How to Get to Positano

You may have seen the beautiful photos of the Amalfi Coast in Italy. It is a lovely collection of seaside towns built on cliffs. With brightly colored buildings, lots of limoncello, and blue water, there is no wonder why this area is a popular destination for locals and international tourists alike. One of the most famous towns along that coast is Positano. But unlike Cinque Terre to the north, there is no train connecting these little cliff-side villages. Here is my guide to how I got to Positano plus what I would do differently next time.

Quick disclaimer before we get into the nitty gritty: This trip was done with a friend and we were trying to do it as budget friendly as possible. If you are looking to do a luxury Amalfi Coast experience, this may not be the post for you!

Starting in Rome

My friend and I are both airline employees so we decided to fly into Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci International Airport. This is because it is the closest airport to Positano that has direct flights from the US on our airline. If you are flying into Naples, skip to “Naples to Sorrento”. After an overnight flight landing us in Rome, we knew step one was to get to the central Rome station. We heard going by bus was the cheapest way to do this. After surveying the line waiting for a particular bus company, we went to the ticket counter and asked the man there how to get to Rome the quickest. He sold us tickets on a different bus and we were able to get on that one with no problems.

Rome to Naples

After being dropped off on the back side of Rome’s central train station, Roma Termini, we made our way to the main platform. We were then faced with the decision of what type of train to take for our next leg. If we had booked in advance, we would have gotten a better price, but because you cannot bank on standby travel we decided to wait. The express train was about €60 and took just over an hour, a mid option for €24 that took just over 2 hours, and a slow option for €14 that took just over 3 hours. We chose the mid tier option. The train car was very comfortable with air conditioning, assigned seats, and even a little table.

P.S. as of September 2022, Italy still requires an N-95 mask to be worn on public transportation.

Naples to Sorrento

In Naples it was time to change to a local train line. We snagged a slice of pizza in the station (it was gross, go to the food hall and eat at Aldente instead) changed from the main platform to Piazza Garibaldi. This train was more of a local commuter type of train. It was crowded with no A/C and we stood for the majority of the ~1 hour and 45 minute journey.

Aldente appreciation, we found it on our way back.

Sorrento to Positano

In Sorrento there is a very clear spot where buses pick up outside of the train station. There is some confusion on which bus you should get on. Check the digital displays on the front of the bus before getting on. After purchasing our bus tickets from the ticket counter, we consulted the timetable next to the bus stop, and determined we had enough time for a gelato.

My biggest tip is to be there early and expect the buses to not run exactly on time. Throughout our trip, we experienced buses running both early and late. The timetable is more of a suggestion. Finally on the last leg to Positano, our spirits were high. The bus driver was not vocal about stops and the stops are not well marked. Luckily the hostel we were staying in had sent some information about where to get off. I had our stop tagged on my maps and just tracked our movement until we arrived. There are two bus stops in Positano. Make sure you know which one is yours!

These tight turns and steep drop-offs had me a little nervous, I’m not going to lie.

Thoughts, Tips, and What I Would Do Differently Next Time

We touched down about 9am in Rome and arrived at our accommodations finally at 6:30pm. It took us all day to get there, which is not ideal when you only have about 4 days total at your destination. Ultimately situations like this make me a better traveler and put me in a great position to give advice, like this post! But I would certainly do this differently next time.

First! I have to give credit where credit is due, the MVP of this trip absolutely was the Rome to Rio app. This was my first time using them and it was so helpful to see all of our transportation options in one place. I definitely recommend booking transportation tickets in advance as well for the best prices.

Opening screen of “Rome to Rio” app — The opening page of the app.

An example of all the options the app shows you.

Now, what I would do differently. Taking into account that I would still fly into Rome instead of Naples, I would take a bus again from the airport to the central train station, Roma Termini. At Roma Termini I would get on the express train to Naples. In Naples I would hire a private driver to take me to my chosen accommodations.

I would NOT rent a car. As you get closer to the coast roads get incredibly narrow, twist and turn, have steep drop-offs to the side, and are crowded.