Amalfi Coast Road Trip from Naples
The Amalfi Coast is one of the most scenic drives in the world, but it can also be one of the most stressful. This guide covers the route, the costs, and the stops that make it worth every hairpin turn.
Driving the Amalfi Coast from Naples covers roughly 70 kilometers of narrow, winding road carved into cliffs above the Mediterranean. The scenery is spectacular, but the logistics require planning. This guide maps out the best route with key stops, reveals where to park without losing your mind, and breaks down the real costs of renting a car and driving this stretch in 2026. If you plan it right, this road trip becomes the highlight of your Italy visit.
1The Route: Naples to Vietri sul Mare
The drive begins in Naples, and your first decision is whether to take the A3 motorway south toward Salerno or cut through to the coast via Castellammare di Stabia and the Sorrento Peninsula. The motorway route is faster and less stressful, taking you south to the Vietri sul Mare exit where the Amalfi Coast road officially begins. From there you drive west along the SS163, the famous coastal highway, hitting Amalfi, Praiano, and Positano before the road ends at Sorrento. Total driving time without stops is about 2.5 hours via the motorway approach.
The alternative route through Pompeii and over the Lattari Mountains is shorter in distance but longer in time. It takes you through Castellammare di Stabia, up and over the mountains via the road to Agerola, and drops you onto the coast near Amalfi. This route includes some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in Campania, but the roads are even narrower than the coast and there are no guardrails in places. Only take this route if you are comfortable with mountain driving.
The SS163 itself is the heart of this trip. It was carved into the cliffs in the mid-1800s and has barely been widened since. Two-way traffic shares a road that often feels like a single lane. Tour buses, scooters, pedestrians, and parked delivery vans all compete for space. The views are extraordinary, with sheer drops to the turquoise sea below and villages clinging to the cliffsides above. Every bend reveals a new postcard view, which is exactly why you should not try to take photos while driving.
Plan your direction carefully. Driving east to west (Vietri to Positano) puts you on the cliff side of the road, closest to the edge and the views. Driving west to east (Positano to Vietri) puts you on the mountain side, which some drivers find less nerve-wracking. East to west is better for photos from the passenger seat. West to east is better for nervous drivers. Choose based on your comfort level.
2Where to Stop and What to See
Pompeii sits about 30 minutes south of Naples on the A3 motorway, and if you have not visited before, it deserves at least 2 to 3 hours. The excavated Roman city is vast, covering 170 acres, and the level of preservation is staggering. You can walk through houses with intact frescoes, visit the amphitheater, and see plaster casts of the eruption victims. Arrive early in the morning to beat the tour bus crowds. Entry costs about 18 EUR and audio guides are available for 8 EUR. Park in the lots near Porta Marina, the main entrance, and expect to pay 5 to 8 EUR for parking.
Positano is the most photographed town on the Amalfi Coast, and it earns that reputation. The town cascades down a steep hillside to a small beach, with pastel-colored buildings stacked on top of each other like a vertical garden. The main beach, Spiaggia Grande, is free to access but chair and umbrella rentals cost 15 to 25 EUR per set. The boutiques along Via dei Mulini sell linen clothing and handmade sandals, both local specialties. For the best view, park at the upper parking lots and walk down. The walk back up is steep but there is a local bus that runs the route for 2 EUR.
Amalfi Town is the historic heart of the coast, once a powerful maritime republic that rivaled Venice, Genoa, and Pisa. The Cathedral of St. Andrew dominates the main square with its striped facade and grand staircase. The Cloister of Paradise next to the cathedral is worth the 5 EUR entry for its Moorish arches and peaceful garden. Amalfi also has the best selection of limoncello shops and lemon-themed products. The local lemons are the size of grapefruits and the limoncello made from them tastes nothing like the industrial stuff sold in supermarkets.
Ravello sits 350 meters above the coast, reached by a winding road that climbs from Amalfi Town. It is quieter, cooler, and more refined than the coastal towns below. Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone are the main attractions, both offering gardens with panoramic terraces that look out over the entire coastline. Villa Cimbrone's Terrace of Infinity is regularly listed among the most beautiful viewpoints in Italy. Ravello also hosts a summer music festival with concerts in the Villa Rufolo gardens. Even outside festival season, the town's calm atmosphere and elevated perspective make it a welcome contrast to the bustle below.
Vietri sul Mare is the eastern gateway to the Amalfi Coast and the ceramic capital of the region. The town is famous for its hand-painted majolica tiles and pottery, and you will see the colorful patterns on buildings, churches, and shop fronts throughout the town. Ceramica artisan workshops line the main road and most welcome visitors to watch the painting process. Prices are reasonable compared to tourist shops further along the coast. A hand-painted tile makes a perfect souvenir, small enough to pack and distinctive enough to remember the trip by.
3Driving Tips and Parking Secrets
Rent the smallest car available. This is not a suggestion, it is a survival strategy. The roads on the Amalfi Coast were designed for donkeys, not SUVs. A Fiat 500 or Fiat Panda is the ideal size. Anything larger than a compact sedan will cause you stress in tight spots and make parking nearly impossible. Automatic transmission costs a bit more but is worth every euro when you are navigating hairpin turns on a steep hill with a bus bearing down on you.
