Amalfi Coast drive 2026: a 5 day plan from Sorrento

The SS163 along the Amalfi Coast is about 50 km of road carved into a cliff, and it is the shortest drive in this series by a wide margin. It is also the only one where the honest recommendation is to consider not driving at all.

The road is spectacular, narrow, busy, and short on places to leave a car. Whether you drive depends more on your tolerance for that than on the distance.

How long it takes

Four days covers the coast. Five lets you add Pompeii or Capri without rushing.

Distance is irrelevant here. Positano to Amalfi is 16 km and can take an hour in August. Plan by time and patience, not kilometres.

Base in one place

This is the main planning decision, and unlike the other routes in this series, moving hotel every night is the wrong answer.

Sorrento is the practical base. It has the most accommodation, the best transport links, ferries to Capri and Naples, and it is where the coast road starts. It is not technically on the Amalfi Coast, which purists mind and most visitors do not.

Positano is the beautiful base and the expensive one. Everything is built on a near-vertical slope, so arriving with luggage means steps.

Amalfi town sits in the middle of the coast, which makes it convenient, and it is cheaper than Positano.

Ravello is above the coast rather than on it, quieter, cooler in summer, and better for a couple of nights than a week.

When to go

May, June and September are the right months. Warm, everything open, and the road merely busy rather than gridlocked.

July and August are hot and extremely crowded. Parking becomes genuinely difficult, the buses fill, and the drive stops being enjoyable. If this is when you can travel, base yourself in one town and use ferries.

November to March is quiet and often lovely, but many hotels and restaurants on the coast close for the season, and the ferries run a reduced timetable or stop.

The route, day by day

From Sorrento, with the car used selectively.

Day 1, Sorrento. Settle in. The old town, the cliff walk, and dinner without moving the car.

Day 2, the coast road to Positano and Amalfi, around 35 km. The drive itself. Leave early, before the coaches. Positano first, then Amalfi for the cathedral and the square.

Day 3, Ravello, around 25 km. Up the valley from Amalfi. Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone have the gardens and the views that appear on the postcards, and Ravello is calm in a way the coastal towns are not.

Day 4, Pompeii, around 30 km inland. The best half-day off the coast. Go early, take water and a hat, and consider a guide, as the site is enormous and largely unlabelled.

Day 5, Capri by ferry from Sorrento. Leave the car. Capri does not want it and does not need it.

Driving, parking and the alternative

The road is two narrow lanes with a cliff on one side, blind bends, and buses that need the whole width. It demands attention but is not technically difficult for a confident driver.

Parking is the real problem. Public spaces in Positano and Amalfi are limited and expensive in season, and the walk from where you actually find a space can be long and steep.

The alternatives are good. SITA buses run the coast road frequently and cheaply. Ferries connect Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and Capri in season, avoid the road entirely, and give you the coast from the water, which is arguably the better view.

A reasonable compromise: hire the car for the days you go inland to Pompeii or Ravello, and use ferries and buses along the coast itself.

Common questions

Should I drive the Amalfi Coast at all?

If you are staying in one town and mostly visiting the coast, no. If you want Pompeii, Ravello, Paestum and the inland valleys, yes.

Is the Amalfi Coast road dangerous?

It is narrow, busy and has a cliff on one side, but it is not technically difficult for a confident driver. The realistic risks are mirror damage on tight passing places and the stress of reversing for a bus, not falling off the edge.

Where should I park?

Assume paid garages rather than street parking, and factor the cost in. Positano and Amalfi both have limited public spaces that fill early in season, and the walk up from where you find a space can be long and steep.

Is a scooter a good idea?

It solves parking and is what many locals use. It also puts you on a busy cliff road with tour buses, which is a real risk if you are not experienced.

Where do I fly into?

Naples. It is about 50 km to Sorrento, and there are direct buses and trains if you would rather not drive out of the city.

Are there restrictions on driving the coast road?

In peak summer the authorities have run alternating number-plate days on the SS163 to manage traffic. Check the current rules before you travel, because they change year to year and affect which days you can drive.

What is the best base for a first visit?

Sorrento, for transport links and the widest choice of accommodation. Positano is more beautiful and more expensive, Amalfi is central, and Ravello is the quiet one above the coast.

Planning your version

Tell the planner where you are basing yourself and which inland sights you want, then decide per day whether the car or the ferry makes more sense. That choice matters more here than the routing does.

For the other drives in this series, see Best Europe road trips 2026. For a city-based Italian trip instead, the Rome travel guide covers a different side of the country, and Europe city breaks has the shorter trips.

If this route sounds like more driving than you want, the Romantic Road is the easy end of the scale. Everything we plan starts at trip ideas.