Skip to content
Menu
Rays of Adventure
  • Home
  • About
  • Travel destinations
    • Europe
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Croatia
      • Czech Republic
      • France
      • Germany
      • Iceland
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Malta
      • Norway
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • Spain
      • United Kingdom
    • Middle East and North Africa
      • Jordan
    • USA
      • California
      • Florida
      • Washington and Alaska
      • Train travel in the USA
  • Solo Female Travel
  • Health & Travel
  • Travel with Dogs
  • Books for Travel
  • Theatre Reviews
  • Shop
  • Contact
Rays of Adventure
Views of the Amalfi Coast

Exploring the Amalfi Coast in One Day Without a Car

Posted on November 19, 2024November 19, 2024
Tweet
Share
Pin

The Amalfi Coast is one of the most beautiful parts of Italy. But it’s not the easiest to get to and around! Here’s my guide to exploring the Amalfi Coast in one day without a car.

The Amalfi Coast is understandly a famous and popular part of Italy to visit. It’s a stunning stretch of coastline. Steep green hills and cliffs tumble down into the blue water, with cute villages and houses clinging onto the edge. The famous Amalfi Coast road is an experience in itself as well. However, driving here can be very challenging. So I definitely recommend visiting the Amalfi Coast in one day without a car.

Getting to and around the Amalfi Coast without a car

The Amalfi Coast can be a very challenging place to drive. The road is very narrow and constantly twisting and turning. It’s right on the edge of the cliff, often with few barriers between the road and the sea far below. And the traffic can be extremely heavy – especially in the summer, but also in spring and autumn. All of these reasons make it not a nice place to drive. So I definitely recommend not trying to hire a car and drive yourself. So to explore the Amalfi Coast without a car, there are lots of different options, with varying costs.

Driving along the Amalfi Coast road, Italy

I think the ideal option is to stay in one or two of the towns of the Amalfi coast. I think one night in Positano and one night in Amalfi would be lovely, to get to explore these towns and the surrounding area. You can take the bus or boat between these places. However, this option is fairly expensive as the hotels in Positano and Amalfi can be expensive. And staying for several days takes quite a lot of time. If you only have one day, then I recommend taking a day tour from Sorrento.

Amalfi Coast without a car

Getting to and around the Amalfi Coast without a car – day tour from Sorrento

If you want to see the Amalfi coast in one day without a car, then I recommend taking a day tour from Sorrento. This is what I did. Sorrento is about 1.5 hours on the train from Naples and has loads of accommodation options. There’s a range of hotels to suit all budgets. And from Sorrento, you can get to Positano in about 40 minutes in a day tour. A day tour will take you to multiple towns and viewpoints along the Amalfi Coast, without having to drive yourself.

There are buses and boats from Sorrento to Positano and Amalfi. However, these can get extremely busy. I visited in October, and there were still huge queues. So having a day tour means you don’t need to cram onto busy buses. A day tour is more expensive than taking the bus – but I think it’s worth it.

Driving along the Amalfi Coast road, Italy

A day tour is especially worth it if you suffer from travel sickness. The Amalfi Coast road is extremely windy, with constant bends. It’s much better and more manageable in a small minibus rather than a crammed public bus! So to fully enjoy the Amalfi Coast in one day without a car, I recommend taking a day tour from Sorrento. Here’s what you can see in your day trip.

Positano

The first stop on most day tours of the Amalfi Coast from Sorrento is Positano. This small town is one of the iconic sights on the Amalfi Coast.

You’ll get dropped off at the top of Positano. You can then walk down the really pretty main street, down to the beach. The main street is lovely, as it’s lined with shops. There are lots of high end fashion shops. And also some lovely tourist-y shops selling beautiful artwork of the area.

Positano, Amalfi Coast, Italy
Positano, Amalfi Coast, Italy

The beach at Positano is nice. It’s not the most beautiful beach in the world. The sand is quite dark, and it’s quite crowded with parasols and sunbeds. But it’s still a nice beach. And the view from the beach back up towards the town is lovely.

Positano, Amalfi Coast, Italy

The Church in Positano is nice as well. You can go inside for free, and it’s a pretty church.

Positano, Amalfi Coast, Italy
Positano, Amalfi Coast, Italy

I had about an hour in Positano. It was a nice amount of time to have a walk around the town, down to the beach and back up. It was also enough time to stop for a coffee and browse the shops.

