Naples along Amalfi Coast as a daytrip

I would take the train to Salerno - the fastest way to get there. From the station it's about a 5 minute walk to the ferry pier and the starting point for ferries along the AC. The AC is scenic pretty much beginning from Salerno and then all the way to Positano. What I thought was so picturesque was the little villages hugging the rugged cliffs along the coast. I don't know if the ferry from there around the the cape to Sorrento is very scenic and I suspect the ferry from there to Naples doesn't offer much except the view of Vesuvius. Unless others come along and extol the beauty, I'd just go back to Salerno and take the fast train to Naples.

You'll probably want to take the bus up from Amalfi to Ravello and then the scenic hike down. Many people enjoy the short walk from Maiori to Minori. From there it's about an hour's walk (or bus or ferry) to Amalfi. If you do that, stop at Sal de Riso for a refreshing drink and a to-die-for pastry. Their gelati are also excellent.

There are 3 bus routes along the AC: Salerno-Amalfi, Amalfi-Ravello, and Amalfi Sorrento. When the AC is crowded you may have long waits for buses at intemediate stops because the bus is likely to be full, only as many people can get on as get off.

If you finish your day in the early evening, you may want to have dinner in Salerno - there are excellent restaurants and prices are the lowest on the AC.

After thinking about this a lot, and I have to back up Chani. I’d say the Naples-Amalfi ferry in option #1 would be the way, but there’s some uncertainty there I don’t like. First, what is that ferry schedule and is it actually fast? I imagine it’s probably hitting stops in Sorrento and/or Capri. So, including all the embark/disembark this could be a long ride. I also recall the ferry I took Sorrento-Naples was much larger than the regular coast vessels, and I do not remember it having outdoor seating. (You’ll want to sit outside for the views, but also this is less fun on the Bay of Naples when you’re further out at sea.)

By contrast, that ferry from Salerno will be great and easy. I might also suggest going to Positano first, take a quick look around and bus to Amalfi. Docking at Positano is a core memory, just stunning, though I’d skip the town otherwise. Since it’s just the day, I’d disagree with walking down from Ravello. Always takes a bit more out of you than you expect, and personally I’d advocate for a more leisurely experience.

I agree with Chani

What time of year will this day trip be?

Fastest/easiest/most direct is train to Salerno then ferry to Amalfi. Bus to Ravello.
Then ferry back to Salerno, train to Naples.

I see no reason to go thru Sorrento and all the extra time and effort that requires (train station is not near ferry)

Thanks everybody for the help.

I was originally planning on doing what everyone is suggesting- take the train to salerno, ferry to amalfi town, bus to ravello, and then back to salerno to naples.

But, google was saying that the amalfi coast stretch from sorrento to amalfi town was the prettier stretch of the amalfi coast vs salerno to amalfi. Although, that might be because you'd be seeing postiano from sorrento to amalfi town and seeing postiano would be a core memory.

I was trying to avoid stopping at postiano because I was trying to minimize climbing all those steep stairs in postiano in deference for my traveling partner so I thought seeing postiano from the boat would be enough. ( I know ravello also has some stairs, but plan on taking the bus from amalfi to ravello). Sorrento seemed appealing because it was flatter than some of the other towns on the amalfi coast.

So, how does this sound?

Naples to salerno by train. Take the ferry from salerno to postiana.

Hang around the lower levels at postiano because we're not going to climb those stairs. Is 30 minutes enough, or is there something else to see or do in postiano without climbing a lot of steep stairs?

I wouldn't mind taking the bus from postiano to amalfi to get a different view of the amalfi coast, but I think the bus stop at postiano is at the top and it seems like there might be a long wait since postiano would be an intermediate stop.

So, then take ferry from postiano to amalfi. See amalfi, bus to ravello and back to amalfi. Then, take the bus or ferry to salerno and then take train to naples.

Re: adding Positano, I mentioned it because I think you can time-wise and it’s worth it if you can do it relatively quickly. 100% you don’t need to hike up, I would just take stroll around the lower bit, have a drink and move along. 30 minutes is about right. I’m also pro-ferry all the way, but there’s probably more bus service and it’s cheap. You’ll already have taken the ferry there from Salerno so no big deal. Positano isn’t critical, so feel free to cut it if things get tight. Amalfi/Ravello are your main goals.

Don’t sweat missing any views (except Positano I guess!) everything is pretty jaw-dropping. You’ll be well pleased with yourself when you get to Ravello, and look out along the coast from Villa Cimbrone.