The Ultimate Guide to Transportation on the Amalfi Coast

23

Oct

You can view all posts from my trip to Italy here.

I did NOT have the best experience with traveling to and from the Amalfi Coast. I hope you can learn from my experience though! The Amalfi Coast is such a beautiful place, so once you actually get there, it’s definitely worth it. There are a few different ways you can get around the Amalfi Coast, and each have their pros and cons (except my train experience, that was all cons). So here’s a guide to transportation on the Amalfi Coast so you can hopefully have a better journey than me!

The Ultimate Guide to Transportation on the Amalfi Coast

By train

So the Amalfi Coast was the last stop during our trip to Italy, and while we had an amazing time there, the journey getting there was ROUGH. All of our trains in Italy had been great other than a few mishaps, but theΒ Circumvesuviana train at the Naples station was a whole different story. TheΒ Circumvesuviana connects Naples to places like Herculaneum,Β Pompeii, and Sorrento, and weΒ had decided to take the train from Naples to Sorrento (where we would catch a bus) because we were familiar with the trains in Italy and it was cheaper than getting a taxi or a private car.

We were misinformed about what kind of tickets we could get by the website that apparently hadn’t been updated in months, so we were struggling to figure out what kind of tickets we needed with our poor Italian. The website said that we could purchase a 72-hour ticket that also includes the bus, but apparently they didn’t do those tickets anymore and we had to buy two 1 way train tickets and bus tickets separately.

Unlike most of the trains in Italy where you just buy a ticket for your location and validate it at the kiosk, you have to make sure you get the correct ticket and insert it to go through the gates and onto the platform. Once we finally sorted it out, we went to the station. I’ve been on trains all over the U.S. and Europe, and theΒ Circumvesuviana is one of the dirtiest and most run down ones I’ve ever been on. One website was polite and described it as “scruffy,” but that’s much too nice of a word.

The train we needed apparently doesn’t run often enough, so there were MASSIVE crowds waiting to get on the train. It was honestly one of the most packed crowds I’ve ever been in. It was getting late in the day, so we were really nervous that we weren’t going to be able to get on the train and then the bus we needed to get to our hotel.

The train finally arrived, and we fought (and I mean really fought!) to get on with all our luggage. People were throwing elbows and shoving their way on, and I’m sure I knocked into my share of people with my suitcase just trying to move it. We were packed in worse than sardines! There was absolutely no room to move any part of your body. Then after a few minutes of relief of actually miraculously making it on the train, there was an announcement in Italian and everyone started getting off. Us panicked Americans had absolutely no idea what was going on, and thankfully an elderly man befriended Mariah and tried to explain what was going on in broken English. It had turned out that they mislabeled the train, and it was going off in another direction.

So we had to do the process all over again, with even more people who had come to the station in the time that had passed! We crossed to the other side and waited, even more worried than before. Finally, the RIGHT train came, and we fought our way on again, knocking into people with our suitcases and getting our feet stomped on. Stephanie’s foot still hasn’t recovered from being trampled, months later. The hour that this entire process took was one of the most stressful and frustrating of my life. My short summary doesn’t even begin to do it justice! This one terrible experience is what inspired me to write this guide to transportation on the Amalfi Coast- I don’t want you guys to have the same rough journey!

The Ultimate Guide to Transportation on the Amalfi Coast

And we didn’t have problems with the train just once- we had issues with the Circumvesuviana on our way out of the Amalfi Coast, too! We got to the station in plenty of time and got seats on the train that was sitting there, but it quickly started filling up. People got upset at us for having luggage (there weren’t any luggage racks on the train, I’m not sure why) and started getting very rude, so we tried our best to make room and just ended up having our giant suitcases on our laps or under our feet the whole time.

Having big pieces of luggage was a hassle for both trains, so if you do take theΒ Circumvesuviana, try to pack light because there aren’t any places to put your luggage other than your lap- if you’re lucky enough to even get a seat.

Thankfully, not everyone on the trains was rude, and we did befriend an Australian woman and a French couple on our way to the coast. Nearly getting trampled to death really brings people together! Also, there was no air conditioning on the trains, so we struggled to open windows to get any sort of air flow. This was May and it was pretty hot already, so I couldn’t image how hot and stuffy it would be in July!

So if you’re planning a trip to the Amalfi Coast, be prepared for issues with the Circumvesuviana or find an alternate route. I would honestly pay good money to get a taxi or a private car to avoid the Circumvesuviana. Lonely Planet also recommends theΒ Campania Express train, but it makes fewer stops, doesn’t run as often, and is more expensive, but I would recommend paying more money for it just to avoid the Circumvesuviana if you can!

