Here’s the thing nobody tells you before booking the Amalfi Coast: hiring a car is often the worst possible decision.
The coast road is a single lane each way, cut into a cliff, with blind hairpins and buses coming the other way. Parking, where it exists, costs more per day than a decent lunch. In August the whole thing gridlocks.
The buses and ferries are genuinely fine. Better than fine, actually. But they have rules that nobody explains, so here they are.
Where to Base Yourself Matters Most
Get this right and the transport problem mostly solves itself.
Sorrento is the best base for a first visit even though it’s technically not on the Amalfi Coast. It has the train to Naples and Pompeii, ferries to Capri and Positano, buses along the coast, and far more hotels at sane prices.
Amalfi town is the best base if you want to be on the coast itself, because it’s the ferry and bus hub. Everything connects through it.
Positano is the most beautiful and the most awkward. It’s built vertically, so every journey involves several hundred steps, and the bus stops are up on the main road well above the town.
Praiano is the underrated one. Quiet, cheaper, between Positano and Amalfi, and on every bus route.
The Ferries: Use These Whenever You Can
Ferries are the good option and most visitors underuse them.
They’re faster than the bus for the same journey, you get a seat, you get the coast from the water which is the best angle on it, and they don’t get stuck in traffic.
The main routes run Sorrento to Positano to Amalfi, with connections to Capri and Salerno. Journey times are roughly 30 to 50 minutes between the main towns.
The catch: they only run from roughly April to October, and they cancel in rough seas with no notice. Always have a bus plan B, especially in shoulder season.
Buy tickets at the kiosk on the dock. Turn up 20 minutes early in summer because they do fill.
▶ Watch This Before You Go
The SITA Buses: How They Actually Work
Blue SITA buses run the whole coast road and they’re cheap. They are also where most of the frustration happens, so here’s the reality.
Buy tickets before boarding, from a tabaccheria, bar or newsagent with a SITA sign. You cannot buy on board. Then validate the ticket in the machine when you get on, or it’s a fine.
Buses fill at the terminus. If you board halfway along the route in August, there’s a real chance the driver won’t stop because the bus is full. This is the single biggest complaint about the coast and it’s entirely real.
So: travel early, before about 9am, or after 4pm. Board at Sorrento or Amalfi where the buses start rather than at an intermediate stop.
Sit on the right going from Sorrento to Amalfi for the sea views. Going back, sit on the left.
Ravello Needs Its Own Bus
Ravello is 350 metres up a side valley and the coast buses don’t go there. You change at Amalfi onto a separate local bus, which takes about 25 minutes of switchbacks.
It’s absolutely worth doing. Ravello is quieter, cooler and the villa gardens have the best views on the entire coast. Villa Cimbrone’s Terrace of Infinity is the famous one.
There’s also a footpath down from Ravello to Atrani and Amalfi, about an hour of steps, which is a lovely way to return.
The Walking Option Everyone Forgets
The coast is laced with old mule paths connecting the villages, and they predate the road by centuries.
The Sentiero degli Dei, the Path of the Gods, runs from Bomerano to Nocelle above Positano. Three hours, mostly downhill if you go that direction, and the views are better than anything from the road.
Get the bus up to Bomerano from Amalfi and walk back down. Then it’s 1,700 steps down to Positano, or a small local bus if your knees have opinions.
Other paths link Amalfi to Atrani to Ravello, and Praiano to Positano. Most take under two hours and almost nobody uses them.
Getting There and Back
From Naples airport: the Curreri bus goes directly to Sorrento in about 75 minutes and is the simplest option. Or the Alibus into Naples, then the Circumvesuviana train.
The Circumvesuviana is cheap, frequent and pretty rough. It works, it’s crowded, and pickpocketing is a genuine issue on it. Keep bags in front of you.
From Rome: train to Naples takes just over an hour, then as above. It’s an easy morning.
For Salerno at the eastern end, the train from Rome or Naples goes direct and ferries run from there along the coast.
What It All Costs
Bus tickets between coast towns are a couple of euros. A day ticket exists and pays for itself in three journeys.
Ferries run considerably more, roughly five times a bus fare for the same leg, and are worth it.
Compare that to a hire car: rental, fuel, tolls, and parking that can run to 30 euros a day in Positano. The maths isn’t close :/
The Honest Downsides
You’ll wait. Buses run late, ferries cancel, and connections are loose. Build slack into every day and don’t plan three towns in one afternoon.
Late evening transport thins out badly. The last buses run earlier than you’d expect, so check before committing to dinner two towns away.
And it’s hot. Standing at a roadside bus stop at 2pm in July is genuinely unpleasant. Another reason to move early.
Common Questions
Do you need a car on the Amalfi Coast? No, and most visitors are better off without one. Buses, ferries and footpaths cover everything.
Where should I stay without a car? Sorrento for connections and value, Amalfi for being central on the coast, Praiano for quiet on the bus route.
Are the ferries reliable? Generally yes from April to October, but they cancel in rough weather. Always know the bus alternative.
How do I get from Naples airport to Positano? Curreri bus to Sorrento, then SITA bus or ferry. Roughly three hours door to door.
Is one day enough for the Amalfi Coast? No, honestly. Transport eats time. Three nights is the minimum to see Positano, Amalfi and Ravello without rushing.
