Scenic drives · Amalfi Coast

Can I drive the Amalfi Coast road, and on which days does my number plate matter?

Checked 2 October 2026 on the Comune di Amalfi's pages, in the Highway Code and in ANAS notices · skynomad

The SS163 Amalfitana is a state road run by ANAS, Italy's national road company. It has no toll and no booking. What it has is a traffic order, ANAS ordinance 340/2019, that the Amalfi Coast towns renew every year, and it is the rule that catches visitors who hired a car in Naples or Salerno. I'd plan the whole day around it.

The plate rule: how odd and even work in 2026

On an odd date (1, 3, 5…) cars whose number plate ends in an odd digit may not use the road; on an even date, cars ending in an even digit stay off. It is the last digit that counts, not the last character, which matters for an Italian hire car whose plate ends in letters. It applies from 10:00 to 18:00; outside those hours there is no restriction. Motorbikes and scooters are not covered.

The 2026 calendar, as published by the Comune di Amalfi and the Distretto Turistico Costa d'Amalfi:

The two sources disagree on when the spring bridge started: Amalfi's own communiqué says 24 April, the tourist district says 25 April. I'd go with the municipality. After 31 October the road is open to all plates; no 2027 calendar has been published.

The fine sits in article 7, paragraph 13 of the Highway Code: €87 to €344 in the current text. Local news reports from earlier seasons quote €84 to €335, which is the amount before the last inflation update. Carabinieri and the town police run the checks, so expect a roadblock, not only a camera.

Who is exempt, and why a hire car isn't

The exemptions, from the Comune di Amalfi: residents of the 14 coast municipalities, cars carrying a disabled badge with the holder on board, taxis and NCC, emergency vehicles, workers with a contract on the coast, non-resident property owners with a certificate, and guests of hotels and other accommodation with a booking.

Two traps sit in that list. NCC means noleggio con conducente, a car hired with a driver. A self-drive hire car is not NCC and gets no exemption, and nothing in the order exempts foreign plates either. And the hotel exemption is narrower in the 2026 summaries: the tourist district and Salernonotizie both say it covers only the day you arrive and the day you leave. Amalfi's own communiqué says only "with a regular booking". I'd read it the narrow way, carry the booking confirmation, and on the days in between leave the car where it is.

Coaches, motorhomes and anything long

ANAS ordinance 337/2019, upheld by the regional court in 2025, is the one for big vehicles. According to Positanonews, it bans buses and any vehicle longer than 10.36 m outright, lets vehicles up to 6 m circulate freely, and adds protected time slots in the summer months. ANAS's own press releases on the SS163 name restrictions for heavy vehicles, coaches and caravans between Positano and Vietri, and an extension to 31 October of a ban on tourist coaches over 8 m; I could not open the ordinance text itself, so I can't give you the exact hours for a caravan. My view: don't take a motorhome or a caravan on the SS163 at all. Leave it at a campsite and use the bus or the ferry. More on size and weight limits on the motorhomes page.

Parking in Positano, Amalfi and Ravello

This is where the official record is thinnest. Amalfi points drivers to InfoParkingAmalfi, an app and website with live space counts for the public car parks, and the town has published a tariff sheet for its Luna Rossa car park that I could not open.

For Ravello, two private guides put the Auditorium car park at €3.50 to €4 an hour (amalfi.day says €4, ravelloinvacanza.it €3.50 to €4); no council tariff was published that I could find. For Positano I found no official prices at all, only private garages, so I won't print a number. I'd assume a full day in Positano costs more than the car's daily hire rate and plan for that.

ZTL in Amalfi and Positano

Both towns close their centres with a ZTL (zona a traffico limitato). Amalfi has a council regulation for traffic in its historic centre; Positano's ZTL was upheld by the regional court and, its mayor said in January 2025, moved to electronic gates. A guide published in March 2026 warns that several entries on one day can mean several tickets. The national fine for entering a ZTL without a permit is €83 to €332. A hotel booking alone does not get you in: the hotel has to register your plate, so I'd email the plate number before arrival. The general rules are on driving in Italy.

Rockfalls, not winter, close the road

The SS163 has no seasonal closure. What shuts it is the cliff. On 28 July 2026 ANAS closed it in both directions at km 9.700 in Vico Equense after stones fell from a private rock face, until about 18:00 the next day, cutting the link between Sorrento and Positano at Tordigliano. In February 2026 a slip closed it at Fuenti, near Vietri. There is no long detour on this coast. I'd check ANAS's traffic news on the morning you drive, especially after heavy rain.

The drive, end to end

• Sorrento: the western end; the plate rule does not cover the Sorrento side, but the town of Meta has its own order (no. 37 of 18 March 2026, according to amalficoast-travel.com).
• Positano: where the plate rule starts; ZTL with electronic gates in the centre.
• Amalfi: Luna Rossa is the council's car park; check InfoParkingAmalfi before you commit.
• Ravello: a climb off the SS163; the Auditorium car park is the one private guides price at €3.50 to €4 an hour.
• Vietri sul Mare: the eastern end of the plate rule and the way in from Salerno.

Ferries: the way round the rule

Travelmar runs seasonal boats from Salerno to Amalfi, Positano and the smaller harbours, and Amalfi's tourist site publishes the timetable. I found no official fare to quote. If your plate is wrong for the day, I'd park in Salerno, take the boat, and see Amalfi without the car. For parking at the Naples end, see Naples.