Book full insurance coverage. Italian rental companies are known for charging for minor scratches, and the narrow roads make small scrapes likely. The full coverage (known as Super CDW or zero excess) typically adds 15 to 30 EUR per day but eliminates the stress of worrying about every close call. Check whether your credit card offers rental car insurance abroad, as some premium cards cover this automatically.
Parking is the biggest challenge on the Amalfi Coast. In Positano, the upper parking lots along the main road are your best option. They charge 8 to 25 EUR per day depending on season. The lower lots near the beach are smaller and fill up by mid-morning. In Amalfi Town, the Luna Rossa parking garage near the port is the most convenient but also fills quickly. Arrive before 10 AM for the best chance of getting a spot. In Ravello, there is a public parking area at the entrance to town that costs about 5 EUR per day, which is a bargain by coastal standards.
Use your horn. Italians use the car horn liberally, and on the Amalfi Coast it is a safety tool, not an expression of frustration. Before every blind curve, give a short honk to signal your presence to oncoming traffic. Buses and trucks do the same. If you hear a horn, slow down and be prepared to pull over. There are occasional passing bays carved into the cliff side, and the unspoken rule is that the smaller vehicle yields to the larger one.
Drive early or late. The SS163 is a different road at 8 AM versus noon. Early morning traffic is light, the light is beautiful for photos at your stops, and parking spaces are available. By midday the road fills with tour buses, rental cars, and local delivery vehicles. If you can, drive the main route in the early morning or late afternoon, and spend the middle of the day parked and exploring a town on foot.
4Real Costs of This Road Trip in 2026
Car rental prices along the Amalfi Coast are seasonal and vary significantly by provider. In 2026, expect to pay 45 to 80 EUR per day for an economy car from a major agency (Hertz, Europcar, Sixt) at Naples airport or train station. Smaller local agencies sometimes offer lower rates but read the insurance terms carefully. Full insurance adds 15 to 30 EUR per day, and while it feels expensive, the peace of mind on these roads is worth it.
Fuel costs are manageable for this relatively short route. A full tank for a small car costs about 50 to 60 EUR in Italy, and the entire Amalfi Coast loop from Naples and back uses less than half a tank. Budget 20 to 35 EUR for fuel depending on how much extra driving you do. Fill up in Naples or near the motorway where prices are lower. Fuel stations along the coast charge a premium.
Tolls on the A3 motorway between Naples and the Salerno exit cost 3 to 6 EUR depending on your exact route. Keep coins handy for the toll booths, or use the Telepass electronic lanes if your rental car has the device (ask at pickup). The coastal road SS163 itself has no tolls.
Parking adds up faster than most people expect. Budget 10 to 25 EUR per day at each major stop. If you visit Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello in one trip, parking alone can cost 30 to 50 EUR. One money-saving strategy is to base yourself in one town and take local SITA buses (which cost 2 EUR per ride) to the others, using the car only for the initial drive and the return.
Food on the coast is priced for tourists but still reasonable by European standards. A simple lunch of pasta, salad, and water at a restaurant with a view costs 12 to 25 EUR per person. A lemon granita from a roadside stand costs 3 to 5 EUR and is the perfect refreshment on a hot day. For the best value, look for restaurants one street back from the waterfront, where prices drop by 20 to 30 percent for similar quality.
5Hidden Detours Worth the Extra Kilometers
The Fiordo di Furore is a narrow inlet carved between two massive cliffs, spanned by a bridge that offers one of the most dramatic views on the entire coast. Most drivers cross the bridge without stopping because there is no obvious parking. The trick is to park at the small pullover area on the western side of the bridge and walk back on foot. Look down from the bridge to see the tiny beach at the bottom of the gorge, accessible only by a steep staircase. In summer, a diving competition takes place from the bridge, and the turquoise water below makes it one of the most photogenic spots in southern Italy.
The Path of the Gods (Sentiero degli Dei) is a hiking trail that runs along the ridge above the Amalfi Coast, connecting the village of Agerola to Nocelle above Positano. The trailhead at Agerola is accessible by car via a road from Amalfi that climbs into the mountains. The hike takes about 3 to 4 hours one way and offers views that make even the SS163 look ordinary. You walk along narrow mountain paths with the entire coastline spread out below you. At Nocelle, a staircase of about 1,500 steps descends to Positano, or you can take a local bus. Start early to avoid the midday heat.
Atrani is the smallest municipality in southern Italy and sits just around the headland from Amalfi Town, yet most tourists never visit. It is a genuine fishing village with a small piazza, a beach, and a handful of restaurants where locals outnumber visitors. Walk through the archway at the eastern end of Amalfi's waterfront and you reach Atrani in five minutes on foot. The Piazzetta Umberto I has a couple of family-run restaurants serving fresh seafood at prices 30 to 40 percent lower than Amalfi. It is one of the few places on the coast where you can still eat a full seafood lunch for under 15 EUR per person.
Cetara is a fishing village east of Vietri sul Mare, famous for its anchovy production. The local specialty is colatura di alici, an amber-colored anchovy extract that is essentially the modern descendant of the ancient Roman fish sauce garum. It is used on pasta, salads, and bruschetta, and the flavor is intensely savory without being fishy. Several shops along the main road sell it in bottles, and the village restaurants feature it prominently on their menus. Cetara also has a public beach that is less crowded than anything further west along the coast. If you are ending your coastal drive at Vietri, the 10-minute detour to Cetara for lunch is one of the best decisions you can make.