Tempting though it may be to while away your entire holiday in Sorrento, you’d be nuts not to explore the neighbouring Costiera Amalfitana. This short stretch of coastline between Sorrento and Salerno is arguably the most beautiful — and certainly among the most dramatic — in the entire Mediterranean. Picture-postcard-perfect villages cascade down steep mountainsides to meet an azure sea, the twisting shoreline punctuated by sandy coves, medieval towers, terraced orchards and superb restaurants.

One of the highlights of this trip is the coastal road itself, which is a typically Italian triumph of engineering over sanity. It clings to the rock face, soaring and plunging and sending drivers spinning from one blind hairpin bend into another. Much of it is so narrow that the distance between passing vehicles can be measured in coats of paint. Though not for the faint-hearted, it is stunning to look at, and has starred in dozens of car ads on television.

All in all, the Amalfi coast is one of the classic European road trips — anyone who enjoys driving holidays should do it at least once. Ideally, you should take it slowly and go slightly out of season: in June rather than August, when the heat is less oppressive and there are fewer tour buses to dodge. You could stay in Sorrento and make day trips along the coast, but you’d be better off giving yourself five or six days, driving for an hour or so, stopping for a leisurely lunch, then checking into a hotel for a night or two.

THE ROUTE

From Sorrento, it is a short, steep drive up to Sant’Agata Sui Due Golfi, which straddles the Sorrentine peninsula, offering unrivalled views of the Bay of Naples and the Bay of Salerno. Here you’ll find several celebrated restaurants, including the three-Michelin-starred Don Alfonso 1890 (00 39-081 878 0026, www.relaischateaux.com; closed Mondays year-round and Tuesdays from October to May), which is said to be the best restaurant in southern Italy. It serves simple, light dishes such as gamberetti al vapore and ziti with fresh tuna; menus start at £55. Lo Stuzzichino (081 533 0010; closed Wednesdays) is less expensive, but also wins plaudits.

Go easy on the limoncello before you rejoin the road as it hurtles down to the coast and reaches the pretty, precipitous village of Positano. This is pure Amalfi: crumbling pastel-shaded villas occupy every spare inch of the hillside, and the small, crowded beach is lined with cafes and overpriced boutiques. The place to stay is Le Sirenuse (00800 2888 8882, www.sirenuse.it), an 18th-century palazzo, owned by the family of the Marchese Sersale, which has an Aveda spa. Doubles start at £164.

It is well worth getting out of your car at Positano and walking up through the olive and lemon groves, along the Sentiero degli Dei (Trail of the Gods), to the unspoilt hamlet of Nocelle, where you’ll see more donkeys than cars. The views of the coast are stunning, and a single, unnamed restaurant serves good, inexpensive lunches. On the way down, stop at Montepertuso, another charming hilltop village.

From Positano, it is a 30-minute drive to Amalfi, once the biggest trading port in southern Italy. Amalfi went into decline when it was sacked twice in the 12th century before being hit, in 1343, by an earthquake that sent most of the town sliding into the sea. Today, it is the size of a village, but with a grand cathedral that would make any city proud; don’t miss the bronze doors, which were imported from Constantinople in 1066.

Amalfi’s top-rated hotel is the Santa Caterina (00800 2888 8882, www.hotelsantacaterina.it), which has doubles from £170. There are many cheapies, including Albergo Sant’Andrea (00 39 081 871145), on the main square, with doubles from £40.

A half-hour drive inland brings you to Ravello, another stunning town with a rich medieval history and priceless views that inspired Wagner and DH Lawrence. It is best known for the gardens at Villa Cimbrone and Villa Rufolo, both of which are open to the public year-round. Between March and November, concerts are staged in the gardens at Villa Rufolo, with recitals throughout June and a month-long Wagner festival that begins on July 15: past performers have included Caruso and Rostropovich. For further details, contact the Ravello Concert Society (00 39 089 858 149, www.rcs.amalficoast.it); tickets are available from Exclusive Italy (01892 619650, www.exclusiveworldwide.com).

One of the most glamorous places to stay in Ravello is the Palazzo Sasso, a converted 12th-century villa with a Michelin-starred restaurant, Rossellinis. Doubles start at £153, but if you spend two nights here and two at Le Sirenuse, the hotels will throw in free British Airways flights to Naples: the total cost is £529pp, B&B, for departures up to April 13 only. Book through The Touchdown Collection (0870 704 5088).

TOUR OPERATORS

Several companies will put together bespoke fly-drive itineraries. For example, Magic of Italy (0870 546 2442, www.magictravelgroup.co.uk) suggests three nights at the four-star Hotel Buca di Bacco in Positano, three nights at the three-star Hotel Graal in Ravello, and three nights at the four-star Marina Riviera in Amalfi; from £803pp, B&B, including car hire and British Airways flights from Gatwick (Manchester and Glasgow departures available for a supplement). At the top end, Exclusive Italy (01892 619650, www.exclusiveworldwide.com) has two nights at Il San Pietro in Positano, three nights at Santa Caterina in Amalfi, and two nights at Palazzo Sasso in Ravello, from £1,392pp in June, including breakfast and sea-view rooms at all three hotels, flights and car hire.

Other operators include Citalia (020 8686 5533, www.citalia.co.uk), Italian Expressions (020 7435 2525, www.expressionsholidays.co.uk), Italian Journeys (020 7370 6002), Italiatour (01883 621900 in the UK, 01 671 7821 in Ireland, www.italiatour.co.uk), ITC Classics (01244 355340, www.itcclassics.co.uk) and Transun (0870 444 4747, www.transun.co.uk).

GETTING AROUND

If you’re planning a serious drive along the Amalfi coast, it makes sense to rent your car in Naples rather than Sorrento, so that when you reach Salerno, you can hop on the autostrada and get back to the airport in an hour, rather than doing the whole route again. It is possible to pick up a vehicle in Sorrento and drop it off in Naples, but you’ll pay for the privilege.

Holiday Autos (0870 400 0010, www.holidayautos.co.uk) has a week’s car hire from £126, picking up at Naples airport and including taxes, insurance and a discount for booking online. If you pick up in Sorrento and drop off in Naples, prices start at £199, plus a local supplement of about £30.

If you don’t fancy driving, you can see the coast from the sea. This year, Citalia (020 8686 5533, www.citalia.co.uk) launched its own 31-berth cruise ship, the MV Citalia, which sails out of Naples on seven-night itineraries that take in Ischia, Capri, Amalfi, Positano and Sorrento. Prices in May start at £995pp, including meals and flights from Gatwick; regional departures available for a supplement.

Times recommends

• Dubai cheaper than Doncaster as room rates tumble
• World Cup 2010 - how to follow England
• Copenhagen: Europe's greenest city