Automobile, Bus, Boat, or Tour – Italy – Earth Trekkers

The reply to this query is determined by what time of the 12 months you’ll be right here, what do you intend to do on the Amalfi Coast, and the way a lot cash you need to spend.

We’ve got visited the Amalfi Coast twice: July 2014 and October 2022. Between each of those visits, now we have used the ferry, ridden the general public buses, employed drivers, employed a personal boat, and pushed your complete size of the Amalfi Coast, from Salerno to Sorrento.

We realized A LOT and have a lot of precious ideas, which we share on this information. And if in case you have any questions or if in case you have info to share that may assist future readers, tell us within the remark part on the finish of this text.

Overview of the Amalfi Coast

The Amalfi Coast is a stretch of shoreline that runs alongside the Sorrentine peninsula. There are 13 cities alongside this shoreline plus Salerno and Sorrento, which sit at both finish. A few of these cities are positioned proper on the water, like Amalfi and Positano, and others are positioned greater up on the hills, like Ravello and Praiano.

Amalfi Drive is the primary highway that travels alongside the Amalfi Coast. It’s 50 km lengthy and runs by means of most of those cities. There are just a few Amalfi Coast cities which can be positioned greater within the mountains, on facet roads off of Amalfi Drive, reminiscent of Ravello and Tramonti.

At first look, it could appear that renting a automobile and driving from city to city is one of the simplest ways to get across the Amalfi Coast. However sadly, that’s not the case. From June by means of September, the Amalfi Coast is full of guests from all over the world. These small cities have very restricted parking, and the rise in summer season site visitors creates lengthy site visitors jams alongside Amalfi Drive. You could have higher luck profitable the lottery than getting a parking area in Amalfi or Positano.

New for 2022, there’s now an alternating license plate system for the summer season months. If the quantity in your license plate corresponds with the odd and even quantity for that day, you’re in luck and you’ll drive Amalfi Drive. If not, you’ll must look into hiring a driver or utilizing the ferry to get round. We’ll go extra into element about this later on this information.

To get across the Amalfi Coast, you could have lots of choices…automobile, bus, ferry, small boat tour, personal boat, taxi, personal driver, and tour. We dive deeper into every of those subsequent.

Amalfi, Italy 

Easy methods to Get Across the Amalfi Coast

By Rental Automobile: Driving the Amalfi Coast

If you’ll be highway tripping by means of Italy, it will solely make sense to make use of your automobile and drive to the cities you need to go to alongside the Amalfi Coast. And for many who love scenic drives, you can hire a automobile simply on your time on the Amalfi Coast and use that to get round.

However is it a good suggestion?

We drove your complete size of Amalfi Drive in October 2022. In our article Driving the Amalfi Coast, we write about our expertise and necessary issues to know, earlier than committing your self to this mode of transportation.

Amalfi Coast Drive

Lengthy sections of the roads are lined with parked vehicles and scooters, which makes this slender highway even narrower. 

Might by means of September

You probably have plans to go to the Amalfi Coast from Might by means of September, getting round by rental automobile could possibly be a nightmare. In 2022, on weekends and your complete month of August, these with rental vehicles can solely drive Amalfi Drive on odd and even days, equivalent to their license plate quantity (extra on that beneath).

In the summertime, it’s additionally commonplace to have backups stretching a number of kilometers. Parking is nearly nonexistent, so when you get to the place you need to be, you can spend an enormous period of time circling for a parking area. Or, you can find yourself parking a number of kilometers outdoors of city, and have an extended stroll alongside Amalfi Drive to get into city.

October by means of April

That is the off-season, so if driving the Amalfi Coast is in your bucket checklist, that is one of the best time to do it. Even in mid to late October, there was nonetheless a good quantity of site visitors and we had bother discovering parking. For one of the best expertise (taking climate into consideration), plan your journey for late October into November or someday in April.

Cities You Can Get to By Automobile

The entire cities on the Amalfi Coast are accessible by automobile. The trick is discovering a parking area as soon as right here, even within the off season.