The Ultimate Guide to Transportation on the Amalfi Coast

By ferry

There are some ferries that travel along the coast, but they don’t travel often during the off season, so it wasn’t a good option for us, especially since we would be arriving after dark. There are also a few different ferry companies, so it was hard to find the best information on all of them. We were also coming into Naples by train, so we would have had to catch a bus or a taxi to get to the ferry. But if you want to avoid my experience, you should look into catching a ferry if you’re going there during peak season.

You can catch a ferry in the port of Naples, and they stop in Sorrento and you may have to catch another one to get to Positano and Amalfi. If you’re staying anywhere other than Positano or Amalfi (we stayed in Praiano), you may have to catch a bus from where the ferry lets you off. If you’re staying on Capri, you will definitely have to take a ferry or a private boat out there. When we visited Capri, we caught a boat from Positano and it was very easy to find! We took a ferry with Alilauro to Capri and a ferry with Lucibello back to Positano.

The Ultimate Guide to Transportation on the Amalfi Coast

But be aware that the water can be too rough for any ferries to run. The day after we went to Capri, the water was too rough and there were no boats allowed out. And it wasn’t even stormy; the sun was shining all day. The day the ferries were canceled, the buses along the coast got PACKED. So just be prepared for all kinds of transportation craziness if the weather isn’t good!

By car

You can rent a car to drive along the Amalfi Coast, but unless you’re really comfortable driving along curving cliff sides, I really wouldn’t recommend it. There were some insanely tight curves, and the roads are really narrow. I would be way too scared to try driving there! The Positano website also recommends not driving during peak season because traffic can get really backed up. I’m also not sure what the parking situation is like, so that’s another thing you would have to consider.

By bus

Buses are a pretty good and cheap way to get around the Amalfi Coast. Apparently there are buses that leave from Naples, but it was hard to find information on that. Once we finally got off the Circumvesuviana, we had to catch a bus to our hotel in Praiano because there isn’t a train that goes further than Sorrento. There were a few different bus companies, so it was a little confusing trying to find the right now. We asked some locals about exactly which bus we needed and when it would be arriving, and they were very helpful.

It took a while for the bus to come and there were a lot of people waiting, so we were getting a little nervous that we wouldn’t make it on. Once the bus finally arrived, everyone was able to get on because they really pack people onto those Amalfi Coast buses! We were there in May so it wasn’t high tourist season, but I bet the buses are even more packed in the summer. So plan accordingly! Since we had so much luggage, we split up so Morgan and I would load all the luggage under the bus while Mariah and Stephanie got seats, so it worked out pretty well for us.

The bus ride to Praiano was pretty long, but we did get some beautiful views of the coast during sunset!

Amalfi Coast sunset

Amalfi Coast sunset

Amalfi Coast sunset

Amalfi Coast sunset

Amalfi Coast sunset

The Amalfi Coast has some of the curviest and tightest roads I’ve ever seen, so I’m really impressed with how the bus drivers handled it with ease. Also, if you ever get car sick, riding on a hot bus zigzagging around the curving road WILL make you sick. I have vertigo, so I made sure I had my medicine with me. Make sure you bring whatever medicine you need and some water. Gatorade also helps me some when I’m nauseous, so bring some if you can!

There were a few times during our time there where the curve was too tight for both sides of traffic to pass, so the bus driver would lay on his horn to alert oncoming traffic that a huge bus was approaching. There was even a time when two buses were trying to go around a tight curve, and the bus drivers had to get out and talk about which bus would go through first, and then one directed the other to back up to give space for the other bus. And this is while cars and bikes were piling up behind both buses! It was pretty crazy, and I’m really happy that we didn’t try to drive on those insane roads.

Also if you’re wearing a backpack and it’s standing room only on the bus, please take it off so you don’t repeatedly hit a sitting passenger in the face with it when the bus hits those tight curves! Poor Mariah can attest that it’s pretty painful and annoying.

Amalfi Coast sunset

Amalfi Coast sunset

Amalfi Coast sunset

Amalfi Coast sunset

Amalfi Coast sunset

One of the reasons we stayed in Praiano is because it’s a pretty central town, so it was easy to get to both Positano and Amalfi. We also took buses to go back and forth between the towns. The bus system is pretty good, for the most part. There were a few times where a bus didn’t show up and we had to wait a while for the next one, but the time table is pretty easy to figure out. We also learned the hard way that you can’t buy tickets on most buses, so make sure you buy your tickets from local stores ahead of time.

