From Naples Airport to Positano there are four ways to arrive: a bus with a change, a fast boat from the port, a taxi from the official rank at a fixed fare, and a transfer booked in advance. On 6 October 2026 the Curreri bus to Sorrento cost €13, the fixed taxi fare to Positano is €145, and a private transfer in the Comfort class showed $199 per vehicle. On paper the drive is about 1 h 30, and clearly longer in high summer. The number-one trap is the timetable: the last Curreri bus leaves the airport at 19:30, and anyone landing later needs a plan that does not depend on the coach.
The essentials in numbers
Landing in Naples and heading for the coast, you have four options: bus, boat, taxi or a pre-booked transfer. Every figure below was read on 6 October 2026 on the pages cited and changes with the date and the season.
- Distances from Capodichino: Sorrento 54 km, Positano 62 km, Amalfi 75 km. The transfer provider quotes about 1 h 30 for all three, its FAQ 60 to 90 minutes to Sorrento and 75 to 100 to Positano.
- Bus: Curreri to Sorrento €13, eight departures from 9:00 to 19:30; the onward leg is a SITA bus.
- Taxi from the rank: fixed fares set by the City of Naples, per vehicle: Sorrento €125, Positano €145, Amalfi €155, motorway tolls extra.
- Pre-booked transfer: for 7 October 2026 in Comfort class, $171 (Sorrento), $199 (Positano), $206 (Amalfi) per vehicle, with 90 minutes of free waiting.
- Trap no. 1: the timetable. After 19:30 there is no Curreri bus.
The rule of thumb: alone, in daylight and with light luggage, bus and boat win on price. The fixed-fare taxi is the cheapest door to door. The transfer costs more than both; its advantage is a different one: price, driver and meeting point are known before you fly, and the driver tracks your flight.
The options compared
The difference lies less in the price than in how many changes you make and when the last departure goes:
| Option | Sorrento | Positano | Amalfi | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bus (Curreri, then SITA) | €13 · about 1 h 15 | €13 + about €2.50 (SITA) · over 2.5 h | €13 + about €3.50 (SITA) · nearly 3 h, plus the change | Curreri stops at Sorrento station, last departure from the airport 19:30; SITA tickets bought beforehand, not on board |
| Fast boat (Alibus €5 to the port, then crossing) | from €17 · 35–45 min | €27.50–34 · 1 h 20–1 h 30 | from €24 · 1 h 45–3 h | Crossings cancelled in rough seas; to Positano only one departure a day from late October |
| Taxi from the rank (fixed fare) | €125 | €145 | €155 | Per vehicle, luggage included; tolls extra; €5 supplement above 4 passengers; ask for the fixed fare at the start of the ride |
| Pre-booked transfer | $171 (Comfort, 7 Oct) | $199 (Comfort, 7 Oct) | $206 (Comfort, 7 Oct) | Per vehicle, 4 passengers and 3 suitcases; 90 minutes of waiting; free cancellation |
Bus and train: cheap, but with gaps
The Curreri bus runs straight from the airport to Sorrento: €13 each way according to Curreri Viaggi, eight departures (9:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:30, 16:30, 18:00, 19:30), about 1 h 15 to Sorrento station (leaving 9:00, arriving 10:15), times flagged as indicative in high season. You board at the tourist coach car park, and booking is online up to four hours before departure.
The problem is the onward leg. According to one guide, the SITA bus from Sorrento costs about €2.50 to Positano (50 minutes) and €3.50 to Amalfi (90 to 100 minutes). It sells no tickets on board: buy them beforehand at a tobacconist or a bar. The provider’s page puts Positano at “over 2.5 hours” overall; for Amalfi the times add up to nearly three hours, the change not included. For Sorrento there is also the train: Alibus to Napoli Centrale (€5, 15 minutes), then the Circumvesuviana (€4.60 to €5, 70 to 75 minutes according to two guides, last train 22:14 from Garibaldi), with two changes and suitcases.
If your flight lands after 19:30 or you have several suitcases, do not build on this timetable: a taxi or a transfer booked in advance from Naples Airport is then the calmer choice.
The fast boat: lovely, but seasonal and weather-dependent
The Alibus takes you to the port: €5 according to ANM, the city’s transport operator, every 15 minutes, about 35 minutes to Molo Beverello, from 5:30 to midnight. The fast boats leave from there: to Sorrento 35 to 45 minutes, from €17 (Alilauro) or €18.50 (NLG) according to Ferryhopper, a little more in some months; to Positano €27.50 to €34 for 1 h 20 to 1 h 30 according to positano.com; to Amalfi from €24 for 1 h 45 to 3 h.
Two limits: the season and the sea. To Positano, positano.com says there is only one departure a day from late October. At Positano the landing stage is very exposed to the wind, and rough seas cancel crossings; tickets are then refunded. If you have a flight the same day, do not make the boat your only option. More on the coast itself: the Amalfi Coast without a car.
The taxi from the rank: the city’s fixed fare
Official taxis queue at the airport’s taxi rank. For the coast a fixed fare per vehicle applies, set by the City of Naples on 27 June 2024 and also published by the airport operator: Sorrento €125, Positano €145, Amalfi €155, Ravello €160. According to the tariff sheet it includes luggage, night and holiday surcharges and the airport supplement, but not motorway tolls or, above four passengers, a €5 minivan supplement. The fixed fare has to be requested at the start of the ride.
