Positano is one of Italy’s most desired destinations. This cliffside city began as a quaint fishing village that started gaining popularity with tourists after WWII. Now, Positano is known for its colorful houses that light up the side of the mountains in the Amalfi Coast. Once you’ve decided to plan your trip, you have to figure out how to get to Positano. It might seem silly, but getting to Positano will require some careful planning. Keep reading on to find out the best ways to get to Positano, Italy.
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How to Get to Positano from Rome, Italy
Considering Rome is the most popular city in Italy to fly into, let’s first talk about how to get to Positano from Rome. There are a few different ways to get to Positano from Rome. The options range from super convenient, but pricey, to pretty inconvenient and inexpensive. At the end of the day, you have to find your sweet spot when it comes to cost and convenience.
Hire a Driver from Rome to Positano
The easiest and most convenient way to get from Rome to Positano is by hiring a driver. This ride is around 3.5-4 hours, depending on traffic. Just getting in a car and being driven to Positano is obviously super easy, but this will cost you quite a bit of money.
You basically have two options when it comes to hiring a driver to Positano from Rome. The first option is to have somebody just take you from point A to point B without any stopping. If this is the option you’d prefer, I’d recommend this service here.
If you’d prefer to break up the trip and see some sights along the way, I highly recommend the company Daytrip. This company provides transfers and allows you to build in stops along the way. I’ve used them several times and have always had wonderful experiences. Some places you can stop along the way to Positano are Naples, Pompeii, and Mount Vesuvius. Click here to check prices with Daytrip.
Rent a Car to Drive from Rome to Positano
Another fairly convenient option is to rent a car to drive from Rome to Positano. While this is a pretty convenient way to get to Positano from Rome, the drive when you get down to the Amalfi Coast can be quite windy on small roads. Some people get really nervous driving this themselves and would prefer an experienced driver to do it for them.
The other slight inconvenience with renting a car is that having a car in Positano itself can be quite difficult. There’s only one road in and out, so traffic can be quite crazy. On top of that, parking is difficult and expensive. The only way I would consider this as an option is if your hotel or Airbnb has parking that you arrange ahead of time.
This all being said, if you want to get out of Positano and explore around the Amalfi Coast, having a car can be really convenient. Just make sure you have a game plan ahead of time to avoid some potential hurdles and complications.
Click here to check prices for rental cars.
Take Public Transportation from Rome to Positano
The absolute cheapest way to get from Rome to Positano is to take public transportation. While it’s the cheapest, it’s also the least convenient and takes the longest. The most direct way to take public transportation to Positano from Rome is by bus. This option overall will take you about 4.5-5 hours. You can find details for the Marozzi bus that takes you from Rome to Positano here.
Another public transportation option is the train. I find trains to be significantly more comfortable than busses, so even though the bus is direct, I think the train is a better option. However, it’s going to cost a bit more than the bus and it requires a stop along the way.
From Rome, you can take the train to Naples. In Naples, you’ll change to another train that will take you to Sorrento. Once you arrive in Sorrento, you can either take a SITA bus from Sorrento to Positano (bus details here), or opt to take a taxi the rest of the way.
To book the train, I recommend using Rail Europe for the train from Rome to Naples. Once you get to Naples, you can locally purchase the ticket to Sorrento, or you can check out the train company’s website here.
The Best Way to Get to Positano from Rome
Now that you’ve heard of the three ways to get from Rome to Positano, I’m going to throw you a curveball. In order to optimize convenience and cost, I would recommend using a combination of the above methods when planning how to get to Positano from Rome.
First, take the train from Rome to Naples using Rail Europe. If you’re coming from Rome’s FCO airport, you’ll likely have to transfer at either Rome Termini or Rome Ostiense station to get to Naples Central Station. If you’ve been in Rome for a few days first and are in the city, I’d recommend taking the train right from Rome Termini Station.
Once you arrive in Naples, hire a driver to take you from Naples right to your hotel in Positano. If you think you’ll be exhausted and just want to get to Positano, hire a driver to take you straight there. However, if you don’t want to waste the day, I highly recommend using Daytrip and making a stop along the way in Pompeii.
Overall, this option not only saves you a lot of money compared to hiring a driver to go right from Rome to Positano, but it also minimizes the inconvenience of renting a car or taking public transportation the entire way there.
How to Get to Positano from Naples, Italy
After Rome, Naples is the most likely place you’ll be visiting right before a visit to Positano. Naples is considered the gateway to the Amalfi Coast because it’s the largest and closest major city. Because Naples is a lot closer to Positano than Rome, it’s also significantly less expensive to get to Positano from Naples.
That being said, flights can often be more complicated into Naples which is why many people choose to visit Positano via Rome. From the United States, there’s only one nonstop flight into Naples. Because of literally no competition, the airline can kind of charge what they want for this route. But don’t let that discourage you – check pricing and figure out if it’s worth the cost. In addition, you can fly to Naples from the USA through other gateways in Europe like London, Frankfurt, Paris, and more.
