Driving or bussing along Amalfi coast?
 

In the past I've asked about this but still <BR>haven't made up my mind whether to rent a car or take busses along the Amalfi coast.I will be going to the area next weeekend and <BR>would like to hear about your experiences. Should I rent a car or depend on cabs and busses? <BR>I can't stand waiting around for busses and I also hate trying to find a parking space in a small town. If there are plenty of garages or something I'd opt for the flexibilty of having a car. Planning on visiting Ravello,Paestum etc etc.

A car offers more flexability, but parking is a big, big, big, big problem. Tradeoff time--which is a more important point.

Unlike some other parts of Italy, bus service here is frequent and reliable. I would NOT recommend a car. It is true that parking is almost nonexistent. Gas is over $5/gallon, and there are restrictions on driving the coastal highway (odd license numbers on certain days, etc.)

I've never read about this restriction. <BR>Tell me more.Thanks

Because of heavy traffic during peak season, my understanding is that cars with even-numbered plates are allowed to drive the scenic road (and perhaps elsewhere as well along the Amalfi coast?) on alternating days, taking turns with cars having odd-numbered plates. I'm not sure of the starting and ending days of this policy.

Wouldn't even think of renting a car and driving the Almalfi Coast, and I drive mountain roads all the time. We were there last October. Fast traffic. Roads so narrow you'd think they were one-way. We hired a cab drive for $150 for 6 hours and saw sooooo much of the Coast it was like a 2-day tour! Didn't have to deal with parking. He took us to the most incredible "lookouts" we would never have found on our own. Expensive, I know, but well, well worth it. After all, how often do you go there? Parking is a huge problem. We HATE bus tours. And although there are busses which run up and down coast, you'll see 4x as much in one day if you hire someone on your own. Have fun. Take lots of film. One of the most incredibly beautiful places we've been to and we travel a lot. You don't need a car on the Almalfi Coast. We even took a subway train in from Naples. Took hydrofoil back to Naples when leaving. And we normally can't stand to be without a car. We were glad we didn't have one in this part of Italy. Have fun!

Let me chime in again. I've driven this road alot, and have driven it myself. I'd rather be the driver than the passenger. If you like challenging driving (and some of us do) this is one of those memorable rides --kind of like the road to Hana in Maui; otherwise I'd go for the car and driver if you're willing to splurge, since you sound like you're not a bus person.

Keep the opinions comingm and thank you all for the help,my mind is still not made up yet.