Alternating License Plate System

In 2022, an alternating license plate system was instituted on Amalfi Drive. These particulars are for 2022 and I think about this can proceed for 2023 however it’s but to be seen if the restrictions will change.

Listed below are the foundations:

• These guidelines apply to rental vehicles. Automobiles belonging to locals, taxis, and buses are exempt.
• Rental vehicles with a license plate ending in an odd quantity can drive Amalfi Drive on odd numbered days. Rental vehicles with a license plate ending in a good quantity can drive Amalfi Drive on even numbered days.
• The rule is in impact from 10 am to six pm for your complete month of August and for weekends from June 15 to September 30. Some holidays, reminiscent of Easter, are additionally included.
• The alternating license plate system is in impact for the 22 km stretch of highway between Positano and Vietri sul Mare.
• Along with the license plate system, any car that’s longer than 10.36 meters (34 toes), together with autos pulling trailers, are banned from 6:30 am to midnight all 12 months.

From what I’ve learn on-line, if you’ll be staying in a resort on the Amalfi Coast, you may arrive to your resort in your deliberate date, even when your license plate doesn’t align with the dates. Let’s face it, you gained’t know the variety of your license plate till you decide up your rental automobile, so it’s unattainable to plan upfront which days to drive the Amalfi Coast. I like to recommend confirming this rule along with your resort earlier than your go to.

By Personal Driver

If you happen to rent a personal driver, you may nonetheless journey by yourself schedule, however remove a number of the hassles of a rental automobile, reminiscent of parking. Plus, should you plan to tour Italy by practice, a personal driver means that you can discover the Amalfi Coast by highway, slightly than renting a automobile for just a few days.

Hiring a personal driver might be costly. Costs vary from €100 to €400, relying on how lengthy you intend to make use of the motive force that day.

We employed our personal drivers by means of our resort, with the corporate Positano Limo Service.

Amalfi Drive

By Bus

Touring by bus is essentially the most economical method to get across the Amalfi Coast. For simply €10 per day, you may journey up and down Amalfi Drive.

To journey by bus, you will want some persistence. In the summertime, strains on the bus stops might be lengthy. And as soon as on the bus, you’ll be sitting in the identical backups as everybody else.

We traveled by bus in 2014 and had a horrible expertise. Hopefully issues have improved since then, and primarily based on the variety of buses we noticed on Amalfi Drive, it appears to be like prefer it has.

In 2014, we began in Sorrento and highway the SITA bus to Positano. As soon as completed in Positano, we waited and waited on the bus cease, and scheduled bus after bus did not arrive. Ultimately, a hop-on hop-off bus arrived, and we purchased a ticket, simply to get to the following city on our checklist, Amalfi.

As soon as completed in Amalfi, the identical situation repeated itself. A number of scheduled buses failed to indicate up. By the point the following bus arrived, there have been so many individuals in line that solely a small fraction made it onto the bus.

So, should you plan to journey by bus, have some persistence and be ready for delays. And if in case you have accomplished this and wish to share your expertise to assist out future readers, you are able to do so within the remark part beneath.

For extra info on tips on how to use the bus, click on right here.

For the SITA bus timetable, click on right here.

By Ferry

To keep away from the site visitors jams on Amalfi Drive and for gorgeous views of the Amalfi Coast, think about taking the ferry. In the course of the summer season months, we extremely suggest getting round by ferry, or some kind of boat, to keep away from the site visitors delays on Amalfi Drive.

It is very important know that not all the cities on the Amalfi Coast are accessible by boat. If you happen to take the ferry, you’ll solely be capable to go to the coastal cities, which incorporates Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi, Salerno, Minori, Maiori, Cetara, and Vietri sul Mare.

