How to get to the Amalfi Coast from Rome (or Naples)
Are posts of Positano, the Italian beach town, popping up in your feed? Developing FOMO? Don’t fret. You too can have the Italian summer of your dreams.
There certainly isn’t a dearth of public transpiration options to get from Rome to the Amalfi Coast, specifically Positano. Options include bus-bus, train-bus, and train-ferry.
During our trip in May 2019, we took the train-train-ferry route there and bus-bus-train on the way back. I mapped out our route, with details below:
(alternative route options in italic below)
1. Rome to Naples (train)
Since we flew from Oakland,CA into Rome, we took the 70 minute train from Roma Termini to Napoli Centrale(~€40 per person), making a 2 day pit-stop to explore Naples, Pompeii, and eat Neapolitan pizzas.
Train tickets can be booked online (https://www.trenitalia.com/) three months ahead of time. I’d recommend booking ahead of time, especially during peak-season, as tickets could sell out / prices could go up.
When you get to the station, check the Departures dashboard to check for the track number your train is departing from. This typically won’t pop up until 5–10 minutes before departure, and then you have to make a mad dash for the track. Trains are highly efficient and punctual in Italy, so definitely book it over to your track.
If you fly into Rome, and don’t like pizza / don’t want to make a pit-stop in Naples, you could instead take a train directly from Rome to Salerno.
2. Naples to Salerno (train)
After eating our fill of Margherita pizzas in Naples, we then continued on to take another 40 minute express train from Napoli Centrale to Salerno Stazione (~€15 per person).
Follow the same ticketing guide for booking tickets that I spelled out from Rome to Naples (https://www.trenitalia.com/). Catching the train works the same way too.
3. Salerno to Positano (ferry)
Salerno itself is a port city and we didn’t spend much time here, instead opting to take an 80 minute ferry from Salerno Concordia to Positano (€12 per person).
We booked online (https://www.travelmar.it/en/) but tickets can also be bought at the dock itself. Timetable available online.
If you want a seat on the deck with good views, I recommend arriving to the dock ~30 minutes before ferry departure to buy tickets / wait in line to board. Sit on the right side for the best view.
This particular ferry stops in Amalfi before continuing on to Positano, but since we had bags we opted to go straight to Positano first. We would later take this same ferry from Positano to Amalfi for a day-trip.
From Salerno to Positano, you can also take the SITA bus. The main bus stop in Salerno is situated right outside the train station, and tickets can be purchased at the train station. When waters are rough and the ferries stop running, this may be your only option. Time-tables can be found online (https://www.sitasudtrasporti.it/).
Pros include awesome sea-cliff views and cheaper prices (€2.90 per person). Cons include awful motion sickness due to the winding roads and it’s absolutely necessary to buy tickets before boarding the bus (so figure out your shiz beforehand)
To get back?
Take the same route backwards. But honestly, why make plans to go back at all?
Alas, we had to. The way back:
- We took the ~40 minute bus from Positano to Amalfi (€2.90 per person) because the ferries were down due to rough waters — in Positano, there are 2 bus stops, right along the Amalfi Coast road: Chiesa Nuova (on the west side of town) and Sponda (at the eastern edge of town, where Via Cristoforo Colombo meets the Amalfi Coast road). It’s critical to purchase your ticket before boarding, which you can do at the Tabacchi (Viale Pasitea, 2). More than one leg of the trip can be purchased here. You can view the time-table at the bus stop or online (https://www.sitasudtrasporti.it/).
- Transferred to a different ~60 minute bus from Amalfi to Salerno(€2.90 per person) — check the time table in the ticket hut in the Amalfi bus-lot (right on the dock at the drop-off of your previous drop-off) for the schedule and ask around the lot to ensure you board the correct bus. The name Salerno will be flashed across the LED bus destination display. Remember it’s critical you have a ticket before boarding so if you didn’t purchase a ticket for this leg in Positano, buy one in the ticket hut in the bus lot.
- We skipped Naples on the way back and took the direct 130 minute train from Salerno to Rome (again, purchased online ahead of time)
Most importantly, enjoy the view!
Read more of Deanna’s adventures:
- Exploring the fjords in Norway via train and ferry
- Exploring Iceland in the Winter
- Day-trip from Barcelona to mountains of Montserrat
