So thanks to all the Boarders we Got our tickets to Rome and booked the Hotel Villa Rosa. Now we feel (as I have driven in Italy, spain, France) and this time we are travelling without the kids to rent a car. We will Arrive in Rome..stay a night...drive to Positano...then take day trips to Sorrento, Amalfi and Pompei and just drive around small romantic towns (5 days) base is Positano. Then return to Rome spend a night and two days and then fly back. It is April so traffic should not be that bad and parking should run 20 euros a day. Car is sosting 389 Dollars including Super Coverage Insurance. I have seen a lot of people advising against driving...so what should I do..drive or do the Train - Bus thing..Thanks in advance

Hi G,

I suggest that you take the train from Rome to Naples and hire a driver to take you to/from the Naples station (about $200).

The SITA buses can take you from Sorrento to Paestum.

We drove from Rome to Sorrento and spent 3 days driving around the AC. It was a lot of fun. I think driving on the coast is part of the experience.

You're right that traffic is light in April, unless the weather is fine and your stay includes an Italian holiday. You say you've driven in Italy before so you have a good sense of what it's like (and apparently you enjoy it) and that you're willing to eat the parking cost.

The hitch with the Amalfi Drive and the roads to Ravello is that they are very demanding for the driver, who really can't take their eyes of the road. It's not like driving open roads through the vinyards of Central Italy, or even some other winding hill roads in Italy (which hardly get traffic).

If the other person referred to by "we" in your post is willing to share the driving, or if one of you doesn't mind never really seeing the Amalfi Drive, having a car does mean you can come and go as you please to Pompeii or drive far south.

Two pieces of advice if you do rent a car: Do not take into Naples under any circumstances and do not drink at dinner if you are driving back to Positano at night.

I would rent a car. When we stayed in Positano a few years ago, we took the train from Rome to Naples, then had a car pick us up and take us to Positano. We did not have a car during our stay and there were times when I would have enjoyed the freedom of having a car.

We also priced a car trip to Ravello and it was so expensive that we didn't go and I still regret not seeing Ravello! We did however, take a boat to Capri as well as another boat ride on the hotel boat.

I think if you are used to driving on small roads, you will be just fine!

Thank You all..then Drive I shall..now keep in Mind I am an American Indian (as in India) so yes used to some crazy driving in India where green means stop and red means go and there is no concept of lanes. My wife will not drive I will and I love to drive and I do speak decent Italian....

Globetrotter, you will be just fine! We did rent a car on our trip after Positano, but that was Rome to Tuscany and driving in Italy was fairly simple compared to driving on the "other" side of the road (which you might have done in India).