Getting to the Amalfi Coast from Naples is incredibly easy, and regardless of your budget, travel style and even amount of time you intend to spend there, you will find something suitable.
This gorgeous region of Southern Italy, located just 57.5 km (35.7 miles) from Naples (that’s the distance by road between Naples and Positano, the first of the small towns of the Amalfi Coast coming from Naples) is filled to the brim with lovely, quaint towns, tiny coves perfect for a dip in the sea, gorgeous views throughout and lots of delicious restaurants. It’s so beautiful that it would be a real pity to miss it when in Naples, even if only for a day!
If you want to check it out, you will surely want to know how to get there. Continue reading, then! In this post, I will share all the available options to get to the Amalfi Coast from Naples.
Make sure to read my posts The Best Things To Do In The Amalfi Coast and Where To Stay In The Amalfi Coast.
How To Get To The Amalfi Coast From Naples
Take the train and the bus to the Amalfi Coast From Naples
This is the cheapest ways to get to the Amalfi Coast from Naples is by bus, however, there’s a catch: it’s also the most time consuming. In order to get the bus, you’ll first need to get to Sorrento by train because there are no direct buses from Naples. Sorrento is not part of the Amalfi Coast but it’s fairly close.
The first step in this journey is to make your way to the train station in Naples. There are actually two stations: Napoli Centrale, and Napoli Garibaldi station. They are in the exact same spot, and share the same metro station: Garibaldi. Once you are there, you’re going to see a main ticket area where you can purchase tickets from machines but this isn’t where you’ll get tickets to Sorrento.
You need to follow the signs to the Circumvesuviana train – it’s the blue line, the same that goes to Pompeii, to be clear. This one-hour train trip costs €3.90 and the route is available all year round. The first train departs at 5:57 am, whereas the last one is at 9:33 pm.
The Circumvesuviana trains are not managed by Trenitalia, but by the Ente Autonomo Volturno (EAV). You will find the exact timetable and the prices of tickets on the EAV website here. The site is in Italian, but there is a button on the right hand side of the menu for English that will take you to the timetable. You can’t buy tickets online in advance and you can’t reserve seats.
Make sure to read my post The Best Things To Do In Sorrento.
From Sorrento, you can take the public SITA bus to Amalfi and other towns along the Amalfi Coast. This bus leaves Sorrento Railway Station approximately every 45 to 50 minutes, with the first one departing at 6:30 am and the last one departing at 7:00 pm, and with stops in Positano, Praiano and Amalfi. The journey all the way to Amalfi (last stop) takes about one hour and 30 minutes.
You can catch this bus from other points in Sorrento, but crowding at peak times may mean having to wait for a later bus if the one you’re waiting for is full by the time it reaches you. This is because most people board at the train station.
A bus ticket with SITA will cost you around €3 to €4 depending on where you get off. If you wish to make several stops along the way, there’s an option to purchase a ticket that allows you to hop on and hop off at various points over a period of 24 hours. It’s in the range of €10.
The website of SITA is probably the worse you can imagine. Don’t even try to make sense of it!
If you are traveling to the Amalfi Coast from Naples Capodichino International Airport, you’ll first have to reach Sorrento too. In this case, you can hop on a bus operated by Currieri Viaggi, which has 8 daily rides between the airport and Sorrento, starting at 9:00 am and until 7:30 pm. The bus takes around one hour and 15 minutes to reach Piazza de Curtis in Sorrento from the airport. Tickets cost €10. Once in Sorrento, you’ll have to hop on the SITA bus to one of the villages on the Amalfi Coast.
Hop on the ferry from Naples to Amalfi Coast, via Sorrento
One option that may not be on your radar for transportation from Naples to Amalfi coast is by ferry. This is the most scenic way of getting to the Amalfi Coast from Naples, but it’s actually seasonal, with ferries operating only from April to the end of September and in some cases only from mid June to mid September.
NLG operates a direct ferry (actually, it’s a hydrofoil) from Naples to the Amalfi Coast from April to September, with daily departures from the Molo Beverello ((near the Municipio and the Maschio Angioino castle) at 8:35 am and 2:40 pm. Tickets to Positano are €27,50 whereas the ride to Amalfi costs €28,50. The trip lasts little less than two hours.
For the full schedule of NLG, click here.
Alilauro operates a direct hydrofoil to the Amalfi Coast from Naples only from 15 June to 15 September, and only on Saturday and Sunday, when it departs from Naples Molo Beverello at 8:10 am and at 4:55 pm. The 8:10 am hydrofoil stops in Positano and Amalfi, whereas the 4:55 pm one only stops in Amalfi. Tickets are €20.
For the full schedule of Alilauro, click here.
If you choose to reach the Amalfi Coast via the ferry service, be advised that it gets very busy in the summer months and it’s best to arrive early. Also be aware that the hydrofoils can’t operate in bad weather so if the winds are particularly high or there’s very heavy rain, your trip may be postponed.
Can’t make the direct hydrofoil but you’d still like to go to the Amalfi Coast by boat? From April to October, you also have the option to take the Alilauro hydrofoil from Naples to Sorrento and from there to the Amalfi Coast. There are daily departures at 9:00 am, 11:00 am; 3:05 pm and 5:15 pm. A one way ticket costs €13,20 and the ride to Sorrento takes about 40 minutes. The ferry from Sorrento to the Amalfi Coast leaves at 9:15 am; 10:30 am; 2:30 pm and 5:10 pm. The ferry stops in Positano before making its way to Amalfi. The 5:10 pm ferry also stops in Maiori and Praiano. Tickets are €15.
