Dukey1

The plan, IF it happens would be to fly into Naples and rent "the car" there and drive to a hotel further south. (July timeframe) Thinking of either staying in Naples and immediate environs OR going to a hotel down the coast.

So, the potential "problems" seem to be "that road" which everybody seems to think is "too dangerous"

Parking: which everybody says is "impossible" if you actually drive anywhere "interesting."

Isolation: which I am wondering if we are going to be in a hotel in a place like Conca dei Marini out in the boonies will we feel trapped? Can we taxi public transport? Taxi's? Buses?

If I can get San Carlo opera tickets the whole thing may be academic but I thought I'd ask because I'm certain somebody has decent info and thank you in advance.

yestravel

We've driven numerous times on the Amalfi Coast and are still alive and uninjured to write about it. Traffic is the biggest issue once you get used to the huge buses coming around the curves. Parking is difficult as it is in any busy, crowded place, but again we have managed.

Yes, there are public buses you can take. And yes, there are drivers and taxis to to had.

I have stayed twice in Naples and really enjoy it.

Dukey1

Thank you. Right now I am waiting to see what the opera season will be like (I am planning this trip for NEXT year and sorry I didn't make that more clear). If we can get tickets we'll stick to Naples I suppose.

Again, I appreciate your reply and information/point of view.

xcountry

We last drove that road in August 2013. At the time I hated it and swore I'd never do it again. But now years later it seems fine.

Dukey1

Xcountry: WHAT CHANGED? You, or the road?

yorkshire

It is not so much the danger but the traffic. I'd skip it in July unless you are just going to stay up in the hills somewhere.

massimop

The worst experience I had driving in the Naples/Amalfi area was not around Naples and not on the Amalfi coast but on the highway intersections closer to Salerno where the main roads split between the coastal Amalfi drive & the highway heading towards Pompei/the airport/Naples. The problem was that cars exiting the highway were at a standstill on the off-ramp, and backed up onto the highway. Driving in the right lane, I had to suddenly swerve into the left lane to avoid ploughing into the rear of an essentially parked car. Luckily, I was traveling off-season and the road was lightly trafficked. Otherwise, had their been cars, buses or trucks using the left lane, I would have had nowhere to go. No shoulders on those narrow roads.

On the Amalfi drive itself in summer, there is so much traffic & only 2 lanes -- one in each direction -- that the chances of a high speed or anything other than a fender-bender or side-scrape are probably nil. I am just cautioning you that if you try to take the car to places like Paestum or Agripoli, that might be where the white-knuckle stuff happens.

Plainly you don't need a car in Napoli. A taxi to the center of town is cheap. You can also leave the airport and drive straight over the mountains to Conca dei Marini.

I don't know why you think Conca dei Marini is remote. There will be a constant stream of buses and taxis to take you to Amalfi if you want a ferry somewhere. In fact, the simplest thing to do if you want to stay in Conca dei Marini is to land in Naples, taxi to the docks and take a ferry to Amalfi town, and a taxi from there.

San Carlo is an enchanting theater. I've never seen a performance there. I didn't know the did them in July. I would have thought it is impossibly hot inside.

I've never done this, but flying into Naples in July, with or without a car, I might be tempted to go to the coastal suburbs in northern Napoli, around Posillipo

http://www.wherenaples.com/en/discov...posillipo.html

https://www.airbnb.com/s/Capo-di-Pos...verride%5B%5D=

PalenQ

So, the potential "problems" seem to be "that road" which everybody seems to think is "too dangerous">

It will not be too dangerous in July because traffic will be moving at a snail's pace - the main reason folks are negative on driving. Plus landslide could close parts of it -like two years ago you could not take a bus Salerno to Amalfi direct because of one and there was a major detour around it.

Dukey1

Massimop, thanks. Yes, San Carlo does have July performances. However, if the house is NOT air conditioned I will definitely re-think ANY July performances since we are planning to be there later in the Fall, too.

Thanks for your info about Conca dei Marini. I simply assumed the place was a bit more "rural" than staying in a hotel in some place such as Salerno or Positano.

xcountry

Dukey - a general testosterone drop I believe. Shift into Jedd Clampett mode and amble along. No worries.

Dukey1

Xcountry, thanks!!!

kja

I'd say it's more complicated than "that dangerous road."

First, if there is <b>any</b> chance that you will have jet lag, I would strongly encourage you to take public transportation for your first night or two. Although many people are not aware of it, there is mounting evidence that driving with jet lag is just as dangerous -- to yourself and others -- as driving drunk, and <b>nothing</b> you can do will prevent the microsleeps (which you might not even notice) that are the apparent culprit. And please note – microsleeps aren’t dependent on getting sleep or not, they result from shifting your waking / sleeping cycle away from the one to which you are accustomed. Seriously -- NOT a good idea, no matter your other constraints and no matter your prior experience!

From my perspective, a driver really doesn't get to see the scenery in the same way that a passenger does, and I wanted to see the scenery of that part of the world without worry and without posing a risk to myself or anyone else! Driving in a particularly scenic area is something I do only when necessary to meet other objectives I have for visiting a place.

For another thing, driving can be stressful – and I say that as someone who loves driving! But some roads are challenging, unexpected detours or GPS failures can be a bit daunting, and driving into cities (and finding parking) can make the last part of a long trip less than pleasant.

And driving – or at least responsible driving – can pose constraints on the driver. For example, depending on how much one eats and one’s size and and how long one relaxes over a meal, even a glass of wine with lunch may carry risks.

Last, but not least, driving is generally not a particularly green choice – and for some of us, that is a worthy consideration.


BTW, seeing a performance at the San Carlo is worth pursuing! I attended a chamber music performance, not an opera, and loved that setting.

Hope that helps!

Dukey1

I appreciate the thoughts and insights, thank you. If we DO fly into the area it will be a daytime flight from Paris so jetlag is probably not an issue.

I agree that the driver gets to see the LEAST amount of scenery, etc., and has the MOST responsibility. The car, if we even get one, would be for convenience of getting from A to B and when we travel we usually rely on public transport as our first means of movement whenever possible.

At this point I have to wait until San Carlo announces the season for next year.

Yes, I do plan in advance and at this stage I already have tickets for 2018 performances in Dresden, Berlin, Verona, and Paris. Waiting also for Covent Garden and LaScala.

Thanks, again.

aliced

Agree that there will be no "To Catch A Thief" scenes racing around hairpin turns with no shoulder/guardrail as you'll have lots of time sitting in traffic to look around, but there is always the SITA bus, which purportedly has a schedule but adheres to the whim of the particular driver at any time that chugs along the coast, if the ferry is not convenient. But it wont drop you exactly up where you'd want to go and it'll get to your stop eventually...... car gives you more control as to your schedule.