What would you choose- Train schedule. Florence to Salerno

You don't make clear whether any of the train segments are Frecciarossa. That trip, from Rome to Naples or Salerno is so much faster than standard trains that it's (to me) persuasive. But, OTOH, advance purchase discounts are non-changeable, non-refundable for Frecciarossa. The Frecciarossa "walk-up" fare is quite high. I would point out that you have a fallback opportunity to take the SITA bus to Amalfi. That bus does not go all the way to Positano or Sorrento, so it might not be as crowded as the busses on the Sorrento-Amalfi segment (no personal experience.) You may also wish to determine whether the ferry has any outdoor riding possible, or whether you are over-valuing the approach to Amalfi by water. (again, no personal experience. But I can say that the ferries to Capri are sealed-up, with a hundred or more airline seats and few round portholes.)

Make sure you have the ferry schedule effective for your exact (?) date of travel. Also make sure you have reasonable departure plans, for example to a flight home. You normally can't wake up in Amalfi to fly to the U.S. the same day.

You normally can't wake up in Amalfi to fly to the U.S. the same day.

Indeed. Only from the other side of the peninsula (like Sorrento) or from Salerno do you have a shot without a lot of added stress.

We had a 12:30 flight out of Naples Capodochino, and took one of the buses that originate at Sorrento station. Left at 7AM, it's supposed to take 90 minutes, but ended because of traffic--in March!-- extending to almost 2.5 hours. Made it but was nervous as they really want you there 3 hours before international flights. This was Lufthansa that stopped in Munich before flying to Chicago.

ooops.

This is train scheduled From Florence to Salerno, Ferry to Amalfi.

1) There is only 25 minutes alloted for train change

I’d take the direct train
Why would you want to stop-get off- find next train-get on?
Just more hassle

If you need to stretch you can do that on the train

Plan to catch the 1:00 pm ferry
Grab lunch while you wait

ETA
We rode ferry from Amalfi to Salerno in late May
It was a double decker open air boat
Same with ferry from Positano to Amalfi

There is only 25 minutes alloted for train change'

Only? There are only 4 tracks at Napoli Afragola whereas the concourse connecting the 1st and the last track at Roma Termini is 170 meters long. You are not supposed to leave the tracks area unless you want a real coffee.

The first train is faster even with a transfer because it bypasses downtown Naples and stops only at Napoli Afragola. Afragola is a through-station where you must use a pedestrian overpass to transfer between the tracks. With luggage I'd rather change in Rome.

Good to know that 25 minutes is plenty of time for change. I personally never had to change train before.

The 2nd train is direct .

You can also take a ferry from Sorrento to Amalfi. I have twice taken it from Sorrento. There may be one from Naples as well. From Salerno I believe the train goes part of the distance to Amalfi, and you can probably take a bus from there.

This whole thing seems like a headache. They often cancel the ferries if the wind is up. I was there a few months ago, and they would not sell a ferry ticket of the next day because of the weather and told me to come back in the morning to see if the ferries would be running.

Also Amalfi is ok, but Positano and Capri are the super star destinations, with Sorrento the overall winner for value.

I think you need to extend your time, or plan two different trips. Or cut Florence a little shorter.

I have done this trip and have also had the ferries cancelled due to weather. Now we take the direct train to Naples and have private transfer to Amalfi. More expensive but less hassle. No schlepping luggage that train transfer requires.

You can also take a ferry from Sorrento to Amalfi. I have twice taken
it from Sorrento. There may be one from Naples as well. From Salerno I
believe the train goes part of the distance to Amalfi, and you can
probably take a bus from there.

The quickest most direct way to get from Florence to Amalfi is as OP has planned-
Direct train to Salerno
Ferry to Amalfi which takes 35 min

The ferry from Sorrento would require several transfers
Florence to Naples
Naples to Sorrento via Circumvesiana
Transfer to port
Ferry to Amalfi which takes 1.5 hours

The ferry from Naples to Amalfi usually requires a transfer to another ferry in Capri.

There is a train that goes from Salerno to Vietre Sul Mar but you’d then have same issue of timing your arrival to Salerno to catch next regional train to Vietre then waiting for bus in Vietre Sul Mar to take you another hour to Amalfi.
There is a ferry from Vietre Sul Mar to Amalfi but that takes an hour and some of them actually go back to Salerno first.

OP- Your plan is solid. If you are concerned about ferries not running then you could book a driver from Salerno to Amalfi- that’ll cost a lot less than a driver from Naples.

I think you need to extend your time, or plan two different trips. Or
cut Florence a little shorter.

Huh? OP hasn’t shared any info about overall itinerary.

Thank you Christine H.

I love the idea of getting to Amalfi via Ferry.