Driving around Amalfi on first visit...
May 23rd, 2013, 07:53 AM
#1
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Driving around Amalfi on first visit...
Hello all,
Has anyone out there rented a car and drove around Naples, Sorrento, Amalfi during a first-time visit to the area? Is it harrowing or fun?
Thanks in advance!
Has anyone out there rented a car and drove around Naples, Sorrento, Amalfi during a first-time visit to the area? Is it harrowing or fun?
Thanks in advance!
May 23rd, 2013, 07:59 AM
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Whether it is harrowing or fun sort of depends on who you are, although almost everybody agrees driving in Naples is best left to the Neapolitans.
It also depends on what time of year you are going. In the nice weather months, the roads can turn into just an endless traffic jam, and people find it more enjoyable to get around by boat.
You also need to consider where you will find parking if you are going on weekends or during August holidays on sunny days.
Do you drive a stick shift?
You can find many videos on YouTube of driving the Amalfi drive and they can give you a fairly good idea of what you will typically encounter (oncoming buses, fog, narrow passages, sheer cliffs, etc)
It also depends on what time of year you are going. In the nice weather months, the roads can turn into just an endless traffic jam, and people find it more enjoyable to get around by boat.
You also need to consider where you will find parking if you are going on weekends or during August holidays on sunny days.
Do you drive a stick shift?
You can find many videos on YouTube of driving the Amalfi drive and they can give you a fairly good idea of what you will typically encounter (oncoming buses, fog, narrow passages, sheer cliffs, etc)
May 23rd, 2013, 08:11 AM
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Hi Kathy, my husband and I rented a car last October in Sorrento and used it on the Amalfi coast and we also drove down to Paestum.( which was well worth the drive)
We were in Naples for a few days first without a car and glad of that when we saw the driving there! OMG is all I can say and my DH is a very calm and competent driver and he said there is no way he would drive there. We did drive with our guide one day from the Centro Storico where we stayed to some lovely neighbourhoods she wanted to show us and it was a rather scary experience, she basically just carved out a third lane in the road and gunned it and everyone was doing the same thing, plus there were scooters and motorbikes zipping down the centre line with inches to spare on both sides.
Driving the Amalfi coast from Sorrento was a little harrowing but do-able if you are a very calm, good driver with excellent spatial judgement. The road is very narrow, lots of motorbikes zipping down the centre line, and times where you have to back up so that a bus coming from the other direction can get round the corner. Large tour buses pass you with literally inches to spare and you can see the horrified passengers looking down at you.
Parking can be tricky so get the smallest car you can.
We enjoyed having the freedom of the car to go where we wanted, when we wanted and my husband enjoyed the driving. I will admit to saying Holy Sh--!! about every five minutes every day we were in the car!
Others here who have been on the Amalfi in the more busy late spring and summer months advise against having a car because the roads are so congested, you can sit in a traffic jam for ages without going anywhere.
When are you going?
It is a beautiful area and we absolutely loved our two weeks there, car and all!
We were in Naples for a few days first without a car and glad of that when we saw the driving there! OMG is all I can say and my DH is a very calm and competent driver and he said there is no way he would drive there. We did drive with our guide one day from the Centro Storico where we stayed to some lovely neighbourhoods she wanted to show us and it was a rather scary experience, she basically just carved out a third lane in the road and gunned it and everyone was doing the same thing, plus there were scooters and motorbikes zipping down the centre line with inches to spare on both sides.
Driving the Amalfi coast from Sorrento was a little harrowing but do-able if you are a very calm, good driver with excellent spatial judgement. The road is very narrow, lots of motorbikes zipping down the centre line, and times where you have to back up so that a bus coming from the other direction can get round the corner. Large tour buses pass you with literally inches to spare and you can see the horrified passengers looking down at you.
Parking can be tricky so get the smallest car you can.
We enjoyed having the freedom of the car to go where we wanted, when we wanted and my husband enjoyed the driving. I will admit to saying Holy Sh--!! about every five minutes every day we were in the car!
Others here who have been on the Amalfi in the more busy late spring and summer months advise against having a car because the roads are so congested, you can sit in a traffic jam for ages without going anywhere.
When are you going?
It is a beautiful area and we absolutely loved our two weeks there, car and all!
May 23rd, 2013, 08:22 AM
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Driving experience is a relative term. If you drive in Dhaka or Jakarta or many other SE Asian cities, you would find the Napolitan traffic to be orderly. If you drive in NYC, you might find it more chaotic. If you drive mostly in suburban US, you might find it a sheer madness.
May 23rd, 2013, 08:25 AM
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Yes, twce but in May. Not so crowded and we found driving the coast road a lot of fun in both directions - from out hotel in Sorrento.
But:
I would never do this in July or Aug - since everything is so crowded you can;t move. Then I would travel by boat - bus takes forever, is often SRO or even too crowded to get on.
You must make sure your hotel has parking or can guide you to parking nearby. Do not think you can park in the street.
Also, be prepared to parallel park in spaces barely bigger than the car - on either side - and put the car in a paid garage if necessary.
But:
I would never do this in July or Aug - since everything is so crowded you can;t move. Then I would travel by boat - bus takes forever, is often SRO or even too crowded to get on.
You must make sure your hotel has parking or can guide you to parking nearby. Do not think you can park in the street.
Also, be prepared to parallel park in spaces barely bigger than the car - on either side - and put the car in a paid garage if necessary.
