okminty

I have driven the Amalfi Coast but that was back in 2001. I didn't find it that difficult since most of the time you can not go very fast. Has it changed since 2001 so that it is more difficult in 2015? I will be driving a Ford Galaxy this time which is a little larger than the car I had last time. Seems like spending close to $300.00 dollars for a car service is expensive. We leave in 2 months so will be driving around it the middle of June. We have rooms Pompei so would start the loop from there. I have budgeted all day to do the loop.

traveller1959

Has not changed much. June is still pre-season, so it will not be crowded. The Galaxy is a fine car (I drive it at home). Enjoy!

sandralist

Hard to know what your one-off experience was in 2001 vs. what you will encounter today. They haven't changed the location or width of the road -- there is nowhere else to put it -- but this June you might encounter a lot more coach tour buses than you did in 2001, or just more traffic generally -- although you indicate that your past experience was that you couldn't drive fast anyway most of the time.

The other issue is where you will find parking.

About the only advantages I can see to having a driver is that he or she will know where to park quickly and you don't need to be the driver and can instead look at the scenery. Up to you if that is worth the cost.

WWK

Mid-June is not pre-season. We've been on the AC several times in mid-June, and traffic can be intense. There are lots of tour buses as mentioned above, trucks, blind spots, and very limited parking in the coast towns. Not what I would choose to do.

You don't say where you're coming from - Rome? FCO? - but there are other options besides hiring a driver the entire way.

WWK

Sorry, just realized you're coming from Pompeii. A bit of a hassle, but I would take the train from Pompeii to Sorrento first thing in the AM, then take a boat to Positano and/or Amalfi. Same thing in reverse later in the day. Saves you traffic and headache of parking limitations along the coast. Good luck!

raincitygirl

My husband and I drove on the Amalfi coast in October of 2012. We picked up the car in Sorrento and drove first to our agriturismo in Minori where we spent five nights doing day trips and then back to Sorrento where we really didn't end up using the car.

It didn't take my husband long to get into the swing of things and we chose a very small car which we were glad of due to very tight spots in which to park and the narrowness of the roads.
There were quite a few times we had to back up so a coach coming in the other direction could make it around a corner (the looks on the faces of the passengers as we passed within a hair of each other were priceless), or stop completely for oncoming traffic.

We thought it was worth it to have the car as we had an wonderful day in Paestum, also up to Ravello; we liked the freedom it afforded.

If you have done it before you will be fine.

okminty

I believe I will be driving the Amalfi Coast. Looking for parking places when we want to eat at the Three Sisters restaurant in Positano. I will be traveling with my wife and her two sisters so maybe I will get lucky.

Rubicund

The Three Sisters (Le Tre Sorelle) is down on the beach in Positano and there is no vehicle access down to there for the public. You'll have to park up on the road or in a parking concession and walk down to the beach. Allow a 15 minute walk down, longer if you want to look at the shops etc. or if anyone needs a bit longer mobility-wise.

The steps are quite shallow at the beginning, but get a bit steeper nearer to the bottom. It's a bit more difficult going back up on a full stomach!

okminty

We spent a week in Positano in 2001. My wife loved The Three Sisters so she wants to take her two sisters there.

Thanks

ekc

You will not find parking on the road in mid-June. There is a parking garage right where the pedestrian-only path starts (Piazza Mulini). Take that path straight down to the beach and Tre Sorelle will be on your right once you are at the beach.