Naples to Amalfi in October - Best Way

Hope things work out so you can travel to Italy in October. Of course this depends on how many people in your group and how much baggage, but my best splurge in Italy was taking a taxi (or car service) door-to-door from my lodging in Naples to my lodging in Sorrento. That was about €100 a few years ago, and I was traveling solo. With more people and more baggage, that would make it less a splurge. Traveling by train and/or bus will mean considerably more time, energy and hassle.

We are hoping to travel to Italy in October as well but it seems to be dwindling and postponing our trip looks to be happening. We picked Sorrento 1st Choice car service. And Gerry was very helpful. Our leg was from Naples train station to Positano and Cost $120 euros for 2 people. Hope this helps!

You can take a train from Napoli to Salerno (check schedules on the Trenitalia or Italo websites) and ferries should be running from a port there to Amalfi. Travelmar handles the majority of that route, and you can see their schedule for after July 3rd here:

https://www.travelmar.it/en/official-timetable

You can also enter your exact dates of travel here:
https://www.travelmar.it/en/official-timetable

Practically all Travelmar ferries operate from Salerno Concordia port for this route but there is one morning run which departs from Salerno Manfredi. I would also suggest checking operations periodically before your trip as, well, things aren't exactly normal these days! There is also a call number on the website linked if you'd like to try and speak to a human.

Train tickets from Napoli to Salerno are running as little as 4.70 €, and ferry tickets Salerno>Amalfi, one way, look to be 9,00 € so it wouldn't be an expensive trip.

Editing to add: Ferry schedules for Salerno>Amalfi and returns are not showing up on other web sources, like Naplesbayferry.com, I've used for this region but hopefully that will change as the area continues to open for seasonal tourism.

You said most efficient, not cheapest. Which is it? A car service from the train station in Naples is the most efficient. Yes, it's expensive. It may help if you think about your departure at the same time. Because of delay risks, it can be difficult to meet plane schedules (especially, from Rome) on the same day from Positano or Amalfi. When you have a handle on both ends of the trip, your actual "preference" may emerge to you.

One fact we don't know is whether you are arriving on the day of the wedding, or earlier. There are so many modes of transit needed to assemble a trip to Amalfi town (You do mean "town" don't you, not "Amalfi Coast"?) that you have to prepare for the chance of disruption or missed connections. This is not an excursion like flying into Rome and taking the airport bus to downtown Rome.

Make very sure you are looking at ferry schedules for the date you expect to travel. It can be difficult, especially in a time when all travel-related businesses are in a state of flux. But off-season schedules begin around then, in a normal year. I personally would not mix the desire for a boat ride with the need to make a wedding, but it depends on your flexibility. Rough water could, theoretically, cancel your boat.

It's not my intention to make you nervous about the whole trip. I just want you to understand that getting to a place that is valued for being off-the-grid is not like getting to a major European city. Amalfi is not undiscovered, and not deserted in high season. But it is still ... how you say ... complicated ... to get to.

How are you coming into Naples? By plane or train, and from where?

As you've very recently recommended a Florence hotel in a previous thread, this doesn't look to be your first rodeo in Italy, right?

Are you staying in Amalfi (town) or do you plan to just attend the Amalfi wedding and stay in another town? We stayed in Sorrento and hired a private driver to get us to Amalfi and other coastal towns. We came in from Rome by train into Naples and then took the Campania Express (don't think it runs in October) which was a private sort of train, not the regional one. If the Campania was not running we would have hired a private car service. I can highly recommend "Amalfi Coast Destination" car service, i have used them and I have had friends use them for your exact trip. Reliable, high end cars, air conditioned and friendly.

Thanks everyone for your informative replies. I'll be staying 2 nights in Amalfi town, so will need transport to/from there. As soon as the wedding is over, I'll go back to Naples for a few days to visit friends. Looks like the best solution is a car service. I suppose while I'm in Amalfi, I can check out ferries & just go back & forth along the coast for a few hours. I'll contact the car services everyone recommended to check availability.

I know there's a chance Americans won't be able to travel to Italy this year if we don't clean up our act here, but will remain positive & hope for the best!