Some guides still quote €100, €130 and €150 (a text dated 2 August 2026); the city’s sheet is what counts, and the Italian portal Sicurauto confirmed its amounts on 19 June 2026 (“attualmente vigenti”). The taxi is cheaper than any transfer, but you sort everything out on the spot, after the queue at the rank. The return is another matter: the sheet applies to rides starting in Naples. From Positano, Positanonews gave on 6 August 2025 an average of €250 to €300 for a taxi to Naples, as an indication.
The pre-booked transfer: prices and what the booking page shows
A private transfer is a car with a driver; the price is per vehicle and, according to the provider, includes tolls, taxes and parking. On Kiwitaxi’s route pages, for 7 October 2026:
Full guide: Renting a car in Italy: ZTL fines, tolls and deposit
- Sorrento (54 km): Comfort $171 (4 passengers, 3 suitcases), minivan $191 (4 passengers, 4 suitcases), 7-seat minibus $191.
- Positano (62 km): Comfort $199, minivan $222, 7-seat minibus $239.
- Amalfi (75 km): Comfort $206, minivan $230, 7-seat minibus $239.
The same site gives lower floor prices elsewhere (“from $167, $198 and $205” in the list, “from $170” for Sorrento and “from $182” for Positano in the FAQ). Those are minimums across all dates; what counts is the price shown for your date before you confirm.
According to the page, included are a meet-and-greet with a name sign, flight tracking, the ride to your address and 90 minutes of free waiting. The airport page counts it from landing, the help page from the scheduled arrival: take the latter. After that the driver may ask for an extra fee. The price is fixed at booking, “regardless of traffic or time of day”. Child seats are booked with the ride; without a booked seat the driver may refuse the trip, according to the help page.
You book at least 16 hours ahead, 24 for Business, Premium and large minibuses. Free cancellation runs up to 16 hours before (Comfort, minivan, 7-seater) or 24 hours (higher classes) according to the help page; the airport page says 24 across the board, so count on 24. The refund takes 5 to 7 banking days. You pay online, or with a deposit and the balance in cash to the driver.
If you decide to go that way, the Naples airport page shows the class, destination and total price before you pay. Booking the return as well is worth it: from Positano to the airport the route page shows “from $199”, against a €250 to €300 taxi average.
How long does it really take? Summer, traffic and alternate plates
The 1 h 30 holds for normal traffic. In summer, guides report 15 to 25 extra minutes on the SS145 at weekends and in August. On the SS163 coast road traffic moves at 20 to 30 km/h according to one guide, the 12 km from Positano to Amalfi take 40 to 55 minutes in July and August, and the SITA bus from Sorrento to Amalfi needs 2 to 2.5 hours instead of 90 to 100 minutes. Keep a 30-minute buffer.
Then there is the alternate-plates rule: on the SS163 between Vietri sul Mare and Positano in 2026, driving is banned from 10:00 to 18:00 according to whether the last digit of the plate is odd or even, at weekends and public holidays from 1 June to 31 July, every day from 1 August to 30 September, and again at weekends and holidays in October. Taxis and NCC (cars with driver) are exempt under the Anas ordinance, as are residents and a few other groups; anyone driving their own car is in principle affected.
Luggage and the last few metres
Count suitcases, not just people: according to the provider, Comfort takes 4 passengers and 3 suitcases, the minivan 4 and 4, the 7-seat minibus 7 and 7. In a taxi, luggage is included in the fixed fare.
Positano is built on a hillside. Its main axis (Via Pasitea, Piazza dei Mulini, Via Cristoforo Colombo) is a restricted-traffic zone, and since 2024 taxis and NCC also pay to enter, according to the local tourist board, which advises visitors to park at the top and walk down the steps and lanes. So give the exact address when you book and ask your accommodation where the car may stop.
In Amalfi the boat arrives at the Marina, a short walk from the historic centre. For smaller places such as Praiano or Maiori the provider has its own route pages from the airport; there too, give the exact address.
How reliable is a booking in advance? The reviews
More telling than a provider’s own figures is an independent platform: on 6 October 2026 Kiwitaxi stood at 4.3 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 1,089 reviews, 78% five-star and 16% one-star. Complaints: drivers who do not show up or arrive very late, child seats not supplied, slow refunds, overloaded customer service; praise: easy booking, punctual drivers, clean vehicles.
The risk falls if you save the voucher offline, note the driver’s phone number (sent in advance), book the child seat explicitly and report a flight delay: under 30 minutes the driver adjusts, beyond that you pass on your order number and the new arrival time. If the driver fails to meet you, the provider states on its help page that it refunds the price.
Before you pay: the checklist
- Landing time: before 19:30 and with light luggage the Curreri bus is enough; otherwise taxi or transfer.
- Vehicle: count people and suitcases, not just heads.
- Address: in Positano the beach, the harbour and a hotel up the hill are different destinations.
- Cancellation: with 24 hours’ notice you are safe in every class.
- Voucher and phone: saved offline, driver’s number noted, child seat ordered with the booking.
- Return: book it straight away, especially for an early-morning flight.
Routes and vehicle classes are on the booking page for Naples airport transfers. On costs: ten days in Italy; if the trip starts in Rome, where to stay in Rome.
