My wife and I will be staying in Sorrento for about a week during the first part of May. Any advice on the best way (without spending a fortune) to travel along the Amalfi coast and have the ability to stop and take photos? Is hiking a possibility? I'm a photo enthusiast and will be traveling with photo gear and want to be able to take photos when I want. I understand that driving this stretch of roadway is a nightmare. However, if you are on a bus your stuck. I'm not sure I even want to rent one but are there cars available? Is there a service available where you can hire a guide/driver to take us around?
Posted by
2 posts
Hello, I've been on the Amalfi Coast a few times.....you can rent a car but I personally consider it a nightmare due to the curving roads and the few and expensive parking available! I would rather take a private driver as we did, which is of course more expensive but at least you can better enjoy the area and take outstanding pictures! We hired him through www.italycruisesprivatetours.com
He spoke a very good English and we had a relaxed day...
Posted by
693 posts
if you want to do a great walk, with spectacular views, and you have a reasonable level of fitness:
http://www.positano.com/en/i/il-sentiero-degli-dei
Regarding driving, I think it is quite good fun outside of peak season with its traffic jams and parking woes. Others see it as a descent into hell.
Posted by
Atlanta, GA, USA
706 posts
If you want to move at your own pace to take gorgeous pictures, the Sunflower guides for the coast lay out MANY trails http://www.amazon.com/Sunflower-Landscapes-Sorrento-Amalfi-Capri/dp/1856912450
You could hire a driver for a half a day maybe? Possibly they could drive you from Sorrento-Positano-Amalfi (and/or Ravello), stopping along the way and drop you off there and you would bus it back? That sounds like a good way to save some money but have freedom as well....
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
I've walked from Positano to Amalfi before. The cheapest strategy is to take the local bus to a point you want to walk, then hike or walk as much as you want. Since you'll be there for several days, you can do this in segments each day. This is actually easier to do than renting a car and pulling over (and back into traffic) when you want to walk or take a photo.
Posted by
Chicago
792 posts
"Nightmare driving" is relative, depends on your personal threshold for frustration while driving and experience with windy roads. I stayed in Sorrento for four days over a weekend at the end of June I am glad I chose not to drive. We hired a private car company for a day to tour the different towns. The advantages of this were huge: Our driver, who was born and raised in Amalfi town, knew the traffic patterns and what places to avoid at what times. He knew the best places to go for pictures (some crowded, some not). And most importantly, he took care of figuring out what to do with the car when we were touring. I suspect if you hired a car on your own, you would spend a lot of time figuring out where to park and PAYING to park. Now, if you were visiting one town a day, this wouldn't be a big deal. But if you were trying to cover a lot of ground in one day, this might get cumbersome.
We then used this tour to figure out where we wanted to go spend more time and used public transportation.
Taxis are another option but they are VERY expensive because they can be.
Hiking around Sorrento and the Amalfi coast is very popular and there are published walks/hikes with beautiful views. There are some walks out of Sorrento but there are a lot out of other towns that you would probably want to take public transportation/drive to that town and do the hike.
I was very happy with our private car company.-Amalfi Coast Destination Private Tours. Driver was Roberto.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15211 posts
Renting a car is the best way to go. Although weekend traffic can be heavy. Some people don't feel comfortable driving there simply because they come from parts of America where they have never seen a hill or a curve or traffic with more than 3 cars on the same road. James lives in Marin county, near San Francisco, so he deals with all of the above on a daily basis. For example, in Marin County, the panoramic highway from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach I think is worse than the Amalfi Coast, and on a nice non foggy weekend day, traffic and parking at Stinson beach is just as challenging. it really depends on your driving experience, but if you feel comfortable with curves and hills, rent a car, or even better, a vespa. Sorrento has plenty of rental offices from all major international companies.