Getting Around the Amalfi Coast: Buses, Ferries and Paths

The Amalfi Coast has one main road, the SS163 Amalfitana, cut into the cliff above the sea. Getting around without a car means three things: the blue SITA buses on that road, the ferries along the shore, and the old stepped paths that join the towns above both.

Amalfi is the hub. Four SITA lines start at its harbour and most ferries call at its pier, so plan each day out from Amalfi rather than from Positano, which has only the one coast line.

The essentials:

• Buses: SITA Sud, single tickets from €1.60 since 1 October 2026, or €10 for 24 hours

• Ferries: Travelmar all year from Salerno; NLG and Positano Jet until early November

• Hub: Amalfi, for the buses to Positano, Ravello, Agerola and Salerno

• On foot: stepped paths link Amalfi, Atrani, Ravello, Praiano and Positano

• Cars: odd and even number plates on October weekends, 10:00 to 18:00

Main Routes at a Glance

Most trips on the coast are one of these four. Times and fares are for the autumn 2026 timetables; the SITA timetable changes again on 2 November.

Sorrento to Positano

• Bus: SITA 5070, 50 minutes direct or about 1 hour 10 via Meta

• Ferry: NLG or Positano Jet, about 40 minutes, €20.50 to €21.50

• Taxi: about €130 to €150, with no official tariff in Positano

• Where to board: the SITA stop outside Sorrento's Circumvesuviana station, or the ferries at Marina Piccola below the town

The bus is cheaper and runs all year. The ferry is easier with a suitcase and on the stomach, but NLG charges €5 a bag and sells no tickets at Positano's pier for the trip back, so buy the return online.

Positano to Amalfi

• Bus: SITA 5070, 40 minutes, about every 30 minutes from 06:20

• Ferry: Travelmar or Positano Jet, 25 minutes, €10; NLG €13

• Taxi: €90 from Amalfi's rank, a fixed council fare

This is the busiest leg on the coast. In summer, expect queues at the Positano bus stops in the late afternoon, when the ferry is the quicker way back to Amalfi.

Naples to Positano

• Ferry: NLG or Positano Jet from Molo Beverello, 1 hour 10 to 1 hour 30, €31 to €32

• Train and bus: Circumvesuviana to Sorrento in about 70 minutes, then SITA 5070

• Taxi: €145 fixed fare from Naples, plus motorway tolls

No bus runs from Naples airport to Positano. The Curreri bus goes to Sorrento and the Pintour bus to Amalfi, so either way you change for the last leg.

Positano to Capri

• Ferry: NLG €24 or Positano Jet €29, about 50 minutes

• Landing tax: €5 from April to October and €2.50 in winter; Positano Jet includes it

• Season: until 3 November with NLG and 31 October with Positano Jet

NLG's boats leave Positano for Capri at 09:15, 10:55 and 16:35 in the season. Out of season, go to Capri from Sorrento or Naples instead, where NLG keeps some sailings all year.

By SITA Bus

SITA Sud runs the coast buses. Line 5070 links Amalfi, Positano and Sorrento, 5110 climbs to Ravello and Scala, 5120 runs east through Maiori to Salerno, and 5080 goes up to Agerola for the Path of the Gods. The SITA timetables are posted as PDFs for each line.

Single tickets went up on 1 October 2026 and are priced by distance: €1.60 from Amalfi to Ravello, €3.00 to Salerno and €3.60 to Sorrento. The COSTIERASITA ticket, still €10 on SITA's site, gives 24 hours of travel from Sorrento to Salerno, with your name written on it.

Buy tickets before you board, at a tabacchi or in the UnicoCampania app. The driver sells them too, but a ticket bought on board costs more, and at Amalfi and Positano the summer queues can mean waiting for the next bus.

Each passenger can bring one small bag of up to 50 × 30 × 25 cm free. Larger cases need a ticket of their own and travel in the hold if there is room.

