Rome to Positano
 

I want to hire a car (mother and daughter) and drive from Rome to Positano. I have driven in Italy before and don't mind it. Is there a better way to get there. Love being independent. Also only have two nights on the coast is there a better place to go than Positano? Keeping in mind we will be coming from Rome and fly out of Rome back to NZ.

High speed train Rome to Naples, then hire a driver to Positano.

If you are there in the summer a car is a really bad idea. The coast road is very narrow and winding and there is so much traffic - including huge tour buses - that you usually go no more than 10 mph os so. Also, very few lodgings have parking spaces - leaving you with a arge problem of what to do with the car.

Positano is mainly for just relaxing - so agree that you shoud take the train and get a driver to take you to the town.

And just so you know we often do road trips in europe and have done them twice to the AC - but in May when it's not nearly so crowded as high season. But we stayed in Sorrento, which has good access by road - as well as train and ferry/hydrofoil - and is a better center if you want to do sightseeing - Capri and/or Pompeii.

(Pompeii is not nearly so convenient for sightseeing as there are few ferries to Capri and the trip to Pompeii is quite long and inconvenient.)

If you want to drive then take the autostrada to Salerno and then take the SS163 (Amalfi Coast drive) from Salerno in the 'opposite direction' to Positano.
That way you will avoid the Sorrentine Peninsula and the headaches of driving around there.
I would not dissuade you from driving if you are experienced in Italy but bear in mind the few hotels that have parking and the cost per day of same if your hotel directs you to a parking garage - think 30 euro per day and up. Don't expect to use your car to sightsee except maybe to Paestum.

You can also take a direct high-speed train from Rome to Salerno and a boat from there to Positano.

Any of the above ideas are OK. Another option: Drive to Sorrento, drop the car there, and bus to Positano. There's a Hertz in Sorrento.

The road to Sorrento isn't bad, if you're set on driving. It gets a lot worse south of there.

In addition to the route bvlenci advises a quicker route to Positano perhaps would be to take a train to Naples and then transfer there to the CircumVesuviana commuter train to its terminus at Sorrento then go by bus to Positano (or ferry but schedules are at times infrequent and the dock is a long hike from where the train dumps you off. For lots of good info on Italian trains check www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com. Book early for good discounts at www.trenitalia.com or www.italotreno.com (think the latter is correct but not sure).

How about the train to Salerno and then the Ferry to Positano?

How about the train to Salerno and then the Ferry to Positano?>

bvlenci suggests that - I think it is quicker via Sorrento, Positano being way away from Salerno - not sure how long boats take and their frequency or their cost - but dirt-cheap way is to take trains to Naples then the CircumVesuviana and then the world-famous hair-raising Amalfi Coast buses to Positano.

Some folks are scared away from changing at Naples for some reason and Salerno is more seemless with buses out front and boats not far away.