Join a guided tour of the Amalfi Coast from Naples
Another option to get from Naples to the Amalfi Coast. For a more all-inclusive experience, a guided tour is a great way to not only get to the popular vacation area, but it’s also a great way to see and experience it.
While a guided tour won’t allow you the same freedom as a self-guided tour in a rental car, it’ll take a lot of the work out of planning and it’ll allow you to kick back in comfort while someone else does all the preparation. You likely won’t stop at every place you’d like to stop but you’ll get to see all the main attractions.
As you move toward the coast and then along it, your guide will provide information about the area. This is a great way to learn about the history of the attractions you visit and learn about the culture of the people who live there.
Every tour is different, so there’s sure to be one that visits most of the things you want to see and do. There are even some tours that offer stops at attractions, such as Pompeii, that aren’t even on the Amalfi Coast!
Most tours will pick you up at your hotel or a predetermined location that’s mutually convenient. Of course, the price of one of these guided tours will depend on a number of factors including how large the group is and what’s included but typically, you can expect to pay anywhere from €75 and up per person.
For a guided tour of the Amalfi Coast from Naples with stops in Sorrento, Positano and Amalfi click here.
For a boat tour to Positano, Amalfi and Ravello departing from Naples, click here.
Make sure to also read my post The Best Day Trips From Naples.
Drive to the Amalfi Coast from Naples
Although it will end up costing you more than the ferry, train, or bus, if you’re seeking independence during a trip to the Amalfi Coast, renting a car might be your best option. Driving yourself to your destination means you won’t have to wait around for buses, trains and boats. You won’t have to buy tickets for every leg of the journey and you won’t have to follow a set schedule; you’ll be able to stop as much as you want and go where you want.
See a road that looks like it leads somewhere nice? A public bus will just bypass it. If you’re behind the wheel, you can take a detour and check it out!
A downfall to renting a car in this region is the driving itself, particularly if you’ve never driven in this part of Italy before. Traffic is hectic, especially on weekends and during peak seasons, and the roads are narrow and windy. You might also find it hard to enjoy the scenery while you have your eyes on the road concentrating on traffic. Finally, parking can be a real nightmare.
The drive from Naples to the Amalfi Coast is about 57.5 km (35.7 miles) to Positano, and 70 km (43 miles) to Amalfi. Depending on traffic and where you are stopping, it takes approximately 1.5 hours. While there are three different routes you can take that take roughly the same amount of time, the best one to take is via the A3 and SS163.
From Naples, drive north on Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi before turning right onto Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi and then onto Corso Arnaldo Lucci. When you reach the roundabout, take the second exit onto Via Galileo Ferraris and after 400 meters, take a left turn onto the A3 ramp.
Drive along the A3 for two miles (3.2 kilometers) and at that point stay on the A3 and then turn onto the toll road. Next, take the exit to Vietri Sul Mare until you reach Ponte Ramo Svincolo Vietri. Continue driving along this road until you reach Via Costiera Amalfitana (SS163) and continue driving until you reach your final destination along the coast.
This is the shortest and most convenient route to get from Naples to the Amalfi Coast. There’s another route that is a little longer and passes through Salerno first and is more scenic. The third route is the longest but not much longer and it will get you to the Amalfi Coast via Strada Statale 268 del Vesuvio (SS268).
The overall price of a car rental in the region will depend on the time of year you’re traveling, and the size and type of car you wish to rent. To check the prices of car rental in Naples click here.
Check out my post A Guide To Renting A Car In Naples. You should also read my post How To Drive In Italy.
Get a private transfer from Naples to Amalfi Coast
By far the easiest, quickest and most convenient means of transportation to use when traveling from Naples to the Amalfi Coast is a private transfer. While it’ll cost more than the bus or boat, it’ll cost less than renting the car. The biggest advantage to hiring a private transfer over driving yourself is that you can sit back and relax and enjoy the sights while someone else does the driving! Furthermore, you won’t have to wait on buses or stop at places along the way that are not part of your itinerary.
Transfers are available 24 hours a day and are a great option if you’re arriving in Naples by plane and want to head out to the Amalfi Coast right away. Alternatively, you can definitely get a transfer from your hotel in Naples. Keep in mind that most companies do require you to book a few days in advance.
Once you book the ride, you’ll receive cordial service that’s always on time and a ride in a comfortable car or van with air conditioning for those days when the temperatures soar. Of course, this price depends on how many people will be traveling with you, when you travel and whether you prefer a luxury car or a more simple option.
If you drive straight to the Amalfi Coast without stopping along the way, it will take about two hours to get there.
You can get a quote for a private transfer from Naples to one of the small towns on the Amalfi Coast here or here.
Further Readings
Are you planning a trip to Naples? These other posts may be useful:
- The Best Things To Do In Naples
- The Best Itinerary To See Naples In One Day
- Is Naples Safe?
- Where To Stay In Naples
- The Best Food In Naples
- A Useful Guide To Visiting Pompeii, Italy
- How To Get Tickets To Pompeii
- How To Get From Naples To Pompeii
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