Positano's Two Stops: Chiesa Nuova and Sponda

The coast bus stops twice in Positano. Chiesa Nuova is at the top of the town, where the walk down through the lanes starts; Sponda is lower, at the Amalfi end, and the closer stop for the beach.

Heading for Sorrento, board at Sponda, which buses reach before Chiesa Nuova. In summer the buses can arrive full at the upper stop, and the extra stop in the queue can mean a seat.

Seats, Queues and Travel Sickness

The road is one bend after another, and some passengers feel sick on the hour from Sorrento. Sit on the right going south from Sorrento for the sea view, take the ferry if bends trouble you, and look ahead rather than down at a phone.

In summer, buses that are already full drive past the stops in between, such as Praiano. Board where the line starts, at Sorrento or Amalfi, and never plan a tight bus connection to a train or a flight.

By Ferry

Ferries are faster than the bus between the main towns and keep you off the road, and the trip itself is one of the things to do on the Amalfi Coast. Travelmar sails between Salerno, Amalfi and Positano, while NLG and Positano Jet run the longer routes to Sorrento, Capri and Naples.

Travelmar runs from Salerno to Amalfi all year. NLG's season ends on 3 November 2026 and Positano Jet's on 31 October, so check the ferry season before you plan a day around a boat.

Luggage costs extra on the boats: €3 a case on Travelmar and €5 on NLG, which carries one bag of up to 50 × 30 × 15 cm and 5 kg free.

When Ferries Are Cancelled

Positano has a single landing stage at the Spiaggia Grande, open to the wind, and boats are cancelled in rough sea. Check with the ferry company on the morning, and keep the SITA bus as your way back.

Out of season there are far fewer boats. In winter 2025 to 2026, NLG sailed between Sorrento and Positano only at weekends, so check the timetable before you plan a winter trip by sea.

On Foot Between the Towns

Above the road, old mule tracks and stairways still join the towns. Some are quicker than the bus, and all of them keep you off the SS163, which has no pavement for most of its length.

1. Amalfi to Atrani

Atrani is the next town east, about 10 minutes from Amalfi along the coast road. There is no proper crossing between the Luna Rossa car park by the Atrani tunnel and Amalfi, yet thousands walk it every day, so keep to the sea railing.

2. Atrani to Ravello

The old mule path from Ravello down to Atrani takes about an hour and a half, on stairs most of the way, past the churches of San Michele and the Carmine. According to Atrani's own guide, it was the official road between the two towns until the 1930s.

Going up, CAI path 315 leaves Atrani's Piazza Umberto I and climbs through Castiglione and Torello below Ravello. Take the bus up and walk down, as the stairs are easier on the way down; the bus from Amalfi to Ravello takes 25 minutes.

3. Positano to Nocelle

From Positano, the steps climb to Montepertuso and Nocelle, the two villages above the town. CAI path 331a takes about an hour up from Liparati to Montepertuso, 1.3 km and 353 m of climbing.

From Nocelle, 1,700 steps lead down past Montepertuso to Positano, the usual finish of the Path of the Gods. A local bus links Nocelle, Montepertuso and Positano, so you can walk one way and ride the other.

4. Praiano to Positano

Walkers go from Praiano to Positano over the mountain, not along the road. Two paths climb from Praiano: CAI 327b to Colle La Serra, 1.3 km and 301 m, and the steps past the San Domenico convent at 364 m, the way our Best of the Amalfi Coast week goes on its last walking day.

Both meet the Path of the Gods, which runs west to Nocelle above Positano. From there the steps or the local bus take you down, and the day ends on the beach in Positano.

A Day Trip From Sorrento to Positano

Take an early SITA bus from Sorrento to Chiesa Nuova, about 50 minutes, and walk down through the lanes to the Spiaggia Grande. Two hours is enough for that walk and a swim; a full day lets you climb the steps to Nocelle as well.

