Our group of seven have booked cars for our three-day stay in Amalfi at the end of May. We are planning to see Pompei and the coastal towns as well as the island of Capri. <BR> <BR>Do we really need cars or will the local bus/train/ferry services work better? Have read that the local coastal roads can be very slow going, especially in the high season. <BR> <BR>Please advise.

Personally, I would take buses to the coastal towns; bus and train to Pompeii; and the ferry to Capri. I really think you will save money, and hassle if you aren't used to driving on that type of road. Public transportation is very accessible, and parking in Amalfi is tough to find sometimes.

Lucy, Driving as far as Sorrento is no problem, and you can hit Pompeii enroute. But, you do not need the car after that. You can bus to Ravello and Amalfi easy enough. The SITA bus runs often from Sorrento to Positano, or your hotel can send a car for you.

Hi Lucy. While you certainly don't *need* a car, you may want a car, for the increased flexibility it will give you. <BR> <BR>For just one example, my girlfriend & I recently took one of the SITA buses roundtrip from Sorrento to Positano & Amalfi and there were many times I found myself wishing we had a car so we could've pulled over at one of the (admittedly few) turnouts on the winding Amalfi Coast road to take some photographs of the spectacular scenery. <BR> <BR>On the other hand, if the people who would be driving are nervous drivers, perhaps driving along that road would not be a wise idea. <BR> <BR>Anyway, either way you decide to go, I'm sure you'll love it there.

Thank you, everyone, for the great info. Not sure what we will do--with a group of seven, every decision is thoroughly hashed out. I am sure we will love it there, whatever we do!!!

See if Hertz has a mini-van vs a car.That way all would fit in --We did this in Monaco w/a group of 7 and gave each person 1 sight they had to see-then we routed ourselves and went from one end of the Riviera to the other--and we did this all in 1 day--It was fantastic! We also had a mini car for 4 of us that we picked up in NAple and drove down the Amalfi coast--fabulous views-stopped by road to take photos-only place we had a hard time parking was Sorrento--no problem the rest of the way down.BUT DRIVING WAS THE SCARIEST PART OF THE TRIP WITH THE WINDY ROADS- mountains on one side and total drop off to water on other side--then you get the crazy kid on a moped that just had to pass you while a tour bus was heading in your direction--BUT THAT IS ITALY and part of the fun. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE FULL INSURANCE COVERAGE THERE FOR CAR!!!!

I would vote for the car. We were there in March and loved having the car. I wouldn't have done it any other way....the roads are not bad all..some people seem to be in a panic.My hubby loved driving the Amalfi coast. Yes, parking can be a slight hassle but, as someone mentioned, it affords you the freedom to stop where and when you want. Be sure and go to Vieti sul mare..pottery and dish heaven..The Amalfi Coast is so wonderful with so many towns to visit, wonderful restaurants and things to buy...have fun

I'm with Capo and Sarabeth. To visit Pompeii out from Amalfi driving your own car you don't need to go all the way to Sorrento. In end of May the road along the coast shouldn't be overly crowded. Chances are that going by car you gain an hour or more relative to using bus + Circumvesuviana train. You may go directly to Pompeii and after the visit play it by returning home ... <BR> <BR>Paulo