Whitneywiz

Hello, my husband and I are planning to do a package trip in May. Rome a few days then most the time on Amalfi coast. Once we get to the coast will we need a car to get around or will it be easier to just use the public transportation? If we don't get a car I know we can use the train to get from Rome to the coast. Thanks for your help!

vincenzo32951

I think most people are going to tell you that a car is a liability on the AC. Narrow, winding roads. Traffic. Expensive or nonexistent parking.

You can use the train to get as far as Sorrento (from Rome, change in Naples). From there, it's bus or private driver to get to the AC towns.

kja

I wouldn't want a car for the Amalfi Coast; YMMV.

For transportation information, consult any decent guidebook or rome2rio.com -- but check anything you learn at rome2rio through the links it provides, as it is not sensitive to seasonal variation. In addition to the options from Rome that vincenzo mentions, you can also train to Salerno, and then take a ferry or bus to the Amalfi Coast.

raincitygirl

We had a car during our trip to the Amalfi coast and loved the freedom it gave us. However it is not for everyone, the driver needs to be calm, a good driver and have good spatial judgement because yes, the roads are narrow, twisty (carved out of the hillside) and busy. My husband absolutely loved driving there.

If you do choose to have a car get the smallest one possible because parking is at a premium and you will find yourself having to squeeze into very tiny spots. Also make sure your hotel has parking.

ekscrunchy

I am a squeamish driver but I found the roads to be fun and not too difficult for the most part. You can't really speed, and so the pace is often kind of slow. If I were going in early May, and if my hotel had parking for a price I could swallow, I would rent a car. On a trip where we based in Amalfi, we liked to have dinner in Cetara and the bus was so limited that we either had to rush our meal to catch a bus, or wait in the square for up to an hour to catch the next bus. And you can get up into the mountains to do some exploring, too. High season is another story, although the buses are so crowded then that it is a pain no matter how you choose to get around.

vincenzo32951

Just a semi-helpful note about restaurants and getting to them. We ate at some hilltop places that provided free shuttle service to and from the restaurant.

Sorry, can't remember which ones. I just mention it to note there are options you can explore for dining when you don't have a car.

ToujoursVoyager

No, no car for me.

I love ferries and trains. The Amalfi coast lends itself to those mode of transports very well.