getting from the Rome airport to the Amalfi Coast

Costiera Amalfitana — Photo by Paolo Costa Baldi. License: GFDL/CC-BY-SA 3.0

You've landed in Rome, and you need to get to the Amalfi Coast. What's the best way to get to Positano, Amalfi, Sorrento, or Ravello? This was the subject of a recent online discussion among Brownell travel advisors. Here is the gist of their wisdom.

1. Book a private transfer. Your driver will pick you up at FCO and drive you directly to your hotel in Positano (where there are two stunning Virtuoso resorts: Il San Pietro di Positano and Le Sirenuse) or elsewhere. Click the links to see the exclusive amenities your Virtuoso travel consultant can provide.

2. Train to Naples, then transfer. First, you'll have to transfer from FCO to the Termini in Rome. The train to Naples is a 70 minute ride. From the Naples train station, you can get a transfer to Positano. But depending on the number of people in your party, this can be more expensive with two transfers and a train ticket for each person in your group.

3. Rent a car and drive yourself. Is this a good idea? While some tourists think of this as a way to save money, it may not be the best way to go. Inexperienced drivers on incredibly tight mountain roads will find the drive extremely challenging. You risk risk hitting the wall … or people. And consider parking: about 30€ per night to park the car in Positano — and hourly charges before and after the overnight hours can run the cost up to 50€ per day for parking.


So those are your options. Even though the cost of a private transfer from FCO might sound like a lot, you're saving yourself a ton of stress and beginning your Amalfi Coast holiday in style.

copyright (c) 2014 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.