1st time to Italy. We want to drive from Rome to the Amalfi Coast. Nervous, should we be?

We flew into Rome, didn't drive in Rome. Had a driver take us to our hotel while visiting Rome and back to airport where we rented a car to a villa in Tuscany. Wasn't to bad at that point. Drove to Florence on 2 separate days, that was harder, trying to read and understand the signs. Drove car back to Rome and flew home. Didn't drive along Almalfi Coast. But months later we received in the mail driving tickets amounting to over 300 euro. That was the last time my husband would drive in Europe, he can not relax on his vacation when concerned about driving. I know many people who enjoy driving there so they will share their experiences with you.

Some people drive fast, but people drive fast everywhere. I drove into/through Rome to find our apartment, then to find a parking place, and it was busy, but do-able. The highways are great, the roads are well-marked. No need to worry..

I've driven often in Italy and find having a car in Tuscany, Umbria, Marche, and Sicily very freeing. That said, in the town centers, one of us drives and the other is always on high ZTL alert, one can back into any spot and the other can parallel park almost anywhere. Even outside the towns, temporary road construction and wonky GPS can throw you some quick surprises that might make things exciting, especially on a first trip when the signs never look familiar. The Amalfi coast road is probably no worse than the Road to the Sun in Glacier, but whoever drives is going to miss all the scenery, and there is NOWHERE to park. I think you will enjoy this trip much more if you connect the main cities with effortless high speed trains (Italo!) and do a short rental for the Tuscan area nearer Florence. Rome to Amalfi is not the best scenery in Italy. After this trip you'll be able to decide for yourself how much and where you might like having a car on your next trip.

The scenery along the Amalfi coast is beautiful. But how much you will be able to see and enjoy while you are doing the driving is debatable. Perhaps you should look into taking a tour of some type and leave the driving to someone else. One place you might check is romecabs.com. It is a private car service that does some excursions and has an affiliate in Naples. Google them and see what you think. We've used the to and from the Rome airport many times and have always been very pleased with the service and pricing.

No reason to worry. Don't have a car while un Rome. Rent on your way out of Rome. If you want to rent away from the city center to go south, pick up your car at the Ciampino airport. If you want to rent in town, pick up at the Tuburtina station.
I find a car useful while staying in the Analfi coast. If you don't want to rent a car it's better if you stay in Sorrento.
The drive to Tuscany is all freeway. Have a GPS navigator or a smart phone with a navigation app.

I have driven in Euope on five trips and three times in Europe. I do not drive in big cities. Last trip we picked up a car on the outskirts of Rome to avoid the need to drive in Rome. Driving in Italy is no more challenging than driving at home. We avoid the freeways, not to save money, but so we can se the countryside.

Drop your car outside of Florence ( which is a wonderful city) and enjoy the city.

Do not worry about driving in Italy. They are good drivers for the most part.

Thank you all for your input. We are thinking we will take the rail to Sorrento. Find transportation there. Do they have Vespa's? Little Motorcycles that we could rent? Also, what do you think of driving to Cinque Terre?

You can drive TO Cinque Terre, but there is a train between the towns, you don't drive to them. You need not be nervous about driving in Italy. I think a car is good for the Amalfi Coast, and you are right to rent outside the city of Rome. Unless you are planning to use the car to stop at hill towns in Tuscany, then I would ditch the car and take the train to all points north. (Florence, Cinque Terre, Venice)

Yes, motorcycles can be rented.

You need the appropriate license, an IDP, and should have good riding skills on a winding, slow, busy road like the Amalfi coast road.

Pretty much any rider of reasonable skill can ride at a normal or faster speed; it takes a bit more skill to ride very slowly. I remember a friend (really, and not me) who got so involved with riding slowly in San Francisco that she forgot to turn the grip and she and the bike toppled over. Not fun.

Good idea to train from Rome (Roma Termini) to Naples (Napoli Centrale).

Use any of the below options for transit to Sorrento.

http://www.amalfishuttle.com/about-us/ or ferry or Circumvesuvian.

Scooters and Cars are both available for rental in Sorrento.

Time of year would dictate scooters. If you BOTH ride motorcycles here, no problem.

Explore the AC, and turn your car in either in Sorrento or the Naples train station.

High speed train direct to Florence. To explore the Hill Towns, rent another car.

Finally train from Florence (Firenze SMN) to Venice (Venezia S. Lucia)

Yes, As of now our plans are as such. Rome, Amalfi/Sorrento, Cinque Terre, Florence ending in Venice. We are very flexible. May cut out Cinque Terre

T. Rupp

Cinque Terre is worth the effort.

Many people suggest not going to 2 coastal towns in one trip. Much as I love Cinque Terre, you may be better off leaving it for another trip.

For the Amalfi coast, we just used the public bus from Sorrento. I'm surprised no one mentioned this. Is this bus system no longer running? The bus provided a beautiful view on the right side of the bus outgoing. I'd hate to drive that route and have to worry about corners, ledges and parking.

Have you said what month this trip will occur? From May through September, the Amalfi coast road will have lots of traffic. Parking is very expensive. Ferry and bus are the way to go unless traveling in the off season.
As far as scooters, you would want to be very experienced in driving one, as those roads are not for the faint of heart. You also could end up huffing bus fumes most of the way.
For some, it is quite a worthwhile expense to hire a driver for a way, that way you can safely and comfortably enjoy the views.

When we toured Almafi from Sorrento, we hired a driver for the day.. He was very informative.. Made stops, etc
M. Monetti.
Tel (081)8784795
It made the visit so relaxing and enjoyable.

We are using this company next month as a day trip out of Sorrento to Amalfi area . . .
https://www.sharedtoursmondoguideforricksteves.com

We learned about it in the Rick Steves Italy book and we also got an email from Rick Steves about this company. It has great reviews on TripAdvisor and the price is very reasonable. It is a day tour company that Rick Steves has partnered with.

I will post a review when we return.

I was a team member on a work assignment from California to Naples and was told I would be driving. Except for the constant beeping of the scooters letting you know they're there, my experience became 'fun' and my nerves relaxed. Don't expect an automatic, and don't drive in Rome! It's so big and difficult to get around unless you really know the streets.