There are a number of firms that function ferries on the Amalfi Coast. They every have completely different schedules and ports. Listed below are the hyperlinks to the businesses:

It’s also possible to seek for ferry routes on FerryHopper.com or TraghettiUp.com, which supplies the schedules for the three firms listed above. We’re massive followers of FerryHopper.com, and use it ceaselessly, not solely to e book ferries on the Amalfi Coast, but additionally in Greece and Croatia. This web site could be very person pleasant and can checklist all the out there ferries for the dates you’re looking at, so that you don’t must verify a number of web sites.

Ferries usually function from April by means of October. If you’ll be touring outdoors of this era, look into taking the bus, hiring a driver, or renting a automobile.

Ticket cubicles for the ferries in Positano.

Ferries in Positano | Greatest method to get across the Amalfi Coast

NLG is among the hottest ferry firms on the Amalfi Coast. 

By Personal Boat

Touring by personal boat is among the finest methods to get across the Amalfi Coast. Having accomplished every part listed above, I’ve to say that that is our favourite mode of transportation on the Amalfi Coast. It may be costly, but it surely comes with some enormous benefits that make it price it, particularly in case you are touring as a small group.

If you’ll splurge on one factor throughout your journey to Italy, this will get our vote. Loosen up on a personal boat, sip on prosecco, go to small coves and caves which can be inaccessible by ferry and troublesome or unattainable to get to by automobile or bus, and zip up and down the shoreline quicker than any automobile or ferry on the market.

Plus, the views are merely superb.

Atrani

By boat, you may go to locations like Fiordo di Furore (the photograph above) and sea caves alongside the coast.

We took a personal 8-hour boat cruise from Positano, visiting the Smeraldo Grotto, Fiordo di Furore, Amalfi, Maiori, Minori, Atrani, and Nerano. This 8-hour boat tour with Luxurious Boats Positano was certainly one of our most memorable experiences in Italy.

Costs for a full day cruise vary from €800 to as excessive as €3000, relying on the boat and firm you select. If you’re touring as a gaggle of 4 to 6 folks, splitting the price of a €800 or €1300 boat isn’t as loopy because it first appears, particularly given the benefits that include having a personal boat.

And in order for you the personal boat expertise, with out spending a loopy amount of cash, Luxurious Boats Positano and different firms have shorter excursions. How a couple of 2-hour sundown cruise alongside the Amalfi Coast?

Different firms to think about are Lucibello Positano, Sorrento Dream Constitution, and Mar Amar.

By Small Group Boat Tour

By becoming a member of a small boat tour, you get to cruise alongside the coast with out the large price ticket that you simply get with a personal boat. There’s a lengthy checklist of boat excursions to select from, some beginning in Sorrento, some beginning in Positano, and a few beginning in Amalfi.

When selecting your tour, take note of the variety of folks within the group, the start line of the tour, and the value. Some group excursions can value a number of hundred {dollars} per particular person, and in case you are a gaggle of 4 to six folks, it may not value way more to rent a personal boat.

Positano

By Small Group Tour (On Land)

There are additionally many small group excursions of the Amalfi Coast, the place you journey by van, automobile, or bus, visiting the highlights of the coast. These group excursions vary from just some folks to bigger teams, so take note of group dimension whereas reserving your tour.

A gaggle tour is an efficient choice for many who solely have in the future on the Amalfi Coast and don’t need the trouble of figuring out transportation, what to see, and the place to go. Many of those excursions begin and finish in Sorrento.

This extremely rated group tour begins in both Naples or Sorrento and consists of each a land tour and quick boat cruise on the Amalfi Coast, the place you’ll go to Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello. It’s an amazing choice for these with in the future on the Amalfi Coast because it covers the primary highlights.

It’s additionally attainable to day journey to the Amalfi Coast from Rome, however this can be a lengthy day and we don’t suggest it (we expect Pompeii and Vesuvius is a greater choice from Rome). However this tour will get rave critiques and is price contemplating, should you actually need to see the Amalfi Coast and have restricted time.

