Getting from Rome to Positano and the Amalfi Coast Without a Train

The first thing to know about getting from Rome to the Amalfi Coast is that the coast has almost no railway. There is no train to Positano, none to Amalfi, and the only station on the coast itself is at Vietri sul Mare, at the far eastern end by Salerno. Every route from Rome ends with a bus, a ferry or a car on the coastal road.

That is not a problem once you know it. It just means the trip is two legs, not one, and that the second leg decides how your day goes. Here are the ways to do it in 2026, how long they really take, and an honest answer on whether the Amalfi Coast works as a day trip from Rome.

The geography, in one minute

The Amalfi Coast runs along the southern side of the Sorrento peninsula, south of Naples, facing the Gulf of Salerno. Coming from the north, the first coast town you reach is Positano, followed by Praiano, Furore, Amalfi (with Ravello on the hill above it), Atrani, Minori, Maiori, Cetara and Vietri sul Mare, where the coast meets Salerno. The whole stretch is threaded by the Strada Statale 163, a narrow two-lane road of continuous curves cut into the cliff.

The three gateways are:

• Naples, the big hub, an hour or so from Rome by high-speed train
• Sorrento, on the north side of the peninsula, reached from Naples by the Circumvesuviana train, and the start of the bus route to Positano and Amalfi
• Salerno, at the eastern end, reached from Rome directly by high-speed train, with ferries and buses up the coast

Option 1: Rome to Positano or Amalfi by train and bus

Via Sorrento (best for Positano). High-speed train from Roma Termini to Napoli Centrale, just over an hour. Walk down to the Circumvesuviana platforms at Napoli Garibaldi and take the Sorrento line to the end, a commuter train with no reservations that takes a little over an hour. At Sorrento station, board the SITA Sud bus toward Positano and Amalfi: roughly 45 minutes to Positano, an hour to Amalfi. For Ravello or the towns beyond Amalfi, change buses in Amalfi.

The SITA bus is the coast's public transport. Tickets are sold at tobacconists, bars and newsstands displaying the SITA logo, not on board, and a 24-hour Costiera SITA ticket covers unlimited rides between Sorrento, the coast towns and Salerno. Sit on the right heading south from Sorrento for the sea view. Buses fill early in summer and the road is a long series of hairpins, so anyone prone to motion sickness should plan accordingly.

Time door to door: about four hours to Positano if the connections line up, longer in summer when the buses are full.

Via Salerno (best for Amalfi, Maiori and Ravello). High-speed train from Roma Termini straight to Salerno, the next stop after Naples on the high-speed line. From the Molo Concordia pier opposite the station, ferries run to Amalfi and Positano roughly from April 1 to October 31, and SITA buses run along the coast from Salerno to Amalfi year round. The ferry is the pleasant way: no hairpins, and the view of the coast from the water is the one on the postcards.

Time door to door: a little less than the Sorrento route, and far more comfortable in the ferry season.

Option 2: Rome to the Amalfi Coast by private transfer

A private car from Rome to Positano or Amalfi is a morning's drive: the A1 to Naples, the A3 toward Salerno, then either over the peninsula from Castellammare or along the coast road from Vietri. The driver handles the luggage, the hairpins and the drop-off in a town where cars cannot go past a certain point.

It costs the most of the three options and makes the most sense when:

• You are moving hotels from Rome to the coast with luggage, not day-tripping
• You are a family or a group of four to six, where the per-person cost approaches the train plus bus route
• You want to stop at Pompeii on the way, which turns the transfer into a day tour

Our private Rome to Pompeii and Amalfi day of history and sea does exactly that: a private driver from Rome, the morning at Pompeii, the afternoon on the coast, and the return to Rome. As a one-way transfer to a coast hotel, our local planner can build it.

Option 3: An Amalfi Coast day trip from Rome

This is the most searched version and the one that needs the most honesty. Reaching the coast from Rome takes most of a morning each way, so a day trip is a 12-hour day with a few hours on the coast, and less if the coastal road is jammed, which in July and August it usually is.

It works if you accept those terms. A guided day trip removes every connection: pickup in central Rome, an air-conditioned vehicle down, a stop at Pompeii or straight to the coast, time in Positano or Amalfi, a boat leg if the tour includes one, and the return in the evening. You see the coast, you swim or eat lunch above the sea, you photograph Positano from the water, and you sleep in Rome.

It does not work if what you want is the slow Amalfi Coast of long lunches, beach afternoons and a boat to Capri. For that you need at least two nights on the coast, and the private transfer or the train and ferry route above is the way to get there.

Our day trips from Rome that include the coast:

• Rome to Pompeii, Amalfi Coast and Sorrento day tour: ruins in the morning, Positano and Sorrento in the afternoon
• Rome to Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast, Maiori, a relaxing day of history and sea: Pompeii plus the quieter eastern coast
• Rome to Amalfi scenic day trip by train and boat: the high-speed train to Salerno and the coast from the water

The Pompeii and Amalfi combination is covered from the Pompeii side in our Rome to Pompeii day trip guide.

Which town should you aim for?

Positano is the vertical one: pastel houses stacked above a beach, boutiques, and the classic view from the water. It is the most visited and the most expensive, and it is the first town from the Sorrento side, so buses and boats reach it first.

Amalfi is the historic capital of the coast, with a cathedral on a great staircase, a real town behind it, and the main ferry pier. It is the transport hub of the coast, so a day trip that lands here can branch out by boat.

Ravello sits on the hill above Amalfi with the gardens of Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone and the best views of the coast from above. No beach, no ferry, and a bus or taxi ride up from Amalfi.

Maiori and Minori, east of Amalfi, have the widest beaches on the coast and far fewer visitors, which is why our Maiori day trip goes there.

Sorrento is not on the Amalfi Coast at all, but on the north side of the peninsula facing Naples and Vesuvius. It is the easiest place to reach by train and the natural base for people who want to combine Pompeii, the coast and Capri without a car.

When to go

April to June and September to October are the months to aim for: ferries running, the coast road moving, warm enough to swim from late May, and not yet the crush of high summer. Salerno ferries generally run April to October and Sorrento ferries May to October, so outside those months the bus is the only public option along the coast.

July and August bring the heat, the traffic and the crowds. Positano's beach and lanes are packed by late morning, and the coast road can double the bus times. If summer is your only option, the ferry legs matter more than ever.

November to March is quiet and beautiful on clear days, but many hotels and restaurants close, ferries stop, and a day trip from Rome loses much of its point.

Practical notes for the coast

• Cars. Positano and Amalfi limit traffic in their centers. Even with a private transfer, expect a walk from the drop-off point to your hotel, often downhill on stairs.
• Motion sickness. The SS163 has hundreds of tight curves. Sit facing forward, choose the ferry when you can, and take medication before the bus if you know you are susceptible.
• Luggage on ferries. One carry-on is included in a ferry fare; larger bags are charged.
• Shoes. Positano is built on staircases. Flat shoes with grip, not flip-flops, for the walk down to the beach and back up.
• Book ferries ahead on summer weekends. The boats are small and sell out.

Let someone else drive 

Every Amalfi Coast day trip on our site includes pickup in Rome, transport and, where the itinerary includes Pompeii, the named entry ticket and a licensed guide. Compare them on our Pompeii and day trips page, or ask our local planner to arrange a private transfer to your coast hotel.