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Driving in Italy

Before we dive into our top recommendations for Positano, we’ve had several questions about renting a car and driving in Italy, so we’re going to cover that quickly first. Were we comfortable driving in Italy? Mostly. Would we rent a car in Italy again? That depends on our trip plans.

Driving in Italy was pretty easy. We did get our international driving permits from AAA before we left on our trip, and we also did purchase the car rental insurance (mostly out of convenience). Though I wouldn’t recommend driving in Rome itself due to the congestion and narrow roads, the drive between Rome and the Amalfi Coast is predominantly highway, and very easy to navigate.

So, why wouldn’t we automatically rent a car again? We didn’t actually end up using the car much. We thought that we’d drive all around the Amalfi Coast, but once we arrived in Positano, it stayed parked until we left. Now, having a car did allow us to stop in Sorrento on the way back, and it was fun to see another coastal town in Italy. However, it probably wouldn’t have cost much more to take public transit (even with four of us), and it’s nice to be able to relax while someone else drives. It’s also worth noting that the roads in Positano are quite narrow and winding, and when a bus comes around the corner on a hairpin turn, you’ll question for more than a moment whether you’re both going to fit. (Spoiler alert: you can, but it’s tight).

If you’re considering a car rental from Rome to Positano, we recommend that you take into account how much you will use the car. Are you planning to use Positano as a home base and see a bunch of other areas? Then consider renting a car. Are you planning to really enjoy what Positano has to offer? Then take public transit. In either situation, if you’re uncomfortable driving in close proximity to oncoming vehicles or on winding roads, definitely check out the public transit option.

Also, for those of you who have told us they’re debating whether to stay in Positano or Sorrento: Sorrento was beautiful, but Positano is next-level gorgeous. Our choice would be Positano, hands down.

Now, let’s talk about a few things we recommend for your Positano itinerary:

Positano Home Cooking

We loved our evening with Peter at Positano Home Cooking so much that we couldn’t possibly just include it in a list. Instead, we wrote a separate blog article about our unforgettable evening with him. We’re not being compensated for this, by the way. He didn’t even know we were going to do a review. This is just one of the best evenings we’ve had in all of our travels, and we’re passing along his info to you so that you can enjoy this experience, too! Email him to make reservations, friends—he books up quickly!

Visit Capri by Private Boat Charter

We were fortunate to have met Peter on our first night in Positano, because he provided us with some great tips on getting the most out of our stay, and even helped us locate a private boat charter on the island for a day trip to Capri. If you’re looking for a similar experience, we highly recommend La Granseola Luxury Charter.

There are several public tour options to visit Capri, but the benefit of doing a private boat charter is that you’re able to see what you want, when you want, and avoid the crowds. You’re also able to visit places that some of the larger boats aren’t permitted to visit.

If you’ve heard of Capri’s Blue Grotto, it’s true that you can go there via a large number of tour companies. Due to it’s popularity, it’s also crowded—you will likely end up waiting in line for over an hour in exchange for five minutes in the grotto. But, did you know that there are many other less commercialized grottos that are both free and just as beautiful as the famous Blue Grotto? They’re also inaccessible for some of the larger boats (at least without a significant swim!).

Our boat captain took us to several grottos, and we were able to swim inside a few of them. It was beautiful, and so much fun! The light that reflected off the stone filled the grotto with incredible jewel tones of blue, and even green, depending upon which grotto we visited. One striking grotto even has an incredible heart in the wall of the cavern—check out our video below to see it for yourself!

In addition to the grottos, our boat captain also let us off to explore the island of Capri. We had so much fun walking around, taking in the sights, and grabbing some gelato. But, honestly, we’d been having so much fun on the boat and with our captain, we didn’t stay on Capri very long before we called our Captain to come retrieve us so that we could see more of the gorgeous Mediterranean Sea and Amalfi Coast.

We went swimming several times, including to a beach that was only accessible via boat. We swam around, floated in the salty water, checked out some fish (that had no interest in us) with the snorkel gear provided by our captain, and swam ashore to wander the gorgeous black volcanic sand beach of a private little inlet that we found on our way. So beautiful!