Ravello

By Scooter

Scooters, with their small dimension, can zip across the site visitors jams and it’s quite a bit simpler to discover a parking area than it will be in case you are touring by automobile. Nevertheless, we solely suggest getting round by scooter for these with a lot of prior expertise. Amalfi Drive is crowded and chaotic, even within the off season, and this isn’t a great highway for beginner drivers.

Amalfi Coast

Greatest Method to Get Across the Amalfi Coast: Our Suggestions

To summarize all the info above, listed here are our suggestions for one of the simplest ways to get across the Amalfi Coast.

For one of the best total expertise, rent a personal boat. It’s the costliest choice, however the views are unbeatable, you may discover nooks and crannies which can be troublesome to get to by different modes of transportation, and that is the quickest method to journey from city to city, so if you wish to see and do quite a bit, a personal boat is the best way to go.

If you’re touring on a price range, the ferry is our first selection (nice views and to keep away from the site visitors on Amalfi Drive) adopted by the general public bus.

In the course of the summer season months, from June by means of September, keep away from touring on Amalfi Drive if attainable. If you wish to go to Ravello or Tramonti, you’ll have to take the bus, drive, or rent a personal driver, however to get in all places else, take a ship of some type (ferry, small group boat tour, or personal boat).

If you happen to actually need to drive the Amalfi Coast, one of the best time to do it’s from mid-October by means of April.

Excursions of the Amalfi Coast

Continuously Requested Questions

What’s one of the simplest ways to get across the Amalfi Coast?

In the course of the summer season months, one of the simplest ways to get across the Amalfi Coast is by boat (ferry, small boat tour, or personal boat). The views are lovely and you’ll keep away from the site visitors jams on Amalfi Drive. If you’re touring on a price range, journey by ferry or by bus. From June by means of September, keep away from driving the Amalfi Coast if attainable, since site visitors jams are frequent, parking is a nightmare, and rental automobile site visitors is restricted by the brand new alternating license plate system.

Is it price driving the Amalfi Coast?

If you happen to plan to go to Italy between Might and September, Amalfi Drive is usually a crowded, chaotic highway with lengthy backups and main challenges discovering a parking area. Throughout this time, it’s not price driving the Amalfi Coast and it’s best to get round by ferry or boat. Nevertheless, if in case you have lengthy dreamed of constructing this drive, one of the best time to do it’s from mid-October by means of the tip of April, which is off-season on the Amalfi Coast.

How troublesome is it to drive the Amalfi Coast?

It doesn’t take any particular expertise to drive Amalfi Drive. You want a great deal of persistence and it’s good to keep alert, since it’s a chaotic drive. If that is one thing you intend to do, hire a smaller car, which makes it quite a bit simpler to navigate the turns and the tight areas as you squeeze previous buses and different autos.

You probably have any questions on one of the simplest ways to get across the Amalfi Coast, or if you wish to share your expertise, you are able to do so within the remark part beneath.

Extra Info for Your Journey to Italy

AMALFI COAST: Learn to journey from Rome to the Amalfi Coast and you’ve got the choice to go to Pompeii on the best way. We even have a information to one of the best cities on the Amalfi Coast, tips on how to hike the Path of the Gods, issues to do in Positano, and issues to do in Ravello.

ITALY ITINERARIES: If you’re simply starting to plan your Italy itinerary, check out our 10 Days in Italy Itinerary for 4 alternative ways to spend 10 days in Italy.

VENICE ITINERARY: If you happen to want strategies on tips on how to plan your time, check out our One Day in Venice Itinerary and Two Days in Venice Itinerary.

TUSCANY: Learn to spend one great day in Siena and take a look at our guides to Montepulciano, Pienza, and San Gimigano.

PUGLIA: Alberobello is among the hottest cities to go to in Puglia. Right here’s an inventory of one of the best issues to do in Alberobello. We even have a information to one of the best issues to do on the Gargano Peninsula.

Notice: This publish accommodates affiliate hyperlinks. While you make a purchase order utilizing certainly one of these affiliate hyperlinks, we receives a commission a small fee at no further value to you.