While I'm reluctant to drive the coast road, I've bussed east to west. FWIW, going east to west you, at least, have the interior lane (less scary than the other).

I've driven from Salerno to Positano, Ravello, and surroundings a couple of times (we were staying in Vietri sul Mare, just north of Salerno). The only problem I found was that I could barely keep my eyes on the road--the scenery was so stunning. This was at the end of May, so depending on what time of year you'll be there, there may be more traffic than I encountered. In some areas (e.g., on the way up to Ravello) there were road-watchers--official traffic people with walkie-talkies to communicate about when to stop traffic and when to let it go. If a bus was coming down the hill, traffic was stopped at a place where it could pass, and so on. This helped keep the traffic flowing.

You do have to pay attention, but I'd happily to do it again. We also took the Salerno-Amalfi boat, which was more relaxing. Driving allowed us to spend some time at the small beach at the tiny village of Erchie, not far from Cetara, where local Italian families love to go in the summer. Fun!

We have driven from east to west - Vietri sul Mare to Sorrento. As DRJ notes, you have the interior lane going in that direction, and that's why we chose to do it that way.

We drove to Praiano, parked the car at the hotel there, and took buses during the rest of our stay on the coast.

Other than preferring to be on the inside, I can't see any reason to prefer one direction over the other.

Thanks for the feedback. I was thinking of the Oregon Coast in US, if you go UP the coast, you have to cross the highway to make most stops, (with a car, not so bad, with a truck and travel trailer, nightmare, especially when you discover the 'no turn around' sign. Yes we can laugh about that one now).
Also you miss half the scenery due to being on the wrong (right) side of the road, ha. I guess that is not so apropos on the Amalfi where you are so high and close to the edge.

I drove in both directions a few months ago...arriving on the coast via Salerno and then driving back and forth. It makes no difference as far as scenery or difficulty of driving.

If you want to stay closer to Salerno, take a look at Cetara, in addition to Minori and Maiori and Amalfi. Or even Vietri.


Staying in Ravello means quite a bit more driving and the road to that town is narrow and curvy. I think it might be more daunting than the actual Amalfi Drive. It all depends on how you want to spend your time.

ekscrunchy, I think you're right, we have driven up to Ravello, and its not a drive you want to do twice a day.
My husband doesn't want to drag luggage over to Capri, and we've seen Pompeii, so there's no other reason for us to stay in Sorrento. Would we find the Cetara, Minori, Maiori area as scenic as Sorrento/Positano?

Definitely!

I like that stretch even better than the more well-trodden path from Positano to Amalfi.

Positano might be the single most dramatic of the towns visually, due to its verticality, but the other come very close, and have the advantage of being less overrun by English-speaking daytrippers.

See if there are any lodgings that appeal to you in Maiori, Vietri, MInori, Cetara, and even Amalfi.
If you give a price range an any other relevant info, maybe we can offer some suggestions.


For example, this looks lovely:

http://www.villapandora.it/

The best views OF the Amalfi Coast are from the ferries. Driving up or down the coast road gives you very few places to stop except the towns.

And the driver needs to keep 100% on the road - since there are a lot of blind driveways and many curves with mirrors mounted in the rock - so you can see what is coming from the opposite direction. If you see a bus or truck coming you often have topull over to th side and stop (and fold in your mirror).

ekscrunchy: That's what I was hoping to hear, thank you. Villa Pandora looks absolutely amazing, has all the prerequisites of a hotel that we would adore; small, clean, gorgeous views, parking, away from the crowds, pool not that important, and a very reasonable price range.
Bonus, it's also available!
We have driven all over France, southern Spain and Italy, including Sicily, and we enjoy travelling that way. I get seasick very easily,ugh, but if the weather is permitting, I hope we can take a ferry ride along the coast to Positano, and back, with the help of some Gravol. There is a whole different perspective from the water, isn't there?

Yes, agree about taking the ferry!

I've driven very seldom in Italy and I was nervous about driving the AC road, after all I'd read here. We kept our car for 5 days and drove all over the place--up to Ravello, on to Furore, along the coast, and finally to lunch at Massa Lubrense before heading to Sorrento city to return the car. We then spent a few nights in Praiano without a car. The minute we stepped onto that first overcrowded SITA bus we realized that it had been a mistake to turn in the car so early!
My point with this whole saga is that maybe I was fortunate not to encounter any traffic "events,' (Apart from a traffic jam on a Saturday heading from Cetara to Ravello), but the driving in late September was a breeze. We did have to spend a few euros in the parking lots of Cetara and Amalfi, but in the scheme of things that did not amount to all that much.

I am delighted that you liked that hotel, as it sounds like a charming place a bit off the beaten path . I hope you'll report back and let us know how you fared!

By the way, there is a bypass around Salerno, but we wanted to get a glimpse of the city and drove directly through. It was quite easy to navigate, although it took longer doing that in terms of time. I wish that we had had time to stop and look around, as it appeared to be a pleasant city.

ekscrunchy, have booked Pandora. Will give a report when we return, still a long way off, though.
I also want to explore Salerno. I have read that it took a lot of damage in WW2, but the way I look at it, that's part of history, too.
I have been perusing your Puglia reports for some good places to eat, and we can hardly wait to get there. Usually we leave the restaurants to chance, and sometimes they are great, sometimes not so much.

I will look forward to hearing all about your trip. When will it take place?

The historic core of Salerno is intact, and their 11th-Century Duomo is considered a highlight; the tree-lined Lungomare is very pretty.



http://www.incampania.com/en/beniculturali.cfm?s=5&Menu_ID=194&Sub_ID=195&Info_ID=4061

http://www.cattedraledisalerno.it/

http://www.accademialeonardo.it/en/the-city-of-salerno/salerno-lungomare-panoramic-tour.html

Thanks very much for the information. We are leaving home on Sept 8 but won't be in Puglia until the end of Sept., then we will drive to the Amalfi Coast.
I think from reading your posts that you also took that route. I am hoping it won't be too arduous of a drive, possibly from Matera. Sometimes it looks easy on the map, but takes twice as long as Google says it should! We are trying to talk our daughter and son-in-law (can you believe, they don't want to presume on our generosity) into coming with us for that portion of the trip, in which case there would be no option but to stop in Matera overnight, as I think it's one of the most atmospheric places in Italy. Still have to read the book, Christ Stopped At Eboli.
I have done quite a bit of research already, but there is always so much more to learn. I found this link to a masseria, which looks quite rustic, but check out the information on it, re history and gastronomy. I found it interesting and hopefully we will be able to try some of the suggested restaurants.

http://www.masseriauccio.com/index.php/english/Masseria-Uccio-nel-Salento.html