Have you been to the Amalfi Coast (Italy)?

raid

raid

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I would appreciate your tips on how to best reach the Amalfi Coast from Rome. Should I take the risk and drive a rental car or should I consider taking the train or maybe drive to a neighboring town and then take a taxi?

Thanks.
 
Hi Raid,

I used to have an apt on Isola Di Capri.
I would take a train from Rome to Naples, then switch trains to Sorrento, which is the gateway to Amalfi.

You can pm me if you have any questions.

cheers/ken.
 
Dear Raid,

DO NOT DRIVE! Italians are the worst drivers in the world. I have driven cars and ridden motorcycles extensively in India, Mexico, Greece, Malta and indeed most of Europe as well as across the United States several times. Although I have not driven myself in China or Russia I have travelled as a passenger for many hundreds of kilometres. If there are worse drivers than Italians I have yet to encounter them.

Cheers,

R.
 
We were there on holiday a couple of years ago. My limited mobility (bad back) makes it difficult to do a lot of walking between bus and train stations and sites we wanted to visit. We decided it was a lot more convenient to hire a private car and driver.
 
I've done the drive plenty of times. Some thoughts:
The only reason to go down there is to do the drive. The hotels are overpriced and suck. You're basically hemmed in by mountains on one side of you and a busy road and cliff on the other. So drive and get south of there where there is much nicer accommodation. Villa delle Meraviglie in Maratea is lovely and affordable, excellent restaurants in the area.

I don't find driving there an issue at all. I don't know where Roger is coming from but, like France, Italian driving has toned down considerably in the last 20 years. Certainly less stressful than Miami.

However, the one asset that's essential is being capable of driving in very tight spaces. The road is narrow, the trucks and buses wide and the northern neighbors in their Mercedes are panic stuck and drive in the middle of the road -- expecting all others to make room for them. The way to handle the northern neighbors is pull into the center, they quickly move out of it. We have the same issue on our narrow, twisting Swiss roads. If you can't handle tight (like loose your mirror tight) on a windy road, you need to think about it.

I spent part of my childhood in Italy, Rome and Verona. I've worked there as well as 6 other countries. We now keep a home in Florida as well as Switzerland. I'm ok with the driving. If your driving skills are Florida based, it's going to be an experience you may not want to repeat.

If you're looking for scenery outside of Rome, try the Roman hills or the second tier roads that lead into Umbria, gorgeous area, excellent food and accommodations. Driving is fine.

Rome is a drive in and park city. If you don't need a car there (you don't) take public transport into Rome and rent on the last day. Pick your rental location with exiting Rome in mind. A GPS is essential as well as a copilot that knows how to use one. Think turn lanes well in advance as traffic is bumper to bumper tight.
 
I watched a few videos on youtube on the Amalfi Coast, with scenes that are breathtaking in many ways. Driving would be stressful to me. While I enjoy each year for the past several years driving in Europe, I want to relax and enjoy the views. Having two children with me is also a complicating factor for driving along such narrow coastal streets. What if the girls start crying out of fear?

We are also considering alternatives to the Amalfi Coast for drives out of Rome. Porto Santo Stefano looks like a nice place to drive to from Rome. Siena is also not far way from there.

This needs more thoughts and feedback here.
 
fad gadget said:
Hi Raid,

I used to have an apt on Isola Di Capri.
I would take a train from Rome to Naples, then switch trains to Sorrento, which is the gateway to Amalfi.

You can pm me if you have any questions.

cheers/ken.
Click to expand...

Hello Ken,
It must have been "good life" living in Isola di Capri.
Thanks for offering to chat about it.
 
Roger Hicks said:
Dear Raid,

DO NOT DRIVE! Italians are the worst drivers in the world. I have driven cars and ridden motorcycles extensively in India, Mexico, Greece, Malta and indeed most of Europe as well as across the United States several times. Although I have not driven myself in China or Russia I have travelled as a passenger for many hundreds of kilometres. If there are worse drivers than Italians I have yet to encounter them.

Cheers,

R.
Click to expand...
Hello Roger,
I know that you don't like driving in Italy!
I have a good (German) friend who once talked about drivers in Italy. He told me "they don't follow traffic rules, but they are excellent drivers!"
 
kxl said:
We were there on holiday a couple of years ago. My limited mobility (bad back) makes it difficult to do a lot of walking between bus and train stations and sites we wanted to visit. We decided it was a lot more convenient to hire a private car and driver.
Click to expand...

Hi Keith,
We watched a Rick Steves episode on visiting the Amalfi Coast, and he recommended a private driver and car.
 
Raid - just to be clear, when I mentioned that we hired a private driver, it wasn't out of fear or anxiety. Being from LA, we're just sick and tired of being behind the wheel of any car. Being a passenger was just A LOT more relaxing.

EDIT: I second Rick Steves' recommendation.
 
Jdi said:
I've done the drive plenty of times. Some thoughts:
The only reason to go down there is to do the drive. The hotels are overpriced and suck. You're basically hemmed in by mountains on one side of you and a busy road and cliff on the other. So drive and get south of there where there is much nicer accommodation. Villa delle Meraviglie in Maratea is lovely and affordable, excellent restaurants in the area.

I don't find driving there an issue at all. I don't know where Roger is coming from but, like France, Italian driving has toned down considerably in the last 20 years. Certainly less stressful than Miami.

However, the one asset that's essential is being capable of driving in very tight spaces. The road is narrow, the trucks and buses wide and the northern neighbors in their Mercedes are panic stuck and drive in the middle of the road -- expecting all others to make room for them. The way to handle the northern neighbors is pull into the center, they quickly move out of it. We have the same issue on our narrow, twisting Swiss roads. If you can't handle tight (like loose your mirror tight) on a windy road, you need to think about it.

