HOW TO GET TO THE AMALFI COAST

HOW TO GET TO THE AMALFI COAST

Because of its position sitting on cascading hillsides along the sea, the Amalfi Coast is uniquely difficult to get to and the trek can be somewhat intimidating. Here are my tips for how to get to the Amalfi Coast from Naples and Rome to help take the edge off the start of your vacation.

Looking for more inspiration for your trip? Check out these blogs:

• Itinerary: Four Days in the Amalfi Coast
• A Full Guide to Positano
• One Day in Capri
• The Best Photo Spots Near Positano

Should I fly into Naples or Rome?

While Naples is the easier place to fly into to access the Amalfi Coast solely because of its proximity to it, if you’re flying to Italy from outside of Europe, the easier and cheaper flights will likely be to Rome and you can get from Rome to Naples fairly quickly. In fact, the trip from Rome to Naples is far easier than that from Naples to the Amalfi Coast. So, I would recommend flying into whichever airport is easiest for you, and below I’ll outline both routes to the coast.

I personally flew into Rome and took a high-speed nonstop train straight to Naples, which was perfectly easy for me.

Is it expensive to get to the Amalfi Coast?

Getting to the Amalfi Coast can be as affordable or as expensive as you want it to be, depending on what mode of transportation you opt for. Below is a breakdown of the costs of various options to get there:

Rome – Naples: The two items below (as explained later in this blog) are both required together, as you have to get from the airport to the train station and then take another train down to Naples.

• Airport Transfer: 14€
• High-Speed Train: 30€

Naples – Amalfi Coast: Below are three different options for getting to the Amalfi Coast.

• Train & Bus: 13.60€
• Ferry: 20€
• Private Car: 130€

The first leg of this journey is to get from the Rome airport to the Roma Termini train station, which is where you can catch trains heading all over Italy. 

• Cost: ~14€
• Frequency: Departs every 15 minutes during peak hours
• Travel Time: 30 minutes
• Tickets: Purchased at the airport upon arrival (they can also be purchased in advance, but I wouldn’t recommend this in case your flight or baggage is delayed in the airport. Also, the train will virtually never sell out).

Now that you’ve arrived at the train station, you’re going to start on your first long leg of this journey, which is a high-speed train to Naples.

• Cost: 30€
• Frequency: Depending on your train company and timing, they depart every 30 minutes or so.
• Travel Time: 2 hours
• Tickets: Purchased in advance online here. You can also purchase them at the train station but they can frequently sell out, especially in peak season.
• Additional Notes: I was wary of purchasing these train tickets in advance in case there were any delays with my transatlantic flight getting into Rome. However, I learned that if you purchase a ticket and either arrive too early or too late, you can switch to a different train time as long as it’s with the same train company (TrenItalia, ItaliaRail, etc.)

Now is when the tricky part starts. There are three ways to get to the Amalfi Coast from Naples: By train & bus, by ferry, or by private car.

By Train & Bus

This is the most affordable but also trickiest option to get to the Amalfi Coast. While I used this option on my way to the Amalfi Coast because I wasn’t strapped for time (i.e. wasn’t in a hurry to catch a flight), I probably wouldn’t recommend it because of how tricky it was to navigate, especially with lots of luggage. This route comes in two parts: a local train to Sorrento and then a tourist bus to the other towns of the Amalfi Coast.

Local Train:

• Cost: 3.60€
• Frequency: Every 30 minutes
• Travel Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
• Tickets: Purchased in-person at the Napoli Centrale train station – cannot be purchased online.
• Additional Notes: While on Google Maps it says to take the train to the Meta stop and then switch to the bus, you cannot do this, especially in peak season. I made this mistake and had three buses go by us completely full before one told us that we needed to go to the Sorrento stop and catch the bus there. The reason being that Sorrento is the first stop on the bus and in peak tourist season the bus fills up immediately and makes no other stops until it reaches the coast.

Bus:

• Cost: 10€
• Frequency: Every 40 minutes or so
• Travel Time: Roughly 1 hour to Positano, 1 hour 30 minutes to Amalfi
• Tickets: Purchased in-person at train station in Sorrento or at local convenience stores in the area. Tickets cannot be purchased on the bus or online in advance.
• Additional Notes: As soon as you get off the train in Sorrento, run straight to the bus line. Especially in peak season, there will be a very long line to get on the bus and I personally watched three buses go by before I got on one. This is definitely the most frustrating part of the journey and why I recommend the other modes of transportation below.

By Ferry

This is the most beautiful route to get to the Amalfi Coast, although I sadly wasn’t able to do it myself. One thing to note about this option is that the ferry is fairly infrequent, so if it doesn’t line up with your plane or train arrival then you may have to wait awhile in Naples. 

• Cost: 20€
• Frequency: Varies
• Travel Time: 2 hours
• Tickets: Can be purchased online in advance here or at the ferry terminal upon arrival.
• Additional Notes: Note that you’ll also have to get yourself from the Naples train station to the ferry terminal once you arrive from the previous leg of your journey.

By Private Car

This is the best option to get to or from the Amalfi Coast if you’re in a rush or if you have 4+ people traveling in your party because it will help to reduce the cost.

• Cost: 130€
• Frequency: Upon request
• Travel Time: 1.5 hours
• Tickets: Many hotels on the Amalfi Coast will help you arrange your private car for you – I would check with your hotel on what the costs are first because they may have a deal. If not, you can look at this option on Viator here.