Amalfi Drive (Select)

Ok it’s an expensive way to do it at over 100 euros per person and that doesn’t included the other fees (3 for entry to Amalfi Cathedral, 10 for the boat trip at Amalfi, and 5 for Villa Rufolo at Ravello, which are all optional of course), but the local buses can get really crowded and I wouldn’t fancy standing all the way back from Positano. You can do it for half the price on a big coach but they are not allowed to drive into Positano which was one of the places we specifically wanted to visit and at least this trip did give you an hour there. It also only had 16 people in the bus which makes for a much more pleasant experience when you are with a guide.

At Positano (the first stop) the guide took us down from the parking point to the beach pointing out a bar where they had an arrangement to use toilets for free on the way and also a little information about the church too. Once at the beach they just orientated us for getting back to the mini bus and gave us time to ourselves, which with only an hour in total is either enough time for a look around the shops or stop for a drink and soak up the atmosphere a little but probably not both.

On to Amalfi after that and straight on to the boat for a 40 minute trip up and down the coast a bit for some spectacular views and the guide pointing out villas of the rich and famous and a few other bits and bobs of interest. Upon return he then took us up to the main square by the cathedral where you had about an hour left of free time. We choose to look round the cathedral and then a little amble down to the front for a quick glass of wine before getting back to the bus.

Next stop in lunch at a little village up in the mountains with a spectacular view down the valley to the sea. Lunch was a starter of a slice of pizza and a little tomato and mozzarella cheese followed by a pasta plate with two type of pasta and then a lemon profiterole together with a bottle of white wine per table of four. However we asked if they had any red and were given an extra jug of house red without any further charge.

After lunch we moved on to the last stop at Ravello where you have an hour to either just look about the town or the guide will give you a tour of the Villa Rufolo which I would definitely recommend doing as it’s a beautiful building.