Positano Transportation

Take the SITA bus for the entire coast. The roads are too narrow, too far, too treacherous to walk (please don't even try).

You can't drive in either, they restrict the number of cars allowed to pass through the area - there's no place to park anyway!

Take the SITA bus - it's scary but quite an experience, and very scenic. If not for anything, you'll admire the skill of Italian bus drivers.

You can pretty much see the entire Amalfi-Positano-Ravello coast on a SITA bus.

Besides, it's cheap!

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Day trips to Capri are made on the ferry, which is actually a tugboat-sized craft with benches on an open deck. From Naples and Sorrento much larger and faster hydrofoils are used. In season, tickets for the ferry should be purchased from the little kiosk on the west end of the Positano beach. The ferry begins in Sorrento and stops in Amalfi so to ensure a seat during high season buy early. The trip can be choppy as the boat passes the legendary home of the Scylla and Charybis, the sirens of Homer's Odyssey. The landing area at Positano is an unprotected pier so in rough weather it will just bypass. If this happens returning from Capri, the next stop is Amalfi. Fortunately the bus station is immediately adjacent so returning is not difficult although obviously inconvenient. The enclosed photos show Positano and Marina Grande from the ferry.

Anne and I travelled through Europe for 4.5 weeks with another couple, Brian and Amanda. We flew into Rome and out of Paris. During these 9 days in Rome and Paris we did not require a vehicle so we leased a Peugot for 22 days.
This proved to be a cost effective move because we only paid approx AUS$1200 per couple for the car which included all of the insurance, taxes and stamp duties and the car came "fully insured with no excess!" When you think of the money you spend on trains/busabout tickets etc without the freedom of choice, this is an excellent way to see what you want to see!

If you are going to hire a car to drive around the Amalfi Coast, Positano, or any of the other cities in the area, make sure you hire a SMALL one. We hired a family sedan and although most of the coast road was ok, driving in the towns with their tiny streets was a problem. There are large tourist buses that scream up and down the coast road and often you will have to stop to give way. So it's just easier to have a smaller car.

I rented a car and drove my family along the Almafi coast. It is do-able but a difficult drive. Only for the adventerous.... The road is VERY small and twists along the mountainside. Frequently you are driving thru mirrors that are, thankfully, placed on many of the tight corners so you can see on-comming traffic. It is certainly a test in concentration and focus and not for those predisposed to car sickness. For me, a slow patient driver, I found it quite enjoyable.

The most difficult part of this drive are the tour buses. The roads are too small for the Italian compact car much less the HUGE tour buses that seem to flock here. Frequently there is heavy traffic as the buses require the entire road.... and well it is a 2 way road...... to get through. I hate to say it would be easier in a tour bus, as the buses are incredibly dangerous on this road, but at least you would not have to drive.....

Take the boat along the Amalfi coast! It gives you a completely new perspective on this beautiful piece of earth.
I took it twice, once from Positano via Amalfi to Salerno and another time just from Amalfi to Salerno. Both times I really enjoyed the view.

Check the webpage below for the connections and the timetable.

We took the bus from Sorrento to Positano, thus enduring a nerve-wracking forty minute journey along the coast roads. Getting from Sorrento to San Pietro was fine, but once we reached the long and very winding road to Positano, things became a little scary. At moments it really felt as if we were close to going over the side, as there is little between the roads and a straight drop down the cliffs, so I was more than a little relieved to reach Positano safely. For those willing to brave the bus, I think it cost 1.80 for a single, and the bus company is called SITA. We did take the bus later on from Amalfi back to Sorrento, but being on the other side of the road this journey was a lot nicer.

Driving along the Amalfi Coast , except for the A3 to and from Salerno, means driving on winding two-lane narrow roads. Although (and perhaps because) driving there requires high levels of concentration, accidents are not frequent.
Even so, WATCH OUT !! Scooters and buses are everywere and it's amazing to see these people driving along these serpentine roads... If you don't have a bit of sense of adventure, do not drive there...
The roads are realy narrow and driving conditions are extreme but, on the other hand..... the views will make you forget all about it.