Positano has no train station, no airport and only one narrow, winding road, so getting there is part of the adventure and worth planning properly. Whether you are coming from Naples, Rome or nearby Sorrento, you will arrive by some combination of train, bus, ferry or car, and the choice you make shapes the whole first impression. Here is how each route works, what it costs, roughly how long it takes, and the way I would actually do it.
From Naples
Naples is the main gateway, home to the nearest major airport and the fast-train hub. There are three ways down to Positano from here.
The most scenic is the ferry, and in summer it is the arrival to choose, because seeing Positano rise from the water for the first time is unforgettable. There is no direct Naples to Positano boat, so you transfer in Sorrento or Salerno; allow around an hour and a half in total and roughly 30 euro, and note that ferries run from around April to October only.
The most budget-friendly is train plus bus. Take the Campania Express or the Circumvesuviana train from Naples to Sorrento, about 45 minutes and around 8 euro, then change onto the blue SITA Sud bus from Sorrento to Positano, which leaves roughly every half hour through the day, takes about 45 minutes along the cliff road, and costs only a few euros. Buy the bus ticket before you board, from the tabacchi or newsstand at the station.
The most comfortable is a private transfer, a car and driver from Naples airport or station straight to your hotel’s nearest drop-off point, which typically runs from about 120 to 190 euro per car for up to a few passengers. With luggage, in a group, or after a long flight, it is money well spent.
From Rome
Rome is further, but easy in stages. Take a high-speed train from Roma Termini to Naples, about an hour and ten minutes, then continue from Naples exactly as above, by ferry or by train and bus. Alternatively, take a train to Salerno and catch a ferry from there to Positano in the warmer months, which is a relaxed and pretty approach from the eastern side of the coast. Budget most of a day for the journey door to door, and do not try to rush it.
From Sorrento
If you are already based in Sorrento, you are close. The SITA bus runs frequently along the coast road and takes about 40 minutes for just a few euros, though it can be crowded and standing-room-only in high season. The nicer option is the ferry, roughly 40 minutes across calm water with the coast unrolling beside you, for somewhere around 18 to 24 euro. On a fine day, take the boat.
From Salerno
Salerno is the coast’s other gateway, and an underrated one, especially if you are arriving from the south or from the Rome direction by train. High-speed and regional trains reach Salerno easily, and from its port the ferries run west along the whole Amalfi Coast, calling at Amalfi and on to Positano in the warmer months. Coming this way you approach Positano from the east, watching the famous villages slide past one by one, which is a lovely first act. Allow roughly an hour to ninety minutes on the boat from Salerno depending on the stops, and check the seasonal timetable, as sailings thin out sharply outside summer.
Should You Drive to Positano?
Short answer: no, unless you have a specific reason to. The Amalfi coast road is famously beautiful and famously nerve-wracking, narrow, twisting and busy with buses, and Positano itself is a pedestrian village where you cannot drive into the centre at all. Parking is scarce and expensive, often 30 euro or more a day in the garages at the top of the village. If you do arrive by car, you will park high up and walk or shuttle down, and then leave the car untouched for your whole stay. For almost everyone, ferry or bus is easier, cheaper and far more relaxing.
Getting Around Once You Arrive
Inside Positano, you walk, and you walk downhill on the way out and uphill on the way back, all of it steps. A small internal orange bus loops the one-way road through the village for about 1.30 euro, which is a blessing for the climb back up to the top after a day on the beach. For beaches out of town, day trips to Amalfi and Capri, and simply seeing the coast at its best, use the ferries and the little boats from the main pier. Keep some cash for buses and boat tickets, and always check the last ferry and last bus times if you are out for the evening.
The Way I Would Do It
Fly into Naples, and if it is ferry season, take the boat down by way of Sorrento so your first sight of Positano is from the sea. Travel light, because every route ends in steps, and arrange for your hotel to help with bags from the nearest drop-off. Give the journey the time it needs rather than fighting it; the getting there, along this coast, is genuinely part of the holiday.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the closest airport to Positano?
Naples International Airport is the nearest major airport, about two to three hours from Positano by public transport or roughly ninety minutes by private transfer. Rome is the next option, reached by fast train to Naples and onward from there.
Is it better to take the ferry or the bus to Positano?
The ferry is more scenic, more comfortable and gives you that unforgettable arrival from the water, but it only runs from around April to October. The bus is cheaper and runs year-round, but it is slower, winding and often crowded. In season, take the ferry.
Do you need a car in Positano?
No, and a car is usually a liability. You cannot drive into the pedestrian centre, parking is scarce and expensive, and the coast road is stressful to drive. Arrive by ferry or bus and get around by boat, the local bus and on foot.
How long does it take to get from Naples to Positano?
By ferry via Sorrento, around an hour and a half. By train to Sorrento then the SITA bus, roughly two to two and a half hours with the connection. By private transfer, about ninety minutes door to door.
Can you get to Positano from Rome in a day?
Yes. Take a high-speed train from Rome to Naples in about seventy minutes, then continue by ferry or by train and bus. Allow most of a day door to door and you will arrive relaxed.
Once you have arrived, settle in with my where to stay in Positano guide, plan your days with the Positano itinerary, and see my complete guide to Positano for everything else.
