Driving from Rome to Amalfi Coast
 

Hey everyone,
Wrapping up the last minute details of our trip to Italy/Sicily in September. On the latter part of our trip we'll be leaving Rome and visiting the Amalfi Coast for a couple days before venturing on to Sicily. At this point I think I have my mind made up to rent a car in or near Rome and then driving the rest of the trip. Meaning we'll drive from Rome - Amalfi Coast and then down to Sicily via the car on a ferry.

So, my question is where is the best place to rent a car in Rome if I'm going to ACoast next? I've heard to avoid driving at all costs in Rome so I'm hoping someone can recommend a solution.

Thanks!!!
Darryl

2 years ago my husband and I drove from Rome to Naples and then along the AC to Salerno then back to Rome. We had reserved out rental car through AutoEurope to be picked up at the train station in Rome. We got hung up at the Vatican and by the time we got to the train station, the rental car places were all closed.
We ended up taking the train to the airport where we got a car and it really worked out better as we could pick up the autostrata by the airport and bypass driving in Rome.
The drive was a breeze. We stayed 2 nights in Naples, drove to Sorrento where we parked our car and took the hydrofoil to Capri for 2 nights. Back to Sorrento, drove the AC to Salerno and then back to Rome.
It was such a wonderful trip that we are now planning on the trip you're taking next May venturing into Sicily from Rome.
Please post your trip when you return.

Thanks carmar!

By airport I assume you mean the main airport in Rome (Da Vinci)? If so I will look into that for sure. I really think that will be easiest and then we'll avoid having to drive in Rome itself. Thanks for the reply and I'll be sure to post a trip report when we return!!!

Train to the AC via Naples.
Get the car as you leave there at either Sorrento or Salerno depending on where you stay.

I agree with Bob.

We drove because we wanted to stop to see Monte Cassino which was amazing! It was almost totally destroyed during WWII and if your interested in that subject, it's worth stopping.
The train is great if you're going from point A to point B, but if you like to see the countryside, then drive.

We drove all the way to Calabria (Castrovilari) and the we did the Amalfi Coast heading north towards Rome. We drove from the DaVinci airport to our hotel in Rome- it took us a while to figure out the map and get used to the Italian way of driving. But it was good cause we were able to leave the hotel right away on the next morning. Plus, we did not have to worry about getting trains or dealing with cab drivers.

One day before we got in Rome, my in-laws disembarked there and hitched a train to the Central Station. Then, they took a cab to the hotel. Believe it or not, the cab driver took 30 minutes to take them to the hotel. Next day, they found out their hotel was 7 blocks from the station.

The worst part is not driving around Rome but doing the Amalfi Coast - from Positano to Sorrento. The roads are indeed too narrow and sometimes, the cars going south have to stop so that the bus that is coming nort can actually hug the curve on the road...