How to get to the Amalfi Coast, Italy

Among the countless Italian towns and rugged coastlines, the Amalfi Coast is considered one of most beautiful destinations in all of Italy. This tourist hotspot is equally as stunning as it is difficult to reach. Just by looking at the map, you can see it’s nearly impossible to find a direct route from Rome or Naples. Luckily, I spent hours researching so you don’t have to! Here’s how to get to the Amalfi Coast, Italy.

By car

Possibly the easiest and most convenient option would be to rent a car and drive the 1.5-hour trip from Naples to Amalfi or 3.5-hour trip from Rome to Amalfi.

You can reserve a car with either manual (stick shift) or automatic transmission, although automatic will be a bit more expensive. Make sure to make that reservation in advance especially during the busy summer months.

An alternative is hiring a private car service, which should cost about €100-120 (to or from Naples). It’s probably the most stress-free option, but it’s not the most budget-friendly.

So, the question remains, how to get to the Amalfi Coast from Naples or Rome? Try public transit!

How to get to the Amalfi Coast by ferry

Prior to leaving for our trip, I spent hours figuring out the best way to get from Naples to Positano, our destination on the Amalfi Coast. I looked at Google Maps repeatedly, read TripAdvisor forums, found other blog posts on the topic, and even watched YouTube videos.

Interested in visiting Naples? Read more: 16 hours in Naples, Italy.

Considering cost, convenience, and our tight timeline, here’s what I pulled together: We took a train from Naples to Salerno, then took a ferry from Salerno to Positano.

In my opinion this is the best route because there are more ferries available daily from Salerno. From Sorrento, there’s only 2-3 ferries daily.

I worried that if we missed the last ferry, we’d be stranded in Sorrento for the night. Not a bad place to be stranded by any means, but it would be a costly hiccup.

Step 1: Reserve your train ticket on trenitalia.com

We booked an Intercity train from Naples to Salerno for €18 for two people. On this route, it was only €1 more to sit in first class, so we tried it out. It seems like there is not much of a difference. Quieter, maybe!

Also, side note on trains in Italy: This was an Intercity train that didn’t have WiFi; the high-speed trains (Frecce) do offer free WiFi, although it was pretty spotty on ours.

During the busy summer months, you WILL want to reserve tickets in advance to select a seat and save money. More info on trains in Italy here.

Step 2: Reserve your ferry ticket through TravelMar or another ferry service.

Once we arrived in Salerno, we opted to take the Travelmar ferry instead of the SITA bus – more on the bus further below.

The ferry, rather than the bus, seemed the least complicated and also the most scenic.

What better way to view the coastline than from the ocean? Plus, much better from a photographer’s point of view – we didn’t have to worry about glare from a bus window.

Here’s a breakdown of our itinerary:

• 8:45am – Departure from Napoli Centrale – luckily, it ran on time
• 9:20am – Arrival in Salerno
• Brisk walk to the port across the street – a 20-minute connection worked for us, but if the train had been delayed, definitely might’ve missed the ferry
• 9:40am – Ferry departure
• 11:15am – Arrival in Positano

If we had missed that ferry, we could’ve been in big trouble. Who knows if the next one had already been fully booked?

We were traveling on a Wednesday in June – even though it was a weekday, the ferry was packed!

The seats on the top deck were already full, so we worked our way to the front of the boat to get a better view.

Once the ferry reached higher speeds, some seats at the front opened up. Spray from the ocean was pretty overwhelming, but luckily, I’d packed my green raincoat. I braved the sea spray and relished the incredible views.

The ferry made one stop at Amalfi. Passengers got off the boat and some new ones boarded. Then, we were on our way to Positano!

It was 11:15am sharp by the time we arrived.

A 2.5-hour trip from Naples to Positano, most of which was very scenic and enjoyable. The time really flies by when you’re experiencing incredible views in stunning, sunny weather!

How to get to the Amalfi Coast by bus

If the ferry isn’t your thing or if it happens to be raining, you could opt to take the bus to the Amalfi Coast instead. If you’re interested in more info on the SITA bus, timetables and where to buy tickets, click here.

The SITA bus operates between Sorrento and Positano and Salerno and Amalfi. You can also take it to other towns along the Amalfi Coast – Ravello, Praiano, etc.

You can get some great views from the bus, but only if you happen to sit on the side that has a view of the coastline.

If you’re going from Sorrento south to Positano and Amalfi, sit on the right side of the bus to look over the Mediterranean. When traveling north, sit on the left side.

It looks like you can only buy tickets on the same day, in person. Look for a “tabaccherie” (cigarette shop), newspaper stand, or bar/café where tickets are sold. In the summer, anticipate long waits and a line to get on the bus.

Once back on land, we hit the ground running and climbed the steps – with heavy packs on our backs – all the way up to our Airbnb on Via Corvo! Get $40 off your first booking on Airbnb here.

Are you planning a trip to the Amalfi Coast soon? Any questions? Feel free to leave me a comment or message me on Instagram, and I’ll get back to you!

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