I plan to do daytrip to Amalfi Coast from Rome. Train from Rome to Salerno, then ferry to Amalfi Coast. Could anyone suggest the best way? In case the ferry doesnt operate due to choppy water, I want to have a backup plan of what to take to get to Amalfi Coast.
Initially I was thinking of going to Positano as well on the same day, but since oir cruise later on will dock at Naples, I think I could wait till that day to go to Positano from Naples.
Where on Amalfi Coast? What did you plan to do/see?
Why Positano?
When is this trip?
There are buses from Salerno that go along the AC
Honestly IMO a day trip from Rome to AC would be brutal
There are many threads here about transportation chaos on AC. Have you searched the forum?
In 2023, we had friends take a train from Rome to Salerno, spend one night in Salerno, take an Amalfi coast cruise, and catch another train back to Rome from Salerno after the charter. Their hotel in Rome held most of their luggage. Here is a link to the charter company they used, which we also used in 2022. We opted to enjoy the view of Positano from the water, but our friends spent some time there on shore.
I have done this on a one day tour that also went to Pompeii. Given the intricacies of public transportation in the area, I think a group bus tour would be best for a day trip from Rome. This was decades ago and I don't remember which tour it was.
Your plans, including the cruise outing, do not account for the poor physical infrastructure in much of this area. You were asked about Month Of The Year because the ferries don't run to all towns all year. But if your trip is in peak summer, that is also peak passenger load for every transit mode, and every sidewalk on the AC. If you have advance-purchase discount train tickets, you have to worry about ferry delays or omitted runs. This is not the simple plan you may think it is. And it's a lot of travel time for a short visit to one or two towns.
Another issue is that you have to change busses in Amalfi if you are somehow stuck with the bus.
You may wish to make up a day's schedule for yourself, after checking the Trenitalia site, and this year's ferry schedule, and then evaluate your risk of getting stranded by a transport irregularity, or vehicle that is too full to get on. (That happens in Sorrento and Positano all the time, not so much in Salerno.)
Wait, so your cruise stops in Naples? And does that stop have an actual excursion to Positano or were you planning on DIYing that? If the cruise has an excursion to Positano then cool, you will have “seen” the Amalfi Coast. Honestly, you don’t need to do more than that. If you’re thinking about DIYing it before the ship leaves, then you’re braver than I am.
I don’t think you want to hear it, but I strongly advise against the day trip. A day trip here may look straightforward enough, but it’s not especially. This area just kind of eats time, it’s not built for precise efficiency. You’re trading a lot of effort for a brief reward / check in the ol’ travel log. Put that l against a day in Rome, and I’d take Rome in a heartbeat.