Come back by sea. In September and October 2026, NLG left Positano for Sorrento at 16:24 and 17:45, and Positano Jet at 15:40 and 18:40, and the return is easier to buy online before you go.

Reaching the Trailheads

The best walks start above the coast, and a bus reaches each of them. For the Path of the Gods, take SITA 5080 from Amalfi to Bomerano, 40 minutes, with 22 departures on the autumn timetable.

For the Valle delle Ferriere, the Ravello and Scala bus reaches Pontone in 20 minutes. CAI path 323a starts in Piazza San Giovanni and reaches the old ironworks in 30 minutes. Entry to the nature reserve costs €5, and the visit is booked ahead with the Comune di Scala. CAI recommends this way in since a 2022 landslide on path 325 from Amalfi, which now has a bypass.

For the Bay of Ieranto and Punta Campanella, take the SITA bus from Sorrento to Termini, 40 to 45 minutes, with about ten departures a day. CAI path 339 drops 2.8 km from Piazza Santa Croce to the bay in 50 minutes and takes 1 hour 20 back up.

Termini has the fewest buses of these trailheads, so check the last bus back before you set off.

Getting to the Coast

Fly to Naples, the nearest airport, or arrive by train at Naples or Salerno. From there, you choose between a bus or train to Sorrento, a bus to Amalfi, or a ferry.

From Naples Airport and Station

The Curreri bus leaves Naples airport for Sorrento eight times a day, from 09:00 to 19:30, for €13; the trip takes 1 hour 15 to 1 hour 30. The Pintour shuttle runs ten times a day from the airport to Amalfi, through Vietri, Maiori and Atrani, but not to Positano.

For the ferries, the Alibus runs from the airport to Molo Beverello in about 30 minutes, stopping only at Piazza Garibaldi for the central station.

By train, the Circumvesuviana runs from Napoli Garibaldi to Sorrento in about 70 minutes, roughly every 36 minutes. The Campania Express tourist train is suspended from 1 October 2026 until further notice, EAV says, so take the ordinary service.

Fast ferries from Molo Beverello reach Positano and Amalfi until early November, and Capri all year.

From Salerno

Salerno is the easier arrival for Amalfi. Travelmar ferries leave Piazza della Concordia, next to the train station, and reach Amalfi in 35 minutes for €12, all year; Positano is 70 minutes and €17. SITA 5120 takes 1 hour 15 to 1 hour 30 by road.

Since 25 September 2026, roadworks at Castiglione di Ravello have put traffic lights and a 30 km/h limit on the SS163, so expect delays on the Salerno bus.

Taxis and Private Drivers

Taxis make sense for a group, for heavy bags, or for a start before the first bus. Amalfi's council sets fixed fares from its rank for up to four people: €20 to Atrani, €55 to Ravello, €80 to Bomerano and €90 to Positano.

The fixed fare only applies if you make no stops on the way, even for photos. Naples has fixed fares to the coast too: €125 to Sorrento, €145 to Positano and €155 to Amalfi, plus motorway tolls. Positano has no official tariff.

Private drivers are booked ahead and quote their own prices. Positano companies ask about €150 to €220 a car from Naples, more for a minivan, and they wait for you if a flight lands late.

Luggage

Moving towns with a suitcase is the hardest part of a trip without a car. Buses take one small bag free, the ferries charge €3 to €5 a case, and from Positano's pier or the Sponda stop most hotels are up steps, not on a road.

On a walking week, your luggage moves between the hotels while you walk, and the tour notes give the bus and ferry times for each day. The 11-day Amalfi to Sorrento week uses most of the routes on this page, from Amalfi's buses to the ferry for Capri.

Ready to Walk the Amalfi Coast?

Buses, ferries and paths between them reach every town and trailhead on the coast without a car. Start with the Path of the Gods, the walk most people come for. All ten walks are in the guide to walking the Amalfi Coast, with the distances and climbs for each.