Transport from Rome to Positano

Train to Salerno, ferry or private driver to Positano.

Well, first, Rome and Positano are 170 miles away and Rome is 50 miles away from the closest port. So there are no direct ferries and a driver would cost you an arm for the service and a leg for gas and tolls.

Both railway companies run direct high speed trains from Rome to Salerno that are three times faster than any car. Up to October 15 you can take a Travelmar ferry from Salerno to Positano.

Otherwise meet in Salerno the private driver that's going to take you to Positano and save both time and money. Something that rarely happens in life.

Depending on time of year, you could train from Rome to Naples and take a ferry from Naples to Positano.

I have not done it, but I imagine it would be a scenic and enjoyable 2 hour boat ride

We are doing that in October. Taking a train from Rome to Naples. Than hired a private car to take us to Positano with a 3 hour stop in Pompeii. We used Sorrento first choice for a private car.

Direct train to Salerno then ferry if operating or a private driver to Positano likely quickest/cheapest

You’ll need to get to wherever your departure flight home is the night before, don’t plan to leave on departure day from Positano.

We chose to stay in Amalfi rather than Positano for the better transportation links, more affordable lodging
Positano was only worth a short half day for us

Or you might consider staying in Sorrento for quicker/ easier day trips to Pompeii, Naples, etc

We split our time there
Sorrento 4
Amalfi 2/Ravello 1
Salerno 2- visit Paestum from here

Since no one mentioned yet- you do not need or want a car in Positano or anywhere in the area actually and as a first time driver in Italy- absolutely not.

We did this. Fast train from Rome to Salerno. Then walk from the train station (maybe 10 min at most) to the ferry. The ferry to Positano takes 90 minutes and seeing the Amalfi Coast from the sea was breathtaking and one of the highlights of our trip. I believe they run from April until October. There is a website where you can see the ferry schedule. We just took the first train out of Rome to make sure we were there in time. You need a backup plan in case the water is rough and ferries weren’t going. Mine was to take the bus from Salerno to Positano. I found the details of how to do that (what bus number, where to get the bus, etc) from folks on TA or this forum, I can’t recall.

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

https://www.positano.com/

Yeah, we can't tell if you have specifically chosen Positano and don't want to consider anything else. Or whether you mean it as a prominent synonym for "The Amalfi Coast pretty towns." What you want to do while there is very important, as is the month of the year. Do you have the slightest interest in Naples? Pompeii? Caserta? Did you plan to make stops between Rome and Positano, and what were they? Are you going in the opposite direction first?

A sketch of the full itinerary would be helpful.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/one-week-on-the-amalfi-coast

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/amalfi-coast-for-5-days-where-to-set-base-from

My wife and I are thinking of starting in Rome, and then finishing up in Positano.

"Finishing up" in Positano is likely to create logistical challenges for departing Italy.

Even if you are flying out from Naples, most would suggest you spend the night before the flight in Naples.

If you fly from Rome it becomes a MUST, that you spend the night in Rome ( or near FCO) and not Positano

I would train to Naples then private car (Plenty of companies to choose from) to Positano. We stationed in Sorrento and did a day trip to Positano, so all by train then private car hire from Sorrento for the day.

Another vote for train from Rome to Naples and then private car to Positano. We just did this last month and most people that live on the AC will suggest this route so that you go over the mountains instead of along the coast if you were to train to Salerno. Your hotel can arrange the private transfer from Naples train station and it’s usually €120.

I would also suggest train from Rome to Naples -- then private driver from Naples to Positano. We've done that several times (about a 90 minute trip with traffic). I'm not sure of the company names, because the hotel always arranged the transport but I am sure there are several to choose from.

We are using a private driver who is picking us up in Naples. They’ve got lots of itineraries,
I’m sure you can email them for pricing to Positano. They will go to Rome to get you but it’s pricey. Might be easier to be picked up in Naples and go from there.

Limo Service Naples
info@limoservicenaples.com
We’ve had excellent responses from Alessandro.

Thank you all for these terrific tips! We have decided based upon them that the best thing to do is travel by train from Rome to either Sorrento or Naples and then hire a car service to Positano. In answer to a question posed, really anywhere on the Amalfi Coast would be wonderful, but we have heard that Positano is magical, so that had been our focus. Another question I would pose (if anyone is still reading this thread!) regards getting from the Amalfi coast back to Seattle. My goodness, the flight options are brutal. We don't want to spend 22+ hours getting home, so now we are thinking of flying somewhere from Naples and spending a couple/few days there before flying back to Seattle. Does anyone have thoughts on this? I see that England classifies Italy as an "Amber" nation making that a more challenging option. Right now so few European cities offer direct flights to Seattle (Frankfurt and Amsterdam being the others). Or perhaps we reverse and start along the Amalfi coast and then travel to Rome, Hmm. We are planning to travel sometime between late September and the first few weeks of October.

Any tips/thoughts/advice would be greatly appreciated!! Grazie!

With travel being so uncertain these days due to COVID, you might be better off just flying RT to Rome. Go right to Amalfi and end in Rome.
We actually took train from Salerno to Venice (about 6 hours) and flew home from there - we love Venice and didn’t mind the train ride, it was a nice rest day for us.
Flying OUT of Venice does have its complications and I doubt you’ll get a direct to Seattle from there but it keeps you in Italy.

This is the service we used for pick up at Naples station to Sorrento, then again to take us to Amalfi.
They were excellent. About 100 € for each leg.
www.topexcursionsorrento.com
scroll down on the “Private Transfers” page for prices.