Amalfi Coast by Land versus by Sea

[Solara]

Would like some opinions on seeing the Amalfi Coast by driving versus from a boat at sea. What would we be missing if we did it by sea instead of driving?

[Hlitner]

I think you would be missing the Amalfi Drive and the view of the coast. From the seaside you do get to see the land with mountains and that is about all. But driving along the coast you get to see the amazing views of the land and sea...not to mention the atmosphere that goes with the Amalfi Drive. A good example would be that the first time we drove this road (in our rental car) DW spied some large grapefruits at a roadside stand. We stopped....and quickly realized that these "grapefruits" were actually lemons! And from the sea you would not get to see the amazing view of Positano from above. And of course there is Ravello (one of our favorite places on the coast) which is not even accessible from the sea.

 

Hank

[mskaufman]

We did both. By sea in 2012 and land in 2013. Both were awesome. When you go by water you don't get to stop in towns other than Amalfi. By land, you miss the amazing views from the water. Here are links to my pictures and you can decide for yourself. Having done both, I would recommend the Amalfi Drive, but just by a whisker.

 

https://markandkareneurope2012.shutterfly.com/pictures/973

 

 

 

https://markandkareneurope2013.shutterfly.com/pictures/717

[Solara]

We did both. By sea in 2012 and land in 2013. Both were awesome. When you go by water you don't get to stop in towns other than Amalfi. By land, you miss the amazing views from the water. Here are links to my pictures and you can decide for yourself. Having done both, I would recommend the Amalfi Drive, but just by a whisker.

 

https://markandkareneurope2012.shutterfly.com/pictures/973

 

 

 

https://markandkareneurope2013.shutterfly.com/pictures/717

I'm still deciding so question for you. How close were you to land? Did you zoom your camera in to get the beautiful shots you took?

 

Thanks!

[mskaufman]

I would guess that on the way from Salerno to Amalfi we were about 1/4 mile off shore and the boat moved at a liesurely pace. On the way back to Salerno we were further off shore and the boat moved faster. I did use a 270mm zoom lens from the boat.

[mskaufman]

Also, one reason we did the water route the first time is that we got to Pompeii in the afternoon so it kept us from having to decide between the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii.