My cousin is taking a trip to Italy in July. She's flying into Rome, staying one night then wants to go to the Amalfi Coast. She will be train-ing it from Roma Centrale south. Can anyone tell me what trains to take? I tried to input days on TrenItalia but it keeps telling me there are no trains there? She's a young woman traveling with a friend and I don't want her father to worry while she is there. Thanks in advance.
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Travel in July to Amalfi
- Thread starter jpete
- Start date
You can take the Trenitalia train to Salerno, or connect in Naples to the separate Circumvesuviana train line to Sorrento (one write-up here), for access to the Amalfi Coast from both ends by bus or ferry. It can depend where on the Amalfi Coast she's going, but people with experience may come in and give more complete advice.
Editing to add: although some specifics may have changed, you can look at a detailed resource by @GAC on travel from Rome to the Amalfi Coast: https://www.sloweurope.com/communit...-airport-to-the-amalfi-coast-and-sorrento.22/
Editing to add: although some specifics may have changed, you can look at a detailed resource by @GAC on travel from Rome to the Amalfi Coast: https://www.sloweurope.com/communit...-airport-to-the-amalfi-coast-and-sorrento.22/
Hello: I'm GAC, the author of the posting hyperlinked by Andrew above. To further answer your question, the decision whether to take the train from Roma Termini Station to either Naples Centrale or Salerno depends on your final destination along the Amalfi Coast. If you're going to the town of Amalfi or any point between Amalfi and Salerno, definitely take a DIRECT train (not requiring a change in Naples) to SALERNO, then either the hourly SITA bus or (from May through October), the ferry boat to your final destination (some hamlets are not served by boat and can be reached only by bus). If you are going to Sorrento, take a train to NAPOLI CENTRALE, then the half-houry Circumvesuviana commuter train to Sorrento. If going to Positano or Praiano, it's very close to a toss of the coin whether to route through Naples or Salerno. Either way, it will be a longer trip. If going to Positano, many people prefer the train to Salerno, then the ferry boat (seasonal) direct to Positano, rather than the SITA bus from Sorrento to Positano or from Salerno to Amalfi/Amalfi to Positano. That is what I recommend.
Keep the following in mind:
1. If going to Salerno, make sure you can catch a southbound fast train (EITHER Trenitalia or competitor Italo Treno, which often has lower fares, which arrives in time to connect to the LAST boat going to Amalfi or Positano. Allow no less than 45 minutes connection time, to account for possible train delays as well as the 10-minute walk from the Salerno train station to the boat dock off of Piazza della Concordia. Around July, a late afternoon boat departure is added, so check the boat schedules very carefully. If you miss the last boat, you'll be stuck with the slower SITA bus, departing from the square in front of the Salerno train station.
2. Expect the SITA buses to be VERY crowded (especially between Sorrento and Positano/Amalfi), often standing room only. At times, you may not even be able to board the bus. For this reason, many travelers prefer taking the ferry boats. There is also a private bus operator between Sorrento and Amalfi which runs hourly tourist buses(during the tourist season) in competition with SITA (they cost more, but are less crowded, although you can't bring heavy luggage on board).
3. Be careful about purchasing discounted train tickets online, if taking the train immediately after arrival by plane. If your plane arrives late and you miss your reserved train, you will usually forfeit the ticket (there are a few exceptions, particularly with Italo Treno). If you purchase online, make sure that the discount is VERY good, to justify the forfeiture risk which you are incurring.
4. Don't buy boat tickets online in advance. Buy them at the ticket kiosk prior to boarding your ferry boat. You cannot buy SITA bus tickets online.
5. The Circumvesuviana commuter train from Naples to Sorrento is often VERY crowded, and subject to pickpocketing. It can be uncomfortable taking this train during rush hour with heavy luggage, which you must keep near to you while standing on the train (no air conditioning in many railcars). For this reason as well, many travelers going to Amalfi, Praiano or Positano prefer to connect through Salerno and avoid the Circumvesuviana train. Take the Circumvesuviana train only if your destination is Sorrento (or a town between Naples and Sorrento along the rail line, such as Ercolano, Pompei, Castellammare di Stabia or Torre Annunziata, to name just a few).
6. If you want to save money, avoid taking taxis, especially to get to the Amalfi Coast from Naples or Salerno. Use public transportation instead.
7 Don't even think about driving along the Amafi Coast during most of the year: unless you're an expert driver of a manual shift, chances are high that you'll get into an accident (or otherwise damage the car), plus parking is extremely difficult and very expensive. Some drivers end up parking their car for the entire duration of their stay along the Amalfi Coast!!!!
8. There will be a major system-wide schedule updating for the trains in mid-June. Consequently, you won't see exact schedules online at the moment. Nevertheless, use the current schedules as a guide. Check back at a later time for the new schedules.
9. Always check both Trenitalia and Italo Treno trains for best schedule and fares.
Any further questions?
PS: re-reading the original post, I see that the traveler will be overnighting in Rome prior to proceeding on to the Amalfi Coast. In that case, you can indeed save a GREAT DEAL of money by booking the train online in advance, once the new summer schedules are uploaded (keep checking the websites). You will have the advantage of taking an early morning train to either Salerno or Naples, and getting a very low promotional fare. Just be sure not to MISS the train departure!
For Trenitalia trains, the slower Intercity and Frecciabianca trains will cost less than the Frecciarossa and Frecciargento trains, and you'll get the lowest possible fare. (You may not necessarily mind the slightly longer travel time for a very low fare). Also check fares for Italo Treno (which does not operate the slower trains).
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