The Amalfi Coast Road (SS163) is the most photographed driving road in Europe. The reason it’s photographed and not actually driven by most families: in summer daylight hours, the SS163 is a 50-kilometer queue of buses, taxis, and tour coaches trying not to hit each other on a cliff-edge road with no shoulder.
We’ve now driven it three times. Here’s what we’d actually do with kids — and the trick that turns the Amalfi Coast from family-stressful into family-easy.
The honest problem with Amalfi + family
| What the photos show | What actually happens |
|---|---|
| Empty cliff road, sunrise light | Wall-to-wall buses by 10 AM, June–September |
| Quick stop at the Positano viewpoint | 45-minute traffic crawl, no parking, fines for stopping |
| Family lunch with sea view in Amalfi town | Day-tripper crowds, $25 sandwiches |
| Kids loving the windy road | Motion sickness for under-8s by km 15 |
The SS163 is genuinely beautiful. It’s also genuinely the wrong way to experience Amalfi with kids in midsummer. Two fixes.
Fix 1 — The dawn run only
If you want to drive the SS163, do it between 6 AM and 8 AM, period. By 9 AM the tour buses start. After that the road moves at walking pace.
This means waking the entire family at 5 AM. Worth it once. Twice in a trip is a non-starter.
Pack a picnic breakfast. Drive Sorrento → Positano → Praiano → Amalfi → Ravello (the inland detour up to Ravello is the secret good bit). Be off the road by 10. Spend the rest of the day at your hotel pool or the beach.
Fix 2 — The boat trick (recommended)
Base in Praiano (between Positano and Amalfi). Use the ferries. Skip driving the SS163 entirely.
Praiano has:
- Mid-tier 4-star hotels at half Positano’s prices ($90–180 vs $200–400)
- Free parking outside the village
- A ferry stop with regular service to Positano (15 min), Amalfi (10 min), Capri (50 min)
The Amalfi Coast ferry network is the missing-piece move for families. You see the same cliffs from the water, the kids love being on boats, and you don’t fight the road.
Daily ferry passes are €25–35 for a family of 4 unlimited rides between Sorrento, Positano, Praiano, Amalfi, and Salerno. Capri day-trip ferry adds $40–50 round-trip.
Stay in Praiano: Hotel Margherita (€130–220 family rooms, sea-view) or Casa Angelina Studios (€120 studios, mid-range).
What to actually do (boat-based, kid-friendly)
Day 1 — Arrive Naples, drive to Praiano
Land Naples (NAP). Rent a car — request the smallest available; SUVs are a nightmare on these roads. Drive Naples → Sorrento → Praiano (1.5 hr).
Park at your hotel. Settle in. Pool. Sunset on the terrace.
Day 2 — Positano by boat
Ferry to Positano (15 min). Wander the famous pastel village. Lunch at the beach. Famous Positano fashion boutiques. Climb to the church for the view. Ferry back before sunset.
Day 3 — Amalfi town + Ravello
Ferry to Amalfi (10 min). See the cathedral. Walk up to Ravello (60-minute uphill walk, or local bus for €1.50). Ravello’s the inland village with the gardens and views — half the crowds of Amalfi, twice the atmosphere.
Lunch at Villa Cimbrone gardens — picnic on the terrace overlooking the sea.
Ferry back to Praiano.
Day 4 — Capri day trip
Big ferry to Capri (50 min from Praiano). Two ways to experience: the touristy way (cable car up to Anacapri, lunch in the square) or the unique way (private boat tour around the island, swimming at the Faraglioni rocks, $200–280 family of 4).
Pre-book Capri tours via GetYourGuide.
Day 5 — The dawn-run drive
If you HAVE to do the SS163, today is the day. Wake at 5:30. Drive Praiano → Sorrento → Praiano with photo stops. Back at the hotel by 9. Lunch and pool.
Or skip and do a Pompeii day-trip from Praiano (1 hr drive + bus to ruins).
Where to eat
| Where | Order |
|---|---|
| Praiano — Hotel Margherita restaurant | Local catch + lemon pasta |
| Praiano — Trattoria San Gennaro | Real local prices, fresh fish |
| Positano — Da Adolfo (you take the hotel’s free boat to the beach restaurant) | The grilled cheese on lemon leaves |
| Amalfi — Marina Grande | Spaghetti alla Vongole |
| Ravello — Babel | Local cucina + the view |
Cost reality (family of 4, 5 days)
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
| Round-trip flights US East Coast → Naples (4 tickets) | $2,800–$4,500 |
| Hotel in Praiano, 5 nights | $700–$1,100 |
| Rental car (small, with insurance) | $250–$350 |
| Ferry passes for the family | $150–$200 |
| Capri day-trip + private boat | $200–$300 |
| Food: 3 meals/day × 4 × 5 days | $400–$700 |
| Travel insurance | $90–$180 |
| Total | $4,600–$7,300 |
Compare to a Capri-only week at a similar hotel tier: $8,000+. The Praiano base + ferries is the value play.
What to skip
| Skip | Why |
|---|---|
| Staying in Positano | Beautiful but parking is misery, prices are 2x, and walking the stairs with luggage is a punishment |
| Driving SS163 in the middle of the day | Just don’t |
| Buying souvenirs in Amalfi town | All overpriced; the SS163 inland villages are better |
| The Blue Grotto on Capri | $50/family for a 60-second boat trip into a cave. Famous for being famous. Skip. |
When to go
| Month | Verdict |
|---|---|
| April–May | Best — warm enough to swim, smaller crowds, ferries running |
| Early September | Same — water is still warm, prices drop 25% from August |
| June | Crowded but tolerable, sea is warming |
| July–August | Peak prices, peak crowds, 90°F+. Roads at standstill all day. |
| October | Some hotels close, ferries reduced, but quiet and atmospheric |
Travel insurance + practical bits
Family travel insurance for a 5-day Italy trip: ~$90–180 for a family of 4. SafetyWing for multi-country trips; Allianz or IMG for single-country.
The full road trip plan
This Amalfi advice is one drive of seven in our Europe Road Trip Planner — the others (Algarve, Plitvice, NC500 Scotland, Maloja Pass, Dolomites, Tre Cime) are easier with kids than Amalfi. If you’re picking ONE drive for a first family road-trip-Europe, we’d send you to the Algarve over Amalfi. There’s also a free 7-drive overview on the site.
Related reading
Prices verified May 2026. Verify before booking. Amalfi prices change fast — book hotels 90+ days out for May/June/September.