Positano, Amalfi Coast, Italy
Amalfi Coast without a car

Amalfi Coast road

After spending an hour in Positano, it was time to get back into the minibus and continue along the winding roads of the Amalfi Coast. The stretch of the Amalfi Coast road between Positano and Amalfi was my favourite. Although the winding roads are challenging when you suffer from travel sickness, the views make it worth it!

Views of the Amalfi Coast
Views of the Amalfi Coast

I loved taking photos out of the window of the minibus. Each turn opened up a whole new panoramic view. The land was green, with colourful houses dotted along the huge cliffs, looking down to the blue sea. It was just lovely. Even when exploring the Amalfi Coast in one day without a car, you can still enjoy the views from the roads when you take a day tour.

Views of the Amalfi Coast

Boat trip from Amalfi

From Amalfi, I took a one-hour sightseeing boat trip. The boat went along the coastline of the Amalfi Coast in one direction. And then it turned back.

Boat trip along the Amalfi Coast

The boat trip from Amalfi was a great chance to see the beautiful scenery of the Amalfi coast from the sea. It gave a really different view of the area compared to the road. I think it was great to be able to see the Amalfi Coast from both the famous road and also the sea.

Boat trip along the Amalfi Coast
Boat trip along the Amalfi Coast
Amalfi Coast without a car

One of my favourite parts of the boat trip was the view back to Amalfi. It’s a really beautiful town. A lot of it is at sea level, but there are also houses impressively stacked into the cliff above.

Boat trip along the Amalfi Coast

Amalfi town

After the boat trip, I had some time to explore the town of Amalfi as well. It’s a really pretty little town. Like Positano, the town isn’t huge. But it’s cute, with narrow streets lined with shops, cafes and restaurants.

Amalfi town, Italy

My favourite part of the town of Amalfi was the cathedral. It’s an impressive building, at the top of some steps from a piazza. The detail on the outside of the building is beautiful.

Amalfi town, Italy
Amalfi town, Italy

Ravello

The final stop of my day tour of the Amalfi Coast was the small town of Ravello. Ravello is situated high up in the hills above the Amalfi Coast. So it’s a fairly steep uphill drive from the town of Amalfi to get up to Ravello.

Ravello, Amalfi Coast, Italy

The main attraction of Ravello is the amazing view. Because it’s high up in the hills of the Amalfi Coast, the views from Ravello are just stunning. You can walk a short distance from the town to the best viewpoint. I took so many photos – it was just stunning.

Ravello, Amalfi Coast, Italy
Amalfi Coast without a car

Ravello is a nice town as well. It’s very small – there’s a main piazza in the centre, and then just a few side streets. It’s a lovely place to stop for lunch and a drink though. The piazza is filled with cafes serving a variety of different food and drink. Or you can head down one of the side streets for a takeaway panini if you prefer. Sitting and relaxing in the piazza in Ravello was the perfect way to end my day exploring Amalfi Coast in one day without a car.

Hope you enjoyed my guide to exploring the Amalfi Coast in one day without a car! Make sure you check out my guides to other things to do in this beautiful part of Italy. You can visit the islands of Procida and Capri, and also visit the famous ruins at Pompeii. You can also check out my guide to spending one week exploring Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast. There are also lots of other great places to explore in Italy, including exploring Sicily without a car, visiting the Cinque Terre and Portofino.

Rays of Adventure Guide to Solo Female Travel
Tweet
Share
Pin

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rays of Adventure

Hi, I’m Rachel. UK based Travel Blogger and Solo Female Traveller. Blogging about solo travel and traveling with chronic health issues. Read my blogs for loads of travel guides and travel tips for destinations around the world.

Rays of Adventure photo

 

Sign up to our monthly newsletter

Connect and follow

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Recent posts

  • Chicago the Musical: Theatre Review
  • Best views in the Lake District: The Top Walks and Viewpoints
  • Best Lake District Dog Walks
  • Best walks in the Lake District: Your Ultimate Guide
  • Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on Stage: Theatre Review

Pages

  • Rays of Adventure – Travel Blog
  • About
  • Travel destinations
    • Europe
    • Middle East and North Africa
    • USA
  • Solo Female Travel
  • Health & Travel
  • Travel with Dogs
  • Books for Travel
  • Theatre Reviews
  • Shop
  • Contact
  • Privacy and Cookies Policy

Connect and follow

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Sign up to our monthly newsletter

©2025 Rays of Adventure | Powered by SuperbThemes
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT