Driving the Amalfi Coast

I drove the Amalfi Coast in May a few years ago. It was not terribly crowded at that time and I had no problems.

No problems on our drive, although it was late December. Are you going during high-tourist summer?

No one really knows what the traffic will be like after covid, but I am reading over and over than Italians are vacationing in-country more than ever before, so I would not want to sit in traffic (more of a problem than the drive, buses, and parking). I would also not want to pay for drivers to and from dinner, but if you can afford it, and if you have your heart set on staying in Praiano, money can solve many problems (but you'll want to arrange in advance). If I was going to be out every day, I would stay in one of the villages with ferry.
ETA: Ferry routes and schedules: https://www.travelmar.it/en/index

In 2017 the friends we went with really wanted to have a car for our four-night stay in Positano. Our friend did all of the driving--he is a good driver and I felt comfortable with him in control. Traffic was rarely a problem in May, but parking was very difficult when we got to the other towns such as Ravello. If it was just the two of us, we would do it without a car and use the bus and ferry system. Even with the car, we chose to use the ferry when we visited Amalfi.

There is a parking garage just south of the town of Amalfi. We used it and there were plenty of spaces available. There is a walking tunnel from the garage to Amalfi..

We've been twice and we would NEVER drive it - it is scary just watching people pass each other. Plus, the scenery is spectacular and if you are driving - you can't look at the scenery. We took a day trip from Sorrento using the Rick Steves co-owned company -
sharedtours.com -- it was perfect and it was just enough time for us. We enjoyed our 4 days in Sorrento and had some of the best food in all of Italy in Sorrento. We also took a day trip from Sorrento to Herculaneum (which we liked much better than Pompeii) - we used the RS Italy guidebook and it was super easy.

Thanks to all so far on this thread. If it helps...we will be there first week of October. Our stay is fixed in Praiano. I feel I am a good driver, but of course want to enjoy the scenery. And even if I am OK with driving sounds like parking could be a real issue to deal with wherever I go. Maybe we'll start w/o a car and if get desperate get over to Salerno to rent one.

I would start monitoring the road situation in September, but that sounds like a good plan. I'd be tempted in October myself! (alas, I drink too much at dinner for a car to do me much good).
I would also check into the parking at the accommodation and ask them for a driver recommendation to have that in your pocket. Good news is ferries will be running in early October, so you really only have to take the bus hop to Positano to get a ferry.

Since you are traveling in October, traffic shouldn't be too bad, but the issue in Praiano is parking, not so much traffic. You should inquire with your hotel if they have some place to park, some do have some spots for their guests. There are a couple of very small pay parking lots, and street parking is very limited in Praiano, and mostly reserved to residents. A lot of places are tow away zones, although I could never figure out if it was ok to park, because locals park in those tow away zones too without seeming to worry much (but that is Naples area, so anything goes).

The advantage of having a car in Praiano is the fact that without one, at night, you are pretty much stuck in town since buses don't operate after a certain time. So if you can get the parking issue sorted out with the hotel, I would go by car.

Roberto - you state some good points. It was evening times that I was wondering about, if we choose to leave our immediate area, although I am not fond of driving in unfamiliar areas at night. The Amalfi Coast is challenging enough during the day!.Are apartment does come with a parking space, so this does give me pause for thought.
Thanks

En boca al lupo and enjoy yourself. But don't pass on a trip or two from Amalfi to Positano, etc., on the high speed boat. It's quick and the late afternoon view of the coast is stunning.

You can take a bus from Praiano to Amalfi (30-minutes). I took a bus from Sorrento to Amalfi and that's how I saw the coast.

Even if it's not that crowded, the idea of driving to a beach and parking is not reasonable for a visiting budget tourist on the AC. it's slightly comparable to staying in an Agriturismo in Tuscany-if you want a "local" stay, beyond walking distance to a beach, you need a car. But in Tuscany, if you are willing to walk far enough, and wait for spaces to open up, you can park outside hill towns and visit a few in one day. But you can count the beach parking spaces on two hands on the Amalfi Coast. Having a parking space at your hotel is not going to help you drive to the beach.

I personally don't care for pebble beaches and cold water, but I live on a US coast, and go to the Caribbean sometimes. If you live inland at home and the beach is really important, plan carefully. I mentioned "budget" not because of anything you wrote, but because I noticed that there are a couple of high-luxury hotels in Ravello that have hourly shuttles to the coast. I think they may even have private beach club facilities. No personal experience. We slept in Sorrento and hired a car and driver for 8 hours on the AC.

If I had a car in Priano, I would visit Paestum, but that's not for everyone.

Thanks to you all for the most recent comments. I am still undecided about the car. We are not really planning on spending much time at the beach, so having a car to get there is not an important factor. But I do want to get to Ravello and other places, so we’ll see. If I rent a car and it proves to be a headache, I will return it sooner (or just keep it parked at our apartment). Or, If I did not rent a car and would really like one for a few days I will see about renting one in Salerno. Whatever, I appreciate all the input. And as Rick says…”continua a viaggiare”…or something like that!😉

Since your accommodations seem to have parking for guests, then the decision should be based on your need for a car prior and/or after your Amalfi coast stay.
If you do have/need a car before and after, then it makes sense to have one. It will make it easier to get to town and to depart, especially with luggage, even though you may not need the car much during the day, because the bus is often a better option given the difficulty of parking anywhere on the coast.
Regarding the driving at night, if you plan to have dinner some place other than Praiano, in my experience the traffic at night is never that bad off season (July and August would be a different story). If you want to stay in town for dinner, I recommend the Ristorante La Strada. Great fish restaurant and they have a beautiful view from the tables on their second floor.

Grazie Roberto! Thanks for the restaurant recommendation. After all……it’s all about the food!!

Have you driven similar roads? I wrote about my experience here including a description of the road.

Chain,
What a klck. I enjoyed reading all the posts. I am still game, but my wife thinks otherwise. Thanks