husband has some crazy desire to drive the Amalfi Coast road.

That sounds nice! How did you find the apartment? I agree with Jean: take the bus to Anacapri and take the funicular ride up the mountain. Anacapri is so pretty. The boat around the island is another great idea. If you reconsider adding to your itinerary . . .

I'm going to throw in another vote for going to Capri. You can get a pass to ride the buses around for the day, take a boat ride around the island, take the chair lift to Anacapri and other options. So many times since my visit to Capri I have seen the Fargolini rocks in ads, movies and such and it always brings a smile to my face to have seen that iconic site on my travels.

Congrats on your choice to stay in Vietri! We took the ferry from Positano to Salerno and visited Vietri for the ceramics and the ceramics museum in nearby Raito. I would not recommend renting a car for your entire stay, as driving the AC drive is insane during summer. But it would be handy to have for visiting Paestum and a mozzarella farm. We visited Vanulo and it was a fantastic experience. They have a wonderful little cafe where you can get the most amazing dairy products to eat there to take back with you. We had amazing gelato and cannoli while there, and then purchased yogurt to take back to our hotel for breakfast every day (we were staying in Raito). It was the best I ever had!

If you skip Capri, take the ferry to Positano and/or Amalfi and back, and take the train from Salerno to Naples and back, you may find you don't need a car. Keep in mind that not only is traffic insane during the season, parking is very limited and very expensive (at least $25 in Positano). And, having been driven by Naples and to Herculaneum, you absolutely would not want to drive in Naples. But maybe your husband has a stronger constitution, and you more patience, than I!!

The great thing is I do not need to decide this moment about the car or Capri. We found lots of reasonably priced places on airbnb and wimdu. Enough space for 5 for about a $100 a night, which seems great for the area. Vietri won because of its proximity to Salerno. Anyone have a particular Vietri factory or artist to recommend? After seeing some of the gorgeous products on line, I think I will need an extra suitcase. And we had not considered going to Naples at all, but we might have to reconsider that, too.