Full-Day Amalfi Coast Experience from Sorrento, Naples or Salerno
Meets in Sorrento, at Naples' cruise terminal or at Salerno's, whichever suits.
From $110 per person
Check AvailabilityGetting to the Amalfi Coast
There is no railway station on the Amalfi Coast. Not one of the thirteen towns has one, and that single absence shapes every arrival: you get to Sorrento or to Salerno by train, and then you continue by road or by water. Here is what that means from each of the places people actually start.
From Naples airport (NAP)
A direct Curreri Viaggi coach to Sorrento, then a bus, boat or tour along the coast. A private transfer straight to your hotel is the alternative and costs several times as much.
How long: Around 75 minutes to Sorrento, then 45 minutes to Positano.
What it costs you in effort: One change and no stairs with luggage if you take the transfer.
Where it drops you: Sorrento's coach terminal, or your own front door.
From Naples city
The Circumvesuviana commuter train from Napoli Porta Nolana or Garibaldi to Sorrento, then onward by SITA bus, ferry or tour. In summer, a direct hydrofoil to Positano and Amalfi runs as well.
How long: About 70 minutes to Sorrento by train.
What it costs you in effort: It is cheap and it is crowded; luggage on the Circumvesuviana is a real consideration.
Where it drops you: Sorrento station, five minutes from Piazza Tasso.
From Rome
High-speed train to Napoli Centrale, then either the Circumvesuviana to Sorrento or a regional train to Salerno and a ferry along the coast.
How long: A little over an hour to Naples, then 70–90 minutes onward.
What it costs you in effort: Doable as a very long day trip; far better as the first leg of a stay.
Where it drops you: Sorrento or Salerno, depending which way you come.
From Salerno
The eastern gateway, and the one most visitors overlook. Salerno is on the national rail network, including high-speed services, and its Molo Concordia is a ferry port for Amalfi, Minori, Maiori, Cetara and Positano.
How long: Twenty-five minutes by ferry to Amalfi in season.
What it costs you in effort: The simplest arrival of all, if the ferries are running.
Where it drops you: Amalfi's Darsena pier, in the middle of the coast.
From a cruise berth at Naples or Salerno
Both ports take ships and they sit at opposite ends of the same problem. Several tours here collect from the cruise terminal by name; one refuses cruise passengers outright because the timing does not work.
How long: Ninety minutes from Naples to the coast; twenty-five minutes by ferry from Salerno.
What it costs you in effort: Book a tour that states cruise pickup in writing, and give yourself an hour of slack.
Where it drops you: Wherever your ship is, at the end of the day.
From Sorrento
Not on the Amalfi Coast, but the base most tours leave from and the best connected town in the region. Cross the ridge by road, or round the point by boat.
How long: About 45 minutes to Positano by road; an hour by boat.
What it costs you in effort: The widest choice of departures anywhere, by a distance.
Where it drops you: Anywhere on the coast.
The ferry season, and what it changes
The passenger boats are the pleasantest way onto this coast and they do not run all year. Operators including Travelmar, Alicost, NLG and Positano Jet work the route roughly from April to October, linking Salerno, Vietri, Cetara, Maiori, Minori, Amalfi, Positano and Sorrento. Out of season, the coast road is the only way in.
| Month | Ferries | Practical effect |
|---|---|---|
| April–May | Starting up | Check the day's timetable; frequencies build through May |
| June–September | Full service | The fastest way between towns, and it skips the road entirely |
| October | Winding down | Most services stop between mid and late October |
| November–March | Stopped | Road only, which means the SS163 or a tour |
Luggage, and the thing nobody warns you about
Every town here is built on staircases, and a wheeled case does not cope with them. Where your accommodation is up a flight — which in Positano it almost certainly is — arrange a porter in advance or pack something you can carry. Ask your hotel before you arrive rather than at the bottom of the steps.
Which arrival suits which trip
Before any of that, it is worth knowing where the towns actually sit relative to each other, because the answer changes which arrival makes sense: the coast map lays it out, and visiting the Amalfi Coast covers how long you need once you are here.
If you are staying on the coast, arrive at Salerno and take the ferry: it is the shortest journey and the best introduction. If you are day-tripping from Naples or Sorrento, join a tour and let the driving happen to somebody else. If you are coming off a ship, book the tour before you book anything else, because the pickup point decides the rest of the day.
Arriving without a car?
Most of the days listed here collect you in Sorrento, at a cruise terminal or at a named pier, so the journey in is part of what you booked.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a train to the Amalfi Coast?
No. Not one of the thirteen towns has a railway station, which is the single fact that shapes every journey here. The nearest rail heads are Sorrento, on the Circumvesuviana line from Naples, and Salerno, which sits on the national network including high-speed services. From either you continue by bus, boat, taxi or tour.
How do I get to the Amalfi Coast from Naples?
By road or by water. The Circumvesuviana train runs from Naples to Sorrento in about 70 minutes and you change there for a bus, a boat or a tour; a direct coach or a private transfer takes you over the pass and onto the coast road instead. In season, ferries link Salerno, Amalfi and Positano.
Can I reach the coast from Rome in a day?
Yes, and one tour here does exactly that with the train tickets included, though it makes for a long day. Naples is a little over an hour from Rome by high-speed train and the coast is another ninety minutes beyond that. If the coast is the point of the trip rather than a stop on it, two nights repays the effort.
Do the ferries run all year?
No. The passenger boats between Salerno, Amalfi, Positano and Sorrento are seasonal, running roughly from April to October, and while they last they are the fastest link between towns. Out of season the coast road is the only way along the coast.
Is Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast?
No, and it catches people out every season. Sorrento sits on the northern side of the Sorrentine Peninsula facing the Bay of Naples, while the Amalfi Coast is the southern side facing the Gulf of Salerno. It is the most convenient base for reaching the coast, which is why so many tours start there, but you cross the ridge to get onto the coast itself.
Days that start where you arrive
Pompeii and Amalfi Coast Private Day Trip with Pick Up
Hotel pickup and a departure window you choose, with Pompeii on the way.
From $473 per person
Check AvailabilityAmalfi Coast & Positano: Boat Tour with Snorkeling & Drinks
Boards at Amalfi, Positano, Sorrento or Salerno — four ways in, one boat.
From $110 per person
Check AvailabilityOnce you are here, Amalfi Coast day trips are compared on price and length on Amalfi Coast Italy Tours.