Amalfi Coast Driving Restrictions: What Visitors Need to Know

Amalfi Coast driving restrictions in brief

Amalfi Coast driving restrictions surprise many visitors who pick up a rental car expecting a normal scenic drive. The coast road, the SS163 Amalfitana, is narrow, cut into the cliff and shared by buses, scooters, delivery vans and residents. To keep it moving in peak season, the authorities have introduced rules that limit traffic on certain days, on top of the restricted zones and parking shortages you find in every village.

These rules are set by ordinances and can change from one year to the next. Treat this page as orientation, then check the current ordinance from ANAS, which manages the SS163, and from the town councils before you drive.

• An alternating number-plate scheme on the coast road on set dates from Easter to October.
• Limited traffic zones (ZTL) in historic centres.
• Very scarce and expensive parking.
• Limits on large vehicles on the coast road.
• Heavy traffic on summer days and weekends.

The alternating number-plate rule on the SS163

In recent seasons a scheme based on number plates has applied to the Amalfi Coast road during the busiest period. On the days covered, between 10:00 and 18:00, cars whose plate ends in an odd digit may not use the stretch between Positano and Vietri sul Mare on odd-numbered dates, and cars whose plate ends in an even digit may not use it on even-numbered dates. In 2026, for example, the scheme covers every day from 30 March to 6 April (Easter), from 25 April to 2 May and throughout August and September, and on weekends and public holidays from late May to July and in October. Outside those days and hours, the road is open as usual.

The exact months, weekdays, hours and the stretch of road covered are fixed by ordinance and may differ from year to year, so do not rely on what a friend did last summer. Rental cars are not automatically exempt: what counts is the plate of the car you are driving. Fines for driving on the wrong day can reach you long after your holiday, through the rental company.

Who is usually exempt

Ordinances of this kind generally exempt residents of the Amalfi Coast towns (not of Sorrento), public transport, emergency vehicles and licensed public-service vehicles such as taxis and NCC hire cars with a driver. Recent versions (2025 and 2026) have also exempted vehicles carrying a disabled badge holder, guests with an accommodation booking on their arrival and departure days only, non-resident employees travelling for work and non-resident home owners with a certificate from the town council. Motorbikes and scooters have not been subject to the plate rule. These details are exactly what changes between ordinances, so do not assume an exemption: read the current text or ask your hotel.

This is one practical reason many visitors book a licensed driver for the coast. The vehicle is generally allowed on the road whatever the date, so you do not have to plan your days around the last digit of a number plate.

ZTL zones in the villages

Separate from the coast road rule, several towns limit cars in their historic centres with a ZTL, or zona a traffico limitato. Amalfi, Ravello, Positano and Sorrento all restrict access to parts of their centres in some form. ZTL entrances are marked with a sign and often a camera, and if you drive in without authorisation you can be fined, even if you only went in to turn around.

If your hotel is inside a ZTL, ask in advance whether it can register your plate for access and where you should park. Do not follow a sat nav blindly: it does not know which lanes are closed to you.

Parking on the Amalfi Coast

Parking is the hardest part of driving here. Positano and Amalfi have a handful of paid car parks and garages and some paid street spaces, which fill up early in summer and cost far more than in most Italian towns. Ravello has paid car parks just below the centre. Free spaces are rare, and leaving the car where you should not can mean a fine or a tow.

If you do drive, decide where you will park before you set off and arrive early. As a general rule in Italy, blue lines mean paid parking, white lines free parking and yellow lines reserved spaces, but always read the signs.

Summer traffic adds to the challenge. On July and August days and on weekends, queues build up at the entrances to Positano and Amalfi, and a drive that takes about an hour in spring can take much longer. Plan fewer stops per day than you would elsewhere and leave extra margin for anything with a fixed time, such as a boat or a restaurant booking.

Tips if you drive anyway

Plenty of visitors drive the coast and love it. A few habits make it much easier:

• Check before you set off whether your car may use the coast road on that date.
• Start early in the morning, when the road is calmer.
• Let the big SITA buses through on bends, and be ready to stop or reverse if asked.
• Give a short tap on the horn before blind bends, as local drivers do.
• Expect scooters to pass on both sides and keep a steady line.
• Choose the smallest car that fits your group and luggage.
• Never stop on a bend for photos; use proper lay-bys.

Easier ways to see the coast

If the rules and the parking sound like too much, you are not alone. SITA SUD buses link Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and Ravello all year, and in the warmer months ferries connect Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and Salerno by sea. Both are inexpensive, although buses are crowded in summer and ferries depend on the season and the weather.

A private driver is the most relaxed option: you look out of the window while someone who drives this road for a living deals with buses, bends, restricted zones and parking, and stops at the viewpoints you would otherwise drive past. A full day can link Positano, Amalfi and Ravello at your own pace.