For lunch, our captain made reservations for us at Ristorante da Esterina at the Hotel Le Sirene. We were seated overlooking the sea as it gently lapped onto a beach made of large and impossibly-smooth pebbles. The chef prepared a selection of his choice for us, and everything was amazing. Hotel Le Sirene is in Massa Lubrense, which is a municipality in the southeast of Naples, next to Sorrento. By boat, it was pretty easily accessible. Even if you’re not boating, we still recommend the restaurant if you’re in the area!

NOTE: When we were preparing this post, we found that there is apparently a “Ristorante Le Sirene” on Capri. This is not the same restaurant.

Take the Bus to Avoid the Steps

You might have noticed that Positano sits on the side of a steep hill. Let’s call it a cliff. The houses are built into the cliffside, and the city takes on a noticeably vertical orientation. This means that there are stairs to get to where you want to go. A LOT of stairs.

After seeing quite a few particularly exhausted tourists, and hiking up more than we can count ourselves, we want to share a little secret with you: There’s a bus. And it’s cheap. And it means you don’t have to take the stairs.

When we visited, each SITA bus ticket was about €1.30. We purchased our tickets directly from the tobacco shop next to the Collina Positano Bakery (which is a great place to wait for the bus…see below) on Via Cristoforo Colombo. The tobacco shop is marked with a “Tabacchi” sign, and is conveniently located across the street from one of the bus stops.

Note that tickets are good for a one-way trip—when you get on the bus, the driver will tear your ticket so that it can’t be used again. So, if you need to go up and then back down, you’ll need two tickets. If you get confused, just ask the person selling the tickets—they probably get this question all day long and still happily helped us navigate the bus system. Also, take note of the bus schedule, but know that it can run a bit behind.

You should definitely take the bus into account if you’re looking for budget-friendly accommodations in Positano. The less expensive options tend to be located higher on the cliff, but that doesn’t mean you’re destined for a grueling climb every time you head out. Our AirBNB was situated near the top of the cliff, and there was a bus stop a few steps from the entrance that made navigating the cliffside a cinch.

Buy Custom-made Sandals

Did you know that you can have sandals custom-made in Positano? This is one thing that you might miss if you haven’t done a bit of research, and we thought it was amazing. We checked out several options while we were strolling around, and we really loved the sandals at Safari Club Positano. The gentleman who made the sandals was very kind, and the sandals are so comfortable. He measures your foot before making the sandals, and customizes them right in front of you for the perfect fit. It was incredible to see him work! The sandals were great “thank you” gifts for our moms, who were at home watching our children. We don’t usually mention souvenirs because we don’t typically buy them, but this is one that we can highly recommend.

Restaurant Recommendations

As you might expect, Positano has a lot of restaurant options, as well as several markets and places to get a quick bite on the go. Obviously Positano Home Cooking is our top dining experience recommendation, but we’ll cover a few others that we really enjoyed:

Our Instagram photo of our lemon sorbets prompted several of you to ask us where we purchased them. We grabbed a seaside table at Covo Dei Saraceni Brasserie, and grabbed this afternoon treat to cool down from the warm Positano weather. They taste even better than they look, with an incredible fragrant fresh lemon flavor that cannot be compared to any of the mass produced lemon ice treats you might’ve had in the past. We ordered just these and a couple of bottles of water to cool down. When in Italy, remember that you can choose still or sparkling water.

At Peter’s recommendation, we had dinner at the Buca di Bacco restaurant, which is located near Positano Beach. Some of the tables are next to the windows and overlook the Sea. We recommend requesting one of these tables when you make your reservation. They might not guarantee it, but it’s worth a shot! Everything we had was great. We’re pretty sure you can’t go wrong here.

If, like us, you need coffee to exist, check out Collina Positano Bakery. Their espresso and cappuccinos are amazing, and they have a selection of breakfast pastries and afternoon treats. Our favorite pastry was the bomba—a rich, sweet, chocolate-filled pastry that gave us a serious sugar jolt to kick off our day.

We’ve pulled together a highlight video from our trip in Italy, which includes a bit of footage from our time in Positano. Check it out below, and please subscribe to our new YouTube channel to receive notifications for future videos. (Hint: There are more videos to come!)

Positano and Driving in Italy