Driving/Staying on Amalfi Coast

It may help to know where you are coming from before going to Amalfi, and where you are heading after. Ex - are you coming from Rome or ? and have a long travel day ahead of you? Will you have a car or be arriving on the train (at Pompeii)?

We flew into Naples arriving late and spent the night before heading for Amalfi. We stopped at Pompeii on our way to Amalfi (actually, we stayed in Atrani). There is a place to store your luggage at the Pompeii train stn so that wasn't an issue. When we were leaving the coast, we were heading for Rome, but stopped in Naples first to visit the archaeological museum.

Didn't visit Pontone, but if there aren't good bus connections, a car may be necessary. We were there early Sept. Personally, I wouldn't drive it - narrow, winding roads and so much traffic, but mid-Oct may be better for driving with fewer crowds. Personally, we really enjoyed Ravello and the hike down from Ravello to Atrani.

Thanks for the information. There is a lot to consider when planning a trip like this, so it gets overwhelming at times.

We will be travelling from Rome. We are undecided at the moment as to driving or taking the train. We need to get back to Rome at the end of our stay to return to Canada.

You certainly could do it when heading for the coast. Our first visit we did a day trip from Rome and visited Herculaneum and went up Mt Vesuvius. And we were still back in Rome by 8pm.

I would recommend leaving early from Rome. I'd take the fast train, which you can book ahead for significant savings. Usually 90 days ahead for best prices, but it does lock you into a certain date and time, so don't miss the train. I really can't speak for driving - riding the bus was nerve wracking enough. If someone is a highly competent driver then maybe I'd go for it, but the driver misses all the beautiful scenery because they have to keep a death's grip on the wheel and really watch the road. We had a private driver one day (Sorrento Silver Star) and even that was nerve wracking!

Our hotel was right across the road from the train station in Naples, so we didn't have to figure out taxis to get there. I think we arrived at Pompeii about 10am or so (it was 2014 and after looking at my photos, I apparently didn't change the time on my camera, so I'm adding 5 hrs for the time diff from our time zone) and hooked up with one of the guided tours outside at the train stn. It was about 2 hrs. We would have liked to explore more of Pompeii, but we had to be in Amalfi to meet our airbnb host by 4pm as he was off to a wedding weekend (there was a backup plan in case we were late). We barely made it by the skin of our teeth (we had just missed the bus in Sorrento and had to wait another 30 min for the next).

It's certainly doable on the way there. It will make for a long day from Rome, but would break up the travel. And if you were interested in the Arch. museum, you could do that as well. Another factor could be weather. Either coming or going would work, so you may just wait and see whether it is nice and sunny or raining and decide then.

...I'm just looking over my travel journal to double check times - after Pompeii, we arrived in Sorrento just before 2pm and weren't paying attention and missed the 2pm bus. Caught the 2:30 and it took 90 min to get to Amalfi - just to give you an idea of how long the bus can take. My best guess (looking at photo times) is we left Pompeii around 12:15 and by the time we got our bags back and whatnot, prob caught the train to Sorrento around 12:30-12:45 since my notes say we didn't wait long for a train.

Have not seen Pontone before but looking on a map online it seems lovely, fantastic views, similar to nearby Ravello I imagine which we did see and thought was magical.
Seems like you could hike down to Atrani or up to Ravello fairly easily ; easier than to Amalfi
The coastal road and roads that snake up to the towns in those hills is not for everyone but I would not have reservations about driving it. Rent as small a car as you can fit your party and luggage in.
The drive is beautiful but twisty, not very wide when cars are coming the other way so requires your full attention and I would try to avoid it after dark.
The main worry is the bus traffic as the buses are fairly wide, so if you happen upon a corner at the same time as a bus coming the other way, it is usually up to you to reverse to a spot where the bus has enough room to make the turn. This could be very stressful especially with a impatient cars behind you but something that is unlikely to actually happen to you.

Some crazy drivers and mainly motorbikes will pass you at all times regardless of your speed but other than those factors it is a nice road that you can enjoy driving as long as your eyes stay on the road and not the amazing view.

You likely need a car to get to your place with your luggage and back. The downside to that car is when you want to visit the different villages, you are going to have a hard time finding and big money paying for parking spots while you visit.
It is much easier to not worry about that and visit places via the bus. October will be slower but still busy in this area and should still be nice weather.

Usually easier to visit Pompeii on way down from Rome, but as stated that makes for one very long travel day if using public transit and if driving you have concern leaving luggage in your car while at Pompeii.
If you have a car it would not be hard to do as a day trip from your base in Pontone
In your case, I would do it that way, the drive is probably 90 minutes max each way which is not bad.
Having a car in this case will be a nice convenience.

My general thought on staying in one of the slightly off the beaten path towns is it makes sense if you are staying for a decent period (5+ nights and want some relaxation away from the crowds) for a shorter stay I think you would much prefer staying in one of the main towns (Positano, Amalfi, Sorrento are the 3 most convenient towns to base in)

Not sure how you get to Pontone. I do recall as we walked up thru Amalfi on the main road, that cars would go thru...but it was only wide enough for one car so there was a traffic light for each way...and having to navigate thru all the people crowding the road and kinda ignoring or not realizing a car was trying to get thru...ugh.

The only thing I would say about hiking UP to Ravello...it was a really hard walk down. Unless you are in great shape, I wouldn't recommend walking up. A lot of stairs and downhill, not many flat spots. We passed one young energetic couple going up, but unless you really like strenuous walks, I'd recommend going down. Im not totally out of shape and in my head still reasonably young, but by the time we got to the bottom, my legs were shaking from the stress of so many stairs and downhill slopes and I can honestly say in all my years of travelling and walking many kms...that has never happened before.

Many thanks for all the tips and suggestions.

Decisions, decisions..........I think we will go for it. I have heard and read that the views are spectacular and we won't be that way again.

Oh, don't count on not returning. We only spent three nights and I plan (hopefully in the next half dozen years or so) to return for a good 5-6 nights. Travel is addictive and we only got a taste of Amalfi coast and it def whetted my appetite to return. ;)

Getting to Pontone without a car from Rome would include: 1 (or 2 trains depending on the route: through Sorrento or Salerno), and 2 bus rides.

You can use this to give you an idea of the available options & routes: http://www.ravello.com/how-to-get-to-ravello/#FromRome (Ravello is just ~7 km from Amalfi...so the guide applies 100%).