I spent part of my childhood in Italy, Rome and Verona. I've worked there as well as 6 other countries. We now keep a home in Florida as well as Switzerland. I'm ok with the driving. If your driving skills are Florida based, it's going to be an experience you may not want to repeat.

If you're looking for scenery outside of Rome, try the Roman hills or the second tier roads that lead into Umbria, gorgeous area, excellent food and accommodations. Driving is fine.

Rome is a drive in and park city. If you don't need a car there (you don't) take public transport into Rome and rent on the last day. Pick your rental location with exiting Rome in mind. A GPS is essential as well as a copilot that knows how to use one. Think turn lanes well in advance as traffic is bumper to bumper tight.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the excellent tips. I am thinking of visiting Umbria anyways, and it is all about scheduling the trips in a practical manner that fits us all in the family.

I drive in Europe year after year, including in Switzerland. I don't like such stressful driving.
 
raid said:
I have a good (German) friend who once talked about drivers in Italy. He told me "they don't follow traffic rules, but they are excellent drivers!"
Click to expand...

I second that, Raid. They are predictable. With your experience in Europe (and Cairo ?) it shouldn't be a problem at all. There are good and bad drivers everywhere.

Rent a good car with GPS and insurance and have fun. Note that I've been in Gargano (the other side) with car and little kids 3 times.

Roland.
 
Besides general considerations about Italian driving, about which - given my nationality - I obviously skip any comment, Costiera Amalfitana is hard to drive in particular because roads are extremely narrow and crowded.
Suffice to say that a large share of the cars over there are missing the left mirror :)
Also, take in account that parking is a hell due to the very small amount of surface for it.
It also depends on the season by a large extent: during the summer there's a lot more traffic which makes it much more challenging.
In short: it's doable if you're an experienced driver, but no way a relaxing experience unless you're very confident about it.
 
13Promet said:
Unfortunately, Gargano and Costiera Amalfitana are not comparable due to very different roads and driving habits from the locals.
Click to expand...

I see. One must know the "stretta di mano segreta Amalfitana", easy to understand for a Milanese, not so much for an American. :)

Whatever you do, Raid, I know you can handle it. Enjoy and bring photos back !
 
I find the drivers much worse in Los Angeles than any that I encountered in Italy.

Have fun in Amalfi Raid! I gotta do that one of these days.
 
ferider said:
I second that, Raid. They are predictable. With your experience in Europe (and Cairo ?) it shouldn't be a problem at all. There are good and bad drivers everywhere.

Rent a good car with GPS and insurance and have fun. Note that I've been in Gargano (the other side) with car and little kids 3 times.

Roland.
Click to expand...
Dear Roland,

Predictably bad. The first time I was there I was waiting at traffic lights by road works on a motorcycle and was rear-ended so hard that it threw Frances over my head. She could barely walk for three days.

The second time, in the Land Rover, we went through half a dozen countries and saw no accidents in any of them, but were held up five times as the police cleared serious or fatal accidents that had happened before we arrived. Also, Frances had just begun to open the door in a car park, where we were one parking space from a hedge, with plenty of room in the rest of the car park, and someone shot through the space, just for the fun of it. A second or two later and Frances would have lost her leg.

The last time, in 2009, the moment I arrived in Italy I had to brake in order to miss a motorcyclist who shot onto a roundabout (traffic circle) without slowing down. I didn't have to brake very hard because I was expecting Italian driving. Maybe twenty minutes later we were held up because the same motorcyclist had spread himself and his bike across the road (or someone had spread him). Guess why that was the last time! If I ever have to go there again, I'll do the same as last time: spend as little time there as possible, and get to Slovenia as soon as possible.

There are other stories, but anyone who compares driving in Florida with driving in Italy has either never been to one of those places, or has been incredibly lucky: I've driven thousands of miles, in total, in Florida (including all down the Keys) and never felt at any more risk than I would anywhere else -- except Italy, where the middle-aged men drive like teenagers and the teenagers drive like toddlers.

I know I go on about how bad Italian drivers are, but it's only because I don't want anyone else badly injured by these idiots. You'd feel the same if your wife had been unable to walk for three days, purely because of Italian driving incompetence. Of course there are good drivers and bad in every country. It's just that in Italy, there are far more bad ones. If you don't believe me, just look at the cars parked in the street, with all their dents and bangs and bumps and scratches.

Cheers,

R.
 
Huss said:
I find the drivers much worse in Los Angeles than any that I encountered in Italy.

Have fun in Amalfi Raid! I gotta do that one of these days.
Click to expand...
It's true that you get some bloody awful drivers in Los Angeles and indeed in the rest of California: I met my wife in LA, and later, lived on the Central Coast for five years.

Also, it's the only place I've ever had someone deliberately try to kill me. That was before we moved out there: we were visiting my wife's parents. I was overtaking an 18-wheeler when he screamed "motherf*cker" out of the window and swung the rig to the left. Fortunately even a Harley Tour Glide is slightly more nimble than an 18-wheeler and I was able to accelerate out of trouble.

But that was one episode in tens of thousands of miles, probably 100,000+, and a total of well over five years -- maybe even six in total, adding visits to the time I lived there -- of driving and riding in CA and the rest of the USA.

In Italy, they don't try to kill you. They're just so incompetent that it comes naturally. Having covered well over 100,000 miles on motorcycles, in Europe, the USA and India, I'm more aware than the average car driver of incompetent drivers!

Cheers,

R.
 
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