There are endless ways to describe how to get to Positano from Naples, but I want to focus on the best options. For example, unless you’re planning on visiting a lot of destinations in the Amalfi Coast, I wouldn’t recommend renting a car to get to Positano even though it’s an option.
The Quickest Way to Get from Naples to Positano
The quickest and easiest way to get to Positano from Naples is by either hiring a driver or taking a taxi. Not only is the drive from Naples to Positano only a 1.5 hour drive, but it’s easy. Your taxi or driver can drop you right off in front of your hotel in Positano (if it has a road – Positano has lots of walking roads, after all) after picking you up from the Naples train station or Naples airport.
Just as it was in Rome, the quickest and easiest way to get from Naples to Positano is never the cheapest. That being said, this ride will be much cheaper than the ride to Rome. If you’re looking to just get straight to Positano from Naples, I’d recommend pre-booking a driver instead of relying on a taxi, like this one here. The roads to Positano can be a little crazy, so pre-booking somebody you know often drives those roads will give you extra peace of mind.
The other option you have if you’d like to make a stop along the way is by using a company called Daytrip. This company provides transfers without stops as well, but they offer this really cool feature that allows you to add a stop along the way during your transfer from place A to place B. Pompeii or Mt. Vesuvius are really great places to stop during this transfer. Click here to check pricing on transfers with Daytrip.
How to Get to Positano from Naples by Ferry
If you’re looking for a more scenic route from Naples to Positano, consider taking a ferry. This obviously gives you a much different perspective of the Amalfi Coast on the way to Positano and could be a fun part of the trip, rather than feeling like something you just have to do to get to your destination. On top of that, taking the ferry from Naples to Positano is actually the cheapest option at less than 30 euros per person.
There’s only one ferry company that has nonstop ferries from Naples to Positano. You can find more details about the nonstop ferries from Naples-Positano here. There’s one major thing you should consider when deciding if you should take a ferry from Naples to Positano – there’s only one time every day. If the ferry ends up getting cancelled or you miss it for whatever reason, you might be out of luck until the next day. All that aside, it’s definitely a unique option for how to get to Positano from Naples.
Taking Public Transportation from Naples to Positano
There are a couple different options for taking public transportation to Positano from Naples. The first option would be to take a train from Naples Central station to Castellammare di Stabia train station and taking a taxi from there. You might ask – why take a train there to just end up taking a taxi in the end? Simply put, taking the train here and then taking a taxi will make the taxi ride quite a bit cheaper than just taking a taxi or driver right from Naples.
Another option would be to take the train from Naples to Sorrento and then take the SITA bus from Sorrento to Positano. This would get you to Positano with only one change along the way, but keep in mind you’ll then have to get yourself and your luggage to your hotel which could involve quite a bit of walking up and down stairs and narrow roads.
How to Get to Positano from Other Cities in Italy
Rome and Naples are overwhelmingly the most popular gateway cities to Positano and the rest of the Amalfi Coast. But, maybe you’re coming from another destination in Italy like Venice, Florence, Cinque Terre, or Sicily. Keep in mind getting from any of these destinations to Positano will involve extra steps. But don’t fret – it’s not impossible.
My best suggestion on how to get to Positano from anywhere in Italy is to get yourself to Rome or Naples and then follow the instructions above. This might sound obvious, but it’s not always! Don’t waste your time looking for the best ways to get to Positano from Venice because I promise you – all of them involve passing through Rome or Naples unless you’re driving a rental car there.
While you can fly from most cities in Italy to Rome or Naples, I’d recommend taking a train if you can. Trains are overwhelmingly more enjoyable and relaxing than flying and they’re part of the Europe experience. To make your life easier, try to find a train that will get you directly to either Rome or Naples. If you’re coming from the central or northern parts of Italy, chances are you’ll have to go through Rome to get to Naples. I always use and highly recommend using Rail Europe to search for train tickets and schedules.
How to Get to Positano – The Bottom Line
Positano is one of Italy’s dreamiest destinations, but it’s not the easiest place to get to. My biggest recommendations are to get yourself to Naples if you can or Rome if it’s cheaper for you. From there, you can follow the instructions above to figure out how to get to Positano.
The most important thing to remember is that most of your options will require some give and take in both budget and ease of getting to your destination. Most of the easiest ways to get to Positano require a bit more money and likewise, the cheapest ways to get to Positano involve more work.
Whichever way you decide to get to Positano, you’re sure to have the most incredible time! Positano is a fairytale land and I can’t wait for you to experience it for yourself.
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Maddie is the traveler behind A One Way Ticket. She has been traveling internationally for over 10 years and has visited 75+ countries on 6 continents. In addition to traveling herself, she’s been helping others plan their own travel for 6+ years. Maddie eats, sleeps, and breathes travel and loves to help others discover that same wanderlust!