A wedding on the Amalfi Coast looks like a matter of flowers and views. For whoever organises it, though, a large part is logistics: guests landing at different airports at different times, a road that does not forgive delays, towns where cars cannot reach the door, and a reception that ends long after the last bus and ferry. Nobody notices a good transport plan. Everybody notices a bad one.
First of all: map every journey
Before thinking about vehicles, write down every journey your guests will make, because there are more than you think:
- arrivals, from the airport or station to the hotel, often spread over two days;
- the welcome dinner the evening before, if there is one;
- hotel to ceremony, at a time that cannot move;
- ceremony to reception, which on the coast are often in two different places: the church in Amalfi, the villa in Ravello;
- the return at night, in several waves;
- departures, the day after or the day after that.
Each line of this list, multiplied by the number of guests and divided by the seats in a vehicle, is the number of vehicles you need. Doing the sums beforehand saves discovering them on the day.
Airports and arrivals
The main airport is Naples Capodichino: from there it is about an hour and a half by road to Positano, an hour and three quarters to Amalfi and nearly two hours to Ravello. Salerno airport is closer to Amalfi and Ravello — an hour and twenty minutes to Ravello — but has fewer routes. Guests from overseas often land at Rome Fiumicino, and from there the coast is more than four hours by car: for them a direct transfer is the difference between arriving tired and arriving shattered.
The practical advice is to group arrivals into waves by flight time rather than booking a car per family: three guests landing half an hour apart travel well together, and one minivan costs less than three cars. Bear in mind that at the airport the first hour of waiting from the booked time is included: a flight forty minutes late changes nothing.
The road and the right vehicles
The SS163 is the road that links every town on the coast, and it is narrow, full of bends, with very few places where two large vehicles pass each other easily. In recent years ANAS ordinances have repeatedly banned tourist coaches above a certain length at peak times — the thresholds have ranged from 8 to 10.36 metres — and in Amalfi coach parking is regulated by a permit system. The fifty-seat coach that is the obvious answer elsewhere is often the wrong one here.
The vehicles that work are 7–8 seat minivans and 16-seat minibuses: they go where normal traffic goes, stop where needed and, with two or three running in parallel, move forty people in almost the same time as a coach. In August and September the alternate plate rule also applies: taxis and licensed private hire are exempt, your guests’ rental cars are not.
On timings, one rule: on a summer afternoon on the SS163, add a third to what the satnav says. Positano to Amalfi is sixteen kilometres, and in July it can take three quarters of an hour.
The last stretch is on foot
This is the detail that most surprises people organising from afar. Positano has a pedestrian centre: vehicles stop on the upper road and you walk down into the village by steps. In Amalfi the car stops in Piazza Flavio Gioia, by the sea, and the cathedral is a few minutes’ walk. In Ravello the square is pedestrian, and Villa Cimbrone is a good fifteen minutes on foot.
Two practical consequences. The first concerns elderly guests or those with limited mobility: choose the closest drop-off point for them and, if needed, an earlier time so they can cover the last stretch calmly. The second concerns shoes: stilettos, cobbles and steps do not get on, and a pair of flats in the bag saves more than one evening. Saying so on the invitation is not rude; it is kind.
How many vehicles you need
| Vehicle | Passengers | Luggage | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saloon car | 3 | 3 | The couple, witnesses, parents, individual arrivals |
| Minivan | 8 | 7 | Airport arrivals in small groups |
| Premium minivan | 7 | 7 | Families, VIP guests |
| Minibus | 16 | 16 | Ceremony, reception, group returns |
A few sums already done: to move 30 guests from ceremony to reception, two minibuses are enough; for 50, three minibuses and a minivan. For arrivals with luggage, luggage spaces count as well as seats. When the journey is short — Amalfi and Ravello are fifteen minutes apart — two minibuses shuttling back and forth can replace four, as long as you allow twenty minutes between the first and last guest.
Getting back at night
This is where plans most often fall apart. At midnight there are no buses or ferries on the coast, taxis are few, and anyone who has been drinking should not be driving that road. The solution is to decide in advance on two or three departures at fixed times — for example one at midnight for families and guests with an early flight, one at one o’clock, the last at the end of the party — and share them with guests along with the programme. Nobody is left waiting at the villa, and nobody has to leave before they want to.
Frequently asked questions
Which airport should wedding guests fly into for the Amalfi Coast?
Naples Capodichino has the most flights and connections: from there it is about an hour and a half by road to Positano and nearly two hours to Ravello. Salerno airport is closer to Amalfi and Ravello but has fewer routes. Rome Fiumicino suits guests on intercontinental flights, over four hours away by car.
Can you use a full-size coach on the Amalfi Coast?
Only with many restrictions. In recent years coaches above a certain length have been banned from the SS163 at peak times, and coach parking in the towns is regulated. For groups of up to a few dozen people, 16-seat minibuses and minivans are the most practical solution.
How many vehicles do I need for 30 guests?
To move 30 people without luggage, for example from the ceremony to the reception, two 16-seat minibuses are enough. For airport arrivals, count suitcases too: a minivan carries eight passengers but seven bags.
How should the return after the reception be organised?
With two or three departures at fixed times rather than a single one at the end: guests with children or an early flight the next morning leave first. At night there are no buses or ferries on the coast, and very few taxis.
Can the couple’s car drive right up to the church?
It depends on the town. In the pedestrian centres of Positano, Amalfi and Ravello the car stops at the edge of the pedestrian zone and the last stretch is on foot. It is worth checking the exact drop-off point in advance, and the route to the entrance.
The guests at an Amalfi Coast wedding will remember the view, the dinner and the first dance. If the transport plan is done well, they will remember nothing else — which is exactly how it should be.
One transport plan, not ten bookings
Send us flights, hotels and the timings of the day: we organise arrivals, ceremony, reception and returns with cars, minivans and 16-seat minibuses.
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