Amalfi Coast: A Complete Driving Guide to Southern Italy's Most Dramatic Coastline
The SS163 — the Amalfi Drive — clings to cliffs above the Tyrrhenian Sea for 50 kilometres between Sorrento and Salerno. It is one of the world's great scenic roads. It is also narrow, vertiginous, and absolutely mobbed in July and August. Here is how to drive it at your best.
Should You Drive?
Honest answer: the drive is genuinely rewarding but genuinely difficult. Coaches barely fit. Locals lean on their horns freely. Reversing on a blind cliff-top corner is a real possibility. If you are not confident on narrow mountain roads, take the SITA bus or hire a private driver for the day.
If you do drive, go early (before 9am) or late (after 6pm). The difference in traffic is extraordinary.
The Essential Towns
Positano
The most photographed town on the coast — coloured houses cascading down to the beach. Genuinely stunning. Also genuinely packed. Stay if budget allows; day-trip if not.
Ravello
600m above the sea, Ravello is quieter, cooler and more refined than the towns on the waterfront. Villa Cimbrone's "Terrace of Infinity" — a balustrade balcony overlooking the sea — is one of the most beautiful viewpoints in Europe.
Amalfi Town
The historic republic's capital has an Arab-Norman cathedral, a paper museum (the town invented European paper-making), and good-value restaurants in the back streets away from the seafront.
Cetara
Tiny, authentic, largely overlooked. Cetara produces the best colatura di alici (anchovy sauce) on the coast. Lunch here — grilled anchovies, pasta alle alici, local white wine — is worth the detour.
What to Eat
- Linguine alle vongole — clams, white wine, garlic, olive oil. Simple. Perfect.
- Sfogliatella — shell-shaped pastry, crispy on the outside, ricotta-filled inside
- Limoncello from Sorrento lemons — drink it ice-cold, never as a cocktail mixer
- Pizza Margherita — the original comes from this region; the standards here are the highest in the world
Where to Stay
Luxury: Belmond Hotel Caruso in Ravello — an 11th-century bishop's palace with an infinity pool that appears to float above the sea. One of Europe's most iconic hotels.
Il San Pietro di Positano — carved into the cliff with a private beach accessed by glass lift, and interiors decorated in Vietri tiles. The definitive Positano experience.
Mid-range: Palazzo Avino in Ravello offers Ravello grandeur at prices more accessible than Caruso. The terrace restaurant and pool view are exceptional.
Hotel Luna Convento in Amalfi town occupies a 13th-century monastery. Cloister breakfasts, a seawater pool, and one of the coast's most atmospheric bars.
Budget-friendly base (Salerno): Hotel Montestella in Salerno — a clean, comfortable base just 45 minutes from Amalfi by ferry. Salerno is underrated, significantly cheaper, and far easier to drive.
