CAR TRAVEL ON AMALFI COAST
 

We will be staying in town of Amalfi for 6 nights...should we rent a car (which is fairly inconvenient- no pick up in Amalfi) or stick to bus travel?

It all depends what you want to do. I was there at the end of last year and I always think a car is essential if you like to go at your own pace. Driving around the roads on the Amalfi coast is fantastic. You can stop whenever you want and take in the views or go to the roadside pottery shops or take other detours.

If you are going in the off season (late fall to early spring) a car might be convenient for visiting the towns along the coast or going to Paestum. I don't think a car is necessary or desirable on the Amalfi Coast, especially in the summer when traffic can be very bad. In the summer, hydrofoils connect Amalfi with Positano, Sorrento and Capri. Buses are good any time of year.

The Bus services from Amalfi are the best on the Costiera. Ravello,Positano,Salerno & Sorrento are all easy to get to.

I also would not rent a car. The ferry service from Amalfi is good, you can get to Positano faster than driving. Parking is not really that easy to find on the coast, your hotel may not provide it and then you will be hunting for spaces. Pottery shops are all over the place in the towns, don't really see how you would need a car to get to them. . .

For humorous, insightful reactions to driving the AC, do text search on "rules for driving the amalfi coast".
enjoy

Good evening, Sondra
Schedules for Amalfi bus that runs from Salerno to Sorrento is www.uniplan.it/sita/orari.html.
Richard of LaGrange Park, Il..

Hi Sondra, we justed returned from the Amalfi coast four days ago. I was paranoid about driving there due to the comments on this web site. My husband and I have driven in France also in Greece and don't normally get upset about windy roads and traffic. All I could think about before I left was what a mistake I must have made about driving on this supposedly horrific road. Well!!! All overstated. I suppose it depends on what type of driver you are. We drove on the Costiera Amalfitana road from Vietry Sul Mare to Positano at least six or seven times. We stayed on the extreme tip of Ravello which touches the Amalfi road. We went up to the village of Ravello two times in the early evening (once to see the village and have dinner...breathtaking and amazing food at Salvatore's)and drove back to our hotel about 11;30 p.m. After eating the Salvatore's which in our mind was not only reasonable but extremely progressive menu for such a small village, we sat on the terrace at sunset and watched the fireworks display in Minori. Later we went to a concert at the Villa Ruffolo. Charming. The next day as we ventured through Amalfi, Positano, Minori and Maiori we decided that the drive to Ravello was certainly worthwhile again in the evening to try the rack of lamb at Salvatore's. Incredibly delicious! Now with regards to driving, there is hardly as much traffic at night as there is in the daytime. In Minori which is the most narrow part of the road there are two road marshalls with walkie talkies who monitor the road and will close it temporarily (I'm talking no longer than 5 min) to allow the busses to come down. Extremely safe. There are large mirrors posted in all the curves so if you pay attention you will know if there is another vehicle coming from the other direction. The Italian drivers are courteous, they honk before curves and will stay to the right to allow passing. It was only foreign drivers who did not pay attention to the rules of the road (perhaps out of igonorance). I am only taking the time to reply because I felt that reading the comments before I left made me anxious for no reason. It is good for lots of these people to train or bus there which keeps them off the road and makes it safer for the rest of us. I would like to mention though, if you drive you will see the most beautiful sights (there are spots where you can pull over away from traffic) which you cannot admire from the bus. If you are a good driver and don't panic at the sight of a car coming from the other direction you will be fine! Also make sure that where you are staying there is parking included. Hope I haven't offended any of the panic stricken drivers out there but want to mention that the only accident we saw in three weeks was in the main square in Minori and it was two tourist cars who were not paying attention and ran into each other.

Have to agree with Taya 100% about driving the Amalfi Coast. My husband and I rented a car early Sept. 2003 and were so glad we did as the buses filled up quickly and people would wait and wait at the stops only to see the bus could not accommodate anymore passengers. We drove the route several times to visit all the charming towns that the Amalfi has to offer. However I would not go as far as to say the Italian drives were courteous, at least from an American perspective. They are extremely aggressive and impatient drivers. Since we are from a large, congested city, San Francisco we are used to crazy drivers and felt safe and comfortable. I think it really depends on what your comfort zone. For us the car rental was the best decision because it allowed us the freedom to explore.

I agree also about renting a car. We had a car for our stay (part of a long trip) and stayed in Sorrento and in Positano. Our worst day was when he left our car in Positano and took a boat to Amalfi for the day. To make a long story short, weather turned rough, all boats were cancelled and we spent nearly all afternoon trying to get on a bus from Amalfi back to Positano. We had to give up plans for going on to Ravello -- those busses were completely full and not taking additional passengers. Public transportation can be very spotty there and schedules are only meant as guidelines.

Hi Sondra,

Just came back from a week on the AC. Tour buses were still backing up traffic by Oct 4.

I would leave it to the pros and take the buses and boats.

Hi Patrick, I read your note and chuckled since we were in Amalfi the night of the power outage. During that whole night there was a storm and the waves were crashing on the rocks below our room and thunder seemed to roll forever. Still, it was the most wonderful night...(light sleep) and the next day it drizzled and the sea was incredibly rough. I would have been getting the stomach swirlies for sure if I was on a boat. Unfortunately we lost the day we had set aside for sun tanning and crashing by the pool at the Residence Scarpariello but the crazy grey skies and change in scenery was fantastic.