We are driving from Positano to Rome to turn in our car at the airport for our stay in Rome. The thought of driving in Rome is unthinkable hence turning in the car at Fiumicino airport. Can anyone give me an estimated driving time. we will be driving on a Monday and plan on leaving around 10:00 from Positano.

3+ hours depending on time of year. During the heavy tourist season - late spring and summer, the AC coast road can be very slow. It is about 170 miles, much of it Autostrada.

VERY much depends on dates. July/August can take hours more than off season (much of it from Positano to the autostrada).

thanks for the info. We will be there May 10-14 so hopefully it won't be too bad.

Hi S,

See www.mappy.com and www.viamichelin.com.

Are you sure that you want a car in Positano?

We plan on parking our car at the hotel. We will not be using our car except to drive back to Rome and a couple of side trips.

Hi S,

>We plan on parking our car at the hotel. We will not be using our car except to drive back to Rome and a couple of side trips.<

What's your itinerary?

You might not want to invest in a car.

You might also consider returning your car in Salerno and taking the train to Rome.

t

I need help. We are arriving at the Rome Airport at 5:00pm on May 9 and need to get to Positano where we have a room that is paid for. I rented a car service for a one way and they said 320 euros. We just received our credit card and it is $650. We really don't want to deal with a car because we have one when we get there. We don't mind spending some money not to deal with the problems of a train etc. We know that in order to take a train (if there is one that late) we have to go into Rome. We may have to stay part way in Naples and continue the next day.

Does anyone know of a service or taxi that would be more reasonable?? Bus??

I hope someone can help!

Julie you should worry about the overcharge first. I have had quotes from drivers going from Rome to Positano and it is around 320euro.

Five o'clock isn't that late. You can take a train from FCO into Rome and then down to Naples and have a driver pick you up there for Positano.
(better start your own thread for more ideas)

While I understand there may be certain circumstances that people would prefer others to drive, I must admit that it never ceases to amaze me that people would rather hire a driver and sit in a car or ride in a bus with someone else driving, especially along the Amalfi Coast! Traffic is traffic and if you have your own car, at least you have the option to stop along the way until traffic eases. A few days of car rental, gas, parking and tolls will cost less than the one way 320 Euro quote that JulieLynn has been given.

Julie, they may have charged your for a roundtrip rather than one way. Good thing you found the charge before you left.

Shar, in May, traffic should not be a problem, but I would allow myself three to four hours, assuming you're not trying to catch a flight.

We have an auto rental (VW 1.6 TDI) from Palermo to FCO for 8 days (3 nights in Taormina/ 4 in Ravello) for $280. Euro in mid May.
M

I just joined Fodor's today and cannot believe what great information I received!! Again thank you all for taking the time!!

I am in the process of checking out other car services and will let you know the results.

We are probably going to rent a one-way car and got great results on priceline. We can return the car to Salerno which is not far from Positano and driving later in the evening should not be that bad. Maybe someone has some input on that.

I also read that you can take the small GPS units and program them ahead for all directions.

Shar

It takes about an hour to hop over the mountain to get to the Autostrada. You have 2 routes possible. West a bit & over to Sorrento or east to Conca dei Marina & over. Then follow Pompeii signs to the Autostrade through Castellammare di Stabia which will be your only driving challenge. The mountain is tame compared to the streets of this frenzied town.

Then between 2 & 3 hours to the airport.

Ian

Over the mountain?????????? ahi mammamia!

Yes, mountain. Both routes are good roads but lots of switchbacks. We drove the Sorrento route once & the Conca route to get to Pompeii & to leave. The Conca route takes you through several villages & there's a tunnel partway. Stunning photo opps but its usually not safe to pull over.

Ian

I'll say there are lots of switchbacks. I agree it's nice if you are touring, but not if you are trying to get somewhere.

Thanks for all the helpful info. We are not catching a plane but actually spending 5 nights in Rome with some friends but do not want to drive in Rome so we are turning our car in at the aiport and taking train into Rome from airport. We will plan on about 4 hours. Thanks also for the tips on driving back to Rome

Mikemo....who did you rent thru for your car. we have a station wagon for 6 days and it is costing us $800.00. The other cars luggage capacity was pretty small hence we opted for a station wagon. The base rate was cheap but then there were hundreds of dollars of add ons...local taxes, mandatory insurance. per day highway tax, VAT tax. I have quotes from 3 companies and they aall fall within that range. WHO DID YOU USE....