So there you have it- the ultimate guide to transportation on the Amalfi Coast! If you’re planning a trip to the coast, I hope you learned from our terrible experience! But our horrible journey was worth it for the beautiful views on the coast πŸ™‚ Stay tuned for tons of upcoming posts with photos of the beautiful Amalfi Coast!

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Blog, Europe, Italy, Travel, Travel Tips

  1. Melissa Glorioso says:

    I Hello. I will be in Amalfi for 10 days then heading to Capri for 10 days after having spend a week in Sicily. I had planned on taking my large suitcases on the ferry from Amalfi to Capri, then afterwards, Capri to Naples. I am reading they do not allow large pieces of luggage? Are you familiar with that policy? I am about to panic…I need a large suitcase, I will be there a. month. Do I need to hire a private boat?

  2. Taylor Cos says:

    Thank you for sharing your experience! My first time on a train in Italy was shaky too (nothing like your experience though)!

  3. Somnath says:

    I have’nt heard about this part of the country before but your photos are taken properly in the appropriate time to catch the beauty and exquisiteness!!

  4. James says:

    I am actually planning on doing a roadtrip in Italy sonetime in 2018. I don’t own a car and was depating whether I should hire a car or not. Thanks to your post I now have more informations about the best options to get around without having to depend on late trains and other misfortunes. Well detailed post! Thanks a lot!

  5. Nikhila says:

    Those are some really great tips. I loved reading this post. Thanks for sharing!

  6. Madhu says:

    Beautiful post.hv been always fascinated by Italy.thanks for sharing

  7. Taryn says:

    Too funny! I have bought tickets in person at a train station while in Italy which were wrong and also had an ordeal. At least it ended well and you got great pics!!

  8. Such an informative post. Its always good to travel by the public transport while travelling abroad. this post is sure to help a lot to everyone who wishes to visit Amalfi Coast. The place also looks beautiful where the mountain meets the ocean. Thanks for this post.

  9. Amalfi coast and Positano was on my travel wishlist for a long time but I think I keep putting it off because of how complicated local transport is.. never seems to be an easy option! Your detailed guide gives me good tips tho of what to do or don’t do!

    • Julia says:

      I think it can get complicated in the off season when things aren’t running often, but it’s definitely worth a visit if you get the chance!

  10. sorry you had to deal with that! I boarded the train in Naples to Herculaeum and got on the wrong one – a guy kept saying Sorrento and I said no so when train made a stop I had to get off and back track (others followed me)
    I have a private guide friend who drives me around Amalfi drive. from Naples I met him after my time in Capri taking the ferry
    I don’t recommend the train you took because it’s known for theft from tourists and utter chaos

  11. Hey Julia,

    So sorry for your experience! I can definitely relate – Iived in Italy for a year and sometimes you just need to sit back and accept the ‘Italian way of doing things’. Haha!

  12. Laura says:

    Such a useful guide – thanks for sharing! x

  13. Mayi says:

    Sorry you had to experience this but glad you did because you wrote this great post πŸ˜‰ I always wondered how to travel to the Amalfi coast. I now know the options, so thanks!

  14. Abby says:

    OMG! I always wanted to take the train down to the Amalfi Coast, but my sis convinced me to pre-book a bus. Reading your blog, I’m so glad I listened to her!
    I’ve only been to Naples so far, but plan on going to Praiano next year based on your blog. Tjanks so much for posting!

  15. Jenn says:

    What an adventure! I’m sure you’ll be laughing about this for years to come.

  16. Lena says:

    We always thought we would drive when we went to Italy so your post is super helpful. Good to know about the winding roads and other alternatives in case we decide not to drive!

  17. Staci says:

    OMG what a stressful experience. No matter where we go my husband wants to rent a car and drive – those curvy cliff roads would terrify me!! Awesome and informative post though, thanks!

  18. Tonya says:

    Thank you for all the great tips on getting around the AMALFI COAST.

  19. Lien_Bee says:

    Ciao! ? I would also recommend using BlaBlaCar to get to the Amalfi Coast. It’s cheap and trustworthy, my flatmate uses it all the time to travel from our apartment in the North to the South for her work. At the end of my Erasmus in February I’m thinking to do the same.

  20. Julia says:

    This is such a useful post! Public transport in Italy can be hell haha, especially their small, old trains. Not updating their websites seems to be fairly common, so when I need to take public transport there I always buy tickets when I get there and not online, in case something goes wrong! I haven’t taken the buses too often but it does seem to be rather good in comparison!

    Julia x
    Last Post: Why I Am Buying Less | http://juliaspeaksbeauty.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/lifestyle-why-i-am-buying-less.html

    • Julia says:

      Yeah I was surprised how old some of the trains are! I’ve definitely learned my lesson not to depend on their websites!

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