I want to book a day trip from Rome to Amalfi Coast in May. I can several tour companies offering this online ranging from 220-300$(CAD). I am wondering if this is something I should book right now or wait till I get to Rome and find a tour operator then.
Also, does anyone have any experience with private tours/taxis that provide this service and if its any cheaper?
Are you sure you want to do this? ViaMichelin estimates the pure driving time (no stops) from Rome just to Amalfi at 3 hr. 15 min. one way. It's about 165 miles. There would be at least 6-1/2 hours spent riving back and forth to Amalfi, but you'd also be seeing (at least) Positano. That's an extremely narrow two-lane road on which vehicles sometimes have to back up; traffic tie-ups are difficult to predict. How much time would you actually be able to spend outside the vehicle? How much time would be left after allowing for lunch and comfort breaks?
At this price, you're almost certainly not looking at a private tour, so I must also ask: How long will it take you to get to the pick-up point? That's part of your travel time. If pick-up service is included, how much time will you spend, sitting in the vehicle, while other tour participants are picked up? How much time will be lost at your stops as a result of being one of 6, 8, 10 people who have to unload and re-load the vehicle? How many women (I am one) will be in the group? Will they be lining up for restroom breaks?
There are good side-trips from Rome that take much, much less driving time than the Amalfi Coast does.
Much too far as a day trip
There are tour companies that offer but still a heck of a lot of time in transit for little reward
See what Walks of Italy has
I believe they do a fast train/ ferry excursion
https://www.walksofitaly.com/
Welcome to the forums, B!
If determined to do this, I would definitely look at tours which get you most of the way there by high-speed rail thus cutting significant time, although you'll likely spend 2+ hours each way on the train. The bus tours eat up additional hours on the road that could be better spent sightseeing Rome. As Christine mentioned, Walks of Italy/Take Walks has a smaller-group (max. of 18) tour to/from Rome and Salerno by fast train + around the coast by ferry. It isn't offered every day, and costs.$293.49 CAD pp. I haven't taken this one but this is a highly reputable company that has seen many, many recommendations for their tours on the forums over the years. Personally, I wouldn't try to cut corners on an all-day tour that has to cover this sort of distance, and a private tour for just the two of you from Rome would be VERY expensive.
This tour runs rain or shine, and if the sea is too rough to dock in Positano, they'll use ground transport to access that town. You don't mention wanting to see Pompeii so if that's the case, you'll need a different tour. I wish we knew what your larger itinerary looks like? There is a LOT to see in Rome so hope you're not cutting it short to do this tour. Also, your Venice post indicates that you're wanting to book $ 70 CAD hotel rooms during high season, and that concerns me too.
To add: most of us recommend booking with the tour companies themselves versus a 3rd party re-seller like Viator. If something goes wrong, it's best not be working through a middleman.
