travelfan1

Need a little input here. Between two choices - one offers ease and convenience, the other offers a chance to stretch our legs after a flight. I'm trying to decide between taking the train to Naples/private driver to hotel in Positano, giving us a chance to stretch our legs and walk after our overnight flight and also a little more "exciting" or a private transfer directly from the airport to Positano. Cost wise it will be about 55E more for the private transfer for the entire trip - not impacting my decision. I like the idea of the direct transfer for ease, don't like the idea of sitting again, and more importantly, how crazy will the driver drive? Our last transfer from our hotel to the Rome airport raised my blood pressure...there is no way any of us will be able to handle a speed-of-light race to Positano. Can I hope that drive will be a little more tame?

Via Michelin and Goggle show about 3:45 for the drive. Is that correct?

We arrive 8:45 am on a Friday if that makes a difference.

Thank you for any input.

kybourbon

If taking the train, consider taking it to Salerno instead of Naples. From Salerno to Positano your options are private transfer, ferry, Sita bus.

Do you have actual quotes from the airport to Positano? I think it's unlikely that there will only be a difference of 55€ as most car services charge 400€+ for just Rome/Naples and I'm sure would be more for FCO/Positano since it's quite a bit further.

Train:
Rome/Naples 44€ (AV/ES)
Rome/Salerno 35€ (ES)

bobthenavigator

With 4 I would opt for the private driver. It will be a van and the drivers are not wild.

travelfan1

I know training to Salerno is often recommended however what concerns me is there aren't as many trains to Salerno as there are to Naples. I put in Friday, March 12 and there were trains at 10:18, 10:29 & 10:45 to Naples. Trains to Salerno at 10:45 and 11:28. We're arriving April 23 so I can't check the exact schedule yet. Am I correct the drive from Salerno to Positano would take about an hour?

ellenem

I don't think that the full train schedule is listed yet for March 2010.

kybourbon

It's unlikely you would make any of the 10:00 trains. If you arrive at 8:45 it may take as long as an hour to get your luggage. Another 30-60 minutes to train (depending on how long you have to wait for the next train - actual travel time is 30 minutes) into Rome to catch the train south. It's a bit of a schlep from the drop-off to catching your next train. As for schedules, they won't change. Select this Friday and the schedule for April will be the same.

What rate are you quoted for FCO/Positano?

TimS

I checked the Trenitalia site for this Friday, 18 December. It will be the same on 23 March.

Take the Leonardo Express from Fiumicino to Termini, leaving at 10:36 and arriving at 11:07. Take an IC train to Salerno, leaving at 11:28 and arriving at 14:16. The fare for 2nd class all the way from the airport to Salerno is €33.50. If you travel 1st class on the IC train from Rome to Salerno, your total all the way from the airport is €40.50.

TimS

If you were lucky enough to clear immigration/passport control and claim your luggage in time to catch the 10:06 Leonardo Express to Termini, then you could take the 11:00 EuroStar Alta Velocita from Termini to Naples, arriving at 12:10. Then take a EuroStar Italia train from Naples to Salerno, departing at 12:42 and arriving at 13:12.

The 2nd class fare for this route all the way from the airport is €69. The 1st class fare is €83.

If I were doing this, I'd plan to take the IC train I listed above. No rush, no connection in Naples, and a cheaper fare.

TimS

Obviously I should have said that the timetables will be the same for 23 April, since that is your arrival date, and not 23 March.

travelfan1

We don't check luggage and the last time we arrived in Rome we were fortunate enough to get through customs in under 10 minutes...we should be so lucky this time.

I would like to know why Salerno? Is Naples that bad?

TimS

When I included not changing in Naples as a benefit of taking later trains, it was only for the fact that you would have to schlepp your luggage one less time. Since you travel light, it's not a factor.

Here is another route you could take: Trenitalia train from Rome to Naples, Circumvesuviana train from Naples to Sorrento, and a bus from Sorrento to Positano.

kybourbon

If you are doing a private transfer you might get a better price Salerno/Positano than Naples/Positano.

northie

we had 5 people doing the same trip and it was cheaper to hire a driver. We negotiated a price and had the same driver take us back to Rome including a side trip to Pompeii.
Driving or being in a car in Italy is hair raising. Once I had to ask a driver not to use the mobile phone whilst doing 160 KM!!!! road rules are there for others in Italy!!!!

nytraveler

It depends on what you mean by wild. Speed limits are higher in europe and no driver will dawdle down the highway at 50 mph.

I would do a car direct rather than train from airport to Rome, then train from Rome to Naples (os Salerno). And I agree that with 4 people plus luggage a car won;t be big enough- you'll be in a van instead.

Lifeman

Three and a half to four hours from FCO to Positano is about right. We drove Rome return from Sorrento a few years ago, each leg in about that time.

I take it that after an overnight flight none of you want to drive down to Positano? If it was me, I'd want to get to Positano asap and not mess about with trains via Naples or to Salerno with baggage etc. If you hire a driver it's likely that the vehicle will be a Mercedes Vito or Peugeot or Fiat similar and that you will moved from Rome to your hotel safely and speedily(though not hair raisingly).

Lindateach

In 2007, we had a van take six adults plus luggage from central Rome to Sorrento for 400 Euro. We used www.limoservicerome.com which I have used several times. We did have to make a deposit via Paypal.

alihutch

4 hours in a car/van after a long flight sounds awful to me...

palmers78

We used http://www.DriveAmalfi.com for a transfer to Praiano and would definately go with a direct transfer. Salerno does appear near but the maps do not take into account the volume of traffic and the numberous delays on the narrow winding coast road.