We will be in Sorrento for a few days, will go to Pompeii etc but would also like to visit AC village, find views for take pictures, have lunch is this reasonable by car( we will be doing the driving), heard all kinds of horror stories, or is it better to take a bus or ferry. Suggestions?
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15438 posts
It's up to you.
There are pros and cons, but don't be terrorized by the horror stories. Some people enjoy to terrorize travelers.
The cons are:
- parking on the Amalfi Coast is scarce and expensive
- the road is curvy and somewhat narrow and some people are not used to that. If you are someone who has difficulty parking in a one car garage, maybe you might be one of them.
- the road and traffic requires the driver to pay attention to the road, and not so much enjoy the views.
The pros are:
- You are not bound by a bus timetable, so you might have more flexibility or where to stop, and when. But then again, there has to be parking available (which isn't always the case).
My take:
If I stay on the Amalfi coast I like to have a car, because at night I can go to dinner to another village and come back when I want (buses don't run much late in the evening).
But if you stay in Sorrento and go there just during the day on a day trip, I think the best is to take the bus or a combination of a bus in one direction and a boat on the other. Boats don't run out of season much, or with rough seas, so that option may or may not be an option when you go.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11404 posts
Driving from Sorrento along the AC is beautiful. As Roberto mentioned the driver has to drive; due to the winding road and traffic, gazing at the scenery is limited for the driver. There are some pull outs where one can stop, but it seemed like too few. Maybe because I was the driver, I wanted more places to stop and look.
Because the road is narrow and filled with curves, you have to be comfortable with the other cars being closer than you have on US highways. If encountering a semi truck on a curve and having to back up so it can get by will cause you to have a cardiac event, you may want to reconsider driving. If a semi truck passing your rental with maybe 3 inches to spare and the other side of the car an inch or two from the stone wall is only a momentary delay to your trip, then go for it.